1
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Custodio JM, Ayres CM, Rosales TJ, Brambley CA, Arbuiso AG, Landau LM, Keller GLJ, Srivastava PK, Baker BM. Structural and physical features that distinguish tumor-controlling from inactive cancer neoepitopes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2312057120. [PMID: 38085776 PMCID: PMC10742377 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312057120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Neoepitopes arising from amino acid substitutions due to single nucleotide polymorphisms are targets of T cell immune responses to cancer and are of significant interest in the development of cancer vaccines. However, understanding the characteristics of rare protective neoepitopes that truly control tumor growth has been a challenge, due to their scarcity as well as the challenge of verifying true, neoepitope-dependent tumor control in humans. Taking advantage of recent work in mouse models that circumvented these challenges, here, we compared the structural and physical properties of neoepitopes that range from fully protective to immunologically inactive. As neoepitopes are derived from self-peptides that can induce immune tolerance, we studied not only how the various neoepitopes differ from each other but also from their wild-type counterparts. We identified multiple features associated with protection, including features that describe how neoepitopes differ from self as well as features associated with recognition by diverse T cell receptor repertoires. We demonstrate both the promise and limitations of neoepitope structural analysis and predictive modeling and illustrate important aspects that can be incorporated into neoepitope prediction pipelines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean M. Custodio
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN46556
| | - Cory M. Ayres
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN46556
| | - Tatiana J. Rosales
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN46556
| | - Chad A. Brambley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN46556
| | - Alyssa G. Arbuiso
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN46556
| | - Lauren M. Landau
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN46556
| | - Grant L. J. Keller
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN46556
| | - Pramod K. Srivastava
- Department of Immunology, and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT06030
| | - Brian M. Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN46556
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2
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van Duijn J, Stieh D, Fernandez N, King D, Gilmour J, Tolboom J, Callewaert K, Willems W, Pau MG, De Rosa SC, McElrath MJ, Barouch DH, Hayes P. Mosaic HIV-1 vaccination induces anti-viral CD8 + T cell functionality in the phase 1/2a clinical trial APPROACH. J Virol 2023; 97:e0112623. [PMID: 37811993 PMCID: PMC10617392 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01126-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE The functionality of CD8+ T cells against human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) antigens is indicative of HIV-progression in both animal models and people living with HIV. It is, therefore, of interest to assess CD8+ T cell responses in a prophylactic vaccination setting, as this may be an important component of the immune system that inhibits HIV-1 replication. T cell responses induced by the adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26) mosaic vaccine regimen were assessed previously by IFN-γ ELISpot and flow cytometric assays, yet these assays only measure cytokine production but not the capacity of CD8+ T cells to inhibit replication of HIV-1. In this study, we demonstrate direct anti-viral function of the clinical Ad26 mosaic vaccine regimen through ex vivo inhibition of replication of diverse clades of HIV-1 isolates in the participant's own CD4+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Stieh
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Natalia Fernandez
- IAVI Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Deborah King
- IAVI Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jill Gilmour
- IAVI Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jeroen Tolboom
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Maria G. Pau
- Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Stephen C. De Rosa
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - M. Juliana McElrath
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Dan H. Barouch
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter Hayes
- IAVI Human Immunology Laboratory, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
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3
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Blander JM, Yee Mon KJ, Jha A, Roycroft D. The show and tell of cross-presentation. Adv Immunol 2023; 159:33-114. [PMID: 37996207 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ai.2023.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Cross-presentation is the culmination of complex subcellular processes that allow the processing of exogenous proteins and the presentation of resultant peptides on major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) molecules to CD8 T cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) are a cell type that uniquely specializes in cross-presentation, mainly in the context of viral or non-viral infection and cancer. DCs have an extensive network of endovesicular pathways that orchestrate the biogenesis of an ideal cross-presentation compartment where processed antigen, MHC-I molecules, and the MHC-I peptide loading machinery all meet. As a central conveyor of information to CD8 T cells, cross-presentation allows cross-priming of T cells which carry out robust adaptive immune responses for tumor and viral clearance. Cross-presentation can be canonical or noncanonical depending on the functional status of the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP), which in turn influences the vesicular route of MHC-I delivery to internalized antigen and the cross-presented repertoire of peptides. Because TAP is a central node in MHC-I presentation, it is targeted by immune evasive viruses and cancers. Thus, understanding the differences between canonical and noncanonical cross-presentation may inform new therapeutic avenues against cancer and infectious disease. Defects in cross-presentation on a cellular and genetic level lead to immune-related disease progression, recurrent infection, and cancer progression. In this chapter, we review the process of cross-presentation beginning with the DC subsets that conduct cross-presentation, the signals that regulate cross-presentation, the vesicular trafficking pathways that orchestrate cross-presentation, the modes of cross-presentation, and ending with disease contexts where cross-presentation plays a role.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Magarian Blander
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States; Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States; Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States; Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Programs, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States.
| | - Kristel Joy Yee Mon
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States; Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Atimukta Jha
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States; Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Dylan Roycroft
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States; Joan and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, United States
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4
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Espinar-Buitrago M, Muñoz-Fernández MA. New Approaches to Dendritic Cell-Based Therapeutic Vaccines Against HIV-1 Infection. Front Immunol 2022; 12:719664. [PMID: 35058917 PMCID: PMC8763680 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.719664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the success of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) in recent years, the pathological outcome of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection has improved substantially, achieving undetectable viral loads in most cases. Nevertheless, the presence of a viral reservoir formed by latently infected cells results in patients having to maintain treatment for life. In the absence of effective eradication strategies against HIV-1, research efforts are focused on obtaining a cure. One of these approaches is the creation of therapeutic vaccines. In this sense, the most promising one up to now is based on the establishing of the immunological synapse between dendritic cells (DCs) and T lymphocytes (TL). DCs are one of the first cells of the immune system to encounter HIV-1 by acting as antigen presenting cells, bringing about the interaction between innate and adaptive immune responses mediated by TL. Furthermore, TL are the end effector, and their response capacity is essential in the adaptive elimination of cells infected by pathogens. In this review, we summarize the knowledge of the interaction between DCs with TL, as well as the characterization of the specific T-cell response against HIV-1 infection. The use of nanotechnology in the design and improvement of vaccines based on DCs has been researched and presented here with a special emphasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisierra Espinar-Buitrago
- Section Head Immunology, Laboratorio InmunoBiología Molecular, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón (HGUGM), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ma Angeles Muñoz-Fernández
- Section Head Immunology, Laboratorio InmunoBiología Molecular, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón (HGUGM), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), Madrid, Spain.,Spanish Human Immunodeficiency Virus- Hospital Gregorio Marañón (HIV-HGM) BioBank, Madrid, Spain.,Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain
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5
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Moussa M, Englander RP, Singhaviranon S, Michaux J, Pak H, Miyadera H, Corwin WL, Keller GLJ, Hagymasi AT, Shcheglova TV, Coukos G, Baker BM, Mandoiu II, Bassani-Sternberg M, Srivastava PK. Reversion analysis reveals the in vivo immunogenicity of a poorly MHC I-binding cancer neoepitope. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6423. [PMID: 34741035 PMCID: PMC8571378 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26646-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
High-affinity MHC I-peptide interactions are considered essential for immunogenicity. However, some neo-epitopes with low affinity for MHC I have been reported to elicit CD8 T cell dependent tumor rejection in immunization-challenge studies. Here we show in a mouse model that a neo-epitope that poorly binds to MHC I is able to enhance the immunogenicity of a tumor in the absence of immunization. Fibrosarcoma cells with a naturally occurring mutation are edited to their wild type counterpart; the mutation is then re-introduced in order to obtain a cell line that is genetically identical to the wild type except for the neo-epitope-encoding mutation. Upon transplantation into syngeneic mice, all three cell lines form tumors that are infiltrated with activated T cells. However, lymphocytes from the two tumors that harbor the mutation show significantly stronger transcriptional signatures of cytotoxicity and TCR engagement, and induce greater breadth of TCR reactivity than those of the wild type tumors. Structural modeling of the neo-epitope peptide/MHC I pairs suggests increased hydrophobicity of the neo-epitope surface, consistent with higher TCR reactivity. These results confirm the in vivo immunogenicity of low affinity or ‘non-binding’ epitopes that do not follow the canonical concept of MHC I-peptide recognition. The immunogenicity of peptides is believed to be determined by their high-affinity binding to MHC I. Here authors show that low-affinity MHC I-peptide interactions are also able to trigger robust T cell response and anti-tumour immunity in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 105 Broadway, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Marmar Moussa
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Ryan P Englander
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Summit Singhaviranon
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Justine Michaux
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - HuiSong Pak
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hiroko Miyadera
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.,Genome Medical Science Project, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - William L Corwin
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.,Arvinas, 5 science park, 395 Winchester Ave, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Grant L J Keller
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Adam T Hagymasi
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Tatiana V Shcheglova
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - George Coukos
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Ion I Mandoiu
- Department of Computer Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Engineering, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Michal Bassani-Sternberg
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
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6
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Borthwick N, Silva-Arrieta S, Llano A, Takiguchi M, Brander C, Hanke T. Novel Nested Peptide Epitopes Recognized by CD4 + T Cells Induced by HIV-1 Conserved-Region Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:E28. [PMID: 31963212 PMCID: PMC7157676 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8010028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
CD4+ T-cell responses play an important role in the immune control of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and as such should be efficiently induced by vaccination. It follows that definition of HIV-1-derived peptides recognized by CD4+ T cells in association with HLA class II molecules will guide vaccine development. Here, we have characterized the fine specificity of CD4+ T cells elicited in human recipients of a candidate vaccine delivering conserved regions of HIV-1 proteins designated HIVconsv. The majority of these 19 most immunogenic regions contained novel epitopes, that is, epitopes not listed in the Los Alamos National Laboratory HIV Sequence Database, which were able in vitro to stimulate vaccinees' CD4+ T cells to proliferate and produce interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α. Accumulation of HLA class II epitopes will eventually accelerate development of HIV-1 prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandra Silva-Arrieta
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute-HIVACAT, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain; (S.S.-A.); (A.L.); (C.B.)
| | - Anuska Llano
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute-HIVACAT, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain; (S.S.-A.); (A.L.); (C.B.)
| | - Masafumi Takiguchi
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan;
| | - Christian Brander
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute-HIVACAT, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, 08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain; (S.S.-A.); (A.L.); (C.B.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitat de Vic-Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tomáš Hanke
- The Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK;
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-0811, Japan;
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7
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Kardani K, Hashemi A, Bolhassani A. Comparison of HIV-1 Vif and Vpu accessory proteins for delivery of polyepitope constructs harboring Nef, Gp160 and P24 using various cell penetrating peptides. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223844. [PMID: 31671105 PMCID: PMC6822742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
To develop an effective therapeutic vaccine against HIV-1, prediction of the most conserved epitopes derived from major proteins using bioinformatics tools is an alternative achievement. The epitope-driven vaccines against variable pathogens represented successful results. Hence, to overcome this hyper-variable virus, we designed the highly conserved and immunodominant peptide epitopes. Two servers were used to predict peptide-MHC-I binding affinity including NetMHCpan4.0 and Syfpeithi servers. The NetMHCIIpan3.2 server was utilized for MHC-II binding affinity. Then, we determined immunogenicity scores and allergenicity by the IEDB immunogenicity predictor and Algpred, respectively. Next, for estimation of toxicity and population coverage, ToxinPred server and IEDB population coverage tool were applied. After that, the MHC-peptide binding was investigated by GalexyPepDock peptide-protein flexible docking server. Finally, two different DNA and peptide constructs containing Nef-Vif-Gp160-P24 and Nef-Vpu-Gp160-P24 were prepared and complexed with four various cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) for delivery into mammalian cells (MPG and HR9 CPPs for DNA delivery, and CyLoP-1 and LDP-NLS CPPs for protein delivery). Our results indicated that the designed DNA and peptide constructs could form non-covalent stable nanoparticles at certain ratios as observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Zetasizer. The flow cytometry results obtained from in vitro transfection of the nanoparticles into HEK-293T cell lines showed that the percentage of GFP expressing cells was about 38.38 ± 1.34%, 25.36% ± 0.30, 54.95% ± 0.84, and 25.11% ± 0.36 for MPG/pEGFP-nef-vif-gp160-p24, MPG/pEGFP-nef-vpu-gp160-p24, HR9/pEGFP-nef-vif-gp160-p24 and HR9/pEGFP-nef-vpu-gp160-p24, respectively. Thus, these data showed that the DNA construct harboring nef-vif-gp160-p24 multi-epitope gene had higher efficiency than the DNA construct harboring nef-vpu-gp160-p24 multi-epitope gene to penetrate into the cells. Moreover, delivery of the recombinant Nef-Vif-Gp160-P24 and Nef-Vpu-Gp160-P24 polyepitope peptides in HEK-293T cells was confirmed as a single band about 32 kDa using western blot analysis. Although, both DNA and peptide constructs could be successfully transported by a variety of CPPs into the cells, but the difference between them in transfection rate will influence the levels of immune responses for development of therapeutic vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimia Kardani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atieh Hashemi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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8
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Vivoli Vega M, Cascella R, Chen SW, Fusco G, De Simone A, Dobson CM, Cecchi C, Chiti F. The Toxicity of Misfolded Protein Oligomers Is Independent of Their Secondary Structure. ACS Chem Biol 2019; 14:1593-1600. [PMID: 31074957 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The self-assembly of proteins into structured fibrillar aggregates is associated with a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, in which an important cytotoxic role is thought to be played by small soluble oligomers accumulating during the aggregation process or released by mature fibrils. As the structural characteristics of such species and their links with toxicity are still not fully defined, we have compared six examples of preformed misfolded protein oligomers with different β-sheet content, as determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and with different toxicity, as determined by three cellular readouts of cell viability. The results show the absence of any measurable correlation between the nature of their secondary structure and their cellular toxicity, both when comparing the six types of oligomers as a group and when comparing species in subgroups characterized by either the same size or the same exposure of hydrophobic moieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirella Vivoli Vega
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Roberta Cascella
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Serene W Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Giuliana Fusco
- Centre for Misfolding disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Christopher M. Dobson
- Centre for Misfolding disease, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K
| | - Cristina Cecchi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Chiti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
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9
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Michaux J, Corwin WL, Keller GL, Shcheglova T, Pak H, Coukos G, Baker BM, Mandoiu II, Bassani-Sternberg M, Srivastava PK. Mass spectrometry driven exploration reveals nuances of neoepitope-driven tumor rejection. JCI Insight 2019; 5:129152. [PMID: 31219806 PMCID: PMC6675551 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.129152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Neoepitopes are the only truly tumor-specific antigens. Although potential neoepitopes can be readily identified using genomics, the neoepitopes that mediate tumor rejection constitute a small minority, and there is little consensus on how to identify them. Here, for the first time to our knowledge, we use a combination of genomics, unbiased discovery mass spectrometry (MS) immunopeptidomics, and targeted MS to directly identify neoepitopes that elicit actual tumor rejection in mice. We report that MS-identified neoepitopes are an astonishingly rich source of tumor rejection-mediating neoepitopes (TRMNs). MS has also demonstrated unambiguously the presentation by MHC I, of confirmed tumor rejection neoepitopes that bind weakly to MHC I; this was done using DCs exogenously loaded with long peptides containing the weakly binding neoepitopes. Such weakly MHC I–binding neoepitopes are routinely excluded from analysis, and our demonstration of their presentation, and their activity in tumor rejection, reveals a broader universe of tumor-rejection neoepitopes than presently imagined. Modeling studies show that a mutation in the active neoepitope alters its conformation such that its T cell receptor–facing surface is substantially altered, increasing its exposed hydrophobicity. No such changes are observed in the inactive neoepitope. These results broaden our understanding of antigen presentation and help prioritize neoepitopes for personalized cancer immunotherapy. Neoepitopes identified by mass spectrometry are a rich source of tumor rejection antigens, including those with a weak binding to MHC I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Justine Michaux
- University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - William L Corwin
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Grant Lj Keller
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Tatiana Shcheglova
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - HuiSong Pak
- University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - George Coukos
- University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Ion I Mandoiu
- Department of Computer Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Engineering, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michal Bassani-Sternberg
- University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
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10
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Li SW, Yu B, Byrne G, Wright M, O'Rourke S, Mesa K, Berman PW. Identification and CRISPR/Cas9 Inactivation of the C1s Protease Responsible for Proteolysis of Recombinant Proteins Produced in CHO Cells. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:2130-2145. [PMID: 31087560 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Proteolysis associated with recombinant protein expression in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells has hindered the development of biologics including HIV vaccines. When expressed in CHO cells, the recombinant HIV envelope protein, gp120, undergoes proteolytic clipping by a serine protease at a key epitope recognized by neutralizing antibodies. The problem is particularly acute for envelope proteins from clade B viruses that represent the major genetic subtype circulating in much of the developed world, including the US and Europe. In this paper, we have identified complement Component 1's (C1s), a serine protease from the complement cascade, as the protease responsible for the proteolysis of gp120 in CHO cells. CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of the C1s protease in a CHO cell line was shown to eliminate the proteolytic activity against the recombinantly expressed gp120. In addition, the C1s-/- MGAT1- CHO cell line, with the C1s protease and the MGAT1 glycosyltransferase knocked out, enabled the production of unclipped gp120 from a clade B isolate (BaL-rgp120) and enriched for mannose-5 glycans on gp120 that are required for the binding of multiple broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (bN-mAbs). The availability of this technology will allow for the scale-up and testing of multiple vaccine concepts in regions of the world where clade B viruses are in circulation. Furthermore, the proteolysis issues caused by the C1s protease suggests a broader need for a C1s-deficient CHO cell line to express other recombinant proteins that are susceptible to serine protease activity in CHO cells. Similarly, the workflow described here to identify and knockout C1s in a CHO cell line can be applied to remedy the proteolysis of biologics by other CHO proteases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia W Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Santa Cruz, California
| | - Bin Yu
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, California
| | - Gabriel Byrne
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, California
| | - Meredith Wright
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, California
| | - Sara O'Rourke
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, California
| | - Kathryn Mesa
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, California
| | - Phillip W Berman
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, California
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Abstract
With the spotlight on cancer immunotherapy and the expanding use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, strategies to improve the response rate and duration of current cancer immunotherapeutics are highly sought. In that sense, investigators around the globe have been putting spurs on the development of effective cancer vaccines in humans after decades of efforts that led to limited clinical success. In more than three decades of research in pursuit of targeted and personalized immunotherapy, several platforms have been incorporated into the list of cancer vaccines from live viral or bacterial agents harboring antigens to synthetic peptides with the hope of stronger and durable immune responses that will tackle cancers better. Unlike adoptive cell therapy, cancer vaccines can take advantage of using a patient's entire immune system that can include more than engineered receptors or ligands in developing antigen-specific responses. Advances in molecular technology also secured the use of genetically modified genes or proteins of interest to enhance the chance of stronger immune responses. The formulation of vaccines to increase chances of immune recognition such as nanoparticles for peptide delivery is another area of great interest. Studies indicate that cancer vaccines alone may elicit tumor-specific cellular or humoral responses in immunologic assays and even regression or shrinkage of the cancer in select trials, but novel strategies, especially in combination with other cancer therapies, are under study and are likely to be critical to achieve and optimize reliable objective responses and survival benefit. In this review, cancer vaccine platforms with different approaches to deliver tumor antigens and boost immunity are discussed with the intention of summarizing what we know and what we need to improve in the clinical trial setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoyoung M. Maeng
- Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Jay A. Berzofsky
- Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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