1
|
Fu C, Wang J, Ma T, Yin C, Zhou L, Clausen BE, Mi QS, Jiang A. β-Catenin in Dendritic Cells Negatively Regulates CD8 T Cell Immune Responses through the Immune Checkpoint Molecule Tim-3. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:460. [PMID: 38793711 PMCID: PMC11125945 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12050460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that β-catenin in dendritic cells (DCs) serves as a key mediator in promoting both CD4 and CD8 T cell tolerance, although the mechanisms underlying how β-catenin exerts its functions remain incompletely understood. Here, we report that activation of β-catenin leads to the up-regulation of inhibitory molecule T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (Tim-3) in type 1 conventional DCs (cDC1s). Using a cDC1-targeted vaccine model with anti-DEC-205 engineered to express the melanoma antigen human gp100 (anti-DEC-205-hgp100), we demonstrated that CD11c-β-cateninactive mice exhibited impaired cross-priming and memory responses of gp100-specific CD8 T (Pmel-1) cells upon immunization with anti-DEC-205-hgp100. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis revealed that β-catenin in DCs negatively regulated transcription programs for effector function and proliferation of primed Pmel-1 cells, correlating with suppressed CD8 T cell immunity in CD11c-β-cateninactive mice. Further experiments showed that treating CD11c-β-cateninactive mice with an anti-Tim-3 antibody upon anti-DEC-205-hgp100 vaccination led to restored cross-priming and memory responses of gp100-specific CD8 T cells, suggesting that anti-Tim-3 treatment likely synergizes with DC vaccines to improve their efficacy. Indeed, treating B16F10-bearing mice with DC vaccines using anti-DEC-205-hgp100 in combination with anti-Tim-3 treatment resulted in significantly reduced tumor growth compared with treatment with the DC vaccine alone. Taken together, we identified the β-catenin/Tim-3 axis as a potentially novel mechanism to inhibit anti-tumor CD8 T cell immunity and that combination immunotherapy of a DC-targeted vaccine with anti-Tim-3 treatment leads to improved anti-tumor efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chunmei Fu
- Center for Cutaneous Biology and Immunology, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.F.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (L.Z.)
- Immunology Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jie Wang
- Center for Cutaneous Biology and Immunology, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.F.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (L.Z.)
- Immunology Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Tianle Ma
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA;
| | - Congcong Yin
- Center for Cutaneous Biology and Immunology, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.F.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (L.Z.)
- Immunology Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Li Zhou
- Center for Cutaneous Biology and Immunology, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.F.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (L.Z.)
- Immunology Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Björn E. Clausen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Paul Klein Center for Immune Intervention, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Langenbeckstrasse 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Qing-Sheng Mi
- Center for Cutaneous Biology and Immunology, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.F.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (L.Z.)
- Immunology Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Aimin Jiang
- Center for Cutaneous Biology and Immunology, Department of Dermatology, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA; (C.F.); (J.W.); (C.Y.); (L.Z.)
- Immunology Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
- College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Irie H, Morita K, Matsuda M, Koizumi M, Mochizuki S. Tyrosinase-Related Protein2 Peptide with Replacement of N-Terminus Residue by Cysteine Binds to H-2K b and Induces Antigen-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes after Conjugation with CpG-DNA. Bioconjug Chem 2023; 34:433-442. [PMID: 36708315 DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.2c00592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have shown the potent efficacy of peptide-based vaccines for cancer immunotherapy. Immunological performance is optimized through the co-delivery of adjuvant and antigenic peptide molecules to antigen-presenting cells simultaneously. In our previous study, we showed that a conjugate consisting of 40-mer CpG-DNA and an antigenic ovalbumin peptide through disulfide bonding could efficiently induce ovalbumin-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses in vivo. In this study, based on the conjugation design, we prepared a conjugate consisting of 30-mer CpG-DNA (CpG30) and a cancer antigenic peptide of Tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP2180-188) using a cysteine residue attached at the N-terminus of TRP2180-188. However, the immunization of mice with this conjugate did not induce efficient TRP2180-188-specific immune responses. It was thought that the resultant peptide (10-mer) cleaved from the conjugate might be too long to fit into the H-2Kb molecule because the optimal length for binding to it is 8-9 amino acids. We newly designed a conjugate consisting of CpG30 and the C-TRP2181-188 peptide (9-mer), in which the N-terminal serine residue of TRP2180-188 is replaced by a cysteine. By adjusting the peptide length, we succeeded in inducing strong TRP2180-188 peptide-specific CTL activity upon immunization with the CpG30-C-TRP2181-188 conjugate. Furthermore, various CpG30-C-TRP2181-188 conjugates having other CpG-DNA sequences or cysteine analogues also induced the same level of CTL activity. Therefore, CpG-C-peptide conjugates prepared by replacement of the amino acid residue at the N-terminus with a cysteine residue could be a new and effective platform for peptide vaccines for targeting specific antigens of cancers and infectious diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hitomi Irie
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Kitakyushu, 1-1 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0135, Japan
| | - Koji Morita
- Modality Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Miyu Matsuda
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Kitakyushu, 1-1 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0135, Japan
| | - Makoto Koizumi
- Modality Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., 1-2-58 Hiromachi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8710, Japan
| | - Shinichi Mochizuki
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Kitakyushu, 1-1 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0135, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Murata K, Ly D, Saijo H, Matsunaga Y, Sugata K, Ihara F, Oryoji D, Ohashi Y, Saso K, Wang CH, Zheng EY, Burt BD, Butler MO, Hirano N. Modification of the HLA-A*24:02 Peptide Binding Pocket Enhances Cognate Peptide-Binding Capacity and Antigen-Specific T Cell Activation. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 209:1481-1491. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The immunogenicity of a T cell Ag is correlated with the ability of its antigenic epitope to bind HLA and be stably presented to T cells. This presents a challenge for the development of effective cancer immunotherapies, as many self-derived tumor-associated epitopes elicit weak T cell responses, in part due to weak binding affinity to HLA. Traditional methods to increase peptide–HLA binding affinity involve modifying the peptide to reflect HLA allele binding preferences. Using a different approach, we sought to analyze whether the immunogenicity of wild-type peptides could be altered through modification of the HLA binding pocket. After analyzing HLA class I peptide binding pocket alignments, we identified an alanine 81 to leucine (A81L) modification within the F binding pocket of HLA-A*24:02 that was found to heighten the ability of artificial APCs to retain and present HLA-A*24:02–restricted peptides, resulting in increased T cell responses while retaining Ag specificity. This modification led to increased peptide exchange efficiencies for enhanced detection of low-avidity T cells and, when expressed on artificial APCs, resulted in greater expansion of Ag-specific T cells from melanoma-derived tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Our study provides an example of how modifications to the HLA binding pocket can enhance wild-type cognate peptide presentation to heighten T cell activation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Murata
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dalam Ly
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hiroshi Saijo
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yukiko Matsunaga
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kenji Sugata
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Fumie Ihara
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daisuke Oryoji
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yota Ohashi
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- †Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Kayoko Saso
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Chung-Hsi Wang
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- †Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Evey Y.F. Zheng
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- †Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and
| | - Brian D. Burt
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marcus O. Butler
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- †Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and
- ‡Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Naoto Hirano
- *Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- †Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Vile RG, Melcher A, Pandha H, Harrington KJ, Pulido JS. APOBEC and Cancer Viroimmunotherapy: Thinking the Unthinkable. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:3280-3290. [PMID: 33558423 PMCID: PMC8281496 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-1888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide (APOBEC) family protects against infection by degrading incoming viral genomes through cytosine deamination. Here, we review how the potential to unleash these potent DNA mutagens comes at a price as APOBEC DNA mutagenesis can contribute to development of multiple types of cancer. In addition, because viral infection induces its expression, APOBEC is seen as the enemy of oncolytic virotherapy through mutation of the viral genome and by generating virotherapy-resistant tumors. Therefore, overall APOBEC in cancer has received very poor press. However, we also speculate how there may be silver linings to the storm clouds (kataegis) associated with APOBEC activity. Thus, although mutagenic genomic chaos promotes emergence of ever more aggressive subclones, it also provides significant opportunity for cytotoxic and immune therapies. In particular, the superpower of cancer immunotherapy derives in part from mutation, wherein generation of tumor neoantigens-neoantigenesis-exposes tumor cells to functional T-cell repertoires, and susceptibility to immune checkpoint blockade. Moreover, APOBECs may be able to induce suprathreshold levels of cellular mutation leading to mitotic catastrophe and direct tumor cell killing. Finally, we discuss the possibility that linking predictable APOBEC-induced mutation with escape from specific frontline therapies could identify mutated molecules/pathways that can be targeted with small molecules and/or immunotherapies in a Trap and Ambush strategy. Together, these considerations lead to the counterintuitive hypothesis that, instead of attempting to expunge and excoriate APOBEC activity in cancer therapy, it might be exploited-and even, counterintuitively, encouraged.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard G Vile
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | - Alan Melcher
- The Institute of Cancer Research/Royal Marsden, National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hardev Pandha
- Surrey Cancer Research Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin J Harrington
- The Institute of Cancer Research/Royal Marsden, National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jose S Pulido
- Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
- Will's Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Chiaro J, Kasanen HH, Whalley T, Capasso C, Grönholm M, Feola S, Peltonen K, Hamdan F, Hernberg M, Mäkelä S, Karhapää H, Brown PE, Martins B, Fusciello M, Ylösmäki EO, Greco D, Kreutzman AS, Mustjoki S, Szomolay B, Cerullo V. Viral Molecular Mimicry Influences the Antitumor Immune Response in Murine and Human Melanoma. Cancer Immunol Res 2021; 9:981-993. [PMID: 34103348 PMCID: PMC8974425 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-20-0814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Molecular mimicry is one of the leading mechanisms by which infectious agents can induce autoimmunity. Whether a similar mechanism triggers an antitumor immune response is unexplored, and the role of antiviral T cells infiltrating the tumor has remained anecdotal. To address these questions, we first developed a bioinformatic tool to identify tumor peptides with high similarity to viral epitopes. Using peptides identified by this tool, we demonstrated that, in mice, preexisting immunity toward specific viral epitopes enhanced the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy via molecular mimicry in different settings. To understand whether this mechanism could partly explain immunotherapy responsiveness in humans, we analyzed a cohort of patients with melanoma undergoing anti-PD1 treatment who had a high IgG titer for cytomegalovirus (CMV). In this cohort of patients, we showed that high levels of CMV-specific antibodies were associated with prolonged progression-free survival and found that, in some cases, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) could cross-react with both melanoma and CMV homologous peptides. Finally, T-cell receptor sequencing revealed expansion of the same CD8+ T-cell clones when PBMCs were expanded with tumor or homologous viral peptides. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that preexisting immunity and molecular mimicry could influence the response to immunotherapies. In addition, we have developed a free online tool that can identify tumor antigens and neoantigens highly similar to pathogen antigens to exploit molecular mimicry and cross-reactive T cells in cancer vaccine development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Chiaro
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Henna H.E. Kasanen
- TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Thomas Whalley
- Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Cristian Capasso
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikaela Grönholm
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sara Feola
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Karita Peltonen
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Firas Hamdan
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Micaela Hernberg
- TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital and Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Siru Mäkelä
- TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital and Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hanna Karhapää
- TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital and Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Paul E. Brown
- Warwick Systems Biology Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Beatriz Martins
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Manlio Fusciello
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Erkko O. Ylösmäki
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dario Greco
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Anna S. Kreutzman
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Warwick Systems Biology Centre, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.,HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Barbara Szomolay
- Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Vincenzo Cerullo
- Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,TRIMM, Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology and CEINGE, Naples University Federico II, Naples, Italy.,Corresponding Author: Vincenzo Cerullo, Laboratory of ImmunoViroTherapy, Drug Research Program, University of Helsinki, PO Box 56, Helsinki 00790, Finland. Phone: 358 29 4159328; E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Morante V, Borghi M, Farina I, Michelini Z, Grasso F, Gallinaro A, Cecchetti S, Di Virgilio A, Canitano A, Pirillo MF, Bona R, Cara A, Negri D. Integrase-Defective Lentiviral Vector Is an Efficient Vaccine Platform for Cancer Immunotherapy. Viruses 2021; 13:v13020355. [PMID: 33672349 PMCID: PMC7927015 DOI: 10.3390/v13020355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrase-defective lentiviral vectors (IDLVs) have been used as a safe and efficient delivery system in several immunization protocols in murine and non-human primate preclinical models as well as in recent clinical trials. In this work, we validated in preclinical murine models our vaccine platform based on IDLVs as delivery system for cancer immunotherapy. To evaluate the anti-tumor activity of our vaccine strategy we generated IDLV delivering ovalbumin (OVA) as a non-self-model antigen and TRP2 as a self-tumor associated antigen (TAA) of melanoma. Results demonstrated the ability of IDLVs to eradicate and/or controlling tumor growth after a single immunization in preventive and therapeutic approaches, using lymphoma and melanoma expressing OVA. Importantly, LV-TRP2 but not IDLV-TRP2 was able to break tolerance efficiently and prevent tumor growth of B16F10 melanoma cells. In order to improve the IDLV efficacy, the human homologue of murine TRP2 was used, showing the ability to break tolerance and control the tumor growth. These results validate the use of IDLV for cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Morante
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (M.B.); (I.F.); (F.G.)
| | - Martina Borghi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (M.B.); (I.F.); (F.G.)
| | - Iole Farina
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (M.B.); (I.F.); (F.G.)
| | - Zuleika Michelini
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (Z.M.); (A.G.); (A.C.); (M.F.P.); (R.B.)
| | - Felicia Grasso
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (M.B.); (I.F.); (F.G.)
| | - Alessandra Gallinaro
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (Z.M.); (A.G.); (A.C.); (M.F.P.); (R.B.)
| | - Serena Cecchetti
- Confocal Microscopy Unit NMR, Confocal Microscopy Area Core Facilities, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Antonio Di Virgilio
- Center for Animal Research and Welfare, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;
| | - Andrea Canitano
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (Z.M.); (A.G.); (A.C.); (M.F.P.); (R.B.)
| | - Maria Franca Pirillo
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (Z.M.); (A.G.); (A.C.); (M.F.P.); (R.B.)
| | - Roberta Bona
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (Z.M.); (A.G.); (A.C.); (M.F.P.); (R.B.)
| | - Andrea Cara
- National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (Z.M.); (A.G.); (A.C.); (M.F.P.); (R.B.)
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (D.N.)
| | - Donatella Negri
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.M.); (M.B.); (I.F.); (F.G.)
- Correspondence: (A.C.); (D.N.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Johnson LE, Frye TP, McNeel DG. Immunization with a prostate cancer xenoantigen elicits a xenoantigen epitope-specific T-cell response. Oncoimmunology 2021; 1:1546-1556. [PMID: 23264901 PMCID: PMC3525610 DOI: 10.4161/onci.22564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccines encoding xenoantigens, “non-self” proteins that are highly homologous to their autologous counterparts, have been investigated as a means to increase immunogenicity and overcome tolerance to “self” antigens. We have previously shown that DNA vaccines encoding native prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) were able to elicit PAP-specific T cells in both rats and humans, but required multiple immunization courses. In this study, we investigated in a preclinical model whether immunizations with a DNA vaccine encoding a xenoantigen could elicit a cross-reactive immune response to the native protein, potentially requiring fewer immunizations. Lewis rats were immunized with a DNA vaccine encoding human PAP and splenocytes from immunized rats were screened with a human peptide library containing overlapping, 15-mer PAP-derived peptides using T-cell proliferation and interferon γ (IFNγ) release as measures of the immune response. One dominant PAP-specific, RT1.Al-restricted, epitope was identified. Direct immunization with the immunodominant peptide (HP201–215) containing this epitope demonstrated that it included a naturally presented MHC Class I epitope recognized by CD8+ T cells in Lewis rats. However, no cross-reactive immune response was elicited to the corresponding rat peptide despite a difference of only three amino acids. Immunization with DNA vaccines encoding rat PAP (rPAP) in which this foreign dominant epitope was included as well as with DNA vaccines coding for a variant of the xenoantigen from which this epitope was deleted, did not elicit responses to the native antigen. Overall, these results indicate that the immunization with a xenoantigen-coding DNA vaccine can lead to an immune response which potentially favors foreign epitopes and hence limits any cross-reactive response to the native antigen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Johnson
- Department of Medicine; University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Driscoll CB, Schuelke MR, Kottke T, Thompson JM, Wongthida P, Tonne JM, Huff AL, Miller A, Shim KG, Molan A, Wetmore C, Selby P, Samson A, Harrington K, Pandha H, Melcher A, Pulido JS, Harris R, Evgin L, Vile RG. APOBEC3B-mediated corruption of the tumor cell immunopeptidome induces heteroclitic neoepitopes for cancer immunotherapy. Nat Commun 2020; 11:790. [PMID: 32034147 PMCID: PMC7005822 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14568-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
APOBEC3B, an anti-viral cytidine deaminase which induces DNA mutations, has been implicated as a mediator of cancer evolution and therapeutic resistance. Mutational plasticity also drives generation of neoepitopes, which prime anti-tumor T cells. Here, we show that overexpression of APOBEC3B in tumors increases resistance to chemotherapy, but simultaneously heightens sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade in a murine model of melanoma. However, in the vaccine setting, APOBEC3B-mediated mutations reproducibly generate heteroclitic neoepitopes in vaccine cells which activate de novo T cell responses. These cross react against parental, unmodified tumors and lead to a high rate of cures in both subcutaneous and intra-cranial tumor models. Heteroclitic Epitope Activated Therapy (HEAT) dispenses with the need to identify patient specific neoepitopes and tumor reactive T cells ex vivo. Thus, actively driving a high mutational load in tumor cell vaccines increases their immunogenicity to drive anti-tumor therapy in combination with immune checkpoint blockade.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Driscoll
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Virology and Gene Therapy Track, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Matthew R Schuelke
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Timothy Kottke
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Jill M Thompson
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | | | - Jason M Tonne
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Amanda L Huff
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Virology and Gene Therapy Track, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Amber Miller
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Kevin G Shim
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Amy Molan
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Cynthia Wetmore
- Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Phoenix Children's, Phoenix, AZ, 85016, USA
| | - Peter Selby
- Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology (LICAP), Faculty of Medicine and Health, St James' University Hospital, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
| | - Adel Samson
- Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology (LICAP), Faculty of Medicine and Health, St James' University Hospital, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
| | - Kevin Harrington
- Targeted Therapy Team, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Hardev Pandha
- Postgraduate Medical School, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH, UK
| | - Alan Melcher
- Translational Immunotherapy Team, Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Jose S Pulido
- Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Reuben Harris
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Laura Evgin
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Richard G Vile
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA.
- Leeds Cancer Research UK Clinical Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, St James' University Hospital, University of Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Ouchi Y, Patil A, Tamura Y, Nishimasu H, Negishi A, Paul SK, Takemura N, Satoh T, Kimura Y, Kurachi M, Nureki O, Nakai K, Kiyono H, Uematsu S. Generation of tumor antigen-specific murine CD8+ T cells with enhanced anti-tumor activity via highly efficient CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Int Immunol 2019; 30:141-154. [PMID: 29617862 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxy006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies have led to the successful development of novel therapies for cancer. However, there is increasing concern regarding the adverse effects caused by non-tumor-specific immune responses. Here, we report an effective strategy to generate high-avidity tumor-antigen-specific CTLs, using Cas9/single-guide RNA (sgRNA) ribonucleoprotein (RNP) delivery. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we selected the gp100 melanoma-associated tumor antigen, and cloned the gp100-specific high-avidity TCR from gp100-immunized mice. To enable rapid structural dissection of the TCR, we developed a 3D protein structure modeling system for the TCR/antigen-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) interaction. Combining these technologies, we efficiently generated gp100-specific PD-1(-) CD8+ T cells, and demonstrated that the genetically engineered CD8+ T cells have high avidity against melanoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our methodology offers computational prediction of the TCR response, and enables efficient generation of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells that can neutralize tumor-induced immune suppression leading to a potentially powerful cancer therapeutic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yasuo Ouchi
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ashwini Patil
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Tamura
- Division of Innate Immune Regulation, International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishimasu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo; JST, PRESTO, Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Aina Negishi
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Sudip Kumar Paul
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Naoki Takemura
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan.,Division of Innate Immune Regulation, International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Satoh
- Division of Systems Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Kimura
- Division of Systems Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Kurachi
- Department of Microbiology and Institute for Immunology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Osamu Nureki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenta Nakai
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kiyono
- International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Division of Mucosal Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Satoshi Uematsu
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan.,Division of Innate Immune Regulation, International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Breaking tolerance with engineered class I antigen-presenting molecules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:3136-3145. [PMID: 30728302 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1807465116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful efforts to activate T cells capable of recognizing weak cancer-associated self-antigens have employed altered peptide antigens to activate T cell responses capable of cross-reacting on native tumor-associated self. A limitation of this approach is the requirement for detailed knowledge about the altered self-peptide ligands used in these vaccines. In the current study we considered allorecognition as an approach for activating CTL capable of recognizing weak or self-antigens in the context of self-MHC. Nonself antigen-presenting molecules typically contain polymorphisms that influence interactions with the bound peptide and TCR interface. Recognition of these nonself structures results in peptide-dependent alloimmunity. Alloreactive T cells target their inducing alloantigens as well as third-party alloantigens but generally fail to target self-antigens. Certain residues located on the alpha-1/2 domains of class I antigen-presenting molecules primarily interface with TCR. These residues are more conserved within and across species than are residues that determine peptide antigen binding properties. Class I variants designed with amino acid substitutions at key positions within the conserved helical structures are shown to provide strong activating signals to alloreactive CD8 T cells while avoiding changes in naturally bound peptide ligands. Importantly, CTL activated in this manner can break self-tolerance by reacting to self-peptides presented by native MHC. The ability to activate self-tolerant T cells capable of cross-reacting on self-peptide-MHC in vivo represents an approach for inducing autoimmunity, with possible application in cancer vaccines.
Collapse
|
11
|
Functionalisation of Virus-Like Particles Enhances Antitumour Immune Responses. J Immunol Res 2019; 2019:5364632. [PMID: 30729137 PMCID: PMC6341245 DOI: 10.1155/2019/5364632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLP) from the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) can deliver tumour antigens to induce anticancer immune responses. In this study, we explored how RHDV VLP can be functionalised to enhance the immune response by increasing antigen loading, incorporating linkers to enhance epitope processing, and targeting receptor-mediated internalisation of VLP. RHDV VLP were developed to deliver up to three copies of gp10025–33 which contained proteasome cleavable linkers to target the correct processing of the epitope. Addition of mono- and dimannosides, conjugated to the surface of the gp100 VLP, would utilise a second pathway of internalisation, mannose receptor mediated, to further augment antigen internalised by phagocytosis/macropinocytosis. In vitro cell culture studies showed that a processing linker at the C-terminus of the epitope (gp100.1LC) induced enhanced T-cell activation (7.3 ng/ml interferon- (IFN-) γ release) compared to no linker (3.0 ng/ml IFN-γ) or the linker at the N-terminus (0.8 ng/ml IFN-γ). VLP delivering two (gp100.2L) or three (gp100.3L) gp100 epitopes induced similar high T-cell activation (7.6 ng/ml IFN-γ) compared to gp100.1LC. An in vivo cytotoxicity assay and a therapeutic tumour trial confirmed that mice vaccinated with either gp100.2L or gp100.3L induced a specific antitumour immune response. Mannosylation of the gp100.2L VLP further enhanced the generated immune response, demonstrated by prolonged survival of mice vaccinated with dimannosylated gp100.2L VLP (D-gp100.2L) by 22 days compared to gp100.2L-vaccinated mice. This study showed that functionalisation of RHDV VLP by addition of an epitope-processing linker and mannosylation of the surface facilitates the efficacy of VLP as vaccination vectors for tumour immunotherapy.
Collapse
|
12
|
Designing consensus immunogens to break tolerance to self-antigens for cancer therapy. Oncotarget 2018; 9:35513-35514. [PMID: 30473745 PMCID: PMC6238978 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.26275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
|
13
|
Thadi A, Khalili M, Morano WF, Richard SD, Katz SC, Bowne WB. Early Investigations and Recent Advances in Intraperitoneal Immunotherapy for Peritoneal Metastasis. Vaccines (Basel) 2018; 6:E54. [PMID: 30103457 PMCID: PMC6160982 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines6030054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is an advanced stage malignancy largely refractory to modern therapy. Intraperitoneal (IP) immunotherapy offers a novel approach for the control of regional disease of the peritoneal cavity by breaking immune tolerance. These strategies include heightening T-cell response and vaccine induction of anti-cancer memory against tumor-associated antigens. Early investigations with chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells), vaccine-based therapies, dendritic cells (DCs) in combination with pro-inflammatory cytokines and natural killer cells (NKs), adoptive cell transfer, and immune checkpoint inhibitors represent significant advances in the treatment of PM. IP delivery of CAR-T cells has shown demonstrable suppression of tumors expressing carcinoembryonic antigen. This response was enhanced when IP injected CAR-T cells were combined with anti-PD-L1 or anti-Gr1. Similarly, CAR-T cells against folate receptor α expressing tumors improved T-cell tumor localization and survival when combined with CD137 co-stimulatory signaling. Moreover, IP immunotherapy with catumaxomab, a trifunctional antibody approved in Europe, targets epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) and has shown considerable promise with control of malignant ascites. Herein, we discuss immunologic approaches under investigation for treatment of PM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anusha Thadi
- Department of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
| | - Marian Khalili
- Department of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
| | - William F Morano
- Department of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
| | - Scott D Richard
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
| | - Steven C Katz
- Department of Surgery, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
| | - Wilbur B Bowne
- Department of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Ferguson PM, Long GV, Scolyer RA, Thompson JF. Impact of genomics on the surgical management of melanoma. Br J Surg 2018; 105:e31-e47. [PMID: 29341162 DOI: 10.1002/bjs.10751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although surgery for early-stage melanoma offers the best chance of cure, recent advances in molecular medicine have revolutionized the management of late-stage melanoma, leading to significant improvements in clinical outcomes. Research into the genomic drivers of disease and cancer immunology has not only ushered in a new era of targeted and immune-based therapies for patients with metastatic melanoma, but has also provided new tools for monitoring disease recurrence and selecting therapeutic strategies. These advances present new opportunities and challenges to the surgeon treating patients with melanoma. METHODS The literature was reviewed to evaluate diagnostic and therapeutic advances in the management of cutaneous melanoma, and to highlight the impact of these advances on surgical decision-making. RESULTS Genomic testing is not required in the surgical management of primary melanoma, although it can provide useful information in some situations. Circulating nucleic acids from melanoma cells can be detected in peripheral blood to predict disease recurrence before it manifests clinically, but validation is required before routine clinical application. BRAF mutation testing is the standard of care for all patients with advanced disease to guide therapy, including the planning of surgery in adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings. CONCLUSION Surgery remains central for managing primary melanoma, and is an important element of integrated multidisciplinary care in advanced disease, particularly for patients with resectable metastases. The field will undergo further change as clinical trials address the relationships between surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy for patients with high-risk, early-stage and advanced melanoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P M Ferguson
- Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - G V Long
- Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - R A Scolyer
- Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - J F Thompson
- Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Melanoma and Surgical Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Gato-Cañas M, Arasanz H, Blanco-Luquin I, Glaría E, Arteta-Sanchez V, Kochan G, Escors D. Novel immunotherapies for the treatment of melanoma. Immunotherapy 2017; 8:613-32. [PMID: 27140413 DOI: 10.2217/imt-2015-0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies are achieving clinical success for the treatment of many cancers. However, it has taken a long time to exploit the potential of the immune system for the treatment of human cancers. We cannot forget that this has been the consequence of very extensive work in basic research in preclinical models and in human patients. Thus, it is rather hard to compile all of it while giving a comprehensive view on this subject. Here we have attempted to give an overall perspective in immunotherapy of melanoma. A brief overview on current therapies is provided, followed by adoptive cell therapies. Gene engineering strategies to improve these therapies are also explained, finishing with therapies based on interference with immune checkpoint pathways.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gato-Cañas
- Immunomodulation Group, Navarrabiomed-Biomedical Research Centre, IdisNA. Irunlarrea 3, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Hugo Arasanz
- Immunomodulation Group, Navarrabiomed-Biomedical Research Centre, IdisNA. Irunlarrea 3, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Idoia Blanco-Luquin
- Immunomodulation Group, Navarrabiomed-Biomedical Research Centre, IdisNA. Irunlarrea 3, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Estíbaliz Glaría
- Immunomodulation Group, Navarrabiomed-Biomedical Research Centre, IdisNA. Irunlarrea 3, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Virginia Arteta-Sanchez
- Immunomodulation Group, Navarrabiomed-Biomedical Research Centre, IdisNA. Irunlarrea 3, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Grazyna Kochan
- Immunomodulation Group, Navarrabiomed-Biomedical Research Centre, IdisNA. Irunlarrea 3, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - David Escors
- Immunomodulation Group, Navarrabiomed-Biomedical Research Centre, IdisNA. Irunlarrea 3, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain.,Rayne Institute, University College London, 5 University Street, London, WC1E 6JF, UK
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Kim KD, Bae S, Capece T, Nedelkovska H, de Rubio RG, Smrcka AV, Jun CD, Jung W, Park B, Kim TI, Kim M. Targeted calcium influx boosts cytotoxic T lymphocyte function in the tumour microenvironment. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15365. [PMID: 28504276 PMCID: PMC5440668 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell transfer utilizing tumour-targeting cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) is one of the most effective immunotherapies against haematological malignancies, but significant clinical success has not yet been achieved in solid tumours due in part to the strong immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. Here, we show that suppression of CTL killing by CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cell (Treg) is in part mediated by TGFβ-induced inhibition of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) production, leading to a decrease in T cell receptor (TCR)-dependent intracellular Ca2+ response. Highly selective optical control of Ca2+ signalling in adoptively transferred CTLs enhances T cell activation and IFN-γ production in vitro, leading to a significant reduction in tumour growth in mice. Altogether, our findings indicate that the targeted optogenetic stimulation of intracellular Ca2+ signal allows for the remote control of cytotoxic effector functions of adoptively transferred T cells with outstanding spatial resolution by boosting T cell immune responses at the tumour sites.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Animals
- Calcium/immunology
- Calcium/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- HEK293 Cells
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Interferon-gamma/genetics
- Interferon-gamma/immunology
- Interferon-gamma/metabolism
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Neoplasms, Experimental/genetics
- Neoplasms, Experimental/immunology
- Neoplasms, Experimental/therapy
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/transplantation
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism
- Tumor Burden/genetics
- Tumor Burden/immunology
- Tumor Microenvironment/genetics
- Tumor Microenvironment/immunology
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kyun-Do Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Seyeon Bae
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Tara Capece
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Hristina Nedelkovska
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Rafael G. de Rubio
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Alan V. Smrcka
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Chang-Duk Jun
- School of Life Sciences, Immune Synapse and Cell Therapy Research Center, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712, Republic of Korea
| | - Woojin Jung
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746, Republic of Korea
| | - Byeonghak Park
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-il Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746, Republic of Korea
| | - Minsoo Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Walters JN, Ferraro B, Duperret EK, Kraynyak KA, Chu J, Saint-Fleur A, Yan J, Levitsky H, Khan AS, Sardesai NY, Weiner DB. A Novel DNA Vaccine Platform Enhances Neo-antigen-like T Cell Responses against WT1 to Break Tolerance and Induce Anti-tumor Immunity. Mol Ther 2017; 25:976-988. [PMID: 28237837 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated antigens have emerged as important immunotherapeutic targets in the fight against cancer. Germline tumor antigens, such as WT1, Wilms' tumor gene 1, are overexpressed in many human malignancies but have low expression in somatic tissues. Recent vaccination approaches to target WT1 have been hampered by poor in vivo immune potency, likely due to the conserved self-antigen nature of WT1. In this study, we use a novel synthetic micro-consensus SynCon DNA vaccine approach with the goal of breaking tolerance and increasing vaccine immune potency. This approach induced new, neo-antigen-like responses that were superior to those induced by native WT1 DNA immunogens for driving T cell immunity and breaking tolerance. Non-human primates (NHPs) vaccinated with SynCon WT1 antigens elicited immune responses against native rhesus WT1 peptides. When delivered by electroporation (EP) in mice, SynCon-based WT1 constructs elicited strong CD4 and CD8 T cell responses (including IFN-γ, CD107a, and TNF-α) to both native and consensus peptides. In addition, SynCon WT1 vaccine-induced antibodies recognized native WT1 in vitro. Vaccination with the SynCon WT1 immunogens was capable of slowing tumor growth in therapeutic models in vivo. These data support the further study of synthetic consensus DNA vaccines for breaking tolerance to important germline antigens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jewell N Walters
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 660 West Germantown Pike, Suite 110, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Bernadette Ferraro
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 660 West Germantown Pike, Suite 110, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | | | - Kimberly A Kraynyak
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 660 West Germantown Pike, Suite 110, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Jaemi Chu
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Jian Yan
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 660 West Germantown Pike, Suite 110, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Hy Levitsky
- The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
| | - Amir S Khan
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 660 West Germantown Pike, Suite 110, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - Niranjan Y Sardesai
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 660 West Germantown Pike, Suite 110, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
| | - David B Weiner
- The Wistar Institute, 3601 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Lee SH, Danishmalik SN, Sin JI. DNA vaccines, electroporation and their applications in cancer treatment. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 11:1889-900. [PMID: 25984993 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2015.1035502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous animal studies and recent clinical studies have shown that electroporation-delivered DNA vaccines can elicit robust Ag-specific CTL responses and reduce disease severity. However, cancer antigens are generally poorly immunogenic, requiring special conditions for immune response induction. To date, many different approaches have been used to elicit Ag-specific CTL and anti-neoplastic responses to DNA vaccines against cancer. In vivo electroporation is one example, whereas others include DNA manipulation, xenogeneic antigen use, immune stimulatory molecule and immune response regulator application, DNA prime-boost immunization strategy use and different DNA delivery methods. These strategies likely increase the immunogenicity of cancer DNA vaccines, thereby contributing to cancer eradication. However, cancer cells are heterogeneous and might become CTL-resistant. Thus, understanding the CTL resistance mechanism(s) employed by cancer cells is critical to develop counter-measures for this immune escape. In this review, the use of electroporation as a DNA delivery method, the strategies used to enhance the immune responses, the cancer antigens that have been tested, and the escape mechanism(s) used by tumor cells are discussed, with a focus on the progress of clinical trials using cancer DNA vaccines.
Collapse
Key Words
- AFP, α-fetoprotein
- APCs, antigen presenting cells
- CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen
- CTLA-4, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4
- DCs, dendritic cells
- DNA vaccine
- EP, electroporation
- GITR, glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor family-related gene
- HPV, human papillomavirus
- HSP, heat shock protein
- HSV, herpes simplex virus
- ID, intradermal
- IM, intramuscular
- MAGE, melanoma-associated antigen
- MART, melanoma antigen recognized by T cells
- PAP, prostatic acid phosphatase
- PD, programmed death
- PRAME, preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma
- PSA, prostate-specific antigen
- PSMA, prostate-specific membrane antigen
- WT1, Wilm's tumor
- anti-tumor immunity
- cancer
- hTERT, human telomerase reverse transcriptase
- tumor immune evasion
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Si-Hyeong Lee
- a BK21 Plus Graduate Program; Department of Microbiology ; School of Medicine; Kangwon National University ; Chuncheon , Gangwon-do , Korea
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Aurisicchio L, Roscilli G, Marra E, Luberto L, Mancini R, La Monica N, Ciliberto G. Superior Immunologic and Therapeutic Efficacy of a Xenogeneic Genetic Cancer Vaccine Targeting Carcinoembryonic Human Antigen. Hum Gene Ther 2016; 26:386-98. [PMID: 25869226 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2014.141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We have generated a xenogeneic vaccine against human carcinoembryonic antigen (hCEACAM-5 or commonly hCEA) using as immunogen rhesus CEA (rhCEA). RhCEA cDNA was codon-usage optimized (rhCEAopt) and delivered by sequential DNA electro-gene-transfer (DNA-EGT) and adenoviral (Ad) vector. RhCEAopt was capable to break tolerance to CEA in hCEA transgenic mice and immune responses were detected against epitopes distributed over the entire length of the protein. Xenovaccination with rhCEA resulted in the activation of CD4+ T-cell responses in addition to self-reactive CD8+ T-cells, the development of high-titer antibodies against hCEA, and significant antitumor effects upon challenge with hCEA+ tumor cells. The superior activity of rhCEAopt compared with hCEAopt was confirmed in hCEA/HHD double-transgenic mice, where potent CD8+ T-cell responses against specific human HLA A*0201 hCEA epitopes were detected. Our data show that xenogeneic gene-based vaccination with rhCEA is a viable approach to break tolerance against CEA, thus suggesting further development in the clinical setting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Laura Luberto
- 1 Takis srl, 00128 Rome, Italy .,2 Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Catanzaro "Magna Graecia ," Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Rita Mancini
- 3 Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, University of Rome "La Sapienza ," Rome, Italy .,4 Laboratory of Research and Diagnostics, Department of Surgery "P. Valdoni," University of Rome "La Sapienza ," Rome, Italy
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
KANAI Y. Overview on poly(ADP-ribose) immuno-biomedicine and future prospects. PROCEEDINGS OF THE JAPAN ACADEMY. SERIES B, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2016; 92:222-36. [PMID: 27477457 PMCID: PMC5114291 DOI: 10.2183/pjab.92.222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Poly(ADP-ribose), identified in 1966 independently by three groups Strassbourg, Kyoto and Tokyo, is synthesized by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARP) from NAD(+) as a substrate in the presence of Mg(2+). The structure was unique in that it has ribose-ribose linkage. In the early-1970s, however, its function in vivo/in vitro was still controversial and the antibody against it was desired to help clear its significance. Thereupon, the author tried to produce antibody against poly(ADP-ribose) in rabbits and succeeded in it for the first time in the world. Eventually, this success has led to the following two groundbreaking papers in Nature: "Naturally-occurring antibody against poly(ADP-ribose) in patients with autoimmune disease SLE", and "Induction of anti-poly(ADP-ribose) antibody by immunization with synthetic double-stranded RNA, poly(A)·poly(U)".On the way to the publication of the first paper, a reviewer gave me a friendly comment that there is "heteroclitic" fashion as a mechanism of the production of natural antibody. This comment was really a God-send for me, and became a train of power for publication of another paper, as described above. Accordingly, I thought this, I would say, episode is worth describing herein. Because of its importance in biomedical phenomena, a certain number of articles related to "heteroclitic" have become to be introduced in this review, although they were not always directly related to immuno-biological works on poly(ADP-ribose). Also, I tried to speculate on the future prospects of poly(ADP-ribose), product of PARP, as an immuno-regulatory molecule, including either induced or naturally-occurring antibodies, in view of "heteroclitic".
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiyuki KANAI
- Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Noyori, Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan
- Correspondence should be addressed: Y. Kanai, Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, Noyori, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8124, Japan (e-mail: )
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Wei WZ, Jones RF, Juhasz C, Gibson H, Veenstra J. Evolution of animal models in cancer vaccine development. Vaccine 2015; 33:7401-7407. [PMID: 26241945 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.07.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Advances in cancer vaccine development are facilitated by animal models reflecting key features of human cancer and its interface with host immunity. Several series of transplantable preneoplastic and neoplastic mouse mammary lesions have been used to delineate mechanisms of anti-tumor immunity. Mimicking immune tolerance to tumor-associated antigens (TAA) such as HER2/neu, transgenic mice developing spontaneous mammary tumors are strong model systems for pre-clinical vaccine testing. In these models, HER2 DNA vaccines are easily administered, well-tolerated, and induce both humoral and cellular immunity. Although engineered mouse strains have advanced cancer immunotherapy, basic shortcomings remain. For example, multiple mouse strains have to be tested to recapitulate genetic regulation of immune tolerance in humans. Outbred domestic felines more closely parallel humans in the natural development of HER2 positive breast cancer and their varying genetic background. Electrovaccination with heterologous HER2 DNA induces robust adaptive immune responses in cats. Importantly, homologous feline HER2 DNA with a single amino acid substitution elicits unique antibodies to feline mammary tumor cells, unlocking a new vaccine principle. As an alternative approach to targeted vaccination, non-surgical tumor ablation such as cryoablation induces anti-tumor immunity via in situ immunization, particularly when combined with toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist. As strategies for vaccination advance, non-invasive monitoring of host response becomes imperative. As an example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning following administration of tryptophan metabolism tracer [11C]-alpha-methyl-tryptophan (AMT) provides non-invasive imaging of both tumor growth and metabolic activities. Because AMT is a substrate of indoleamine-pyrrole 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme that produces the immune regulatory molecule kynurenine, AMT imaging can provide novel insight of host response. In conclusion, new feline models improve the predictive power of cancer immunotherapy and real-time PET imaging enables mechanistic monitoring of host immunity. Strategic utilization of these new tools will expedite cancer vaccine development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Zen Wei
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, United States.
| | - Richard F Jones
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
| | - Csaba Juhasz
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
| | - Heather Gibson
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
| | - Jesse Veenstra
- Karmanos Cancer Institute, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, United States
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Adegoke AO, Grant MD. Enhancing Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Specific CD8(+) T Cell Responses with Heteroclitic Peptides. Front Immunol 2015; 6:377. [PMID: 26257743 PMCID: PMC4512150 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific CD8(+) T cells play a critical role in containing HIV replication and delaying disease progression. However, HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells become progressively more "exhausted" as chronic HIV infection proceeds. Symptoms of T cell exhaustion range from expression of inhibitory receptors and selective loss of cytokine production capacity through reduced proliferative potential, impaired differentiation into effector cells and increased susceptibility to apoptosis. While effective combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) durably reduces HIV viremia to undetectable levels, this alone does not restore the full pluripotency of HIV-specific CD8(+) T cells. In a number of studies, a subset of peptide epitope variants categorized as heteroclitic, restimulated more potent cellular immune responses in vitro than did the native, immunizing peptides themselves. This property of heteroclitic peptides has been exploited in experimental cancer and chronic viral infection models to promote clearance of transformed cells and persistent viruses. In this review, we consider the possibility that heteroclitic peptides could improve the efficacy of therapeutic vaccines as part of HIV immunotherapy or eradication strategies. We review literature on heteroclitic peptides and illustrate their potential to beneficially modulate the nature of HIV-specific T cell responses toward those found in the small minority of HIV-infected, aviremic cART-naïve persons termed elite controllers or long-term non-progressors. Our review suggests that the efficacy of HIV vaccines could be improved by identification, testing, and incorporation of heteroclitic variants of native HIV peptide epitopes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adeolu Oyemade Adegoke
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Program, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Michael David Grant
- Immunology and Infectious Diseases Program, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Mählmann K, Feige K, Juhls C, Endmann A, Schuberth HJ, Oswald D, Hellige M, Doherr M, Cavalleri JMV. Local and systemic effect of transfection-reagent formulated DNA vectors on equine melanoma. BMC Vet Res 2015; 11:132. [PMID: 26063232 PMCID: PMC4464139 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-015-0422-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Equine melanoma has a high incidence in grey horses. Xenogenic DNA vaccination may represent a promising therapeutic approach against equine melanoma as it successfully induced an immunological response in other species suffering from melanoma and in healthy horses. In a clinical study, twenty-seven, grey, melanoma-bearing, horses were assigned to three groups (n = 9) and vaccinated on days 1, 22, and 78 with DNA vectors encoding for equine (eq) IL-12 and IL-18 alone or in combination with either human glycoprotein (hgp) 100 or human tyrosinase (htyr). Horses were vaccinated intramuscularly, and one selected melanoma was locally treated by intradermal peritumoral injection. Prior to each injection and on day 120, the sizes of up to nine melanoma lesions per horse were measured by caliper and ultrasound. Specific serum antibodies against hgp100 and htyr were measured using cell based flow-cytometric assays. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements was performed to identify statistically significant influences on the relative tumor volume. For post-hoc testing a Tukey-Kramer Multiple-Comparison Test was performed to compare the relative volumes on the different examination days. An ANOVA for repeated measurements was performed to analyse changes in body temperature over time. A one-way ANOVA was used to evaluate differences in body temperature between the groups. A p–value < 0.05 was considered significant for all statistical tests applied. Results In all groups, the relative tumor volume decreased significantly to 79.1 ± 26.91% by day 120 (p < 0.0001, Tukey-Kramer Multiple-Comparison Test). Affiliation to treatment group, local treatment and examination modality had no significant influence on the results (ANOVA for repeated measurements). Neither a cellular nor a humoral immune response directed against htyr or hgp100 was detected. Horses had an increased body temperature on the day after vaccination. Conclusions This is the first clinical report on a systemic effect against equine melanoma following treatment with DNA vectors encoding eqIL12 and eqIL18 and formulated with a transfection reagent. Addition of DNA vectors encoding hgp100 respectively htyr did not potentiate this effect. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0422-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Mählmann
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Karsten Feige
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| | | | | | - Hans-Joachim Schuberth
- Immunology Unit, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| | | | - Maren Hellige
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Marcus Doherr
- Institute for Veterinary Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jessika-M V Cavalleri
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Cho HI, Jung SH, Sohn HJ, Celis E, Kim TG. An optimized peptide vaccine strategy capable of inducing multivalent CD8 + T cell responses with potent antitumor effects. Oncoimmunology 2015; 4:e1043504. [PMID: 26451316 PMCID: PMC4589052 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2015.1043504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Revised: 04/14/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic cancer vaccines are an attractive alternative to conventional therapies for treating malignant tumors, and successful tumor eradication depends primarily on obtaining high numbers of long-lasting tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells. Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines constitute a promising approach for treating cancer, but in most instances low immune responses and suboptimal therapeutic effects are achieved indicating that further optimization is required. We describe here a novel vaccination strategy with peptide-loaded DCs followed by a mixture of synthetic peptides, polyinosine-polycytidylic acid (poly-IC) and anti-CD40 antibodies (TriVax) for improving the immunogenicity and therapeutic efficacy of DC-based vaccines in a melanoma mouse model. TriVax immunization 7–12 d after priming with antigen-loaded DCs generated large numbers of long-lasting multiple antigen-specific CD8+ T cells capable of recognizing tumor cells. These responses were far superior to those generated by homologous immunizations with either TriVax or DCs. CD8+ T cells but not CD4+ T cells or NK cells mediated the therapeutic efficacy of this heterologous prime-boost strategy. Moreover, combinations of this vaccination regimen with programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) blockade or IL2 anti-IL2 antibody complexes led to complete disease eradication and survival enhancement in melanoma-bearing mice. The overall results suggest that similar strategies would be applicable for the design of effective therapeutic vaccination for treating viral diseases and various cancers, which may circumvent current limitations of cell-based cancer vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyun-Il Cho
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank; College of Medicine; The Catholic University of Korea ; Seoul, Korea ; Cancer Research Institute; College of Medicine; The Catholic University of Korea ; Seoul, Korea
| | - Soo-Hyun Jung
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank; College of Medicine; The Catholic University of Korea ; Seoul, Korea ; Cancer Research Institute; College of Medicine; The Catholic University of Korea ; Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyun-Jung Sohn
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank; College of Medicine; The Catholic University of Korea ; Seoul, Korea
| | - Esteban Celis
- Cancer Immunology; Inflammation and Tolerance Program; Georgia Regents University Cancer Center ; Augusta, GA USA
| | - Tai-Gyu Kim
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank; College of Medicine; The Catholic University of Korea ; Seoul, Korea ; Cancer Research Institute; College of Medicine; The Catholic University of Korea ; Seoul, Korea ; College of Medicine; The Catholic University of Korea ; Seoul, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Mählmann K, Feige K, Juhls C, Endmann A, Schuberth HJ, Oswald D, Hellige M, Doherr M, Cavalleri JMV. Local and systemic effect of transfection-reagent formulated DNA vectors on equine melanoma. BMC Vet Res 2015; 11:107. [PMID: 25967290 PMCID: PMC4429833 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-015-0414-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Equine melanoma has a high incidence in grey horses. Xenogenic DNA vaccination may represent a promising therapeutic approach against equine melanoma as it successfully induced an immunological response in other species suffering from melanoma and in healthy horses. In a clinical study, twenty-seven, grey, melanoma-bearing, horses were assigned to three groups (n = 9) and vaccinated on days 1, 22, and 78 with DNA vectors encoding for equine (eq) IL-12 and IL-18 alone or in combination with either human glycoprotein (hgp) 100 or human tyrosinase (htyr). Horses were vaccinated intramuscularly, and one selected melanoma was locally treated by intradermal peritumoral injection. Prior to each injection and on day 120, the sizes of up to nine melanoma lesions per horse were measured by caliper and ultrasound. Specific serum antibodies against hgp100 and htyr were measured using cell based flow-cytometric assays. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements was performed to identify statistically significant influences on the relative tumor volume. For post-hoc testing a Tukey-Kramer Multiple-Comparison Test was performed to compare the relative volumes on the different examination days. An ANOVA for repeated measurements was performed to analyse changes in body temperature over time. A one-way ANOVA was used to evaluate differences in body temperature between the groups. A p–value < 0.05 was considered significant for all statistical tests applied. Results In all groups, the relative tumor volume decreased significantly to 79.1 ± 26.91% by day 120 (p < 0.0001, Tukey-Kramer Multiple-Comparison Test). Affiliation to treatment group, local treatment and examination modality had no significant influence on the results (ANOVA for repeated measurements). Neither a cellular nor a humoral immune response directed against htyr or hgp100 was detected. Horses had an increased body temperature on the day after vaccination. Conclusions This is the first clinical report on a systemic effect against equine melanoma following treatment with DNA vectors encoding eqIL12 and eqIL18 and formulated with a transfection reagent. Addition of DNA vectors encoding hgp100 respectively htyr did not potentiate this effect. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0414-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Mählmann
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Karsten Feige
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| | | | | | - Hans-Joachim Schuberth
- Immunology Unit, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| | | | - Mareu Hellige
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Marcus Doherr
- Institute for Veterinary Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jessika-M V Cavalleri
- Clinic for Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Cavallo F, Aurisicchio L, Mancini R, Ciliberto G. Xenogene vaccination in the therapy of cancer. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2014; 14:1427-42. [DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2014.927433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
|
27
|
Chen L, Duvvuri B, Grigull J, Jamnik R, Wither JE, Wu GE. Experimental evidence that mutated-self peptides derived from mitochondrial DNA somatic mutations have the potential to trigger autoimmunity. Hum Immunol 2014; 75:873-9. [PMID: 24979674 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2014.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Revised: 06/19/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune disease is a critical health concern, whose etiology remains enigmatic. We hypothesized that immune responses to somatically mutated self proteins could have a role in the development of autoimmune disease. IFN-γ secretion by T cells stimulated with mitochondrial peptides encoded by published mitochondrial DNA was monitored to test the hypothesis. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy controls and autoimmune patients were assessed for their responses to the self peptides and mutated-self peptides differing from self by one amino acid. None of the self peptides but some of the mutated-self peptides elicited an immune response in healthy controls. In some autoimmune patients, PBMCs responded not only to some of the mutated-self peptides, but also to some of the self peptides, suggesting that there is a breach of self-tolerance in these patients. Although PBMCs from healthy controls failed to respond to self peptides when stimulated with self, the mutated-self peptide could elicit a response to the self peptide upon re-stimulation in vitro, suggesting that priming with mutated-self peptides elicits a cross-reactive response with self. The data raise the possibility that DNA somatic mutations are one of the events that trigger and/or sustain T cell responses in autoimmune diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lina Chen
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Canada.
| | - Bhargavi Duvvuri
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Canada
| | - Jörg Grigull
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Canada
| | - Roni Jamnik
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Canada
| | - Joan E Wither
- University Health Network and University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Gillian E Wu
- Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Pavlenko M, Leder C, Pisa P. Plasmid DNA vaccines against cancer: cytotoxic T-lymphocyte induction against tumor antigens. Expert Rev Vaccines 2014; 4:315-27. [PMID: 16026247 DOI: 10.1586/14760584.4.3.315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, a number of tumor vaccination strategies have been developed. Most of these rely on the identification of tumor antigens that can be recognized by the immune system. DNA vaccination represents one such approach for the induction of both humoral and cellular immune responses against tumor antigens. Studies in animal models have demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing DNA vaccination to elicit protective antitumor immune responses. However, most tumor antigens expressed by cancer cells in humans are weakly immunogenic, and therefore require the development of strategies to potentiate DNA vaccine efficacy in the clinical setting. This review focuses on recent advances in understanding of the immunology of DNA vaccines, as well as strategies used to increase DNA vaccine potency with respect to cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maxim Pavlenko
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm S-171 76, Sweden.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
Enhanced responses to tumor immunization following total body irradiation are time-dependent. PLoS One 2013; 8:e82496. [PMID: 24349298 PMCID: PMC3861406 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of successful cancer vaccines is contingent on the ability to induce effective and persistent anti-tumor immunity against self-antigens that do not typically elicit immune responses. In this study, we examine the effects of a non-myeloablative dose of total body irradiation on the ability of tumor-naïve mice to respond to DNA vaccines against melanoma. We demonstrate that irradiation followed by lymphocyte infusion results in a dramatic increase in responsiveness to tumor vaccination, with augmentation of T cell responses to tumor antigens and tumor eradication. In irradiated mice, infused CD8+ T cells expand in an environment that is relatively depleted in regulatory T cells, and this correlates with improved CD8+ T cell functionality. We also observe an increase in the frequency of dendritic cells displaying an activated phenotype within lymphoid organs in the first 24 hours after irradiation. Intriguingly, both the relative decrease in regulatory T cells and increase in activated dendritic cells correspond with a brief window of augmented responsiveness to immunization. After this 24 hour window, the numbers of dendritic cells decline, as does the ability of mice to respond to immunizations. When immunizations are initiated within the period of augmented dendritic cell activation, mice develop anti-tumor responses that show increased durability as well as magnitude, and this approach leads to improved survival in experiments with mice bearing established tumors as well as in a spontaneous melanoma model. We conclude that irradiation can produce potent immune adjuvant effects independent of its ability to induce tumor ablation, and that the timing of immunization and lymphocyte infusion in the irradiated host are crucial for generating optimal anti-tumor immunity. Clinical strategies using these approaches must therefore optimize such parameters, as the correct timing of infusion and vaccination may mean the difference between an ineffective treatment and successful tumor eradication.
Collapse
|
30
|
Yuan J, Ku GY, Adamow M, Mu Z, Tandon S, Hannaman D, Chapman P, Schwartz G, Carvajal R, Panageas KS, Houghton AN, Wolchok JD. Immunologic responses to xenogeneic tyrosinase DNA vaccine administered by electroporation in patients with malignant melanoma. J Immunother Cancer 2013; 1:20. [PMID: 24829756 PMCID: PMC4019903 DOI: 10.1186/2051-1426-1-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Accepted: 10/31/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prior studies show that intramuscular injection and particle-mediated epidermal delivery of xenogeneic melanosomal antigens (tyrosinase or Tyr, gp100) induce CD8+ T cell responses to the syngeneic protein. To further define the optimal vaccination strategy, we conducted a phase I study of in vivo electroporation (EP) of a murine Tyr DNA vaccine (pINGmuTyr) in malignant melanoma patients. Methods Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A1, A2, A24 or B35 stage IIb-IV melanoma patients received up to five doses of the mouse tyrosinase DNA vaccine by EP every three weeks at dose levels of 0.2 mg, 0.5 mg, or 1.5 mg per injection. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected, cultured with a peptide pool containing eight HLA class I-restricted Tyr-specific T-cell epitopes, and analyzed by HLA-A*0101-restricted tetramers and intracellular cytokine staining (ICS). Results Twenty-four patients received ≥1 dose of the pINGmuTyr vaccine; PBMCs from 21 patients who completed all five doses were available for Tyr immune assays. The only common toxicity was grade 1 injection site reaction. Six of 15 patients (40%) in the 1.5 mg dose cohort developed Tyr-reactive CD8+ T cell responses following stimulation, defined as a ≥3 standard deviation increase in baseline reactivity by tetramer or ICS assays. No Tyr-reactive CD8+ T cell response was detected in the 0.2 mg and 0.5 mg dose cohort patients. Epitope spreading of CD8+ T cell response to NY-ESO-1 was observed in one patient with vitiligo. One patient subsequently received ipilimumab and developed an enhanced Tyr-reactive response with polyfunctional cytokine profile. After a median follow-up of 40.9 months, median survival has not been reached. Conclusions A regimen of five immunizations with pINGmuTyr administered by EP was found to be safe and resulted in Tyr-reactive immune responses in six of 15 patients at 1.5 mg dose cohort. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00471133
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianda Yuan
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Immunology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York NY10065, USA
| | - Geoffrey Y Ku
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Matthew Adamow
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Immunology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York NY10065, USA
| | - Zhenyu Mu
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Immunology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York NY10065, USA
| | - Sapna Tandon
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Immunology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York NY10065, USA
| | - Drew Hannaman
- Ichor Medical System, Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Paul Chapman
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Gary Schwartz
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Richard Carvajal
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Katherine S Panageas
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York NY10065, USA
| | - Alan N Houghton
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Immunology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York NY10065, USA.,Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jedd D Wolchok
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Immunology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York NY10065, USA.,Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Shi RR, Liu J, Zou Z, Qi YM, Zhai MX, Zhai WJ, Gao YF. The immunogenicity of a novel cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope from tumor antigen PL2L60 could be enhanced by 4-chlorophenylalanine substitution at position 1. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2013; 62:1723-32. [PMID: 24077852 PMCID: PMC11029738 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-013-1478-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2013] [Accepted: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
PIWIL2, a member of PIWI/AGO family, is expressed in germline stem cells and precancerous stem cells, but not in adult somatic cells. PIWIL2 plays an important role in tumor development. It is considered as a cancer–testis antigen (CT80). It has been reported that the spliced fragment of PIWIL2, PL2L60, was widely expressed in cancer cell lines. In this study, HLA-A2-restricted epitopes from PL2L60 were predicted by online tools. To improve the activity of the native epitope, a candidate peptide P281 with potent binding affinity was chosen to investigate the modification strategy. A series of aromatic amino acids were introduced to substitute the first residue of P281. Then, we tested the binding affinity and stability of the peptide analogs and their ability to elicit specific immune responses both in vitro and in vivo. Our results indicated that the cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induced by [4-Cl-Phe1]P281 could elicit more potent activities than that of P281 and other analogs. The CTLs induced by this analog could lyze target cells in HLA-A2-restricted and antigen-specific manners. [4-Cl-Phe1]P281 also showed the best resistance against degradation in human serum. In conclusion, the introduction of the unnatural amino acid, 4-Cl-Phe, into the first position could enhance the activity of the native epitope to induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes. It might be a good strategy to modify other promising native epitopes. The novel epitopes identified in this study could be used as novel candidates to the immunotherapy of HLA-A2 positive patients with tumors expressing PL2L60.
Collapse
MESH Headings
- Alternative Splicing
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Amino Acid Substitution
- Animals
- Antigens, Neoplasm/genetics
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Argonaute Proteins/genetics
- Argonaute Proteins/immunology
- Argonaute Proteins/metabolism
- Blotting, Western
- Cell Line
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/immunology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/metabolism
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- HLA-A2 Antigen/immunology
- HT29 Cells
- Humans
- Interferon-gamma/immunology
- Interferon-gamma/metabolism
- MCF-7 Cells
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Neoplasms/genetics
- Neoplasms/metabolism
- Neoplasms/pathology
- Peptides/genetics
- Peptides/immunology
- Peptides/metabolism
- Phenylalanine/genetics
- Phenylalanine/immunology
- Phenylalanine/metabolism
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/metabolism
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ran-ran Shi
- Department of Bioengineering, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Road, Zhengzhou, 450001 Henan Province People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Road, Zhengzhou, 450001 Henan Province People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhe Zou
- Department of Bioengineering, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Road, Zhengzhou, 450001 Henan Province People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuan-ming Qi
- Department of Bioengineering, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Road, Zhengzhou, 450001 Henan Province People’s Republic of China
| | - Ming-xia Zhai
- Department of Bioengineering, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Road, Zhengzhou, 450001 Henan Province People’s Republic of China
| | - Wen-jie Zhai
- Department of Bioengineering, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Road, Zhengzhou, 450001 Henan Province People’s Republic of China
| | - Yan-feng Gao
- Department of Bioengineering, Zhengzhou University, 100 Science Road, Zhengzhou, 450001 Henan Province People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Abstract
Over-expression of the proto-oncogene c-MYC is frequently observed in a variety of tumors and is a hallmark of Burkitt´s lymphoma. The fact that many tumors are oncogene-addicted to c-MYC, renders c-MYC a powerful target for anti-tumor therapy. Using a xenogenic vaccination strategy by immunizing C57BL/6 mice with human c-MYC protein or non-homologous peptides, we show that the human c-MYC protein, despite its high homology between mouse and man, contains several immunogenic epitopes presented in the context of murine H2b haplotype. We identified an MHC class II-restricted CD4+ T-cell epitope and therein an MHC class I-restricted CD8+ T-cell epitope (SSPQGSPEPL) that, after prime/boost immunization, protected up to 25% of mice against a lethal lymphoma challenge. Lymphoma-rejecting animals contained MHC multimer-binding CD8+ cell within the peripheral blood and displayed in vivo cytolytic activity with specificity for SSPQGSPEPL. Taken together these data suggest that oncogenic c-MYC can be targeted with specific T-cells.
Collapse
|
33
|
Pedersen SR, Sørensen MR, Buus S, Christensen JP, Thomsen AR. Comparison of vaccine-induced effector CD8 T cell responses directed against self- and non-self-tumor antigens: implications for cancer immunotherapy. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 191:3955-67. [PMID: 24018273 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1300555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
It is generally accepted that CD8 T cells play a major role in tumor control, yet vaccination aimed at eliciting potent CD8 T cell responses are rarely efficient in clinical trials. To try and understand why this is so, we have generated potent adenoviral vectors encoding the endogenous tumor Ags (TA) tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2) and glycoprotein 100 (GP100) tethered to the invariant chain (Ii). Using these vectors, we sought to characterize the self-TA-specific CD8 T cell response and compare it to that induced against non-self-Ags expressed from a similar vector platform. Prophylactic vaccination with adenoviral vectors expressing either TRP-2 (Ad-Ii-TRP-2) or GP100 (Ad-Ii-GP100) had little or no effect on the growth of s.c. B16 melanomas, and only Ad-Ii-TRP-2 was able to induce a marginal reduction of B16 lung metastasis. In contrast, vaccination with a similar vector construct expressing a foreign (viral) TA induced efficient tumor control. Analyzing the self-TA-specific CD8 T cells, we observed that these could be activated to produce IFN-γ and TNF-α. In addition, surface expression of phenotypic markers and inhibitory receptors, as well as in vivo cytotoxicity and degranulation capacity matched that of non-self-Ag-specific CD8 T cells. However, the CD8 T cells specific for self-TAs had a lower functional avidity, and this impacted on their in vivo performance. On the basis of these results and a low expression of the targeted TA epitopes on the tumor cells, we suggest that low avidity of the self-TA-specific CD8 T cells may represent a major obstacle for efficient immunotherapy of cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara R Pedersen
- Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen North, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Abstract
Research shows that cancers are recognized by the immune system but that the immune recognition of tumors does not uniformly result in tumor rejection or regression. Quantitating the success or failure of the immune system in tumor elimination is difficult because we do not really know the total numbers of encounters of the immune system with the tumors. Regardless of that important issue, recognition of the tumor by the immune system implicitly contains the idea of the tumor antigen, which is what is actually recognized. We review the molecular identity of all forms of tumor antigens (antigens with specific mutations, cancer-testis antigens, differentiation antigens, over-expressed antigens) and discuss the use of these multiple forms of antigens in experimental immunotherapy of mouse and human melanoma. These efforts have been uniformly unsuccessful; however, the approaches that have not worked or have somewhat worked have been the source of many new insights into melanoma immunology. From a critical review of the various approaches to vaccine therapy we conclude that individual cancer-specific mutations are truly the only sources of cancer-specific antigens, and therefore, the most attractive targets for immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Blanchard
- Department of Immunology, and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
35
|
Boisgerault N, Kottke T, Pulido J, Thompson J, Diaz RM, Rommelfanger-Konkol D, Embry A, Saenz D, Poeschla E, Pandha H, Harrington K, Melcher A, Selby P, Vile R. Functional cloning of recurrence-specific antigens identifies molecular targets to treat tumor relapse. Mol Ther 2013; 21:1507-16. [PMID: 23752316 DOI: 10.1038/mt.2013.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2013] [Accepted: 04/24/2013] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Aggressive regrowth of recurrent tumors following treatment-induced dormancy represents a major clinical challenge for treatment of malignant disease. We reported previously that recurrent prostate tumors, which underwent complete macroscopic regression followed by aggressive regrowth, could be cured with a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-expressed cDNA library derived from recurrent tumor cells. By screening the protective, recurrence-derived VSV-cDNA library, here we identify topoisomerase-IIα (TOPO-IIα) as a recurrence-specific tumor antigen against which tolerance can be broken. Tumor recurrences, in two different types of tumor (prostate and melanoma), which had evaded two different frontline treatments (immunotherapy or chemotherapy), significantly overexpressed TOPO-IIα compared with their primary tumor counterparts, which conferred a novel sensitivity to doxorubicin (DOX) chemotherapy upon the recurrent tumors. This was exploited in vivo using combination therapies to cure mice, which would otherwise have relapsed, after suboptimal primary therapy in both models. Our data show that recurrent tumors-across histologies and primary treatments-express distinct antigens compared with the primary tumor which can be identified using the VSV-cDNA library technology. These results suggest that it may be possible to design a few common second-line therapies against a variety of tumor recurrences, in some cases using agents with no obvious activity against the primary tumor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Boisgerault
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
36
|
Kalli F, Machiorlatti R, Battaglia F, Parodi A, Conteduca G, Ferrera F, Proietti M, Tardito S, Sanguineti M, Millo E, Fenoglio D, De Palma R, Inghirami G, Filaci G. Comparative analysis of cancer vaccine settings for the selection of an effective protocol in mice. J Transl Med 2013; 11:120. [PMID: 23663506 PMCID: PMC3659084 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-11-120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 05/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer vaccines are considered a promising therapeutic approach. However, their clinical results are not yet satisfactory. This may be due to the the difficulty of selection of an efficient tumor associated antigen (TAA) and immunization protocol. Indeed, the weak antigenicity of many TAA impairs the design of robust procedures, therefore a systematic analysis to identify the most efficient TAA is mandatory. Here, we performed a study to compare different gp100 vaccination strategies to identify the best strategy to provide a 100% protection against experimental melanoma in a reproducible manner. Methods C57BL/6J mice were challenged subcutaneously with B16F10 melanoma cells, after vaccination with: a) mouse or human gp10025-33 peptide plus CpG adjuvant; b) mouse or human gp100 gene; c) mouse or human gp10025-33 peptide-pulsed dendritic cells (DC). Alternatively, a neutralizing anti-IL-10 monoclonal antibody (mAb) was subcutaneously administered at the site of tumor challenge to counteract regulatory cells. Finally, combinatorial treatment was performed associating human gp10025-33 peptide-pulsed DC vaccination with administration of the anti-IL-10 mAb. Results Vaccination with human gp10025-33 peptide-pulsed DC was the most effective immunization protocol, although not achieving a full protection. Administration of the anti-IL-10 mAb showed also a remarkable protective effect, replicated in mice challenged with a different tumor, Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. When immunization with gp10025-33 peptide-pulsed DC was associated with IL-10 counteraction, a 100% protective effect was consistently achieved. The analysis on the T-cell tumor infiltrates showed an increase of CD4+granzyme+ T-cells and a decreased number of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg elements from mice treated with either gp10025-33 peptide-pulsed DC vaccination or anti-IL-10 mAb administration. These data suggest that processes of intratumoral re-balance between effector and regulatory T cell subpopulations may play a critical protective role in immunotherapy protocols. Conclusions Here we demonstrate that, in the setting of a cancer vaccine strategy, a comparative analysis of different personalized approaches may favour the unveiling of the most effective protocol. Moreover, our findings suggest that counteraction of IL-10 activity may be critical to revert the intratumoral environment promoting Treg polarization, thus increasing the effects of a vaccination against selected TAA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Kalli
- Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Viale Benedetto XV n. 7, 16132, Genoa, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
37
|
Engels B, Engelhard VH, Sidney J, Sette A, Binder DC, Liu RB, Kranz DM, Meredith SC, Rowley DA, Schreiber H. Relapse or eradication of cancer is predicted by peptide-major histocompatibility complex affinity. Cancer Cell 2013; 23:516-26. [PMID: 23597565 PMCID: PMC3658176 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccr.2013.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2012] [Revised: 02/21/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Cancers often relapse after adoptive therapy, even though specific T cells kill cells from the same cancer efficiently in vitro. We found that tumor eradication by T cells required high affinities of the targeted peptides for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. Affinities of at least 10 nM were required for relapse-free regression. Only high-affinity peptide-MHC interactions led to efficient cross-presentation of antigen, thereby stimulating cognate T cells to secrete cytokines. These findings highlight the importance of targeting peptides with high affinity for MHC class I when designing T cell-based immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boris Engels
- Department of Pathology, Committee on Immunology and Committee on Cancer Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Bund D, Buhmann R, Gökmen F, Zorn J, Kolb HJ, Schmetzer HM. Minor histocompatibility antigen UTY as target for graft-versus-leukemia and graft-versus-haematopoiesis in the canine model. Scand J Immunol 2013; 77:39-53. [PMID: 23126655 DOI: 10.1111/sji.12011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Male patients with female-stem-cell donors have better prognosis compared to female-to-male combinations due to Y-encoded minor histocompatibility antigens recognized by female-alloimmune-effector lymphocytes in the context of a graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect. We provide data in a dog-model that the minor histocompatibility antigen UTY might be a promising target to further improve GvL-immune reactions after allogeneic-stem-cell transplantations. Female-canine-UTY-specific T cells (CTLs) were stimulated in vitro using autologous-DCs loaded with three HLA-A2-restricted-UTY-derived peptides (3-fold-expansion), and specific T cell responses were determined in 3/6 female dogs. CTLs specifically recognized/lysed autologous-female-peptide-loaded DCs, but not naïve-autologous-female DCs and monocytes. They mainly recognized bone-marrow (BM) and to a lower extent DCs, monocytes, PBMCs and B-cells from DLA-identical-male littermates and peptide-loaded T2-cells in an MHC-I-restricted manner. A UTY-/male-specific reactivity was also obtained in vivo after stimulation of a female dog with DLA-identical-male PBMCs. In summary, we demonstrated natural UTY processing and presentation in dogs. We showed that female-dog CTLs were specifically stimulated by HLA-A2-restricted-UTY peptides, thereby enabling recognition of DLA-identical-male cells, mainly BM cells. These observations suggest UTY as a promising candidate-antigen to improve GvL-reactions in the course of immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Bund
- Medical Department III, University Hospital Großhadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
39
|
Petrova G, Ferrante A, Gorski J. Cross-reactivity of T cells and its role in the immune system. Crit Rev Immunol 2012; 32:349-72. [PMID: 23237510 DOI: 10.1615/critrevimmunol.v32.i4.50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
T-cell receptors recognize peptides presented by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on the surface of antigen-presenting cells (APC). The ability of the T-cell receptor (TCR) to recognize more than one peptide-MHC structure defines cross-reactivity. Cross-reactivity is a documented phenomenon of the immune system whose importance is still under investigation. There are a number of rational arguments for cross-reactivity. These include the discrepancy between the theoretical high number of pathogen-derived peptides and the lower diversity of the T-cell repertoire, the need for recognition of escape variants, and the intrinsic low affinity of this receptor-ligand pair. However, quantifying the phenomenon has been difficult, and its immunological importance remains unknown. In this review, we examined the cases for and against an important role for cross reactivity. We argue that it may be an essential feature of the immune system from the point of view of biological robustness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Galina Petrova
- The Blood Research Institute, Blood Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
40
|
Cho HI, Reyes-Vargas E, Delgado JC, Celis E. A potent vaccination strategy that circumvents lymphodepletion for effective antitumor adoptive T-cell therapy. Cancer Res 2012; 72:1986-95. [PMID: 22367213 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-11-3246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy using tumor-reactive T lymphocytes is a promising approach for treating advanced cancer. Successful tumor eradication depends primarily on the expansion and survival of the adoptively transferred T cells. Lymphodepletion using total body irradiation (TBI) and administering high-dose interleukin (IL)-2 have been used with adoptive cell therapy to promote T-cell expansion and survival to achieve maximal therapeutic effects. However, TBI and high-dose IL-2 increase the risk for major complications that impact overall survival. Here we describe an alternative approach to TBI and high-dose IL-2 for optimizing adoptive cell therapy, resulting in dramatic therapeutic effects against established melanomas in mice. Administration of a potent, noninfectious peptide vaccine after adoptive cell therapy dramatically increased antigen-specific T-cell numbers leading to enhancement in the survival of melanoma-bearing mice. Furthermore, combinations of peptide vaccination with PD1 blockade or IL-2/anti-IL-2 antibody complexes led to complete disease eradication and long-term survival in mice with large tumors receiving adoptive cell therapy. Our results indicate that PD1 blockade and IL-2/anti-IL-2 complexes enhance both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the T-cell responses induced by peptide vaccination after adoptive cell therapy. These findings could be useful for the optimization of adoptive cell therapy in cancer patients without the need of toxic adjunct procedures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyun-Il Cho
- Immunology Program, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
41
|
Byrne KT, Turk MJ. New perspectives on the role of vitiligo in immune responses to melanoma. Oncotarget 2011; 2:684-94. [PMID: 21911918 PMCID: PMC3248219 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2011] [Accepted: 09/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Melanoma-associated vitiligo is the best-studied example of the linkage between tumor immunity and autoimmunity. Although vitiligo is an independent positive prognostic factor for melanoma patients, the autoimmune destruction of melanocytes was long thought to be merely a side effect of robust anti-tumor immunity. However, new data reveal a key role for vitiligo in supporting T cell responses to melanoma. This research perspective reviews the history of melanoma-associated vitiligo in patients, the experimental studies that form the basis for understanding this relationship, and the unique characteristics of melanoma-specific CD8 T cells found in hosts with vitiligo. We also discuss the implications of our recent findings for the interpretation of patient responses, and the design of next-generation cancer immunotherapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn T Byrne
- Dartmouth Medical School and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
42
|
Park JS, Sohn HJ, Park GS, Chung YJ, Kim TG. Induction of antitumor immunity using dendritic cells electroporated with Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) mRNA in murine tumor models. Cancer Sci 2011; 102:1448-54. [PMID: 21545375 DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2011.01974.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1), a serine-threonine kinase, plays a key role in the regulation of the cell cycle. Elevated Plk1 expression in various cancers is correlated with poor prognosis and poor patient survival rates. Several Plk1 inhibitors are currently being developed as potential treatments for cancer. In the present study, we investigated whether dendritic cells (DC) electroporated with mouse Plk1RNA (mPlk1RNA/DC) can induce Plk1-specific immune responses and exert antitumor effects in various murine tumor models. Overexpression of Plk1 protein was confirmed in several mouse and human tumor cell lines and various cancer tissues. Furthermore, Plk1-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells were induced by vaccination with mPlk1RNA/DC and the cytotoxic activity of the T cells was demonstrated against several Plk1-expressing tumor cell lines. Vaccination with mPlk1RNA/DC inhibited the growth of MC-38 and B16F10 tumors in C57BL/6 mice and the growth of CT26 tumors in BALB/c mice. Depletion of CD8(+) T cells reversed the inhibition of tumor growth by mPlk1RNA/DC vaccination. Homologous human Plk1RNA-electroporated DC also inhibited tumor growth in MC-38 tumor-bearing mice. In addition, Plk1-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes from PBMC of healthy donors could be induced using autologous monocyte-derived DC electroporated with RNA encoding the whole gene of human Plk1. Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that Plk1 could be a universal tumor antigen recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes for cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Sun Park
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
43
|
Xiao H, Peng Y, Hong Y, Liu Y, Guo ZS, Bartlett DL, Fu N, He Y. Lentivector prime and vaccinia virus vector boost generate high-quality CD8 memory T cells and prevent autochthonous mouse melanoma. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:1788-96. [PMID: 21746967 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1101138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Most cancer vaccines, to date, fail to control established tumors. However, their application in preventing tumors is another question that is understudied. In the current study, we investigated the CD8 memory T cell responses of lentivector (lv) immunization and its potential to prevent melanoma using both transplantable B16 tumor and autochthonous melanoma models. We found that lv-expressing xenogenic human gp100 could induce potent CD8 responses that cross-react with mouse gp100. Importantly, the lv-primed CD8 response consisted of a high number of memory precursors and could be further increased by recombinant vaccinia virus vector (vv) boost, resulting in enhanced CD8 memory response. These long-lasting CD8 memory T cells played a critical role in immune surveillance and could rapidly respond and expand after sensing B16 tumor cells to prevent tumor establishment. Although CD8 response plays a dominant role after lv immunization, both CD4 and CD8 T cells are responsible for the immune prevention. In addition, we surprisingly found that CD4 help was not only critical for generating primary CD8 responses, but also important for secondary CD8 responses of vv boost. CD4 depletion prior to lv prime or prior to vv boost substantially reduced the magnitude of secondary CD8 effector and memory responses, and severely compromised the effect of cancer immune prevention. More importantly, the CD8 memory response from lv-vv prime-boost immunization could effectively prevent autochthonous melanoma in tumor-prone transgenic mice, providing a strong evidence that lv-vv prime-boost strategy is an effective approach for cancer immune prevention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Xiao
- Immunology/Immunotherapy Program, Georgia Health Sciences University Cancer Center, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
44
|
Lentiviral vectors for induction of self-differentiation and conditional ablation of dendritic cells. Gene Ther 2011; 18:750-64. [PMID: 21412283 PMCID: PMC3155152 DOI: 10.1038/gt.2011.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Development of lentiviral vectors (LVs) in the field of immunotherapy and immune regeneration will strongly rely on biosafety of the gene transfer. We demonstrated previously the feasibility of ex vivo genetic programming of mouse bone marrow precursors with LVs encoding granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-4 (IL-4), which induced autonomous differentiation of long-lived dendritic cells (DCs), referred to as self-differentiated myeloid-derived antigen-presenting-cells reactive against tumors (SMART-DCs). Here, LV biosafety was enhanced by using a DC-restricted and physiological promoter, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II promoter, and including co-expression of the herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase (sr39HSV-TK) conditional suicide gene. Tricistronic vectors co-expressing sr39HSV-TK, GM-CSF and IL-4 transcriptionally regulated by the MHCII promoter or the ubiquitous cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter were compared. Despite the different gene transfer effects, such as the kinetics, levels of transgene expression and persistency of integrated vector copies, both vectors induced highly viable SMART-DCs, which persisted for at least 70 days in vivo and could be ablated with the pro-drug Ganciclovir (GCV). SMART-DCs co-expressing the tyrosine-related protein 2 melanoma antigen administered subcutaneously generated antigen-specific, anti-melanoma protective and therapeutic responses in the mouse B16 melanoma model. GCV administration after immunotherapy did not abrogate DC vaccination efficacy. This demonstrates proof-of-principle of genetically programmed DCs that can be ablated pharmacologically.
Collapse
|
45
|
Papewalis C, Kouatchoua C, Ehlers M, Jacobs B, Porwol D, Schinner S, Willenberg HS, Anlauf M, Raffel A, Eisenhofer G, Neumann HPH, Bornstein SR, Scherbaum WA, Schott M. Chromogranin A as potential target for immunotherapy of malignant pheochromocytoma. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2011; 335:69-77. [PMID: 20600588 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2010.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2010] [Revised: 05/03/2010] [Accepted: 05/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Currently, no effective treatment for malignant pheochromocytoma exists. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of chromogranin A (CgA) as a specific target molecule for immunotherapy in a murine model for pheochromocytoma. Six amino acid-modified and non-modified CgA peptides were used for dendritic cell vaccination. Altogether, 50 mice received two different CgA vaccination protocols; another 20 animals served as controls. In vitro tetramer analyses revealed large increases of CgA-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTL) in CgA-treated mice. Tumors of exogenous applied pheochromocytoma cells showed an extensive infiltration by CD8+ T cells. In vitro, CTL of CgA-treated mice exhibited strong MHC I restricted lysis capacities towards pheochromocytoma cells. Importantly, these mice showed strongly diminished outgrowth of liver tumors of applied pheochromocytoma cells. Our data clearly demonstrate that CgA peptide-based immunotherapy induces a cytotoxic immune response in experimental pheochromocytoma, indicating potential for therapeutic applications in patients with malignant pheochromocytoma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Papewalis
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Rheumatology, University Hospital Duesseldorf, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
46
|
Bellavance EC, Kohlhapp FJ, Zloza A, O'Sullivan JA, McCracken J, Jagoda MC, Lacek AT, Posner MC, Guevara-Patino JA. Development of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cell memory precursor effector cells and antimelanoma memory responses are the result of vaccination and TGF-β blockade during the perioperative period of tumor resection. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 186:3309-16. [PMID: 21289306 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1002549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
A main goal of cancer immunology research is the formation of Ag-specific memory T cell immunity capable of activation upon tumor re-encounter. The requirements necessary to overcome the inhibitory signals present in the tumor microenvironment and form such memory T cell responses are unknown. In contrast to previous studies targeting tumors expressing highly immunogenic model Ags, we demonstrate that alleviating tumor-induced suppression along with vaccination against authentic Ags during the perioperative period provides long-lasting protection against a highly suppressive and poorly immunogenic melanoma. In this study, we employed DNA vaccination with an immunologically optimized mouse melanoma-shared Ag, Trp1ee/ng, combined with systemic TGF-β blockade during the perioperative period of primary tumor resection, to confer protection against B16 melanoma, and against JBRH, an independently derived melanoma unrelated to B16. Importantly, we demonstrate that correlative to memory responses, perioperative immunotherapy increases the formation of tumor-infiltrating and tumor-reactive CD8(+) T cells expressing low levels of the transcription factor T-bet, defined as memory precursor effector cells. We show that conditions for an immunologically fertile environment are met when TGF-β blockade and vaccination are applied during the perioperative period of primary tumor resection. These findings address limitations of current CD8(+) T cell immunotherapies against cancer by generating effective CD8(+) T cell memory recall responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily C Bellavance
- Committee on Immunology, Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
47
|
DNA vaccination: using the patient's immune system to overcome cancer. Clin Dev Immunol 2010; 2010:169484. [PMID: 21197271 PMCID: PMC3010826 DOI: 10.1155/2010/169484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2010] [Revised: 10/08/2010] [Accepted: 10/21/2010] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most challenging diseases of today. Optimization of standard treatment protocols consisting of the main columns of chemo- and radiotherapy followed or preceded by surgical intervention is often limited by toxic side effects and induction of concomitant malignancies and/or development of resistant mechanisms. This requires the development of therapeutic strategies which are as effective as standard therapies but permit the patients a life without severe negative side effects. Along this line, the development of immunotherapy in general and the innovative concept of DNA vaccination in particular may provide a venue to achieve this goal. Using the patient's own immune system by activation of humoral and cellular immune responses to target the cancer cells has shown first promising results in clinical trials and may allow reduced toxicity standard therapy regimen in the future. The main challenge of this concept is to transfer the plethora of convincing preclinical and early clinical results to an effective treatment of patients.
Collapse
|
48
|
Abstract
The use of gene constructs for DNA immunization offers several potential advantages over other commonly used vaccine approaches: (1) full-length cDNA provides multiple potential class I and class II epitopes, thus bypassing limitations of MHC restriction; (2) bacterial plasmid DNA contains immunogenic unmethylated CpG motifs (immunostimulatory sequences) that may act as a potent immunological adjuvant; and (3) DNA is relatively simple to purify in large quantities. The cDNA encoding the antigen of interest is cloned into a bacterial expression plasmid with a constitutively active promoter and this plasmid is injected into the skin or muscle where it is taken up by professional antigen-presenting cells, particularly dendritic cells, either through direct transfection or cross-priming. One can further enhance or modulate the immune response through co-delivery of DNA encoding cytokines or chemokines, including cytokine-Fc fusion molecules. The latter use molecular techniques to fuse a cytokine to the Fc portion of IgG1, creating a chimeric molecule with functional activity. In the present chapter, we will outline the approach to develop cytokine-Fc fusion genes as molecular adjuvants and will use GM-CSF as an example.
Collapse
|
49
|
Li L, Herndon JM, Truscott SM, Hansen TH, Fleming TP, Goedegebuure P, Gillanders WE. Engineering superior DNA vaccines: MHC class I single chain trimers bypass antigen processing and enhance the immune response to low affinity antigens. Vaccine 2010; 28:1911-8. [PMID: 20188246 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.10.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
It is commonly believed that delivery of antigen into the class I antigen presentation pathway is a limiting factor in the clinical translation of DNA vaccines. This is of particular concern in the context of cancer vaccine development as many immunodominant peptides derived from self tumor antigens are not processed and presented efficiently. To address this limitation, we have engineered completely assembled peptide/MHC class I complexes whereby all three components (class I heavy chain, beta(2)m, and peptide) are attached by flexible linkers and expressed as a single polypeptide (single chain trimers or SCT). In this study, we tested the efficacy of progressive generations of SCT DNA vaccines engineered to (1) enhance peptide binding, (2) enhance interaction with the CD8 coreceptor, and/or (3) activate CD4(+) helper T cells. Disulfide trap SCT (dtSCT) have been engineered to improve peptide binding, with mutations designed to create a disulfide bond between the class I heavy chain and the peptide linker. dtSCT DNA vaccines dramatically enhance the immune response to model low affinity antigens as measured by ELISPOT analysis and tumor challenge. SCT engineered to enhance interaction with the CD8 coreceptor have a higher affinity for the TCR/CD8 complex, and are associated with more robust CD8(+) T cell responses following vaccination. Finally, SCT constructs that coexpress a universal helper epitope PADRE, dramatically enhance CD8(+) T cell responses. Taken together, our data demonstrate that dtSCT DNA vaccines coexpressing a universal CD4 epitope are highly effective in generating immune responses to poorly processed and presented cancer antigens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lijin Li
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
50
|
Willberg CB, Garrison KE, Jones RB, Meiklejohn DJ, Spotts G, Liegler TJ, Ostrowski MA, Karlsson AC, Hecht FM, Nixon DF. Rapid progressing allele HLA-B35 Px restricted anti-HIV-1 CD8+ T cells recognize vestigial CTL epitopes. PLoS One 2010; 5:e10249. [PMID: 20422053 PMCID: PMC2858076 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2010] [Accepted: 02/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The HLA-B*35-Px allele has been associated with rapid disease progression in HIV-1 infection, in contrast to the HLA-B*35-Py allele. Methodology/Principal Findings Immune responses to two HLA-B*35 restricted HIV-1 specific CTL epitopes and their variants were followed longitudinally during early HIV-1 infection in 16 HLA-B*35+ individuals. Subjects expressing HLA-B*35-Px alleles showed no difference in response to the consensus epitopes compared to individuals with HLA-B*35-Py alleles. Surprisingly, all the HLA-B*35-Px+ individuals responded to epitope-variants even in the absence of a consensus response. Sequencing of the viral population revealed no evidence of variant virus in any of the individuals. Conclusions/Significance This demonstrates a novel phenomenon that distinguishes individuals with the HLA-B*35-Px rapid progressing allele and those with the HLA-B*35-Py slower progressing allele.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian B. Willberg
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Keith E. Garrison
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - R. Brad Jones
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Duncan J. Meiklejohn
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Gerald Spotts
- Division of HIV/AIDS, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Teri J. Liegler
- Division of HIV/AIDS, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Mario A. Ostrowski
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Annika C. Karlsson
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Department of Virology, The Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Solna, Sweden
| | - Frederick M. Hecht
- Division of HIV/AIDS, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Douglas F. Nixon
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|