1
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Baumgartner CK, Ebrahimi-Nik H, Iracheta-Vellve A, Hamel KM, Olander KE, Davis TGR, McGuire KA, Halvorsen GT, Avila OI, Patel CH, Kim SY, Kammula AV, Muscato AJ, Halliwill K, Geda P, Klinge KL, Xiong Z, Duggan R, Mu L, Yeary MD, Patti JC, Balon TM, Mathew R, Backus C, Kennedy DE, Chen A, Longenecker K, Klahn JT, Hrusch CL, Krishnan N, Hutchins CW, Dunning JP, Bulic M, Tiwari P, Colvin KJ, Chuong CL, Kohnle IC, Rees MG, Boghossian A, Ronan M, Roth JA, Wu MJ, Suermondt JSMT, Knudsen NH, Cheruiyot CK, Sen DR, Griffin GK, Golub TR, El-Bardeesy N, Decker JH, Yang Y, Guffroy M, Fossey S, Trusk P, Sun IM, Liu Y, Qiu W, Sun Q, Paddock MN, Farney EP, Matulenko MA, Beauregard C, Frost JM, Yates KB, Kym PR, Manguso RT. The PTPN2/PTPN1 inhibitor ABBV-CLS-484 unleashes potent anti-tumour immunity. Nature 2023; 622:850-862. [PMID: 37794185 PMCID: PMC10599993 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06575-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade is effective for some patients with cancer, but most are refractory to current immunotherapies and new approaches are needed to overcome resistance1,2. The protein tyrosine phosphatases PTPN2 and PTPN1 are central regulators of inflammation, and their genetic deletion in either tumour cells or immune cells promotes anti-tumour immunity3-6. However, phosphatases are challenging drug targets; in particular, the active site has been considered undruggable. Here we present the discovery and characterization of ABBV-CLS-484 (AC484), a first-in-class, orally bioavailable, potent PTPN2 and PTPN1 active-site inhibitor. AC484 treatment in vitro amplifies the response to interferon and promotes the activation and function of several immune cell subsets. In mouse models of cancer resistant to PD-1 blockade, AC484 monotherapy generates potent anti-tumour immunity. We show that AC484 inflames the tumour microenvironment and promotes natural killer cell and CD8+ T cell function by enhancing JAK-STAT signalling and reducing T cell dysfunction. Inhibitors of PTPN2 and PTPN1 offer a promising new strategy for cancer immunotherapy and are currently being evaluated in patients with advanced solid tumours (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04777994 ). More broadly, our study shows that small-molecule inhibitors of key intracellular immune regulators can achieve efficacy comparable to or exceeding that of antibody-based immune checkpoint blockade in preclinical models. Finally, to our knowledge, AC484 represents the first active-site phosphatase inhibitor to enter clinical evaluation for cancer immunotherapy and may pave the way for additional therapeutics that target this important class of enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Arvin Iracheta-Vellve
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Pfizer, Groton, CT, USA
| | | | - Kira E Olander
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Thomas G R Davis
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Omar I Avila
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Sarah Y Kim
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ashwin V Kammula
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Audrey J Muscato
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Prasanthi Geda
- AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Summit, NJ, USA
| | | | - Zhaoming Xiong
- AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA
- Ipsen Biosciences, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Mitchell D Yeary
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James C Patti
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tyler M Balon
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Navasona Krishnan
- AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA
- Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Payal Tiwari
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kayla J Colvin
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cun Lan Chuong
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ian C Kohnle
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Melissa Ronan
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Meng-Ju Wu
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Juliette S M T Suermondt
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nelson H Knudsen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Collins K Cheruiyot
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Debattama R Sen
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gabriel K Griffin
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Todd R Golub
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nabeel El-Bardeesy
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Yi Yang
- AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | | | | | - Im-Meng Sun
- Calico Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yue Liu
- Calico Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Wei Qiu
- AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Qi Sun
- AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | | | | | - Clay Beauregard
- Calico Life Sciences, South San Francisco, CA, USA
- Vir Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Kathleen B Yates
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | | | - Robert T Manguso
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Center for Cancer Research and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Iracheta-Vellve A, Olander KE, Davis TR, Kim SY, Yeary MD, Patti JC, Balon TM, Avila OI, Chuong CL, Wu MJ, Baumgartner CK, Hamel KM, McGuire KA, Mathew R, Backus C, Kohnle IC, Xiong Z, Farney EP, Frost JM, Halvorsen GT, Rees M, Boghossian A, Ronan M, Roth JA, Golub TR, Griffin GK, El-Bardeesy N, Beauregard CC, Kym PR, Yates KB, Manguso RT. Abstract A41: Small molecule inhibition of PTPN2/1 inflames the tumour microenvironment and unleashes potent CD8+ T cell immunity. Cancer Immunol Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/2326-6074.tumimm22-a41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade is effective for a subset of patients across many cancers, but most patients are refractory to current immunotherapies and new approaches are needed to overcome resistance. The protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPN2 is a central regulator of inflammation, and genetic deletion of PTPN2 on either tumour cells or host immune cells promotes anti-tumour immunity. However, inhibitors of PTPN2 with suitable pharmacokinetic properties for oral administration have not been described. Here, we present the characterization of ABBV-CLS-484 (A484), a potent active site inhibitor of PTPN2 and the closely related phosphatase PTPN1. A484 treatment in vitro amplifies the response to interferon gamma, and monotherapy A484 treatment generates robust anti-tumour immunity in several murine cancer models. Through in vivo studies and single cell transcriptional profiling of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from A484-treated mice, we show that A484 inflames the tumour microenvironment and promotes CD8+ T cell function by enhancing cytokine signaling and decreasing T cell exhaustion and dysfunction. Our results demonstrate that oral administration of small molecule inhibitors of PTPN2/N1 can induce potent anti-tumour immunity in mouse models. PTPN2/N1 inhibitors offer a promising new strategy for cancer immunotherapy and are currently being evaluated clinically in patients with advanced solid tumours (NCT04777994). More broadly, our study shows that small molecule inhibitors of key intracellular immune regulators can achieve efficacy comparable to current antibody-based immune checkpoint blockade in preclinical models. Finally, to our knowledge A484 represents the first active-site phosphatase inhibitor to enter clinical evaluation for cancer immunotherapy and may pave the way for additional therapeutics targeting this important class of enzymes.
Citation Format: Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik, Arvin Iracheta-Vellve, Kira E. Olander, Thomas R.G. Davis, Sarah Y. Kim, Mitchell D. Yeary, James C. Patti, Tyler M. Balon, Omar Ismail Avila, Cun Lan Chuong, Meng-Ju Wu, Christina K. Baumgartner, Keith M. Hamel, Kathleen A. McGuire, Rebecca Mathew, Carey Backus, Ian C. Kohnle, Zhaoming Xiong, Elliot P. Farney, Jennifer M. Frost, Geoff T. Halvorsen, Matthew Rees, Andrew Boghossian, Melissa Ronan, Jennifer A. Roth, Todd R. Golub, Gabriel K. Griffin, Nabeel El-Bardeesy, Clay C. Beauregard, Philip R. Kym, Kathleen B. Yates, Robert T. Manguso. Small molecule inhibition of PTPN2/1 inflames the tumour microenvironment and unleashes potent CD8+ T cell immunity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2022 Oct 21-24; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2022;10(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A41.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sarah Y. Kim
- 1Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA,
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Meng-Ju Wu
- 1Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA,
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Matthew Rees
- 1Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA,
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3
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Dubrot J, Du PP, Lane-Reticker SK, Kessler EA, Muscato AJ, Mehta A, Freeman SS, Allen PM, Olander KE, Ockerman KM, Wolfe CH, Wiesmann F, Knudsen NH, Tsao HW, Iracheta-Vellve A, Schneider EM, Rivera-Rosario AN, Kohnle IC, Pope HW, Ayer A, Mishra G, Zimmer MD, Kim SY, Mahapatra A, Ebrahimi-Nik H, Frederick DT, Boland GM, Haining WN, Root DE, Doench JG, Hacohen N, Yates KB, Manguso RT. In vivo CRISPR screens reveal the landscape of immune evasion pathways across cancer. Nat Immunol 2022; 23:1495-1506. [PMID: 36151395 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-022-01315-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The immune system can eliminate tumors, but checkpoints enable immune escape. Here, we identify immune evasion mechanisms using genome-scale in vivo CRISPR screens across cancer models treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). We identify immune evasion genes and important immune inhibitory checkpoints conserved across cancers, including the non-classical major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC class I) molecule Qa-1b/HLA-E. Surprisingly, loss of tumor interferon-γ (IFNγ) signaling sensitizes many models to immunity. The immune inhibitory effects of tumor IFN sensing are mediated through two mechanisms. First, tumor upregulation of classical MHC class I inhibits natural killer cells. Second, IFN-induced expression of Qa-1b inhibits CD8+ T cells via the NKG2A/CD94 receptor, which is induced by ICB. Finally, we show that strong IFN signatures are associated with poor response to ICB in individuals with renal cell carcinoma or melanoma. This study reveals that IFN-mediated upregulation of classical and non-classical MHC class I inhibitory checkpoints can facilitate immune escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Dubrot
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Peter P Du
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Arnav Mehta
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samuel S Freeman
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter M Allen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Clara H Wolfe
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Nelson H Knudsen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Ian C Kohnle
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Hans W Pope
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Austin Ayer
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gargi Mishra
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Sarah Y Kim
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Dennie T Frederick
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Genevieve M Boland
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - W Nicholas Haining
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- ArsenalBio, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - David E Root
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - John G Doench
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nir Hacohen
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathleen B Yates
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Robert T Manguso
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
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4
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Iracheta-Vellve A, Ebrahimi-Nik H, Davis TR, Olander KE, Kim SY, Yeary MD, Patti JC, Kohnle IC, Baumgartner CK, Hamel KM, McGuire KA, Chuong CL, Xiong Z, Farney EP, Frost JM, Rees M, Boghossian A, Ronan M, Roth JA, Golub TR, Griffin GK, Beauregard C, Kym PR, Yates KB, Manguso RT. Abstract 606: Targeting the immune checkpoint PTPN2 with ABBV-CLS-484 inflames the tumor microenvironment and unleashes potent CD8+ T cell immunity. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade is effective for a subset of patients across many cancers, but most patients are refractory to current immunotherapies and new approaches are needed to overcome resistance. The protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPN2 is a central regulator of inflammation, and genetic deletion of PTPN2 on either tumor cells or host immune cells promotes anti-tumor immunity. However, inhibitors of PTPN2 have not been described. Here, we present the validation of ABBV-CLS-484, a potent catalytic inhibitor of PTPN2 and the closely related phosphatase PTPN1. ABBV-CLS-484 treatment of tumor cells in vitro phenocopies the genetic deletion of PTPN2/N1, causing both amplified transcriptional responses to IFNg and reduced cell viability across human cancer cell lines. Monotherapy ABBV-CLS-484 treatment generates robust anti-tumor immunity in several murine cancer models with efficacy comparable to anti-PD-1 treatment. Through genetic studies, we show that while ABBV-CLS-484 can act on both tumor cells and the host immune system, IFN sensing and PTPN2/N1 expression on tumor cells are not always required for efficacy, suggesting that PTPN2/N1 inhibition on host immune cells may be sufficient for activity of the drug. Through scRNAseq profiling of TILs from both ABBV-CLS-484-treated and anti-PD-1-treated tumors, we show that ABBV-CLS-484 induces unique transcriptional changes to both myeloid and lymphoid populations in the tumor microenvironment which are dominated by enhanced IFN sensing and a shift from suppressive to pro-inflammatory phenotypes. ABBV-CLS-484 treatment enhances the activation and effector functions of CD8+ T cells while decreasing the expression of genes classically associated with T cell exhaustion and dysfunction such as Tox. The efficacy of ABBV-CLS-484 is critically dependent on CD8+ T cells and treatment with ABBV-CLS-484 results in greater levels of T cell infiltration into tumors and a more diverse repertoire of expanded T cell clones relative to anti-PD-1. Thus, the PTPN2/N1 inhibitor ABBV-CLS-484 is a highly effective immunotherapy with monotherapy efficacy across mouse tumor models. Small molecule inhibitors of PTPN2 offer a promising new strategy for cancer immunotherapy by targeting an IFN signaling checkpoint and are currently being evaluated clinically in patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT04777994).
Citation Format: Arvin Iracheta-Vellve, Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik, Thomas R. Davis, Kira E. Olander, Sarah Y. Kim, Mitchell D. Yeary, James C. Patti, Ian C. Kohnle, Christina K. Baumgartner, Keith M. Hamel, Kathleen A. McGuire, Cun Lan Chuong, Zhaoming Xiong, Elliot P. Farney, Jennifer M. Frost, Matthew Rees, Andrew Boghossian, Melissa Ronan, Jennifer A. Roth, Todd R. Golub, Gabriel K. Griffin, Clay Beauregard, Philip R. Kym, Kathleen B. Yates, Robert T. Manguso. Targeting the immune checkpoint PTPN2 with ABBV-CLS-484 inflames the tumor microenvironment and unleashes potent CD8+ T cell immunity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 606.
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5
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Dubrot J, Du PP, Lane-Reticker SK, Kessler EA, Muscato AJ, Mehta A, Freeman SS, Allen PM, Olander KE, Ockerman KM, Wolfe CH, Wiesmann F, Knudsen NH, Tsao HW, Iracheta-Vellve A, Schneider EM, Rivera-Rosario AN, Kohnle IC, Pope HW, Ayer A, Mishra G, Zimmer MD, Kim SY, Mahapatra A, Ebrahimi-Nik H, Frederick DT, Boland GM, Haining WN, Root DE, Doench JG, Hacohen N, Yates KB, Manguso RT. Abstract 3610: In vivo CRISPR screens reveal the landscape of immune evasion pathways across cancer. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-3610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The immune system can eliminate tumors, but checkpoints enable tumors to escape immune destruction. Here, we report the systematic identification of immune evasion mechanisms using genome-scale in vivo CRISPR screens in eight murine cancer models treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). We identify and validate previously unreported immune evasion genes and identify key immune inhibitory checkpoints that have a conserved role across several cancer models, such as the non-classical MHC-I molecule Qa-1b/HLA-E, which scores as the top overall sensitizing hit across all screens. Surprisingly, we find that loss of IFNγ signaling by tumor cells sensitizes 6 of 8 cancer models to ICB. While IFN-mediated inflammation has been associated with response to ICB, there have also been reports of ICB-resistance driven by IFN sensing. However, several divergent mechanisms have been proposed to explain the inhibitory effect of tumor IFN sensing, leading to uncertainty about how this key immune signaling pathway is regulating anti-tumor immunity in different contexts. Using in vivo screening data, transcriptional profiling, and genetic interaction studies, we reveal that the immune-inhibitory effects of tumor IFN sensing are the direct result of tumor upregulation of classical and non-classical MHC-I genes. The interferon-MHC-I axis can inhibit anti-tumor immunity through two mechanisms: first, upregulation of classical MHC-I inhibits the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells, which are activated by ICB. Second, IFN-mediated upregulation of Qa-1b directly inhibits cytotoxicity by effector CD8+ T cells via the NKG2A/CD94 receptor, which is induced on CD8+ T cells by ICB. Finally, we show that high interferon-stimulated gene expression in patients is associated with decreased survival in RCC and poor response to ICB in melanoma. Our study establishes a unifying mechanism to explain the inhibitory role of tumor IFN sensing, revealing that IFN-mediated upregulation of classical and non-classical MHC-I inhibitory checkpoints can facilitate immune escape.
Citation Format: Juan Dubrot, Peter P. Du, Sarah Kate Lane-Reticker, Emily A. Kessler, Audrey J. Muscato, Arnav Mehta, Samuel S. Freeman, Peter M. Allen, Kira E. Olander, Kyle M. Ockerman, Clara H. Wolfe, Fabius Wiesmann, Nelson H. Knudsen, Hsiao-Wei Tsao, Arvin Iracheta-Vellve, Emily M. Schneider, Andrea N. Rivera-Rosario, Ian C. Kohnle, Hans W. Pope, Austin Ayer, Gargi Mishra, Margaret D. Zimmer, Sarah Y. Kim, Animesh Mahapatra, Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik, Dennie T. Frederick, Genevieve M. Boland, W. Nicholas Haining, David E. Root, John G. Doench, Nir Hacohen, Kathleen B. Yates, Robert T. Manguso. In vivo CRISPR screens reveal the landscape of immune evasion pathways across cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 3610.
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6
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Moussa M, Englander RP, Singhaviranon S, Michaux J, Pak H, Miyadera H, Corwin WL, Keller GLJ, Hagymasi AT, Shcheglova TV, Coukos G, Baker BM, Mandoiu II, Bassani-Sternberg M, Srivastava PK. Reversion analysis reveals the in vivo immunogenicity of a poorly MHC I-binding cancer neoepitope. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6423. [PMID: 34741035 PMCID: PMC8571378 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26646-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
High-affinity MHC I-peptide interactions are considered essential for immunogenicity. However, some neo-epitopes with low affinity for MHC I have been reported to elicit CD8 T cell dependent tumor rejection in immunization-challenge studies. Here we show in a mouse model that a neo-epitope that poorly binds to MHC I is able to enhance the immunogenicity of a tumor in the absence of immunization. Fibrosarcoma cells with a naturally occurring mutation are edited to their wild type counterpart; the mutation is then re-introduced in order to obtain a cell line that is genetically identical to the wild type except for the neo-epitope-encoding mutation. Upon transplantation into syngeneic mice, all three cell lines form tumors that are infiltrated with activated T cells. However, lymphocytes from the two tumors that harbor the mutation show significantly stronger transcriptional signatures of cytotoxicity and TCR engagement, and induce greater breadth of TCR reactivity than those of the wild type tumors. Structural modeling of the neo-epitope peptide/MHC I pairs suggests increased hydrophobicity of the neo-epitope surface, consistent with higher TCR reactivity. These results confirm the in vivo immunogenicity of low affinity or ‘non-binding’ epitopes that do not follow the canonical concept of MHC I-peptide recognition. The immunogenicity of peptides is believed to be determined by their high-affinity binding to MHC I. Here authors show that low-affinity MHC I-peptide interactions are also able to trigger robust T cell response and anti-tumour immunity in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 105 Broadway, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Marmar Moussa
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Ryan P Englander
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Summit Singhaviranon
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Justine Michaux
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - HuiSong Pak
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hiroko Miyadera
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.,Genome Medical Science Project, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba, Japan
| | - William L Corwin
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.,Arvinas, 5 science park, 395 Winchester Ave, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Grant L J Keller
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Adam T Hagymasi
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - Tatiana V Shcheglova
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA
| | - George Coukos
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Ion I Mandoiu
- Department of Computer Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Engineering, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Michal Bassani-Sternberg
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, USA.
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7
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Rodríguez-Remírez M, Del Puerto-Nevado L, Fernández Aceñero MJ, Ebrahimi-Nik H, Cruz-Ramos M, García-García L, Solanes S, Baños N, Molina-Roldán E, García-Foncillas J, Cebrián A. Strong Antitumor Activity of Bevacizumab and Aflibercept in Neuroendocrine Carcinomas: In-Depth Preclinical Study. Neuroendocrinology 2020; 110:50-62. [PMID: 31030198 DOI: 10.1159/000500591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare and very aggressive tumor. It has been greatly understudied, and very little is known about optimal treatment strategy for patients with this disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate in vivo whether anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs could be a therapeutic alternative for these tumors with a poor prognosis. METHODS We have developed 2 xenograft models using either human cell line derived from lung (H460) or from colon (COLO320) NEC to assess the effect of 2 antiangiogenic drugs, aflibercept and bevacizumab, on tumor growth and their pathological characteristics. Additionally, tumors were subjected to immunohistochemistry staining and proteins were measured with Western blot and ELISA. RESULTS Both aflibercept and bevacizumab showed significant antitumor activity (p < 0.001). In the H460 model, aflibercept resulted in 94% tumor growth inhibition (TGI) and bevacizumab treatment resulted in 72.2% TGI. Similarly, in the COLO320 model, aflibercept and bevacizumab resulted in 89.3 and 84% TGI, respectively. Moreover, antitumor activity occurs early after treatment initiation. Using Tumor Control Index score, which address the kinetics of tumor growth in a way comparable to the methods used in human clinical studies, we confirmed that both drugs inhibit significantly tumor growth. When tumor stabilization was evaluated, aflibercept shows higher ability to stabilize NEC tumors than bevacizumab. CONCLUSION Results derived from this study strongly support anti-VEGF therapies, especially aflibercept, as a novel therapeutic option in NECs. Further studies are necessary, but our observations encourage the evaluation of antiangiogenics in clinical trials combined with standard chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Rodríguez-Remírez
- Division of Translational Oncology, Oncohealth Institute, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura Del Puerto-Nevado
- Division of Translational Oncology, Oncohealth Institute, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - María Jesús Fernández Aceñero
- Servicio de Anatomía Patológica Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Departamento de Anatomía Patològica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology, The Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Marlid Cruz-Ramos
- Division of Translational Oncology, Oncohealth Institute, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Laura García-García
- Division of Translational Oncology, Oncohealth Institute, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sonia Solanes
- Division of Translational Oncology, Oncohealth Institute, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Natalia Baños
- Division of Translational Oncology, Oncohealth Institute, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Elena Molina-Roldán
- Servicio de Anatomía Patológica Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Departamento de Anatomía Patològica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús García-Foncillas
- Division of Translational Oncology, Oncohealth Institute, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Arancha Cebrián
- Division of Translational Oncology, Oncohealth Institute, IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital (IIS-FJD, UAM), Madrid, Spain,
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8
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Michaux J, Corwin WL, Keller GL, Shcheglova T, Pak H, Coukos G, Baker BM, Mandoiu II, Bassani-Sternberg M, Srivastava PK. Mass spectrometry driven exploration reveals nuances of neoepitope-driven tumor rejection. JCI Insight 2019; 5:129152. [PMID: 31219806 PMCID: PMC6675551 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.129152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [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] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Neoepitopes are the only truly tumor-specific antigens. Although potential neoepitopes can be readily identified using genomics, the neoepitopes that mediate tumor rejection constitute a small minority, and there is little consensus on how to identify them. Here, for the first time to our knowledge, we use a combination of genomics, unbiased discovery mass spectrometry (MS) immunopeptidomics, and targeted MS to directly identify neoepitopes that elicit actual tumor rejection in mice. We report that MS-identified neoepitopes are an astonishingly rich source of tumor rejection-mediating neoepitopes (TRMNs). MS has also demonstrated unambiguously the presentation by MHC I, of confirmed tumor rejection neoepitopes that bind weakly to MHC I; this was done using DCs exogenously loaded with long peptides containing the weakly binding neoepitopes. Such weakly MHC I–binding neoepitopes are routinely excluded from analysis, and our demonstration of their presentation, and their activity in tumor rejection, reveals a broader universe of tumor-rejection neoepitopes than presently imagined. Modeling studies show that a mutation in the active neoepitope alters its conformation such that its T cell receptor–facing surface is substantially altered, increasing its exposed hydrophobicity. No such changes are observed in the inactive neoepitope. These results broaden our understanding of antigen presentation and help prioritize neoepitopes for personalized cancer immunotherapy. Neoepitopes identified by mass spectrometry are a rich source of tumor rejection antigens, including those with a weak binding to MHC I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Justine Michaux
- University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - William L Corwin
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - Grant Lj Keller
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Tatiana Shcheglova
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
| | - HuiSong Pak
- University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - George Coukos
- University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Ion I Mandoiu
- Department of Computer Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Engineering, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michal Bassani-Sternberg
- University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
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9
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Shcheglova T, Michaux J, Pak H, Sherafat E, Al Seesi S, Mandoiu II, Bassani-Sternberg M, Srivastava PK. Mass spectroscopy-defined neoepitopes are a rich source of tumor rejection-mediating neoepitopes in a mouse sarcoma. The Journal of Immunology 2019. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.202.supp.70.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Using tandem mass spectroscopy (MS), we identified 3646 unique sequences among peptides eluted from purified Kd and Dd MHC I molecules of the BALB/c fibrosarcoma Meth A. These peptides were cross-referenced with the output of neoepitopes predicted for this tumor by our prediction pipeline CCCP (Cross Consensus Calling Platform). Eleven (11) of the eluted peptides were identified as neoepitopes and eight neoepitopes (of 11) were confirmed by targeted MS.
Each neoepitope was used to immunize BALB/c mice (twice, one week apart, using precise neoepitopes along with bone marrow-derived dendritic cells); mice were challenged with Meth A cells one week after the last immunization, and tumor growth was monitored in individual mice. In parallel, immunized mice were tested for CD8+ T cells to the neoepitopes using tetramer staining and interferon g secretion by CD8 cells.
Four of the eight neoepitopes elicited rejection of Meth A fibrosarcoma; two of the four neoepitopes elicited highly potent tumor rejection, while the other two elicited statistically significant but weaker tumor rejection. Of the two strong neoepitopes, only one elicited a measurable CD8 response. Both weak neoepitopes elicited measurable CD8 responses. Of the four neoepitopes that did not elicit tumor rejection, only one elicited a measurable CD8 response; this CD8 response was the strongest of all CD8 responses detected.
These observations indicate that MS-defined neoepitopes can be a rich source of neoepitopes that can mediate tumor rejection. Further, they highlight the fact that CD8 responses are not a good predictive surrogates for tumor rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Justine Michaux
- 2Ludwig Centre for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - HuiSong Pak
- 2Ludwig Centre for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Elham Sherafat
- 3Department of Computer Sciences, University of Connecticut
| | - Sahar Al Seesi
- 3Department of Computer Sciences, University of Connecticut
| | - Ion I Mandoiu
- 3Department of Computer Sciences, University of Connecticut
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10
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Corwin WL, Shcheglova T, Das Mohapatra A, Mandoiu II, Srivastava PK. CD11c + MHCII lo GM-CSF-bone marrow-derived dendritic cells act as antigen donor cells and as antigen presenting cells in neoepitope-elicited tumor immunity against a mouse fibrosarcoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2018; 67:1449-1459. [PMID: 30030558 PMCID: PMC6132860 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-018-2202-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Dendritic cells play a critical role in initiating T-cell responses. In spite of this recognition, they have not been used widely as adjuvants, nor is the mechanism of their adjuvanticity fully understood. Here, using a mutated neoepitope of a mouse fibrosarcoma as the antigen, and tumor rejection as the end point, we show that dendritic cells but not macrophages possess superior adjuvanticity. Several types of dendritic cells, such as bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (GM-CSF cultured or FLT3-ligand induced) or monocyte-derived ones, are powerful adjuvants, although GM-CSF-cultured cells show the highest activity. Among these, the CD11c+ MHCIIlo sub-set, distinguishable by a distinct transcriptional profile including a higher expression of heat shock protein receptors CD91 and LOX1, mannose receptors and TLRs, is significantly superior to the CD11c+ MHCIIhi sub-set. Finally, dendritic cells exert their adjuvanticity by acting as both antigen donor cells (i.e., antigen reservoirs) as well as antigen presenting cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030-1601, USA
| | - William L Corwin
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030-1601, USA
| | - Tatiana Shcheglova
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030-1601, USA
| | - Alok Das Mohapatra
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030-1601, USA
| | - Ion I Mandoiu
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030-1601, USA.
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11
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Corwin WL, Mandoiu II, Srivastava PK. Characterization of a Single Nucleotide Variant of Ccdc85c as a Tumor Rejection-Mediating Neoepitope of Meth A Fibrosarcoma. The Journal of Immunology 2018. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.200.supp.181.21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
An 18-mer peptide (named Neo1) containing a single amino acid variation (deduced from comparison of Meth A transcriptome with normal mouse genome) is capable of eliciting complete protection of BALB/c mice against a lethal challenge with Meth A fibrosarcoma cells. A similar peptide containing an un-mutated sequence does not elicit tumor rejection. In an attempt to identify the exact MHC-binding epitope within Neo1, nineteen smaller and distinct peptide constructs derived from Neo1 were tested in a prophylactic tumor rejection assay. The exact epitope was observed to be a 9-mer. This 9-mer neoepitope was not predicted to bind MHC I by NetMHC; NetMHC did predict four other peptides within Neo1 to bind Kd and Ld. None of these four predicted peptides elicited tumor rejection. Of note, even seemingly minor changes in the flanking regions of the precise neoepitope on either side of the peptide had a dramatic influence on anti-tumor immunogenicity of the peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ion I. Mandoiu
- 2University of Connecticut, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
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12
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Bassami MR, Mohri M, Rad M, Khan MI. Bacterial ghost of avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) serotype O78:K80 as a homologous vaccine against avian colibacillosis. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0194888. [PMID: 29566080 PMCID: PMC5864078 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian Colibacillosis is among the major causes of economic loss in the poultry industry worldwide, with a more vivid impact on developing countries. The involvement of several bacteria has made it challenging to develop effective vaccines for this disease, particularly because it is notoriously difficult to make a vaccine that contains all the contributing pathogenic bacteria. Here, we report the design and fabrication of a bacterial ghost (BG) of E. coli O78:K80, which is among the major bacterial serotypes responsible for this disease. The generated ghost is then exploited as a homologous vaccine against Avian Colibacillosis. We demonstrate that hole formation in the cell wall of E. coli O78:K80 can happen properly in optical densities as high as 0.8 compared to the 0.3–0.4 standard for bacteria like E. coli TOP10. This is especially advantageous for mass production of this ghost which is a vital factor in development of any BG-based vaccine. Compared to E. coli TOP10, we faced a great challenge in transforming the wild type bacteria with the E-lysis plasmid which was probably due to higher thickness of the cell wall in O78:K80. This, however, was addressed by treating the cell wall with a different combination of ions.The vaccine was administered to Ross 308 broiler chickens via injection as well as through their respiratory system at a dose of 1010 BGs, repeated 3 times at weekly intervals. Chickens were then challenged with the wild type O78:K80 at a dose of 1011 bacteria together with Infectious Bronchitis H120 vaccine (as immunosuppressant) one week after the last immunization. Air sac lesions were significantly reduced in BG vaccinated groups in comparison with the control group. The levels of IFNγ, IgA and IgY were measured in the serum of immunized chickens as an indication of immune response and were compared with those of the chickens vaccinated with killed bacteria. The results show that O78:K80 BG can be used as an efficient homologous vaccine against Colibacillosis disease in poultry. We expect our findings can serve as the starting point for designing more sophisticated vaccines that contain all three major pathogenic bacteria involved in avian Colibacillosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Bassami
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mehrdad Mohri
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
- * E-mail:
| | - Mehrnaz Rad
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Mazhar I. Khan
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States of America
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13
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Brennick CA, George MM, Corwin WL, Srivastava PK, Ebrahimi-Nik H. Neoepitopes as cancer immunotherapy targets: key challenges and opportunities. Immunotherapy 2017; 9:361-371. [PMID: 28303769 DOI: 10.2217/imt-2016-0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last half century, it has become well established that cancers can elicit a host immune response that can target them with high specificity. Only within the last decade, with the advances in high-throughput gene sequencing and bioinformatics approaches, are we now on the forefront of harnessing the host's immune system to treat cancer. Recently, some strides have been taken toward understanding effective tumor-specific MHC I restricted epitopes or neoepitopes. However, many fundamental questions still remain to be addressed before this therapy can live up to its full clinical potential. In this review, we discuss the major hurdles that lie ahead and the work being done to address them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory A Brennick
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | - Mariam M George
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | - William L Corwin
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | - Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
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14
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Corwin WL, Floyd SM, Tavousi P, Mandoiu II, Srivastava PK. Tumor Control Index: a novel tool to assess and compare tumor growth in experimental animals. The Journal of Immunology 2017. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.198.supp.204.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Measurement of tumor diameters, tumor volumes, or area under the curve has been traditionally used to quantitate the effects of experimental manipulations in immune competent as well as immune-compromised mice and rats. However, using these parameters to measure the kinetics of tumor growth fail to reveal several complexities of growing tumors. Here, by means of tumor growth data from a large number of mice challenged with live tumor cells, we describe the use of a new composite parameter, Tumor Control Index (TCI) as an alternative method to do the same. This index, comprised of three distinct values, the Tumor Progression Score, Tumor Rejection Score, and Tumor Stability Score, provides a complete picture of nearly every aspect of tumor growth in large numbers of animals, can be deduced automatically from tumor diameter or volume data, and can be used to compare several groups of animals in different experiments. This automatically derivable index also corresponds neatly to the use of complete and partial responses and tumor stability data generated in human tumors, and can be used to assess the efficacy of interventions to be used in clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Ion I Mandoiu
- 3Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut
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15
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Ebrahimi-Nik H, Corwin WL, Yamamoto R, Srivastava PK. CD11c+ MHCIIint bone marrow-derived dendritic cells as adjuvants for neoepitope – based cancer immunotherapy. The Journal of Immunology 2017. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.198.supp.79.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Total splenocytes, macrophage and bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) were compared for adjuvanticity in a tumor rejection assay, where a neoepitope of the BALB/c Meth-fibrosarcoma, was the immunogen. BMDCs showed the highest activity, providing 100% tumor protection. BMDCs were sorted into various sub-populations, each of which was tested individually in parallel in the same assay. The CD11c+, MCHIIint, CD11bhi, CD86−, CD40−, CD24− BMDCs provided the highest tumor protection. The high adjuvanticity of BMDCs was not MHC I-dependent, as the neoepitope-pulsed BMDCs from C57BL/6 or BALB/c mice provided roughly equivalent protection. These data show that as adjuvants, BMDCs function as antigen reservoirs, facilitating cross-presentation by endogenous antigen presenting cells. These results have obvious implications for neoepitope-based human cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ryo Yamamoto
- 1Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center
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16
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Corwin WL, Ebrahimi-Nik H, Floyd SM, Tavousi P, Mandoiu II, Srivastava PK. Tumor Control Index as a new tool to assess tumor growth in experimental animals. J Immunol Methods 2017; 445:71-76. [PMID: 28336396 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2017.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [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: 12/10/2016] [Revised: 02/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Measurement of tumor diameters, tumor volumes, or area under the curve has been traditionally used to quantitate and compare tumor growth curves in immune competent as well as immune-compromised mice and rats. Here, using tumor growth data from a large number of mice challenged with live tumor cells, we describe the use of a new composite parameter, Tumor Control Index (TCI) as an alternative method to do the same. This index, comprised of three distinct values, the Tumor Inhibition Score, Tumor Rejection Score, and Tumor Stability Score, provides a complete picture of nearly every aspect of tumor growth in large numbers of animals, can be deduced automatically from tumor diameter or volume data, and can be used to compare several groups of animals in different experiments. This automatically derivable index also corresponds neatly to the use of complete and partial responses and tumor stability data generated in human tumors, and can be used to assess the efficacy of interventions to be used in clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- William L Corwin
- Department of Immunology, and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United States
| | - Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology, and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United States
| | - Stephanie M Floyd
- Department of Immunology, and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United States
| | - Pouya Tavousi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Connecticut, School of Pharmacy, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Ion I Mandoiu
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology, and Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, United States.
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