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Glushkova S, Shelikhova L, Voronin K, Pershin D, Vedmedskaya V, Muzalevskii Y, Kazachenok A, Kurnikova E, Radygina S, Ilushina M, Khismatullina R, Maschan A, Maschan M. Impact of Natural Killer Cell-Associated Factors on Acute Leukemia Outcomes after Haploidentical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation with αβ T Cell Depletion in a Pediatric Cohort. Transplant Cell Ther 2024; 30:435.e1-435.e12. [PMID: 38278183 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2024.01.070] [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: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/28/2024]
Abstract
The technique of αβ T cell depletion (αβTCD) is a well-established method of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for children with acute leukemia owing to the low rates of graft-versus-host disease and nonrelapse mortality (NRM). The graft-versus-leukemia effect is generally ascribed to natural killer (NK) cells conserved within the graft. It is not known whether NK-related factors affect the outcome of αβTCD HSCT, however. The aim of this retrospective study was to explore the impact of NK alloreactivity (based on donor-recipient killer immunoglobulin-like receptor [KIR] mismatch), graft NK cell dose, and blood NK cell recovery on day +30 post-HSCT on the incidences of leukemia relapse and NRM. The pediatric acute leukemia cohort comprised 295 patients who underwent their first HSCT from a haploidentical donor in complete remission. During post hoc analysis, the total cohort was divided into subcohorts by diagnosis (acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL]/acute myeloid leukemia [AML]), NK alloreactivity prediction (KIR match/KIR mismatch), graft NK cell dose (less than versus greater than the median value), and blood NK cell recovery on day +30 post-HSCT (less than versus greater than the median value). We also investigated the influence of serotherapy (antithymocyte globulin [ATG] group) versus abatacept + tocilizumab combination [aba+toci] group) on relapse risk in the context of KIR mismatch. The risks of relapse and NRM were calculated by the cumulative risk method, and groups were compared using the Gray test. Multivariate analysis revealed no apparent impact of predicted NK alloreactivity or any other studied NK cell-related factors for the entire cohort. For patients with AML, a significantly higher relapse risk associated with high NK cell graft content on the background of no predicted KIR mismatch (P = .002) was shown. Multivariate analysis confirmed this finding (P = .018); on the other hand, for the KIR-mismatched patients, there was a trend toward a lower risk of relapse associated with high NK cell dose. The use of ATG was associated with a trend toward reduced relapse risk (P = .074) in the AML patients. There was no significant impact of NK-related factors in the ALL patients. Overall, the evaluated NK-related factors did not show a clear and straightforward correlation with the key outcomes of HSCT in our cohort of children with acute leukemia. In practice, the data support prioritization of KIR-mismatched donors for patients with AML. Importantly, a potential interaction of KIR ligand mismatch and NK cell content in the graft was identified. Indirect evidence suggests that additional cellular constituents of the graft could influence the function of NK cells after HSCT and affect their role as graft-versus-leukemia effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Glushkova
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology and Immunotherapy, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Larisa Shelikhova
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Kirill Voronin
- Department of Statistics, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitriy Pershin
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology and Immunotherapy, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Viktoria Vedmedskaya
- Laboratory of Transplantation Immunology and Immunotherapy, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yakov Muzalevskii
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexei Kazachenok
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Kurnikova
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Svetlana Radygina
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria Ilushina
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Rimma Khismatullina
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexei Maschan
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Michael Maschan
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
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2
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Dastouri M, Kilic N, Yilmaz H. The apoptotic effects of NK-92 cells stimulated with an anti-CD226 antibody on MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells. Med Oncol 2023; 40:228. [PMID: 37410214 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02080-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Research on immunotherapy in breast cancer treatment has recently gained importance. In this context, natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to kill cancer cells without affecting normal cells. Our study used the NK-92 cells that were stimulated with anti-CD226 antibodies (sNK-92) to increase their activity to target MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells. MCF-12A normal breast cells were used as the control in all experiments. The cytotoxic effects of NK-92 and sNK-92 cells on MDA-MB-231 cells were investigated using lactate dehydrogenase tests. The sNK-92 cells were more cytotoxic than NK-92 cells on MDA-MB-231 cells. In contrast, a significant cytotoxic change was not observed in MCF-12A cells cocultured with NK-92 and sNK-92 cells. An increase in granzyme B levels after coculturing with sNK-92 cells was investigated using the granzyme B enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The sNK-92 cells secreted more granzyme B than NK-92 cells against MDA-MB-231 cells. This increase was not observed in MCF-12A, indicating that sNK-92 cells specifically target cancer cells. In addition, immunostaining was used to investigate the synthesis level of BAX, CASP3, and CASP9 proteins to determine whether the observed cytotoxic effect was due to apoptosis. These proteins were synthesized more in MDA-MB-231 cells cocultured with sNK-92 than with NK-92 cells. However, no increase in their synthesis was observed in normal breast cells cocultured with NK-92 and sNK-92 cells. In conclusion, NK-92 cells stimulated with anti-CD226 antibodies secrete more granzyme B, resulting in a greater cytotoxic effect by inducing programmed cell death (apoptosis). The fact that the observed effects on breast cancer cells were not observed in normal breast cells indicates that sNK-92 cells specifically target breast cancer cells. These results indicate the potential use of CD226-stimulated NK-92 cells in immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammadreza Dastouri
- Ankara University Biotechnology Institute and SISBIYOTEK Advanced Research Unit, Gumusdere Yerleskesi, Kecioren, 06135, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Nil Kilic
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ankara University, Tandogan Campus, 06100, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Humeyra Yilmaz
- Department of Medical Biology, Institute of Health Sciences, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, Turkey
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3
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Fernández A, Pérez-Martínez A, Escudero A, Mirones I, González B, de Paz R, Matamala N, Clares L, Navarro A, Galán V, Martínez-Romera I, Martínez-López J, Leivas A, Valés-Gómez M, Ferreras C, Fernández L. Infusion of haploidentical NKG2D-CAR-T CD45RA- cells in two pediatric patients with advanced relapsed and refractory acute leukemia was safe but achieved no clinical benefits. Leuk Lymphoma 2022; 63:1970-1974. [DOI: 10.1080/10428194.2022.2057490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Fernández
- Hematological Malignancies Lab-H12O Clinical Research Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Pérez-Martínez
- Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
- Translational Research Group in Pediatric Oncology Hematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, La Paz University Hospital Institute for Health Research-IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
- Pediatric Department, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adela Escudero
- Pediatric Molecular Hemato-Oncology Department, Medical and Molecular Genetics Institute (INGEMM), La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Mirones
- Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products Production Unit, Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Service and Pharmacy Service, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Berta González
- Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel de Paz
- Hematology and Hemotherapy Department, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerea Matamala
- Pediatric Molecular Hemato-Oncology Department, Medical and Molecular Genetics Institute (INGEMM), La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Clares
- Translational Research Group in Pediatric Oncology Hematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, La Paz University Hospital Institute for Health Research-IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alfonso Navarro
- Translational Research Group in Pediatric Oncology Hematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, La Paz University Hospital Institute for Health Research-IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Victor Galán
- Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department, La Paz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Joaquín Martínez-López
- Hematological Malignancies Lab-H12O Clinical Research Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
- Hematology Department, 12 de Octubre University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alejandra Leivas
- Hematological Malignancies Lab-H12O Clinical Research Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
- Hematology Department, 12 de Octubre University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mar Valés-Gómez
- Tumor Immune Activation and Evasion Group, National Biotechnology Center, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cristina Ferreras
- Translational Research Group in Pediatric Oncology Hematopoietic Transplantation and Cell Therapy, La Paz University Hospital Institute for Health Research-IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lucía Fernández
- Hematological Malignancies Lab-H12O Clinical Research Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
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4
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Jiang Z, Qin L, Tang Y, Liao R, Shi J, He B, Li S, Zheng D, Cui Y, Wu Q, Long Y, Yao Y, Wei Z, Hong Q, Wu Y, Mai Y, Gou S, Li X, Weinkove R, Norton S, Luo W, Feng W, Zhou H, Liu Q, Chen J, Lai L, Chen X, Pei D, Graf T, Liu X, Li Y, Liu P, Zhang Z, Li P. Human induced-T-to-natural killer cells have potent anti-tumour activities. Biomark Res 2022; 10:13. [PMID: 35331335 PMCID: PMC8943975 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-022-00358-4] [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: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) is a particularly promising area of cancer immunotherapy, engineered T and NK cells that express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are being explored for treating hematopoietic malignancies but exhibit limited clinical benefits for solid tumour patients, successful cellular immunotherapy of solid tumors demands new strategies. METHODS Inactivation of BCL11B were performed by CRISPR/Cas9 in human T cells. Immunophenotypic and transcriptional profiles of sgBCL11B T cells were characterized by cytometer and transcriptomics, respectively. sgBCL11B T cells are further engineered with chimeric antigen receptor. Anti-tumor activity of ITNK or CAR-ITNK cells were evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies. RESULTS We report that inactivation of BCL11B in human CD8+ and CD4+ T cells induced their reprogramming into induced T-to-natural killer cells (ITNKs). ITNKs contained a diverse TCR repertoire; downregulated T cell-associated genes such as TCF7 and LEF1; and expressed high levels of NK cell lineage-associated genes. ITNKs and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transduced ITNKs selectively lysed a variety of cancer cells in culture and suppressed the growth of solid tumors in xenograft models. In a preliminary clinical study, autologous administration of ITNKs in patients with advanced solid tumors was well tolerated, and tumor stabilization was seen in six out nine patients, with one partial remission. CONCLUSIONS The novel ITNKs thus may be a promising novel cell source for cancer immunotherapy. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03882840 . Registered 20 March 2019-Retrospectively registered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiwu Jiang
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Le Qin
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuou Tang
- Department of Radiology; Guangdong Provincial Education Department Key Laboratory of Nano-Immunoregulation Tumour Microenvironment; Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Nano-Biomedical Technology for Diagnosis and Therapy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rui Liao
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jingxuan Shi
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bingjia He
- Department of Radiology; Guangdong Provincial Education Department Key Laboratory of Nano-Immunoregulation Tumour Microenvironment; Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Nano-Biomedical Technology for Diagnosis and Therapy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shanglin Li
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Diwei Zheng
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanbin Cui
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiting Wu
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Youguo Long
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yao Yao
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhihui Wei
- Guangdong Zhaotai InVivo Biomedicine Co. Ltd., Guangzhou, China
| | - Qilan Hong
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China.,Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yi Wu
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanbang Mai
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Shixue Gou
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoping Li
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Robert Weinkove
- Cancer Immunotherapy Programme, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington, New Zealand
| | | | - Wei Luo
- Clinical Research Institute, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, China
| | - Weineng Feng
- Department of Head and Neck/Thoracic Medical Oncology, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong, China
| | - Hongsheng Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qifa Liu
- Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiekai Chen
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Liangxue Lai
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinwen Chen
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Duanqing Pei
- School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Thomas Graf
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China.,Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xingguo Liu
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China
| | - Yangqiu Li
- Institute of Hematology, Medical College, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Pentao Liu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Consortium, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
| | - Zhenfeng Zhang
- Department of Radiology; Guangdong Provincial Education Department Key Laboratory of Nano-Immunoregulation Tumour Microenvironment; Guangzhou Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Nano-Biomedical Technology for Diagnosis and Therapy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Peng Li
- China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory of Biomedine and Health, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China. .,Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou, China. .,Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Health, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
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5
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Kiekens L, Van Loocke W, Taveirne S, Wahlen S, Persyn E, Van Ammel E, De Vos Z, Matthys P, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Taghon T, Van Vlierberghe P, Vandekerckhove B, Leclercq G. T-BET and EOMES Accelerate and Enhance Functional Differentiation of Human Natural Killer Cells. Front Immunol 2021; 12:732511. [PMID: 34630413 PMCID: PMC8497824 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.732511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
T-bet and Eomes are transcription factors that are known to be important in maturation and function of murine natural killer (NK) cells. Reduced T-BET and EOMES expression results in dysfunctional NK cells and failure to control tumor growth. In contrast to mice, the current knowledge on the role of T-BET and EOMES in human NK cells is rudimentary. Here, we ectopically expressed either T-BET or EOMES in human hematopoietic progenitor cells. Combined transcriptome, chromatin accessibility and protein expression analyses revealed that T-BET or EOMES epigenetically represses hematopoietic stem cell quiescence and non-NK lineage differentiation genes, while activating an NK cell-specific transcriptome and thereby drastically accelerating NK cell differentiation. In this model, the effects of T-BET and EOMES are largely overlapping, yet EOMES shows a superior role in early NK cell maturation and induces faster NK receptor and enhanced CD16 expression. T-BET particularly controls transcription of terminal maturation markers and epigenetically controls strong induction of KIR expression. Finally, NK cells generated upon T-BET or EOMES overexpression display improved functionality, including increased IFN-γ production and killing, and especially EOMES overexpression NK cells have enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Our findings reveal novel insights on the regulatory role of T-BET and EOMES in human NK cell maturation and function, which is essential to further understand human NK cell biology and to optimize adoptive NK cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kiekens
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wouter Van Loocke
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sylvie Taveirne
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sigrid Wahlen
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eva Persyn
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Els Van Ammel
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Zenzi De Vos
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Patrick Matthys
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, K.U. Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Filip Van Nieuwerburgh
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tom Taghon
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Pieter Van Vlierberghe
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bart Vandekerckhove
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Georges Leclercq
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
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6
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Fuertes MB, Domaica CI, Zwirner NW. Leveraging NKG2D Ligands in Immuno-Oncology. Front Immunol 2021; 12:713158. [PMID: 34394116 PMCID: PMC8358801 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.713158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) revolutionized the field of immuno-oncology and opened new avenues towards the development of novel assets to achieve durable immune control of cancer. Yet, the presence of tumor immune evasion mechanisms represents a challenge for the development of efficient treatment options. Therefore, combination therapies are taking the center of the stage in immuno-oncology. Such combination therapies should boost anti-tumor immune responses and/or target tumor immune escape mechanisms, especially those created by major players in the tumor microenvironment (TME) such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). Natural killer (NK) cells were recently positioned at the forefront of many immunotherapy strategies, and several new approaches are being designed to fully exploit NK cell antitumor potential. One of the most relevant NK cell-activating receptors is NKG2D, a receptor that recognizes 8 different NKG2D ligands (NKG2DL), including MICA and MICB. MICA and MICB are poorly expressed on normal cells but become upregulated on the surface of damaged, transformed or infected cells as a result of post-transcriptional or post-translational mechanisms and intracellular pathways. Their engagement of NKG2D triggers NK cell effector functions. Also, MICA/B are polymorphic and such polymorphism affects functional responses through regulation of their cell-surface expression, intracellular trafficking, shedding of soluble immunosuppressive isoforms, or the affinity of NKG2D interaction. Although immunotherapeutic approaches that target the NKG2D-NKG2DL axis are under investigation, several tumor immune escape mechanisms account for reduced cell surface expression of NKG2DL and contribute to tumor immune escape. Also, NKG2DL polymorphism determines functional NKG2D-dependent responses, thus representing an additional challenge for leveraging NKG2DL in immuno-oncology. In this review, we discuss strategies to boost MICA/B expression and/or inhibit their shedding and propose that combination strategies that target MICA/B with antibodies and strategies aimed at promoting their upregulation on tumor cells or at reprograming TAM into pro-inflammatory macrophages and remodeling of the TME, emerge as frontrunners in immuno-oncology because they may unleash the antitumor effector functions of NK cells and cytotoxic CD8 T cells (CTL). Pursuing several of these pipelines might lead to innovative modalities of immunotherapy for the treatment of a wide range of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercedes Beatriz Fuertes
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Inmunidad Innata, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carolina Inés Domaica
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Inmunidad Innata, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Norberto Walter Zwirner
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Inmunidad Innata, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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7
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Shekhovtsova Z, Shelikhova L, Balashov D, Zakharova V, Ilushina M, Voronin K, Kurnikova E, Muzalevskii Y, Kazachenok A, Pershin D, Novichkova G, Maschan A, Maschan M. Control of graft-versus-host disease with rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin, rituximab, and bortezomib in TCRαβ/CD19-depleted graft transplantation for leukemia in children: a single-center retrospective analysis of two GVHD-prophylaxis regimens. Pediatr Transplant 2020; 24:e13594. [PMID: 31680369 DOI: 10.1111/petr.13594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Both acute GVHD and chronic GVHD remain the leading cause of morbidity and death after allogeneic HSCT. We conducted a retrospective analysis comparing two GVHD-prophylaxis regimens: 35 patients received "Regimen 1" (horse ATG, tacrolimus, and methotrexate) and 46 "Regimen 2" (rabbit ATG, rituximab, and peritransplant bortezomib). All 81 patients with a median age of 9 (0.6-23) years with ALL (n = 31) or AML (n = 50) in complete remission received TCRαβ/CD19-depleted transplants between May 2012 and October 2016, from 40 HLA-matched unrelated and 41 haploidentical donors. After a median follow-up of 3.9 years, the CI of acute GVHD II-IV was 15% (95% CI: 7-30) in the "Regimen 2" group and 34% (95% CI: -54) in the "Regimen 1" group, P = .05. "Regimen 2" was also more effective in the prevention of chronic GVHD; the CI at 1 year after HSCT was 7% (95% CI: 2-19) vs 31% (95% CI: 19-51), P = .005. The CI of relapse at 3 years adjusted for the GVHD-prophylaxis regimen groups 31% (95% CI: 19-51) for the "Regimen 1" vs 21% (95% CI: 11-37) for the "Regimen 2", P = .3. The retrospective observation suggests that the use of the rATG, rituximab, and bortezomib was associated with significantly lower rate of GVHD without the loss of anti-leukemic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanna Shekhovtsova
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia.,Clinical Trials Unit, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Larisa Shelikhova
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry Balashov
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Viktoria Zakharova
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria Ilushina
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Kirill Voronin
- Clinical Trials Unit, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Elena Kurnikova
- Transfusion Medicine Service, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Yakov Muzalevskii
- Transfusion Medicine Service, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey Kazachenok
- Transfusion Medicine Service, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry Pershin
- Transplantation Immunology and Immunotherapy Laboratory, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Galina Novichkova
- Administration, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey Maschan
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Michael Maschan
- Department of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Dmitriy Rogachev National Center for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia
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8
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Duan S, Guo W, Xu Z, He Y, Liang C, Mo Y, Wang Y, Xiong F, Guo C, Li Y, Li X, Li G, Zeng Z, Xiong W, Wang F. Natural killer group 2D receptor and its ligands in cancer immune escape. Mol Cancer 2019; 18:29. [PMID: 30813924 PMCID: PMC6391774 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-019-0956-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system plays important roles in tumor development. According to the immune-editing theory, immune escape is the key to tumor survival, and exploring the mechanisms of tumor immune escape can provide a new basis for the treatment of tumors. In this review, we describe the mechanisms of natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) receptor and NKG2D ligand (NKG2DL) in tumor immune responses. Natural killer (NK) cells are important cytotoxic cells in the immune system, and the activated NKG2D receptor on the NK cell surface can bind to NKG2DL expressed in tumor cells, enabling NK cells to activate and kill tumor cells. However, tumors can escape the immune clearance mediated by NKG2D receptor/NKG2DL through various mechanisms. The expression of NKG2D receptor on NK cells can be regulated by cells, molecules, and hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment. Tumor cells regulate the expression of NKG2DL at the level of transcription, translation, and post-translation and thereby escape recognition by NK cells. In particular, viruses and hormones have special mechanisms to affect the expression of NKG2D receptor and NKG2DL. Therefore, NKG2D\NKG2DL may have applications as targets for more effective antitumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixin Duan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University) and Hunan Key Laboratory of Translational Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Weihua Guo
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University) and Hunan Key Laboratory of Translational Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zuxing Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yunbo He
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Chuting Liang
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yongzhen Mo
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yian Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Fang Xiong
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Can Guo
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yong Li
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Xiaoling Li
- The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Guiyuan Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University) and Hunan Key Laboratory of Translational Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zhaoyang Zeng
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University) and Hunan Key Laboratory of Translational Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.,Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wei Xiong
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University) and Hunan Key Laboratory of Translational Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,The Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,Hunan Key Laboratory of Nonresolving Inflammation and Cancer, Disease Genome Research Center, the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Fuyan Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis (Central South University) and Hunan Key Laboratory of Translational Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. .,Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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9
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Demoulin B, Cook WJ, Murad J, Graber DJ, Sentman ML, Lonez C, Gilham DE, Sentman CL, Agaugue S. Exploiting natural killer group 2D receptors for CAR T-cell therapy. Future Oncol 2017; 13:1593-1605. [PMID: 28613086 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2017-0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are genetically engineered proteins that combine an extracellular antigen-specific recognition domain with one or several intracellular T-cell signaling domains. When expressed in T cells, these CARs specifically trigger T-cell activation upon antigen recognition. While the clinical proof of principle of CAR T-cell therapy has been established in hematological cancers, CAR T cells are only at the early stages of being explored to tackle solid cancers. This special report discusses the concept of exploiting natural killer cell receptors as an approach that could broaden the specificity of CAR T cells and potentially enhance the efficacy of this therapy against solid tumors. New data demonstrating feasibility of this approach in humans and supporting the ongoing clinical trial are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Demoulin
- Research & Development Department, Celyad SA, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
| | - W James Cook
- Center for Sy+nthetic Immunity, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | | | - David J Graber
- Center for Sy+nthetic Immunity, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Marie-Louise Sentman
- Center for Sy+nthetic Immunity, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Caroline Lonez
- Research & Development Department, Celyad SA, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
| | - David E Gilham
- Research & Development Department, Celyad SA, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
| | - Charles L Sentman
- Center for Sy+nthetic Immunity, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Sophie Agaugue
- Research & Development Department, Celyad SA, Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium
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10
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Guillerey C, Huntington ND, Smyth MJ. Targeting natural killer cells in cancer immunotherapy. Nat Immunol 2017; 17:1025-36. [PMID: 27540992 DOI: 10.1038/ni.3518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 762] [Impact Index Per Article: 108.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Alteration in the expression of cell-surface proteins is a common consequence of malignant transformation. Natural killer (NK) cells use an array of germline-encoded activating and inhibitory receptors that scan for altered protein-expression patterns, but tumor evasion of detection by the immune system is now recognized as one of the hallmarks of cancer. NK cells display rapid and potent immunity to metastasis or hematological cancers, and major efforts are now being undertaken to fully exploit NK cell anti-tumor properties in the clinic. Diverse approaches encompass the development of large-scale NK cell-expansion protocols for adoptive transfer, the establishment of a microenvironment favorable to NK cell activity, the redirection of NK cell activity against tumor cells and the release of inhibitory signals that limit NK cell function. In this Review we detail recent advances in NK cell-based immunotherapies and discuss the advantages and limitations of these strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Guillerey
- Immunology of Cancer and Infection Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Australia.,School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
| | - Nicholas D Huntington
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia.,Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mark J Smyth
- Immunology of Cancer and Infection Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Australia.,School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
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11
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Rouce RH, Shaim H, Sekine T, Weber G, Ballard B, Ku S, Barese C, Murali V, Wu MF, Liu H, Shpall EJ, Bollard CM, Rabin KR, Rezvani K. The TGF-β/SMAD pathway is an important mechanism for NK cell immune evasion in childhood B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia 2016; 30:800-11. [PMID: 26621337 PMCID: PMC4823160 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2015.327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2015] [Revised: 09/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are key components of the innate immune system, providing potent antitumor immunity. Here, we show that the tumor growth factor-β (TGF-β)/SMAD signaling pathway is an important mechanism for NK cell immune evasion in childhood B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We characterized NK cells in 50 consecutive children with B-ALL at diagnosis, end induction and during maintenance therapy compared with age-matched controls. ALL-NK cells at diagnosis had an inhibitory phenotype associated with impaired function, most notably interferon-γ production and cytotoxicity. By maintenance therapy, these phenotypic and functional abnormalities partially normalized; however, cytotoxicity against autologous blasts remained impaired. We identified ALL-derived TGF-β1 to be an important mediator of leukemia-induced NK cell dysfunction. The TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway was constitutively activated in ALL-NK cells at diagnosis and end induction when compared with healthy controls and patients during maintenance therapy. Culture of ALL blasts with healthy NK cells induced NK dysfunction and an inhibitory phenotype, mediated by activation of the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway, and abrogated by blocking TGF-β. These data indicate that by regulating the TGF-β/SMAD pathway, ALL blasts induce changes in NK cells to evade innate immune surveillance, thus highlighting the importance of developing novel therapies to target this inhibitory pathway and restore antileukemic cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayne H. Rouce
- Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers/Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
| | - Hila Shaim
- Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Takuya Sekine
- Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Gerrit Weber
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
| | - Brandon Ballard
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
| | - Stephanie Ku
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
| | - Cecilia Barese
- Program for Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy, and Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children’s National Health System, Washington, DC
| | - Vineeth Murali
- Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers/Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
| | - Meng-Fen Wu
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
| | - Hao Liu
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
| | - Elizabeth J. Shpall
- Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Catherine M. Bollard
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston
- Program for Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy, and Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children’s National Health System, Washington, DC
| | - Karen R. Rabin
- Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers/Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
| | - Katayoun Rezvani
- Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
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12
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Pellom ST, Dudimah DF, Thounaojam MC, Sayers TJ, Shanker A. Modulatory effects of bortezomib on host immune cell functions. Immunotherapy 2015; 7:1011-22. [PMID: 26325610 PMCID: PMC4648628 DOI: 10.2217/imt.15.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Bortezomib is an inhibitor of the ubiquitin-proteasome proteolytic pathway responsible for intracellular protein turnover. Cellular proteins controlled by this pathway represent a diverse group of potential therapeutic targets, particularly in cancer cells, which exploit this proteasomal pathway to promote their growth and diminish apoptosis. Along with inhibiting the proteasome and thus sensitizing tumor cells to apoptosis, bortezomib may also have multiple effects on the host immune responses. This review summarizes the effects that bortezomib may play on immune cell subsets in various disease states in modifying lymphocyte receptors, ligands, the expression of various cytokines and chemokines and their downstream signaling. We also propose steps that can be taken to refine combinatorial strategies that include bortezomib to improve current immunotherapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Troy Pellom
- Department of Biochemistry & Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
- School of Graduate Studies & Research, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
| | - Duafalia Fred Dudimah
- Department of Biochemistry & Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
| | - Menaka Chanu Thounaojam
- Department of Biochemistry & Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
| | - Thomas Joseph Sayers
- Cancer & Inflammation Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
- Basic Sciences Program, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Anil Shanker
- Department of Biochemistry & Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
- School of Graduate Studies & Research, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA
- Host–Tumor Interactions Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Comprehensive Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
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13
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Central nervous system acute lymphoblastic leukemia: role of natural killer cells. Blood 2015; 125:3420-31. [PMID: 25896649 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2014-08-595108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Central nervous system acute lymphoblastic leukemia (CNS-ALL) is a major clinical problem. Prophylactic therapy is neurotoxic, and a third of the relapses involve the CNS. Increased expression of interleukin 15 (IL-15) in leukemic blasts is associated with increased risk for CNS-ALL. Using in vivo models for CNS leukemia caused by mouse T-ALL and human xenografts of ALL cells, we demonstrate that expression of IL-15 in leukemic cells is associated with the activation of natural killer (NK) cells. This activation limits the outgrowth of leukemic cells in the periphery, but less in the CNS because NK cells are excluded from the CNS. Depletion of NK cells in NOD/SCID mice enabled combined systemic and CNS leukemia of human pre-B-ALL. The killing of human leukemia lymphoblasts by NK cells depended on the expression of the NKG2D receptor. Analysis of bone marrow (BM) diagnostic samples derived from children with subsequent CNS-ALL revealed a significantly high expression of the NKG2D and NKp44 receptors. We suggest that the CNS may be an immunologic sanctuary protected from NK-cell activity. CNS prophylactic therapy may thus be needed with emerging NK cell-based therapies against hematopoietic malignancies.
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14
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Peragine N, Torelli GF, Mariglia P, Pauselli S, Vitale A, Guarini A, Foà R. Immunophenotypic and functional characterization of ex vivo expanded natural killer cells for clinical use in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2015; 64:201-11. [PMID: 25341808 PMCID: PMC11029629 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-014-1614-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The management of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients has witnessed profound changes in recent years. Nonetheless, most patients tend to relapse, underlining the need for new therapeutic approaches. The anti-leukemic potential of natural killer (NK) cells has over the years raised considerable interest. In this study, we developed an efficient method for the expansion and activation of NK cells isolated from healthy donors and ALL patients for clinical use. NK cell products were derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 35 healthy donors and 4 B-lineage ALL by immunomagnetic CD3 T cell depletion followed by CD56 cell enrichment. Isolated NK cells were expanded and stimulated in serum-free medium supplemented with irradiated autologous feeder cells and autologous plasma in the presence of clinical grade interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-15 for 14 days. Healthy donor NK cells expanded on average 34.9 ± 10.4 fold and were represented, after expansion, by a highly pure population of CD3(-)CD56(+) cells showing a significant upregulation of natural cytotoxicity receptors, activating receptors and maturation markers. These expanded effectors showed cytolytic activity against K562 cells and, most importantly, against primary adult B-lineage ALL blasts. NK cells could be efficiently isolated and expanded-on average 39.5 ± 20.3 fold-also from primary B-lineage ALL samples of patients in complete remission. The expanded NK cells from these patients showed a significantly increased expression of the NKG2D- and DNAM1-activating receptors and were cytotoxic against K562 cells. These data provide the basis for developing new immunotherapeutic strategies for the management of ALL patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Peragine
- Hematology, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, “Sapienza” University, Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni F. Torelli
- Hematology, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, “Sapienza” University, Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Mariglia
- Hematology, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, “Sapienza” University, Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Pauselli
- Hematology, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, “Sapienza” University, Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Vitale
- Hematology, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, “Sapienza” University, Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Guarini
- Hematology, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, “Sapienza” University, Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Robin Foà
- Hematology, Department of Cellular Biotechnologies and Hematology, “Sapienza” University, Via Benevento 6, 00161 Rome, Italy
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15
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Roeven MWH, Hobo W, Schaap N, Dolstra H. Immunotherapeutic approaches to treat multiple myeloma. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2013; 10:896-910. [PMID: 24335570 PMCID: PMC4896532 DOI: 10.4161/hv.27380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Revised: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular immunotherapy can be an effective adjuvant treatment for multiple myeloma (MM), as demonstrated by induction of durable remissions after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. However, anti-myeloma immunity is often hampered by suppressive mechanisms in the tumor micro-environment resulting in relapse or disease progression. To overcome this immunosuppression, new cellular immunotherapies have been developed, based on the important effector cells in anti-myeloma immunity, namely T cells and natural killer cells. These effectors can be modulated to improve their functionality, activated by dendritic cell vaccines, or combined with immune stimulating antibodies or immunomodulatory drugs to enhance their efficacy. In this review, we discuss promising pre-clinical and clinical data in the field of cellular immunotherapy in MM. In addition, we address the potential of combining these strategies with other therapies to maximize clinical effects without increasing toxicity. The reviewed therapies might pave the way to effective personalized treatments for MM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mieke WH Roeven
- Department of Hematology; Radboud University Medical Center; Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Willemijn Hobo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine—Laboratory of Hematology Radboud; University Medical Center; Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nicolaas Schaap
- Department of Hematology; Radboud University Medical Center; Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Harry Dolstra
- Department of Laboratory Medicine—Laboratory of Hematology Radboud; University Medical Center; Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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16
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Krieg S, Ullrich E. Novel immune modulators used in hematology: impact on NK cells. Front Immunol 2013; 3:388. [PMID: 23316191 PMCID: PMC3539673 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2012] [Accepted: 12/04/2012] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
There is a wide range of important pharmaceuticals used in treatment of cancer. Besides their known effects on tumor cells, there is growing evidence for modulation of the immune system. Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs®) play an important role in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma or myelodysplastic syndrome and have already demonstrated antitumor, anti-angiogenic, and immunostimulating effects, in particular on natural killer (NK) cells. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are directly targeting different kinases and are known to regulate effector NK cells and expression of NKG2D ligands (NKG2DLs) on tumor cells. Demethylating agents, histone deacetylases, and proteasome inhibitors interfere with the epigenetic regulation and protein degradation of malignant cells. There are first hints that these drugs also sensitize tumor cells to chemotherapy, radiation, and NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity by enhanced expression of TRAIL and NKG2DLs. However, these pharmaceuticals may also impair NK cell function in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In summary, this review provides an update on the effects of different novel molecules on the immune system focusing NK cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Krieg
- Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine 5, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Erlangen, Germany
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