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Porcellini S, Asperti C, Corna S, Cicoria E, Valtolina V, Stornaiuolo A, Valentinis B, Bordignon C, Traversari C. CAR T Cells Redirected to CD44v6 Control Tumor Growth in Lung and Ovary Adenocarcinoma Bearing Mice. Front Immunol 2020; 11:99. [PMID: 32117253 PMCID: PMC7010926 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The main challenge of adoptive therapy with Chimeric Antigen Receptor modified T cells (CAR T) is the application to the field of solid tumors, where the identification of a proper antigen has emerged as one of the major drawbacks to CAR T cell treatment success. CD44 is a glycoprotein involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. The isoform containing the variant domain 6 of CD44 gene (CD44v6) has been implicated in tumorigenesis, tumor cell invasion and metastasis and represents an attractive target for CAR T cell therapies. Targeting CD44v6 antigen has been shown to control tumor growth in acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma mouse models. While CAR T approach for the treatment of B cell malignancies has shown great success, response rates among patients with solid cancer are less favorable. The purpose of our study was to test the efficacy of CD44v6.CAR T cells, produced in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), in adenocarcinoma tumor models. We generated a bicistronic retroviral vector containing the CD44v6 CAR and the HSV-TK Mut2 suicide gene to enhance the safety of the proposed CAR T cell therapy. CD44v6 transduced CAR T cells were homogeneously positive for ΔLNGFR selection marker, were enriched in T central memory (TCM) and T memory stem cells (TSCM) and displayed a highly activated phenotype. In vitro assays revealed antigen-specific activation and cytotoxicity of human CD44v6.CAR T cells against CD44v6 expressing tumor cell lines. When infused in immunodeficient tumor bearing mice, human CD44v6.CAR T cells were able to reach, infiltrate and proliferate at tumor sites, finally resulting in tumor growth control. Next, we checked if cells produced in compliance with GMP grade standards retained the same antitumor activity of those produced with research grade materials and protocols. Noteworthy, no differences in the potency of the CAR T obtained with the two manufacturing processes were observed. In conclusion, our preclinical results suggest that CD44v6.CAR T based adoptive therapy could be a promising strategy in solid cancer treatment.
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Lockney NA, Zhang M, Morris CG, Nichols RC, Okunieff P, Swarts S, Zhang Z, Zhang B, Zhang A, Hoppe BS. Radiation-induced tumor immunity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Thorac Cancer 2019; 10:1605-1611. [PMID: 31228354 PMCID: PMC6610279 DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.13122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Radiation‐induced tumor immunity (RITI) influences primary tumor growth and development of metastases in preclinical cancer models with conventional radiotherapy. Antigen‐specific immune responses have also been shown for prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy. We examined whether RITI can be induced in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following proton radiotherapy. Methods Pre‐ and post‐radiotherapy plasma samples from 26 patients with nonmetastatic NSCLC who received radiotherapy between 2010 and 2012 were evaluated by western blotting for IgG and IgM bands to assess RITI response to tumor antigens from lung cancer cell lines. Statistical analysis was used to evaluate any correlation among IgG or IgM and clinical outcomes. Results Twenty‐one patients received proton therapy at 2 GyRBE/fraction (n = 17) or 6–12 Gy/fraction (n = 4); five received photon therapy at 2–2.5 GyRBE/fraction. Compared with the pretreatment baseline, new IgG or IgM binding was detected in 27% and 50% of patients, respectively. New IgG bands were detected in the 25–37 kD, 50–75 kD, and 75–100 kD ranges. New IgM bands were detected in the 20–25 kD, 25–37 kD, 37–50 kD, 50–75 kD, and 75–100 kD ranges. There was no difference in IgG and/or IgM RITI response in patients treated with photons versus protons, or in patients who received SBRT compared to standard fractionation (P > 0.05). There was no difference in overall survival, metastasis‐free survival, or local control based on IgG and/or IgM RITI response (P > 0.05). Conclusion RITI can be induced in patients with NSCLC through upregulated IgG and/or IgM. RITI response was not associated with proton versus photon therapy or with clinical outcomes in this small cohort and should be examined in a larger cohort in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie A Lockney
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Mei Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | | | | | - Paul Okunieff
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Steven Swarts
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Zhenhuan Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Bingrong Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Amy Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
| | - Bradford S Hoppe
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA
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Pin E, Henjes F, Hong MG, Wiklund F, Magnusson P, Bjartell A, Uhlén M, Nilsson P, Schwenk JM. Identification of a Novel Autoimmune Peptide Epitope of Prostein in Prostate Cancer. J Proteome Res 2016; 16:204-216. [PMID: 27700103 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
There is a demand for novel targets and approaches to diagnose and treat prostate cancer (PCA). In this context, serum and plasma samples from a total of 609 individuals from two independent patient cohorts were screened for IgG reactivity against a sum of 3833 human protein fragments. Starting from planar protein arrays with 3786 protein fragments to screen 80 patients with and without PCA diagnosis, 161 fragments (4%) were chosen for further analysis based on their reactivity profiles. Adding 71 antigens from literature, the selection of antigens was corroborated for their reactivity in a set of 550 samples using suspension bead arrays. The antigens prostein (SLC45A3), TATA-box binding protein (TBP), and insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) showed higher reactivity in PCA patients with late disease compared with early disease. Because of its prostate tissue specificity, we focused on prostein and continued with mapping epitopes of the 66-mer protein fragment using patient samples. Using bead-based assays and 15-mer peptides, a minimal peptide epitope was identified and refined by alanine scanning to the KPxAPFP. Further sequence alignment of this motif revealed homology to transmembrane protein 79 (TMEM79) and TGF-beta-induced factor 2 (TGIF2), thus providing a reasoning for cross-reactivity found in females. A comprehensive workflow to discover and validate IgG reactivity against prostein and homologous targets in human serum and plasma was applied. This study provides useful information when searching for novel biomarkers or drug targets that are guided by the reactivity of the immune system against autoantigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Pin
- Affinity Proteomics, SciLifeLab, School of Biotechnology, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Frauke Henjes
- Affinity Proteomics, SciLifeLab, School of Biotechnology, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Mun-Gwan Hong
- Affinity Proteomics, SciLifeLab, School of Biotechnology, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Wiklund
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB), Karolinska Institutet , 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrik Magnusson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB), Karolinska Institutet , 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders Bjartell
- Department of Translational Medicine, Division of Urological Cancers, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Lund University , 205 02 Malmö, Sweden
| | - Mathias Uhlén
- Affinity Proteomics, SciLifeLab, School of Biotechnology, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Peter Nilsson
- Affinity Proteomics, SciLifeLab, School of Biotechnology, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Jochen M Schwenk
- Affinity Proteomics, SciLifeLab, School of Biotechnology, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , 171 65 Solna, Sweden
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O’Reilly JA, Fitzgerald J, Fitzgerald S, Kenny D, Kay EW, O’Kennedy R, Kijanka GS. Diagnostic potential of zinc finger protein-specific autoantibodies and associated linear B-cell epitopes in colorectal cancer. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123469. [PMID: 25875936 PMCID: PMC4395473 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide with almost 700,000 deaths every year. Detection of colorectal cancer at an early stage significantly improves patient survival. Cancer-specific autoantibodies found in sera of cancer patients can be used for pre-symptomatic detection of the disease. In this study we assess the zinc finger proteins ZNF346, ZNF638, ZNF700 and ZNF768 as capture antigens for the detection of autoantibodies in colorectal cancer. Sera from 96 patients with colorectal cancer and 35 control patients with no evidence of cancer on colonoscopy were analysed for the presence of ZNF-specific autoantibodies using an indirect ELISA. Autoantibodies to individual ZNF proteins were detected in 10-20% of colorectal cancer patients and in 0-5.7% of controls. A panel of all four ZNF proteins resulted in an assay specificity of 91.4% and sensitivity of 41.7% for the detection of cancer patients in a cohort of non-cancer controls and colorectal cancer patients. Clinicopathological and survival analysis revealed that ZNF autoantibodies were independent of disease stage and did not correlate with disease outcome. Since ZNF autoantibodies were shared between patients and corresponding ZNF proteins showed similarities in their zinc finger motifs, we performed an in silico epitope sequence analysis. Zinc finger proteins ZNF700 and ZNF768 showed the highest sequence similarity with a bl2seq score of 262 (E-value 1E-81) and their classical C2H2 ZNF motifs were identified as potential epitopes contributing to their elevated immunogenic potential. Our findings show an enhanced and specific immunogenicity to zinc finger proteins, thereby providing a multiplexed autoantibody assay for minimally invasive detection of colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie-Ann O’Reilly
- Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jenny Fitzgerald
- Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Seán Fitzgerald
- Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dermot Kenny
- Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Elaine W. Kay
- Department of Pathology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Richard O’Kennedy
- Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Gregor S. Kijanka
- Biomedical Diagnostics Institute, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
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