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Pisibon C, Ouertani A, Bertolotto C, Ballotti R, Cheli Y. Immune Checkpoints in Cancers: From Signaling to the Clinic. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13184573. [PMID: 34572799 PMCID: PMC8468441 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13184573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The immune system is known to help fight cancers. Ten years ago, the first immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting CTLA4 was approved by the FDA to treat patients with metastatic melanoma. Since then, immune checkpoint therapies have revolutionized the field of oncology and the treatment of cancer patients. Numerous immune checkpoint inhibitors have been developed and tested, alone or in combination with other treatments, in melanoma and other cancers, with overall clear benefits to patient outcomes. However, many patients fail to respond or develop resistance to these treatments. It is therefore essential to decipher the mechanisms of action of immune checkpoints and to understand how immune cells are affected by signaling to be able to understand and overcome resistance. In this review, we discuss the signaling and effects of each immune checkpoint on different immune cells and their biological and clinical relevance. Restoring the functionality of T cells and their coordination with other immune cells is necessary to overcome resistance and help design new clinical immunotherapy strategies. In this respect, NK cells have recently been implicated in the resistance to anti-PD1 evoked by a protein secreted by melanoma, ITGBL1. The complexity of this network will have to be considered to improve the efficiency of future immunotherapies and may lead to the discovery of new immune checkpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Céline Pisibon
- Université Côte d’Azur, 06103 Nice, France; (C.P.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (R.B.)
- INSERM, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Biology and Pathologies of Melanocytes, Team1, 06200 Nice, France
| | - Amira Ouertani
- Université Côte d’Azur, 06103 Nice, France; (C.P.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (R.B.)
- INSERM, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Biology and Pathologies of Melanocytes, Team1, 06200 Nice, France
| | - Corine Bertolotto
- Université Côte d’Azur, 06103 Nice, France; (C.P.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (R.B.)
- INSERM, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Biology and Pathologies of Melanocytes, Team1, 06200 Nice, France
| | - Robert Ballotti
- Université Côte d’Azur, 06103 Nice, France; (C.P.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (R.B.)
- INSERM, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Biology and Pathologies of Melanocytes, Team1, 06200 Nice, France
| | - Yann Cheli
- Université Côte d’Azur, 06103 Nice, France; (C.P.); (A.O.); (C.B.); (R.B.)
- INSERM, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Biology and Pathologies of Melanocytes, Team1, 06200 Nice, France
- Correspondence:
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Salomon N, Vascotto F, Selmi A, Vormehr M, Quinkhardt J, Bukur T, Schrörs B, Löewer M, Diken M, Türeci Ö, Sahin U, Kreiter S. A liposomal RNA vaccine inducing neoantigen-specific CD4 + T cells augments the antitumor activity of local radiotherapy in mice. Oncoimmunology 2020; 9:1771925. [PMID: 32923128 PMCID: PMC7458669 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2020.1771925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen-encoding, lipoplex-formulated RNA (RNA-LPX) enables systemic delivery to lymphoid compartments and selective expression in resident antigen-presenting cells. We report here that the rejection of CT26 tumors, mediated by local radiotherapy (LRT), is further augmented in a CD8+ T cell-dependent manner by an RNA-LPX vaccine that encodes CD4+ T cell-recognized neoantigens (CD4 neoantigen vaccine). Whereas CD8+ T cells induced by LRT alone were primarily directed against the immunodominant gp70 antigen, mice treated with LRT plus the CD4 neoantigen vaccine rejected gp70-negative tumors and were protected from rechallenge with these tumors, indicating a potent poly-antigenic CD8+ T cell response and T cell memory. In the spleens of CD4 neoantigen-vaccinated mice, we found a high number of activated, poly-functional, Th1-like CD4+ T cells against ME1, the immunodominant CD4 neoantigen within the poly-neoantigen vaccine. LRT itself strongly increased CD8+ T cell numbers and clonal expansion. However, tumor infiltrates of mice treated with CD4 neoantigen vaccine/LRT, as compared to LRT alone, displayed a higher fraction of activated gp70-specific CD8+ T cells, lower PD-1/LAG-3 expression and contained ME1-specific IFNγ+ CD4+ T cells capable of providing cognate help. CD4 neoantigen vaccine/LRT treatment followed by anti-CTLA-4 antibody therapy further enhanced the efficacy with complete remission of gp70-negative CT26 tumors and survival of all mice. Our data highlight the power of combining synergistic modes of action and warrants further exploration of the presented treatment schema.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Salomon
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Fulvia Vascotto
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Abderaouf Selmi
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | | | | | - Thomas Bukur
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Barbara Schrörs
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Martin Löewer
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Mustafa Diken
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | | | - Ugur Sahin
- BioNTech SE, 55131 Mainz, Germany.,Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI) of the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kreiter
- TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
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Goding SR, Wilson KA, Rosinsky C, Antony PA. PD-L1-Independent Mechanisms Control the Resistance of Melanoma to CD4 + T Cell Adoptive Immunotherapy. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2018; 200:3304-3311. [PMID: 29602773 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy is becoming the standard of care for melanoma. However, resistance to therapy is a major problem. Previously, we showed that tumor-specific, cytotoxic CD4+ T cells from tyrosinase-related protein 1 transgenic mice could overcome secondary resistance to recurring melanoma when anti-programmed cell death 1 ligand (PD-L1) checkpoint blockade was combined with either anti-lymphocyte-activated gene 3 (LAG-3) Abs or depletion of tumor-specific regulatory T (Treg) cells. In this study, we show that PD-L1 expressed by the host, not B16 melanoma, plays a major role in the early stages of exhaustion or primary resistance. We observed durable regression of melanoma in tumor-bearing PD-L1-/-RAG-/- mice with transfer of naive tumor-specific CD4+ T cells. However, exhausted tumor-specific CD4+ T cells, which included tumor-specific Treg cells, failed to maintain durable regression of tumors in PD-L1-/-RAG-/- mice unless tumor-specific Treg cells were eliminated, showing nonredundant pathways of resistance to immunotherapy were present. Translating these findings to a clinically relevant model of cancer immunotherapy, we unexpectedly showed that anti-PD-L1 checkpoint blockade mildly improved immunotherapy with tumor-specific CD4+ T cells and irradiation in wild-type mice. Instead, anti-LAG-3 checkpoint blockade, in combination with tumor-specific CD4+ T cells and irradiation, overcame primary resistance and treated established tumors resulting in fewer recurrences. Because LAG-3 negatively regulates effector T cell function and activates Treg cells, LAG-3 blockade may be more beneficial in overcoming primary resistance in combination immunotherapies using adoptive cellular therapy and irradiation than blockade of PD-L1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Goding
- Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201
| | - Kyle A Wilson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201; and
| | - Carolyn Rosinsky
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201; and
| | - Paul Andrew Antony
- Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201; .,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201; and.,Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, University of Maryland Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21201
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Wilson KA, Goding SR, Neely HR, Harris KM, Antony PA. Depletion of B220 +NK1.1 + cells enhances the rejection of established melanoma by tumor-specific CD4 + T cells. Oncoimmunology 2015; 4:e1019196. [PMID: 26405570 PMCID: PMC4570124 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2015.1019196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Revised: 02/08/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Five-year survival rates for patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma are less than 5%. Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) has achieved an objective response of 50% by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) in this patient population. For ACT to be maximally effective, the host must first be lymphodepleted. It is hypothesized that lymphodepletion may remove regulatory elements and cytokine sinks, or increase the activation and availability of antigen presenting cells (APCs). We use an in vivo model to study the ACT of tumor-associated antigen (TAA)-specific CD4+ T cells (TRP-1 cells). We have discovered that depletion of NK1.1+ cells enhances the rejection of established melanoma tumors by adoptively transferred TRP-1 CD4+ T cells. NK1.1+ cell depletion increases the number of CD4+ T cells, the serum concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines, autoimmune vitiligo, host survival and prevented recurrence after ACT. Because multiple cells express NK1.1, we targeted different NK1.1+ cell populations using antibodies specific for NK cells, pre-mNK cells, and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). Our data suggests that NK1.1+B220+ pre-mNK cells (also known as interferon-producing killer dendritic cells; IKDCs) are an important inhibitor of the CD4+ T cell response to melanoma. Understanding this mechanism may help design new immunotherapies to modulate the activity of pre-mNKs in the face of an antitumor immune response and inhibit their suppression of adoptively transferred T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle A Wilson
- Program in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore, MD USA ; Department of Pathology; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Stephen R Goding
- Department of Pathology; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Harold R Neely
- Program in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore, MD USA ; Department of Microbiology and Immunology; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore, MD USA
| | | | - Paul Andrew Antony
- Program in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore, MD USA ; Department of Pathology; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore, MD USA ; Department of Microbiology and Immunology; University of Maryland School of Medicine ; Baltimore, MD USA ; Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program; University of Maryland Cancer Center ; Baltimore, MD USA
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