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Schmid D, Auf der Maur P, Trefny MP, Zippelius A. Unraveling T-cell Exhaustion: Genetic Screening Meets In Vitro Modeling. Cancer Res 2023; 83:3830-3832. [PMID: 37855668 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-3204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
T-cell exhaustion poses a significant barrier to the efficacy of immunotherapies. In the past decade, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has been the leading strategy to prevent or reverse T-cell exhaustion. Although ICB yields promising clinical outcomes in patients with cancer, its impact on T-cell reinvigoration is often short-lived. High-throughput genomic tools, including CRISPR screening along with single-cell RNA and chromatin accessibility sequencing may point toward new therapeutic avenues. However, their utility in identifying key mediators of T-cell exhaustion is constrained by the restricted scalability of well-validated in vivo exhaustion models, like chronic LCMV infection. In a recent article in Science Immunology, Wu and colleagues introduce an in vitro exhaustion model that involves repetitive stimulation of T-cell receptor-transgenic, LCMV-specific P14 CD8 T cells. This approach enables a direct comparison of exhausted T (Tex) cells generated both in vivo and in vitro using the same antigen, adeptly pinpointing exhaustion features that can be recapitulated in vitro. Leveraging this efficient and scalable model alongside CRISPR screening, the authors highlight the transcription factor BHLHE40 as a pivotal element in promoting Tex-cell transition from progenitor to intermediate Tex cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic Schmid
- Department of Biomedicine, Laboratory Cancer Immunology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Medical Oncology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Priska Auf der Maur
- Department of Medicine III, Klinikum Rechts der Issar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- TranslaTUM, Center for Translational Cancer Research, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Marcel P Trefny
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Alfred Zippelius
- Department of Biomedicine, Laboratory Cancer Immunology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Medical Oncology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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2
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Zhou XMM, Mørch AM, Dustin ML. Curving out a new path: CD28/B7 cis interactions. Immunity 2023; 56:1155-1157. [PMID: 37315528 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Important signaling events at the immunological synapse have increasingly been linked to cis interactions between receptors on T cells. In this issue of Immunity, Zhao et al.1 implicate cis CD28/B7 interactions facilitated by curved membrane invaginations in boosting tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Ming Matthew Zhou
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alexander M Mørch
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael L Dustin
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, The University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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3
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Zhao Y, Caron C, Chan YY, Lee CK, Xu X, Zhang J, Masubuchi T, Wu C, Bui JD, Hui E. cis-B7:CD28 interactions at invaginated synaptic membranes provide CD28 co-stimulation and promote CD8 + T cell function and anti-tumor immunity. Immunity 2023; 56:1187-1203.e12. [PMID: 37160118 PMCID: PMC10330546 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
B7 ligands (CD80 and CD86), expressed by professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), activate the main co-stimulatory receptor CD28 on T cells in trans. However, in peripheral tissues, APCs expressing B7 ligands are relatively scarce. This raises the questions of whether and how CD28 co-stimulation occurs in peripheral tissues. Here, we report that CD8+ T cells displayed B7 ligands that interacted with CD28 in cis at membrane invaginations of the immunological synapse as a result of membrane remodeling driven by phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and sorting-nexin-9 (SNX9). cis-B7:CD28 interactions triggered CD28 signaling through protein kinase C theta (PKCθ) and promoted CD8+ T cell survival, migration, and cytokine production. In mouse tumor models, loss of T cell-intrinsic cis-B7:CD28 interactions decreased intratumoral T cells and accelerated tumor growth. Thus, B7 ligands on CD8+ T cells can evoke cell-autonomous CD28 co-stimulation in cis in peripheral tissues, suggesting cis-signaling as a general mechanism for boosting T cell functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Zhao
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Christine Caron
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ya-Yuan Chan
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Calvin K Lee
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Xiaozheng Xu
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jibin Zhang
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Takeya Masubuchi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Chuan Wu
- Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jack D Bui
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Enfu Hui
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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4
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Trefny MP, Kirchhammer N, Auf der Maur P, Natoli M, Schmid D, Germann M, Fernandez Rodriguez L, Herzig P, Lötscher J, Akrami M, Stinchcombe JC, Stanczak MA, Zingg A, Buchi M, Roux J, Marone R, Don L, Lardinois D, Wiese M, Jeker LT, Bentires-Alj M, Rossy J, Thommen DS, Griffiths GM, Läubli H, Hess C, Zippelius A. Deletion of SNX9 alleviates CD8 T cell exhaustion for effective cellular cancer immunotherapy. Nat Commun 2023; 14:86. [PMID: 36732507 PMCID: PMC9895440 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35583-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor-specific T cells are frequently exhausted by chronic antigenic stimulation. We here report on a human antigen-specific ex vivo model to explore new therapeutic options for T cell immunotherapies. T cells generated with this model resemble tumor-infiltrating exhausted T cells on a phenotypic and transcriptional level. Using a targeted pooled CRISPR-Cas9 screen and individual gene knockout validation experiments, we uncover sorting nexin-9 (SNX9) as a mediator of T cell exhaustion. Upon TCR/CD28 stimulation, deletion of SNX9 in CD8 T cells decreases PLCγ1, Ca2+, and NFATc2-mediated T cell signaling and reduces expression of NR4A1/3 and TOX. SNX9 knockout enhances memory differentiation and IFNγ secretion of adoptively transferred T cells and results in improved anti-tumor efficacy of human chimeric antigen receptor T cells in vivo. Our findings highlight that targeting SNX9 is a strategy to prevent T cell exhaustion and enhance anti-tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcel P Trefny
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Nicole Kirchhammer
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Priska Auf der Maur
- Laboratory of Tumor Heterogeneity, Metastasis and Resistance, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marina Natoli
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dominic Schmid
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus Germann
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Laura Fernandez Rodriguez
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Petra Herzig
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jonas Lötscher
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maryam Akrami
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jane C Stinchcombe
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Michal A Stanczak
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Zingg
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Melanie Buchi
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Julien Roux
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Romina Marone
- Laboratory of Molecular Immune Regulation, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Transplantation Immunology & Nephrology, Basel University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Leyla Don
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Didier Lardinois
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mark Wiese
- Department of Surgery, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lukas T Jeker
- Laboratory of Molecular Immune Regulation, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Transplantation Immunology & Nephrology, Basel University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mohamed Bentires-Alj
- Laboratory of Tumor Heterogeneity, Metastasis and Resistance, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jérémie Rossy
- Biotechnology Institute Thurgau, University of Konstanz, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland
| | - Daniela S Thommen
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Division of Molecular Oncology and Immunology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gillian M Griffiths
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Heinz Läubli
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Medical Oncology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Hess
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Alfred Zippelius
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. .,Medical Oncology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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5
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Molon B, Liboni C, Viola A. CD28 and chemokine receptors: Signalling amplifiers at the immunological synapse. Front Immunol 2022; 13:938004. [PMID: 35983040 PMCID: PMC9379342 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.938004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
T cells are master regulators of the immune response tuning, among others, B cells, macrophages and NK cells. To exert their functions requiring high sensibility and specificity, T cells need to integrate different stimuli from the surrounding microenvironment. A finely tuned signalling compartmentalization orchestrated in dynamic platforms is an essential requirement for the proper and efficient response of these cells to distinct triggers. During years, several studies have depicted the pivotal role of the cytoskeleton and lipid microdomains in controlling signalling compartmentalization during T cell activation and functions. Here, we discuss mechanisms responsible for signalling amplification and compartmentalization in T cell activation, focusing on the role of CD28, chemokine receptors and the actin cytoskeleton. We also take into account the detrimental effect of mutations carried by distinct signalling proteins giving rise to syndromes characterized by defects in T cell functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Molon
- Pediatric Research Institute “Città della Speranza”, Corso Stati Uniti, Padova, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- *Correspondence: Barbara Molon,
| | - Cristina Liboni
- Pediatric Research Institute “Città della Speranza”, Corso Stati Uniti, Padova, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Antonella Viola
- Pediatric Research Institute “Città della Speranza”, Corso Stati Uniti, Padova, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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