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Hiscox MJ, Wasmuth A, Williams CL, Foot JN, Wiedermann GE, Fadda V, Boiani S, Cornforth TV, Wikiert KA, Bruton S, Cartwright N, Anderson VE, Barnes CS, Vieira JV, Birch-Machin I, Gerry AB, Miller K, Pumphrey NJ. Selection, engineering, and in vivo testing of a human leukocyte antigen-independent T-cell receptor recognizing human mesothelin. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301175. [PMID: 38574067 PMCID: PMC10994368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Canonical α/β T-cell receptors (TCRs) bind to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) displaying antigenic peptides to elicit T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. TCR-engineered T-cell immunotherapies targeting cancer-specific peptide-HLA complexes (pHLA) are generating exciting clinical responses, but owing to HLA restriction they are only able to target a subset of antigen-positive patients. More recently, evidence has been published indicating that naturally occurring α/β TCRs can target cell surface proteins other than pHLA, which would address the challenges of HLA restriction. In this proof-of-concept study, we sought to identify and engineer so-called HLA-independent TCRs (HiTs) against the tumor-associated antigen mesothelin. METHODS Using phage display, we identified a HiT that bound well to mesothelin, which when expressed in primary T cells, caused activation and cytotoxicity. We subsequently engineered this HiT to modulate the T-cell response to varying levels of mesothelin on the cell surface. RESULTS The isolated HiT shows cytotoxic activity and demonstrates killing of both mesothelin-expressing cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models. Additionally, we demonstrated that HiT-transduced T cells do not require CD4 or CD8 co-receptors and, unlike a TCR fusion construct, are not inhibited by soluble mesothelin. Finally, we showed that HiT-transduced T cells are highly efficacious in vivo, completely eradicating xenografted human solid tumors. CONCLUSION HiTs can be isolated from fully human TCR-displaying phage libraries against cell surface-expressed antigens. HiTs are able to fully activate primary T cells both in vivo and in vitro. HiTs may enable the efficacy seen with pHLA-targeting TCRs in solid tumors to be translated to cell surface antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jaelle N. Foot
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Valeria Fadda
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Boiani
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Shaun Bruton
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Neil Cartwright
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Joao V. Vieira
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Andrew B. Gerry
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Karen Miller
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
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Medina E, Perez DH, Antfolk D, Luca VC. New tricks for an old pathway: emerging Notch-based biotechnologies and therapeutics. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2023; 44:934-948. [PMID: 37891017 PMCID: PMC10841456 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2023.09.011] [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: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
The Notch pathway regulates a diverse array of cell fate decisions, making it an enticing target in cancer therapy and regenerative medicine. During the early stages of Notch drug development, off-target toxicity precluded the approval of Notch inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. However, recent advances in our understanding of Notch structure and signaling have led to the development of several innovative Notch-based biotechnologies. In addition to new classes of inhibitors, pharmacological Notch activators have been shown to enhance osteogenesis and various aspects of T cell function. Furthermore, the mechanosensitive negative regulatory region (NRR) of the Notch receptor has been converted into synthetic Notch (synNotch) receptors with fully customizable signaling circuits. We review emergent Notch-based compounds, biologics, and cell therapies while highlighting the challenges and opportunities they face on the path to clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Medina
- Department of Immunology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA; Cancer Biology PhD Program, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - David H Perez
- Department of Immunology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Daniel Antfolk
- Department of Immunology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
| | - Vincent C Luca
- Department of Immunology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
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Sivasankar S, Xie B. Engineering the Interactions of Classical Cadherin Cell-Cell Adhesion Proteins. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2023; 211:343-349. [PMID: 37459190 PMCID: PMC10361579 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Classical cadherins are calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion proteins that play key roles in the formation and maintenance of tissues. Deficiencies in cadherin adhesion are hallmarks of numerous cancers. In this article, we review recent biophysical studies on the regulation of cadherin structure and adhesion. We begin by reviewing distinct cadherin binding conformations, their biophysical properties, and their response to mechanical stimuli. We then describe biophysical guidelines for engineering Abs that can regulate adhesion by either stabilizing or destabilizing cadherin interactions. Finally, we review molecular mechanisms by which cytoplasmic proteins regulate the conformation of cadherin extracellular regions from the inside out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjeevi Sivasankar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Bin Xie
- Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
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Zhu I, Liu R, Garcia JM, Hyrenius-Wittsten A, Piraner DI, Alavi J, Israni DV, Liu B, Khalil AS, Roybal KT. Modular design of synthetic receptors for programmed gene regulation in cell therapies. Cell 2022; 185:1431-1443.e16. [PMID: 35427499 PMCID: PMC9108009 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology has established powerful tools to precisely control cell function. Engineering these systems to meet clinical requirements has enormous medical implications. Here, we adopted a clinically driven design process to build receptors for the autonomous control of therapeutic cells. We examined the function of key domains involved in regulated intramembrane proteolysis and showed that systematic modular engineering can generate a class of receptors that we call synthetic intramembrane proteolysis receptors (SNIPRs) that have tunable sensing and transcriptional response abilities. We demonstrate the therapeutic potential of the receptor platform by engineering human primary T cells for multi-antigen recognition and production of dosed, bioactive payloads relevant to the treatment of disease. Our design framework enables the development of fully humanized and customizable transcriptional receptors for the programming of therapeutic cells suitable for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iowis Zhu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Raymond Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Julie M Garcia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Axel Hyrenius-Wittsten
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund 221 84, Sweden
| | - Dan I Piraner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Josef Alavi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Divya V Israni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Bin Liu
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Department of Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Ahmad S Khalil
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Design Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kole T Roybal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Gladstone UCSF Institute for Genetic Immunology, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA; UCSF Cell Design Institute, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
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Abstract
Notch signaling is a conserved system of communication between adjacent cells, influencing numerous cell fate decisions in the development of multicellular organisms. Aberrant signaling is also implicated in many human pathologies. At its core, Notch has a mechanotransduction module that decodes receptor-ligand engagement at the cell surface under force to permit proteolytic cleavage of the receptor, leading to the release of the Notch intracellular domain (NICD). NICD enters the nucleus and acts as a transcriptional effector to regulate expression of Notch-responsive genes. In this article, we review and integrate current understanding of the detailed molecular basis for Notch signal transduction, highlighting quantitative, structural, and dynamic features of this developmentally central signaling mechanism. We discuss the implications of this mechanistic understanding for the functionality of the signaling pathway in different molecular and cellular contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Sprinzak
- George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel;
| | - Stephen C Blacklow
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA;
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Notch Pathway: A Journey from Notching Phenotypes to Cancer Immunotherapy. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1287:201-222. [PMID: 33034034 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-55031-8_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Notch is a key evolutionary conserved pathway, which has fascinated and engaged the work of investigators in an uncountable number of biological fields, from development of metazoans to immunotherapy for cancer. The study of Notch has greatly contributed to the understanding of cancer biology and a substantial effort has been spent in designing Notch-targeting therapies. Due to its broad involvement in cancer, targeting Notch would allow to virtually modulate any aspect of the disease. However, this means that Notch-based therapies must be highly specific to avoid off-target effects. This review will present the newest mechanistic and therapeutic advances in the Notch field and discuss the promises and challenges of this constantly evolving field.
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