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Antunes DA, Rigo MM, Freitas MV, Mendes MFA, Sinigaglia M, Lizée G, Kavraki LE, Selin LK, Cornberg M, Vieira GF. Interpreting T-Cell Cross-reactivity through Structure: Implications for TCR-Based Cancer Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1210. [PMID: 29046675 PMCID: PMC5632759 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has become one of the most promising avenues for cancer treatment, making use of the patient’s own immune system to eliminate cancer cells. Clinical trials with T-cell-based immunotherapies have shown dramatic tumor regressions, being effective in multiple cancer types and for many different patients. Unfortunately, this progress was tempered by reports of serious (even fatal) side effects. Such therapies rely on the use of cytotoxic T-cell lymphocytes, an essential part of the adaptive immune system. Cytotoxic T-cells are regularly involved in surveillance and are capable of both eliminating diseased cells and generating protective immunological memory. The specificity of a given T-cell is determined through the structural interaction between the T-cell receptor (TCR) and a peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex (MHC); i.e., an intracellular peptide–ligand displayed at the cell surface by an MHC molecule. However, a given TCR can recognize different peptide–MHC (pMHC) complexes, which can sometimes trigger an unwanted response that is referred to as T-cell cross-reactivity. This has become a major safety issue in TCR-based immunotherapies, following reports of melanoma-specific T-cells causing cytotoxic damage to healthy tissues (e.g., heart and nervous system). T-cell cross-reactivity has been extensively studied in the context of viral immunology and tissue transplantation. Growing evidence suggests that it is largely driven by structural similarities of seemingly unrelated pMHC complexes. Here, we review recent reports about the existence of pMHC “hot-spots” for cross-reactivity and propose the existence of a TCR interaction profile (i.e., a refinement of a more general TCR footprint in which some amino acid residues are more important than others in triggering T-cell cross-reactivity). We also make use of available structural data and pMHC models to interpret previously reported cross-reactivity patterns among virus-derived peptides. Our study provides further evidence that structural analyses of pMHC complexes can be used to assess the intrinsic likelihood of cross-reactivity among peptide-targets. Furthermore, we hypothesize that some apparent inconsistencies in reported cross-reactivities, such as a preferential directionality, might also be driven by particular structural features of the targeted pMHC complex. Finally, we explain why TCR-based immunotherapy provides a special context in which meaningful T-cell cross-reactivity predictions can be made.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinler A Antunes
- Núcleo de Bioinformática do Laboratório de Imunogenética (NBLI), Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Kavraki Lab, Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Maurício M Rigo
- Núcleo de Bioinformática do Laboratório de Imunogenética (NBLI), Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Laboratório de Imunologia Celular e Molecular, Instituto de Pesquisas Biomédicas (IPB), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Martiela V Freitas
- Núcleo de Bioinformática do Laboratório de Imunogenética (NBLI), Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Marcus F A Mendes
- Núcleo de Bioinformática do Laboratório de Imunogenética (NBLI), Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Marialva Sinigaglia
- Núcleo de Bioinformática do Laboratório de Imunogenética (NBLI), Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Gregory Lizée
- Lizée Lab, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology - Research, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Lydia E Kavraki
- Kavraki Lab, Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Liisa K Selin
- Selin Lab, Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Markus Cornberg
- Cornberg Lab, Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gustavo F Vieira
- Núcleo de Bioinformática do Laboratório de Imunogenética (NBLI), Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade La Salle, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Kingeter LM, Schaefer BC. Loss of protein kinase C theta, Bcl10, or Malt1 selectively impairs proliferation and NF-kappa B activation in the CD4+ T cell subset. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 181:6244-54. [PMID: 18941215 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.181.9.6244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The cytosolic proteins protein kinase Ctheta (PKCtheta), Bcl10, and Malt1 play critical roles in TCR signaling to the transcription factor NF-kappaB. Our data confirm that CD4(+) T cells from PKCtheta, Bcl10, and Malt1 knockout mice show severe impairment of proliferation in response to TCR stimulation. Unexpectedly, we find that knockout CD8(+) T cells proliferate to a similar extent as wild-type cells in response to strong TCR signals, although a survival defect prevents their accumulation. Both CD4(+) and CD8(+) knockout T cells express activation markers, including CD25, following TCR stimulation. Addition of exogenous IL-2 rescues survival of knockout CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, but fails to overcome the proliferation defect of CD4(+) T cells. CD4(+) T cells from knockout mice are extremely deficient in TCR-induced NF-kappaB activation, whereas NF-kappaB activation is only partially impaired in CD8(+) T cells. Overall, our results suggest that defects in TCR signaling through PKCtheta, Bcl10, and Malt1 predominantly impair NF-kappaB activation and downstream functional responses of CD4(+) T cells. In contrast, CD8(+) T cells maintain substantial NF-kappaB signaling, implying the existence of a significant TCR-regulated NF-kappaB activation pathway in CD8(+) T cells that is independent of PKCtheta, Bcl10, and Malt1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara M Kingeter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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Santori FR, Popmihajlov Z, Badovinac VP, Smith C, Radoja S, Harty JT, Vukmanović S. TCRβ Chain That Forms Peptide-Independent Alloreactive TCR Transfers Reduced Reactivity with Irrelevant Peptide/MHC Complex. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2007; 178:6109-14. [PMID: 17475836 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.178.10.6109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A major feature of the TCR repertoire is strong alloreactivity. Peptides presented by allogeneic MHC are irrelevant for recognition by a subset of alloreactive T cells. To characterize peptide-independent TCRs at the molecular level, we forced the expression of a TCRbeta chain isolated from a peptide-independent alloreactive CD8+ T cell line. The alloreactive TCR repertoire in the transgenic mouse was peptide dependent. However, analysis of essential TCR contacts formed during the recognition of self-MHC-restricted Ag showed that fewer contacts with peptide were established by the transgenic TCRbeta chain, and that this was compensated by additional contacts formed by endogenous TCRalpha chains. Thus, reduced interaction with the peptide appears to be a transferable feature of the peptide-independent TCRbeta chain. In addition, these findings demonstrate that reactivity to peptides is preferred over the reactivity to MHC during the formation of the TCR repertoire.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigen Presentation/genetics
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Gene Rearrangement, alpha-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor/physiology
- H-2 Antigens/genetics
- H-2 Antigens/immunology
- H-2 Antigens/metabolism
- Lymphocyte Activation/genetics
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Ovalbumin/metabolism
- Peptide Fragments/administration & dosage
- Peptide Fragments/biosynthesis
- Peptide Fragments/genetics
- Peptide Fragments/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/administration & dosage
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- beta 2-Microglobulin/deficiency
- beta 2-Microglobulin/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio R Santori
- Michael Heidelberger Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology and New York University Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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Kinnunen T, Kwok WW, Närvänen A, Rytkönen-Nissinen M, Immonen A, Saarelainen S, Taivainen A, Virtanen T. Immunomodulatory potential of heteroclitic analogs of the dominant T-cell epitope of lipocalin allergen Bos d 2 on specific T cells. Int Immunol 2005; 17:1573-81. [PMID: 16221722 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxh332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based allergen immunotherapy is a novel alternative for conventional allergen immunotherapy. Here, we have characterized the immunomodulatory potential of heteroclitic peptide analogs of the immunodominant epitope of lipocalin allergen Bos d 2 on specific human T-cell clones. The TCR affinity of Bos d 2-specific T-cell clones for the natural peptide ligand and its heteroclitic analogs was assessed with fluorescent-labeled MHC class II tetramers. The activation and cytokine production of the clones were analyzed upon stimulation with the different ligands. Moreover, the capacity of the heteroclitic analogs to induce hyporesponsiveness and cell death was examined. The T-cell clones F1-9 and K3-2 bound MHC class II tetramers loaded with the heteroclitic peptide analogs of the immunodominant epitope of Bos d 2 with increased affinity. At similar peptide concentrations, stimulation of the clones with the heteroclitic analogs favored increased IFN-gamma/IL-4 and IFN-gamma/IL-5 ratios in comparison with stimulation with the natural peptide ligand. Moreover, the T-cell clones stimulated with the heteroclitic analogs exhibited an increased susceptibility to cell death or hyporesponsiveness upon re-stimulation. Our results suggest that heteroclitic analogs of a T-cell epitope of an allergen may enhance the efficacy of peptide-based allergen immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuure Kinnunen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, University of Kuopio, PO Box 1627, FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland.
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Vukmanović S, Santori FR. Self-peptide/MHC and TCR antagonism: physiological role and therapeutic potential. Cell Immunol 2005; 233:75-84. [PMID: 15950208 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2005.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2005] [Accepted: 04/21/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
TCR antagonists are peptides that bind MHC molecules and can specifically inhibit T cell activation induced by antigens. Studying TCR antagonism has taken an important place in immunology for both theoretical and practical reasons. Deciphering the mechanism(s) of action of TCR antagonists can yield important information about interactions of the TCR with ligands, T cell development, and TCR signaling. Moreover, microorganisms may employ TCR antagonism to elude the attention of the immune system. Finally, specificity of inhibition makes TCR antagonists an ideal tool to seek antigen-specific immunomodulation. Present state of knowledge on these topics is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislav Vukmanović
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Medical Center, 111 Michigan Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20010-2970, USA.
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Santori FR, Vukmanovic S. Delineation of Signals Required for Thymocyte Positive Selection. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2004; 173:5517-23. [PMID: 15494500 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.173.9.5517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Peptide/MHC complexes capable of inducing positive selection in mouse fetal thymic organ cultures fail to do so in suspension culture. Furthermore, this type of culture does not promote initial stages of differentiation, such as coreceptor down-modulation, unless peptides used for stimulation have (at least) weak agonist activity. We show in this study that signals provided in suspension culture by nonagonist peptide/MHC complexes on the surface of macrophages, even though apparently silent, are sufficient to promote complete phenotypic differentiation when CD4+CD8+ thymocytes are subsequently placed in a proper anatomical setting. Furthermore, the synergistic actions of suboptimal concentrations of phorbol esters and nonagonist peptide/MHC complexes can make the initial stages of positive selection visible, without converting maturation into negative selection. Thus, the correlation between efficiency of positive selection and the degree of coreceptor down-modulation on CD4+CD8+ thymocytes is not linear. Furthermore, these results suggest that the unique role of thymic stromal cells in positive selection is related not to presentation of self-peptide/MHC complexes, but most likely to another ligand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio R Santori
- Michael Heidelberger Division of Immunology, Department of Pathology and New York University Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
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