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Leijonhufvud C, Sanz-Ortega L, Schlums H, Gaballa A, Andersson A, Eriksson C, Segerberg F, Uhlin M, Bryceson YT, Carlsten M. KIR2DS1 and KIR2DL1-C245 Dominantly Repress NK Cell Degranulation Triggered by Monoclonal or Bispecific Antibodies, whereas Education by Uptuning Inhibitory Killer Ig-related Receptors Exerts No Advantage in Ab-dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity. J Immunol 2024; 212:868-880. [PMID: 38240527 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
NK cell responsiveness to target cells is tuned by interactions between inhibitory NK cell receptors and their cognate HLA class I ligands in a process termed "NK cell education." Previous studies addressing the role for NK cell education in Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) show ambiguous results and do not encompass full educational resolution. In this study, we systematically characterized human NK cell CD16-triggered degranulation toward defined human tumor cell lines in the presence of either the mAb rituximab or a recently developed CD34xCD16 bispecific killer engager. Despite positive correlation between killer Ig-related receptor (KIR)-mediated education and CD16 expression, NK cells educated by one or even two inhibitory KIRs did not perform better in terms of ADCC than uneducated NK cells in either missing-self or KIR-ligand matched settings at saturating Ab concentrations. Instead, NKG2A+ NK cells consistently showed more potent ADCC in the missing-self context despite lower levels of CD16 expression. KIR2DS1+ NK cells demonstrated dampened ADCC in both the missing-self and KIR-ligand matched settings, even in the presence of its ligand HLA C2. The lower response by KIR2DS1+ NK cells was also observed when stimulated with a bispecific killer engager. Surprisingly, repression of ADCC was also observed by NKG2A+ NK cells coexpressing the inhibitory KIR2DL1-C245 receptor that confers weak education. In conclusion, our study suggests that NK cell education by inhibitory KIRs does not augment ADCC per se, whereas expression of KIR2DS1 and KIR2DL1-C245 dominantly represses ADCC. These insights add to the fundamental understanding of NK cells and may have implications for their therapeutic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Leijonhufvud
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Laura Sanz-Ortega
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Heinrich Schlums
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ahmed Gaballa
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Agneta Andersson
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Caroline Eriksson
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Filip Segerberg
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael Uhlin
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yenan T Bryceson
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mattias Carlsten
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Cell Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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Leijonhufvud C, Reger R, Segerberg F, Theorell J, Schlums H, Bryceson YT, Childs RW, Carlsten M. LIR-1 educates expanded human NK cells and defines a unique antitumor NK cell subset with potent antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Clin Transl Immunology 2021; 10:e1346. [PMID: 34631057 PMCID: PMC8491220 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective KIR and NKG2A receptors educate human NK cells to stay responsive to cells with diminished HLA class I. Here, we addressed whether the HLA class I-binding receptor LIR-1 (LILRB1/ILT2/CD85j), which is widely expressed on human NK cells, can mediate education and contribute to antitumor functions of NK cells. Methods Healthy donor NK cells either unstimulated, overnight cytokine-activated or ex vivo-expanded were used to target human cell lines. Phenotype and function were analysed using flow cytometry and 51Cr-release assays. Results We found that the inhibitory receptor LIR-1 can mediate NK cell education under specific conditions. This novel finding was exclusive to expanded NK cells and further characterisation of the cells revealed high expression of granzyme B and DNAM-1, which both previously have been linked to NK cell education. Corroborating the rheostat education model, LIR-1 co-expression with an educating KIR further increased the responsiveness of expanded NK cells. Inversely, antibody masking of LIR-1 decreased the responsiveness. LIR-1+ expanded NK cells displayed high intrinsic ADCC that, in contrast to KIR and NKG2A, was not inhibited by HLA class I. Conclusion These findings identify a unique NK cell subset attractive for adoptive cell therapy to treat cancer. Given that LIR-1 binds most HLA class I molecules, this subset may be explored in both autologous and allogeneic settings to innately reject HLA class I- tumor cells as well as HLA class I+ target cells when combined with antitumor antibodies. Further studies are warranted to address the potential of this subset in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Leijonhufvud
- Department of Medicine Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
| | - Robert Reger
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Institutes of Health Bethesda MD USA
| | - Filip Segerberg
- Department of Medicine Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
| | - Jakob Theorell
- Department of Medicine Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden.,Oxford Autoimmune Neurology Group Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences University of Oxford Oxford UK.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience Centre for Molecular Medicine Karolinska Institute Karolinska University Hospital Stockholm Sweden
| | - Heinrich Schlums
- Department of Medicine Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
| | - Yenan T Bryceson
- Department of Medicine Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden
| | - Richard W Childs
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Institutes of Health Bethesda MD USA
| | - Mattias Carlsten
- Department of Medicine Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Sweden.,Center for Cell Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation Karolinska University Hospital Sweden
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Levy E, Reger R, Segerberg F, Lambert M, Leijonhufvud C, Baumer Y, Carlsten M, Childs R. Enhanced Bone Marrow Homing of Natural Killer Cells Following mRNA Transfection With Gain-of-Function Variant CXCR4 R334X. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1262. [PMID: 31231387 PMCID: PMC6560173 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of natural killer (NK) cells can induce remission in patients with relapsed/refractory leukemia and myeloma. However, to date, clinical efficacy of NK cell immunotherapy has been limited to a sub-fraction of patients. Here we show that steps incorporated in the ex vivo manipulation/production of NK cell products used for adoptive infusion, such as over-night IL-2 activation or cryopreservation followed by ex vivo expansion, drastically decreases NK cell surface expression of the bone marrow (BM) homing chemokine receptor CXCR4. Reduced CXCR4 expression was associated with dampened in vitro NK cell migration toward its cognate ligand stromal-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α). NK cells isolated from patients with WHIM syndrome carry gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in CXCR4 (CXCR4R334X). Compared to healthy donors, we observed that NK cells expanded from WHIM patients have similar surface levels of CXCR4 but have a much stronger propensity to home to BM compartments when adoptively infused into NOD-scid IL2Rgammanull (NSG) mice. Therefore, in order to augment the capacity of adoptively infused NK cells to home to the BM, we genetically engineered ex vivo expanded NK cells to express the naturally occurring GOF CXCR4R334X receptor variant. Transfection of CXCR4R334X-coding mRNA into ex vivo expanded NK cells using a clinically applicable method consistently led to an increase in cell surface CXCR4 without altering NK cell phenotype, cytotoxic function, or compromising NK cell viability. Compared to non-transfected and wild type CXCR4-coding mRNA transfected counterparts, CXCR4R334X-engineered NK cells had significantly greater chemotaxis toward SDF-1α in vitro. Importantly, expression of CXCR4R334X on expanded NK cells resulted in significantly greater BM homing following adoptive transfer into NSG mice compared to non-transfected NK cell controls. Collectively, these data suggest up-regulation of cell surface CXCR4R334X on ex vivo expanded NK cells via mRNA transfection represents a novel approach to improve homing and target NK cell-based immunotherapies to BM where hematological malignancies reside.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Levy
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.,The Department of Molecular Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Robert Reger
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Filip Segerberg
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Melanie Lambert
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Caroline Leijonhufvud
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yvonne Baumer
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Mattias Carlsten
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.,Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Richard Childs
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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Sarhan D, Leijonhufvud C, Murray S, Witt K, Seitz C, Wallerius M, Xie H, Ullén A, Harmenberg U, Lidbrink E, Rolny C, Andersson J, Lundqvist A. Zoledronic acid inhibits NFAT and IL-2 signaling pathways in regulatory T cells and diminishes their suppressive function in patients with metastatic cancer. Oncoimmunology 2017; 6:e1338238. [PMID: 28920001 PMCID: PMC5593706 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2017.1338238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Revised: 05/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Treg) suppress anti-tumor immune responses and their infiltration in the tumor microenvironment is associated with inferior prognosis in cancer patients. Thus, in order to enhance anti-tumor immune responses, selective depletion of Treg is highly desired. We found that treatment with zoledronic acid (ZA) resulted in a selective decrease in the frequency of Treg that was associated with a significant increase in proliferation of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells in peripheral blood of patients with metastatic cancer. In vitro, genome-wide transcriptomic analysis revealed alterations in calcium signaling pathways in Treg following treatment with ZA. Furthermore, co-localization of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) was significantly reduced in Treg upon ZA-treatment. Consequently, reduced expression levels of CD25, STAT5 and TGFβ were observed. Functionally, ZA-treated Treg had reduced capacity to suppress T and NK cell proliferation and anti-tumor responses compared with untreated Treg in vitro. Treatment with ZA to selectively inhibit essential signaling pathways in Treg resulting in reduced capacity to suppress effector T and NK cell responses represents a novel approach to inhibit Treg activity in patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhifaf Sarhan
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- University of Minnesota, Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Caroline Leijonhufvud
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shannon Murray
- Cell Therapy Institute, Nova Southeastern University, FL, USA
| | - Kristina Witt
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christina Seitz
- Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Majken Wallerius
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hanjing Xie
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anders Ullén
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Oncology, Radiumhemmet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ulrika Harmenberg
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Oncology, Radiumhemmet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Elisabet Lidbrink
- Division of Radiotherapy, Radiumhemmet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Charlotte Rolny
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - John Andersson
- Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Cell Therapy Institute, Nova Southeastern University, FL, USA
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