1
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Helms RS, Marin-Gonzalez A, Patel CH, Sun IH, Wen J, Leone RD, Duvall B, Gao RD, Ha T, Tsukamoto T, Slusher BS, Pomerantz JL, Powell JD. SIKs Regulate HDAC7 Stabilization and Cytokine Recall in Late-Stage T Cell Effector Differentiation. J Immunol 2023; 211:1767-1782. [PMID: 37947442 PMCID: PMC10842463 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300248] [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: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms underlying the acquisition and maintenance of effector function during T cell differentiation is important to unraveling how these processes can be dysregulated in the context of disease and manipulated for therapeutic intervention. In this study, we report the identification of a previously unappreciated regulator of murine T cell differentiation through the evaluation of a previously unreported activity of the kinase inhibitor, BioE-1197. Specifically, we demonstrate that liver kinase B1 (LKB1)-mediated activation of salt-inducible kinases epigenetically regulates cytokine recall potential in effector CD8+ and Th1 cells. Evaluation of this phenotype revealed that salt-inducible kinase-mediated phosphorylation-dependent stabilization of histone deacetylase 7 (HDAC7) occurred during late-stage effector differentiation. HDAC7 stabilization increased nuclear HDAC7 levels, which correlated with total and cytokine loci-specific reductions in the activating transcription mark histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27Ac). Accordingly, HDAC7 stabilization diminished transcriptional induction of cytokine genes upon restimulation. Inhibition of this pathway during differentiation produced effector T cells epigenetically poised for enhanced cytokine recall. This work identifies a previously unrecognized target for enhancing effector T cell functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel S. Helms
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alberto Marin-Gonzalez
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chirag H. Patel
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jiayu Wen
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Robert D. Leone
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Run-Duo Gao
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Taekjip Ha
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Takashi Tsukamoto
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Barbara S. Slusher
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Joel L. Pomerantz
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute for Cell Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Jonathan D. Powell
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Calico Life Sciences LLC, South San Francisco, CA, USA
- These authors contributed equally to this work
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2
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Arwood ML, Sun IH, Patel CH, Sun IM, Oh MH, Bettencourt IA, Claiborne MD, Chan-Li Y, Zhao L, Waickman AT, Mavrothalassitis O, Wen J, Aja S, Powell JD. Serendipitous Discovery of T Cell-Produced KLK1b22 as a Regulator of Systemic Metabolism. Immunohorizons 2023; 7:493-507. [PMID: 37358498 PMCID: PMC10580127 DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2300016] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to study mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin's role in T cell differentiation, we generated mice in which Rheb is selectively deleted in T cells (T-Rheb-/- C57BL/6J background). During these studies, we noted that T-Rheb-/- mice were consistently heavier but had improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity as well as a marked increase in beige fat. Microarray analysis of Rheb-/- T cells revealed a marked increase in expression of kallikrein 1-related peptidase b22 (Klk1b22). Overexpression of KLK1b22 in vitro enhanced insulin receptor signaling, and systemic overexpression of KLK1b22 in C57BL/6J mice also enhances glucose tolerance. Although KLK1B22 expression was markedly elevated in the T-Rheb-/- T cells, we never observed any expression in wild-type T cells. Interestingly, in querying the mouse Immunologic Genome Project, we found that Klk1b22 expression was also increased in wild-type 129S1/SVLMJ and C3HEJ mice. Indeed, both strains of mice demonstrate exceptionally improved glucose tolerance. This prompted us to employ CRISPR-mediated knockout of KLK1b22 in 129S1/SVLMJ mice, which in fact led to reduced glucose tolerance. Overall, our studies reveal (to our knowledge) a novel role for KLK1b22 in regulating systemic metabolism and demonstrate the ability of T cell-derived KLK1b22 to regulate systemic metabolism. Notably, however, further studies have revealed that this is a serendipitous finding unrelated to Rheb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew L. Arwood
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Chirag H. Patel
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ian A. Bettencourt
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Michael D. Claiborne
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Yee Chan-Li
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Liang Zhao
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Adam T. Waickman
- State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
| | - Orestes Mavrothalassitis
- Department of Anesthesia, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA
| | - Jiayu Wen
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Susan Aja
- Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD
- Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jonathan D. Powell
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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3
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Xu W, Patel CH, Zhao L, Sun IH, Oh MH, Sun IM, Helms RS, Wen J, Powell JD. GOT1 regulates CD8 + effector and memory T cell generation. Cell Rep 2023; 42:111987. [PMID: 36640309 PMCID: PMC9943022 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
T cell activation, proliferation, function, and differentiation are tightly linked to proper metabolic reprogramming and regulation. By using [U-13C]glucose tracing, we reveal a critical role for GOT1 in promoting CD8+ T cell effector differentiation and function. Mechanistically, GOT1 enhances proliferation by maintaining intracellular redox balance and serine-mediated purine nucleotide biosynthesis. Further, GOT1 promotes the glycolytic programming and cytotoxic function of cytotoxic T lymphocytes via posttranslational regulation of HIF protein, potentially by regulating the levels of α-ketoglutarate. Conversely, genetic deletion of GOT1 promotes the generation of memory CD8+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Xu
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Chirag H Patel
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Calico LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
| | - Liang Zhao
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Rachel S Helms
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jiayu Wen
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Calico LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.
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4
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Patel CH, Heikamp EB, Xu W, Sun IH, Oh MH, Sun IM, Wen J, Tam AJ, Blosser RL, Powell JD. Cutting Edge: mTORC2 Regulates CD8+ Effector and Memory T Cell Differentiation through Serum and Glucocorticoid Kinase 1. J Immunol 2022; 209:2287-2291. [PMID: 36469844 PMCID: PMC10065985 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100669] [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: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The mechanistic target of rapamycin is an essential regulator of T cell metabolism and differentiation. In this study, we demonstrate that serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1), a downstream node of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 signaling, represses memory CD8+ T cell differentiation. During acute infections, murine SGK1-deficient CD8+ T cells adopt an early memory precursor phenotype leading to more long-lived memory T cells. Thus, SGK1-deficient CD8+ T cells demonstrate an enhanced recall capacity in response to reinfection and can readily reject tumors. Mechanistically, activation of SGK1-deficient CD8+ T cells results in decreased Foxo1 phosphorylation and increased nuclear translocation of Foxo1 to promote early memory development. Overall, SGK1 might prove to be a powerful target for enhancing the efficacy of vaccines and tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chirag H. Patel
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Current address: Calico LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080
- Equal contribution
| | - Emily B. Heikamp
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Equal contribution
| | - Wei Xu
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jiayu Wen
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Ada J. Tam
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Richard L. Blosser
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jonathan D. Powell
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Current address: Calico LLC, South San Francisco, CA 94080
- Lead Contact
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5
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Sun IH, Gillis-Buck E, Mackenzie TC, Gardner JM. Thymic and extrathymic Aire-expressing cells in maternal-fetal tolerance. Immunol Rev 2022; 308:93-104. [PMID: 35535447 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Healthy pregnancy requires maternal immune tolerance to both fetal and placental tissues which contain a range of self- and non-self-antigens. While many of the components and mechanisms of maternal-fetal tolerance have been investigated in detail and previously and thoroughly reviewed (Erlebacher A. Annu Rev Immunol. 2013;31:387-411), the role of autoimmune regulator (Aire), a critical regulator of central tolerance expressed by medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), has been less explored. Aire is known to facilitate the expression of a range of otherwise tissue-specific antigens (TSAs) in mTECs, and here we highlight recent work showing a role for mTEC-mediated thymic selection in maintaining maternal-fetal tolerance. Recently, however, our group and others have identified additional populations of extrathymic Aire-expressing cells (eTACs) in the secondary lymphoid organs. These hematopoietic antigen-presenting cells possess the ability to induce functional inactivation and/or deletion of cognate T cells, and deletion of maternal eTACs during pregnancy increases T-cell activation in the lymph nodes and lymphocytic infiltration of the uterus, leading to pregnancy complications including intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and fetal resorption. In this review, we briefly summarize findings related to essential Aire biology, discuss the known roles of Aire-deficiency related to pregnancy complications and infertility, review the newly discovered role for eTACs in the maintenance of maternal-fetal tolerance-as well as recent work defining eTACs at the single-cell level-and postulate potential mechanisms by which eTACs may regulate this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Im-Hong Sun
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Eva Gillis-Buck
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Tippi C Mackenzie
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Center for Maternal-Fetal Precision Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - James M Gardner
- Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
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6
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Collins SL, Oh MH, Sun IH, Chan-Li Y, Zhao L, Powell JD, Horton MR. mTORC1 Signaling Regulates Proinflammatory Macrophage Function and Metabolism. J Immunol 2021; 207:913-922. [PMID: 34290107 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic programming is integrally linked to immune cell function. Nowhere is this clearer than in the differentiation of macrophages. Proinflammatory M1 macrophages primarily use glycolysis as a rapid energy source but also to generate antimicrobial compounds, whereas alternatively activated M2 macrophages primarily rely on oxidative phosphorylation for the longevity required for proper wound healing. mTOR signaling has been demonstrated to be a key regulator of immune cell metabolism and function. mTORC2 signaling is required for the generation of M2 macrophages, whereas the role of mTORC1 signaling, a key regulator of glycolysis, has been controversial. By using genetic deletion of mTORC1 signaling in C57BL/6 mouse macrophages, we observed enhanced M1 macrophage function in vitro and in vivo. Surprisingly, this enhancement occurred despite a significant defect in M1 macrophage glycolytic metabolism. Mechanistically, enhanced M1 function occurred because of inhibition of the class III histone deacetylases the sirtuins, resulting in enhanced histone acetylation. Our findings provide a counterpoint to the paradigm that enhanced immune cell function must occur in the presence of increased cellular metabolism and identifies a potential, pharmacologic target for the regulation of inflammatory responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel L Collins
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT; and
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Yee Chan-Li
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Liang Zhao
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Maureen R Horton
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD;
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7
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Thompson EA, Cascino K, Ordonez AA, Zhou W, Vaghasia A, Hamacher-Brady A, Brady NR, Sun IH, Wang R, Rosenberg AZ, Delannoy M, Rothman R, Fenstermacher K, Sauer L, Shaw-Saliba K, Bloch EM, Redd AD, Tobian AAR, Horton M, Smith K, Pekosz A, D'Alessio FR, Yegnasubramanian S, Ji H, Cox AL, Powell JD. Metabolic programs define dysfunctional immune responses in severe COVID-19 patients. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108863. [PMID: 33691089 PMCID: PMC7908880 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
It is unclear why some SARS-CoV-2 patients readily resolve infection while others develop severe disease. By interrogating metabolic programs of immune cells in severe and recovered coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients compared with other viral infections, we identify a unique population of T cells. These T cells express increased Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel 1 (VDAC1), accompanied by gene programs and functional characteristics linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. The percentage of these cells increases in elderly patients and correlates with lymphopenia. Importantly, T cell apoptosis is inhibited in vitro by targeting the oligomerization of VDAC1 or blocking caspase activity. We also observe an expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells with unique metabolic phenotypes specific to COVID-19, and their presence distinguishes severe from mild disease. Overall, the identification of these metabolic phenotypes provides insight into the dysfunctional immune response in acutely ill COVID-19 patients and provides a means to predict and track disease severity and/or design metabolic therapeutic regimens. T cells with a unique metabolic profile are expanded in acute COVID-19 These T cells are prone to mitochondrial apoptosis, correlating with lymphopenia Metabolically distinct myeloid-derived suppressor cells increase in acute COVID-19 The presence of these M-MDSCs in acute COVID-19 correlates with disease severity
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Thompson
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Katherine Cascino
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Alvaro A Ordonez
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Weiqiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Ajay Vaghasia
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Anne Hamacher-Brady
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Nathan R Brady
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Rulin Wang
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Avi Z Rosenberg
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Michael Delannoy
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Richard Rothman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Katherine Fenstermacher
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Lauren Sauer
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kathyrn Shaw-Saliba
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Evan M Bloch
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Andrew D Redd
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Aaron A R Tobian
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Maureen Horton
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kellie Smith
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Andrew Pekosz
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Franco R D'Alessio
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Hongkai Ji
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Andrea L Cox
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
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8
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Thompson EA, Cascino K, Ordonez AA, Zhou W, Vaghasia A, Hamacher-Brady A, Brady NR, Sun IH, Wang R, Rosenberg AZ, Delannoy M, Rothman R, Fenstermacher K, Sauer L, Shaw-Saliba K, Bloch EM, Redd AD, Tobian AA, Horton M, Smith K, Pekosz A, D'Alessio FR, Yegnasubramanian S, Ji H, Cox AL, Powell JD. Metabolic programs define dysfunctional immune responses in severe COVID-19 patients. medRxiv 2020. [PMID: 32935120 PMCID: PMC7491535 DOI: 10.1101/2020.09.10.20186064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
It remains unclear why some patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 readily resolve infection while others develop severe disease. To address this question, we employed a novel assay to interrogate immune-metabolic programs of T cells and myeloid cells in severe and recovered COVID-19 patients. Using this approach, we identified a unique population of T cells expressing high H3K27me3 and the mitochondrial membrane protein voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC), which were expanded in acutely ill COVID-19 patients and distinct from T cells found in patients infected with hepatitis c or influenza and in recovered COVID-19. Increased VDAC was associated with gene programs linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. High-resolution fluorescence and electron microscopy imaging of the cells revealed dysmorphic mitochondria and release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm, indicative of apoptosis activation. The percentage of these cells was markedly increased in elderly patients and correlated with lymphopenia. Importantly, T cell apoptosis could be inhibited in vitro by targeting the oligomerization of VDAC or blocking caspase activity. In addition to these T cell findings, we also observed a robust population of Hexokinase II+ polymorphonuclear-myeloid derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSC), exclusively found in the acutely ill COVID-19 patients and not the other viral diseases. Finally, we revealed a unique population of monocytic MDSC (M-MDSC) expressing high levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (CPT1a) and VDAC. The metabolic phenotype of these cells was not only highly specific to COVID-19 patients but the presence of these cells was able to distinguish severe from mild disease. Overall, the identification of these novel metabolic phenotypes not only provides insight into the dysfunctional immune response in acutely ill COVID-19 patients but also provide a means to predict and track disease severity as well as an opportunity to design and evaluate novel metabolic therapeutic regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Thompson
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Katherine Cascino
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Alvaro A Ordonez
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Weiqiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Ajay Vaghasia
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Anne Hamacher-Brady
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Nathan R Brady
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Rulin Wang
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Avi Z Rosenberg
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Michael Delannoy
- Department of Cell Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Richard Rothman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Katherine Fenstermacher
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Lauren Sauer
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kathyrn Shaw-Saliba
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Evan M Bloch
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Andrew D Redd
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Aaron Ar Tobian
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Maureen Horton
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Kellie Smith
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Andrew Pekosz
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Franco R D'Alessio
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Hongkai Ji
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Andrea L Cox
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.,Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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9
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Oh MH, Sun IH, Zhao L, Leone RD, Sun IM, Xu W, Collins SL, Tam AJ, Blosser RL, Patel CH, Englert JM, Arwood ML, Wen J, Chan-Li Y, Tenora L, Majer P, Rais R, Slusher BS, Horton MR, Powell JD. Targeting glutamine metabolism enhances tumor-specific immunity by modulating suppressive myeloid cells. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:3865-3884. [PMID: 32324593 PMCID: PMC7324212 DOI: 10.1172/jci131859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Myeloid cells comprise a major component of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that promotes tumor growth and immune evasion. By employing a small-molecule inhibitor of glutamine metabolism, not only were we able to inhibit tumor growth, but we markedly inhibited the generation and recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Targeting tumor glutamine metabolism led to a decrease in CSF3 and hence recruitment of MDSCs as well as immunogenic cell death, leading to an increase in inflammatory tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Alternatively, inhibiting glutamine metabolism of the MDSCs themselves led to activation-induced cell death and conversion of MDSCs to inflammatory macrophages. Surprisingly, blocking glutamine metabolism also inhibited IDO expression of both the tumor and myeloid-derived cells, leading to a marked decrease in kynurenine levels. This in turn inhibited the development of metastasis and further enhanced antitumor immunity. Indeed, targeting glutamine metabolism rendered checkpoint blockade-resistant tumors susceptible to immunotherapy. Overall, our studies define an intimate interplay between the unique metabolism of tumors and the metabolism of suppressive immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Hee Oh
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Liang Zhao
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Robert D Leone
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Wei Xu
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Samuel L Collins
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ada J Tam
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Richard L Blosser
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Chirag H Patel
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | | | - Matthew L Arwood
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Jiayu Wen
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
| | - Yee Chan-Li
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lukáš Tenora
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Majer
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Rana Rais
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Barbara S Slusher
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Maureen R Horton
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, and
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10
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Leone RD, Zhao L, Englert JM, Sun IM, Oh MH, Sun IH, Arwood ML, Bettencourt IA, Patel CH, Wen J, Tam A, Blosser RL, Prchalova E, Alt J, Rais R, Slusher BS, Powell JD. Glutamine blockade induces divergent metabolic programs to overcome tumor immune evasion. Science 2019; 366:1013-1021. [PMID: 31699883 DOI: 10.1126/science.aav2588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 590] [Impact Index Per Article: 118.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2018] [Revised: 07/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The metabolic characteristics of tumors present considerable hurdles to immune cell function and cancer immunotherapy. Using a glutamine antagonist, we metabolically dismantled the immunosuppressive microenvironment of tumors. We demonstrate that glutamine blockade in tumor-bearing mice suppresses oxidative and glycolytic metabolism of cancer cells, leading to decreased hypoxia, acidosis, and nutrient depletion. By contrast, effector T cells responded to glutamine antagonism by markedly up-regulating oxidative metabolism and adopting a long-lived, highly activated phenotype. These divergent changes in cellular metabolism and programming form the basis for potent antitumor responses. Glutamine antagonism therefore exposes a previously undefined difference in metabolic plasticity between cancer cells and effector T cells that can be exploited as a "metabolic checkpoint" for tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Leone
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Liang Zhao
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Judson M Englert
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Matthew L Arwood
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Ian A Bettencourt
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Chirag H Patel
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jiayu Wen
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Ada Tam
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Richard L Blosser
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Eva Prchalova
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jesse Alt
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Rana Rais
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Barbara S Slusher
- Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
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11
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Zhao L, Arwood M, Oh MH, Xu W, Sun IH, Sun IM, Patel C, Leone R, Alt J, Rais R, Slusher B, Powell JD. Abstract 4376: Targeting glutamine metabolism disables Warburg physiology by inhibiting proximal glycolysis and Krebs cycle rewiring. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2019-4376] [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
Glutamine plays a critical role in multiple metabolic reactions that support tumor anabolic processes. In spite of this, targeted inhibition of glutaminase, which converts exogenous glutamine into glutamate has met with limited clinical success. We hypothesized that broadly inhibiting glutamine metabolism would more effectively shut down tumor growth. To this end we employed a novel prodrug of the glutamine antagonist 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON) in a number of syngeneic mouse models of cancer including MC38 (derived from colon cancer), 3LL (derived from lung cancer) and B16 (derived from melanoma). To better understand the anti-tumor mechanisms, we used LC-MS-based metabolomics to profile metabolic flux in these different tumor models with [U-13C]-glucose/glutamine as tracer. We observed that when compared to 3LL and B16, MC38 was highly sensitive to anti-glutamine treatment. As expected, tumor growth inhibition was correlated with inhibition of (the glutamine requiring) purine nucleotide synthesis. Surprisingly however, treatment with the glutamine antagonist markedly inhibited “proximal” glycolytic reactions as determined by inhibition of the generation of glucose-6-P and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. This inhibition correlated with a decrease in FDG-PET. Likewise, we observed a marked decrease in one carbon metabolism as measured by serine. Strikingly, glutamine antagonism eliminated the glucose-derived succinate. Instead, a dramatic rewiring of the Krebs cycle was identified, which showed an alternative source of succinate was derived from the GABA shunt. In contrast, not only were these pathways upregulated in the relatively resistant B16 and 3LL tumors, glutamine antagonism only minimally affected these pathways. Furthermore, glutamine antagonism led to a marked decrease in kynurenine. Kynurenine is the result of tryptophan metabolism by IDO and is a potent immunosuppressive metabolite and promoter of metastasis. Decreased kynurenine levels were not the result of inhibition of IDO activity by the glutamine antagonist but rather due to a decrease in IDO expression. Interestingly, the hierarchy of susceptibility to glutamine metabolism and the inhibition of these specific pathways (proximal glycolysis, one carbon metabolism and Krebs cycle) correlated with the hierarchy of susceptibility to anti-PD-1 suggesting that tumor specific metabolism might contribute to resistance to immunotherapy. Overall these results accentuate the importance of glutamine requiring metabolic pathways independent of the role of exogenous glutamine uptake. Further, our results highlight the lack of plasticity of highly coordinated tumor metabolic programming; targeting glutamine metabolism inhibited proximal glycolysis, one carbon metabolism and Krebs cycle. In doing so, we identify novel susceptibilities to exploit for inhibiting tumor growth.
Citation Format: Liang Zhao, Matthew Arwood, Min-Hee Oh, Wei Xu, Im-Hong Sun, Im-Meng Sun, Chirag Patel, Robert Leone, Jesse Alt, Rana Rais, Barbara Slusher, Jonathan D. Powell. Targeting glutamine metabolism disables Warburg physiology by inhibiting proximal glycolysis and Krebs cycle rewiring [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4376.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zhao
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Matthew Arwood
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Wei Xu
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Chirag Patel
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Robert Leone
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jesse Alt
- 2Drug Discovery Program, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Rana Rais
- 2Drug Discovery Program, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Barbara Slusher
- 2Drug Discovery Program, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jonathan D. Powell
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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12
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Oh MH, Travers M, Brown S, Zhao L, Sun IM, Sun IH, Arwood M, Xu W, Collins S, Leone R, Prchalova E, Rais R, Slusher B, Horton M, Zahnow C, Powell J. Abstract LB-022: Targeting glutamine metabolism as a mean of treating a murine model of ovarian cancer and ascites development. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2019-lb-022] [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
Malignant ascites in ovarian cancer develops in the setting of recurrent and advanced metastatic disease and is associated with poor prognosis. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that ovarian cancer patients have altered metabolism and an immunosuppressive environment in the ascites fluid. Inasmuch as the rapid proliferation of ovarian cancer cells and development of ascites is dependent on glutamine metabolism, we hypothesized that targeting the glutamine metabolism can inhibit the development of ascites and enhance anti-tumor immunity in ovarian cancer. To test this hypothesis, we developed a novel small molecule glutamine antagonist (prodrug of 6-Diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine, JHU-083). By employing JHU-083, we evaluated this hypothesis in mice bearing an aggressive and metastatic ovarian cancer (ID8 cell line with an overexpression of Defb29 and Vegfa). Targeting glutamine metabolism led to markedly reduced progression of ascites along with reduced tumor cell numbers. Furthermore, JHU-083 treatment also led to a marked diminution of the volume of fluid in mice with already established ascites. Inhibition of glutamine metabolism also led to a less suppressive tumor microenvironment by blocking the recruitment of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) to the ascites fluid. Functionally, both the TAMs and tumor cells from the JHU-083 treated group showed a lower expression of PDL1 compared to the vehicle treated group. Additionally, we also observed reduced regulatory T cell (T regs) percentages and numbers with JHU-083 treatment. These findings are consistent with our previous observations that targeting glutamine metabolism can inhibit the generation and recruitment of MDSC and T regs by targeting both tumor cell and immune cell metabolism. Further, LC-MS based metabolite analysis of the ovarian cancer ascites fluid from JHU-083 treated mice revealed distinct differences in urea-ornithine pathway, nucleotide synthesis, and redox balance related metabolites. In light of these findings, ongoing experiments are examining the efficacy of JHU-083 in combination with epigenetic drugs, VEGF inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, and checkpoint blockade. These studies suggest that targeting glutamine metabolism may represent a novel approach to treating metastatic ovarian cancer and ascites.
Citation Format: Min-Hee Oh, Meghan Travers, Stephen Brown, Liang Zhao, Im-Meng Sun, Im-Hong Sun, Matthew Arwood, Wei Xu, Samuel Collins, Robert Leone, Eva Prchalova, Rana Rais, Barbara Slusher, Maureen Horton, Cynthia Zahnow, Jonathan Powell. Targeting glutamine metabolism as a mean of treating a murine model of ovarian cancer and ascites development [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Hee Oh
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Meghan Travers
- 2Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Stephen Brown
- 2Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Liang Zhao
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Matthew Arwood
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Wei Xu
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Samuel Collins
- 2Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Robert Leone
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Eva Prchalova
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Rana Rais
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Barbara Slusher
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Maureen Horton
- 2Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Cynthia Zahnow
- 2Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jonathan Powell
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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13
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Leone RD, Sun IM, Oh MH, Sun IH, Wen J, Englert J, Powell JD. Inhibition of the adenosine A2a receptor modulates expression of T cell coinhibitory receptors and improves effector function for enhanced checkpoint blockade and ACT in murine cancer models. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2018; 67:1271-1284. [PMID: 29923026 PMCID: PMC11028354 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-018-2186-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Adenosine signaling via the A2a receptor (A2aR) is emerging as an important checkpoint of immune responses. The presence of adenosine in the inflammatory milieu or generated by the CD39/CD73 axis on tissues or T regulatory cells serves to regulate immune responses. By nature of the specialized metabolism of cancer cells, adenosine levels are increased in the tumor microenvironment and contribute to tumor immune evasion. To this end, small molecule inhibitors of the A2aR are being pursued clinically to enhance immunotherapy. Herein, we demonstrate the ability of the novel A2aR antagonist, CPI-444, to dramatically enhance immunologic responses in models of checkpoint therapy and ACT in cancer. Furthermore, we demonstrate that A2aR blockade with CPI-444 decreases expression of multiple checkpoint pathways, including PD-1 and LAG-3, on both CD8+ effector T cells (Teff) and FoxP3+ CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Interestingly, our studies demonstrate that A2aR blockade likely has its most profound effects during Teff cell activation, significantly decreasing PD-1 and LAG-3 expression at the draining lymph nodes of tumor bearing mice. In contrast to previous reports using A2aR knockout models, pharmacologic blockade with CPI-444 did not impede CD8 T cell persistence or memory recall. Overall these findings not only redefine our understanding of the mechanisms by which adenosine inhibits immunity but also have important implications for the design of novel immunotherapy regimens.
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MESH Headings
- Adenosine A2 Receptor Antagonists/pharmacology
- Animals
- Antigens, CD/chemistry
- Antigens, CD/metabolism
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Colonic Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Colonic Neoplasms/immunology
- Colonic Neoplasms/metabolism
- Colonic Neoplasms/pathology
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Immunotherapy
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating
- Male
- Melanoma, Experimental/drug therapy
- Melanoma, Experimental/immunology
- Melanoma, Experimental/metabolism
- Melanoma, Experimental/pathology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/antagonists & inhibitors
- Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism
- Receptor, Adenosine A2A/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
- Tumor Microenvironment
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
- Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3 Protein
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D Leone
- Department of Oncology, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- Department of Oncology, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- Department of Oncology, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Department of Oncology, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Jiayu Wen
- Department of Oncology, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Judson Englert
- Department of Oncology, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- MedImmune, LLC, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878, USA
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Department of Oncology, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1650 Orleans Street, CRB1 Room 453, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA.
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14
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Leone R, Englert J, Sun IM, Oh MH, Alt J, Sun IH, Tam AJ, Majer P, Rais R, Slusher B, Powell J. Abstract 4963: Targeting glutamine metabolism as a means of enhancing antitumor T-cell responses. Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2018-4963] [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
Tumors possess specialized metabolic programming that facilitates their rapid growth. We have developed a novel glutamine antagonist (JHU-083) that not only demonstrates single-agent efficacy in a variety of mouse tumor models but also synergizes with anti-PD-1, adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) and A2aR antagonism to overcome resistance to immunotherapy and promote durable cures. Interestingly, we have observed that JHU-083 markedly enhances endogenous antitumor T-cell responses even in the absence of additional immunotherapy. Flow cytometry analyses of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) reveal markedly increased infiltration of CD8+ T cells with increased proliferative index (Ki67) and the generation of robust memory phenotypes in JHU-083 treated mice. Interestingly, Gene Set Enrichment Analyses (GSEA) using RNA-sequencing data revealed that CD8+ TIL from vehicle treated mice showed significantly enhanced expression of apoptotic transcriptional programs compared with TIL from mice treated with JHU-083. Consistent with flow cytometry data, GSEA showed CD8+ TILs from mice treated with glutamine antagonism expressed transcriptional programs characteristic of long-lived memory cells. To this end, vaccination experiments in mice treated with JHU-083 demonstrate that many of the phenotypic changes observed in TIL can be generated outside the TME and are due to direct effects of glutamine blockade on effector T cells. Our studies show that these transcriptional changes are associated with profound remodeling of the histone epigenetic code and correlate with decreased intracellular levels of α-ketoglutarate in response to glutamine antagonism. Supplementation with dimethyl α-ketoglutarate, a cell-permeable form of α-ketoglutarate, partially reverses phenotypic and epigenetic changes in CD8 T cells undergoing activation in the setting of glutamine antagonism. These findings are consistent with inhibition of a family of enzymes known as α-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenases, which are responsible for a broad range of demethylation reactions, including histone and DNA demethylation. Overall, our work demonstrates that glutamine antagonism can directly inhibit tumor growth and survival while also reprogramming maladaptive antitumor T-cell responses to enhance endogenous antitumor immunity. Such observations support the development of our novel glutamine antagonists as both monotherapy and in combination with immunotherapy.
Citation Format: Robert Leone, Judson Englert, Im-Meng Sun, Min-Hee Oh, Jesse Alt, Im-Hong Sun, Ada J. Tam, Pavel Majer, Rana Rais, Barbara Slusher, Jonathan Powell. Targeting glutamine metabolism as a means of enhancing antitumor T-cell responses [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4963.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Leone
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Im-Meng Sun
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jesse Alt
- 3Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery Program, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ada J. Tam
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Pavel Majer
- 4Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Republic
| | - Rana Rais
- 3Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery Program, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Jonathan Powell
- 1Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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Oh MH, Sun IH, Zhao L, Sun IM, Xu W, Patel C, Leone R, Tam AJ, Englert J, Majer P, Rais R, Slusher B, Horton MR, Powell JD. Abstract 4730: Targeting glutamine metabolism enhances tumor specific immunity by inhibiting the generation and function of suppressive myeloid cells. Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2018-4730] [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
In order to sustain their inexorable growth, tumors have specialized reprogrammed metabolism. This metabolism creates an acidic, hypoxic and nutrient-depleted tumor microenvironment (TME). Such an environment inhibits antitumor effector cells while promoting the differentiation and function of inhibitory cells such as T regulatory cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAM). We hypothesized that by targeting tumor metabolism we could alter the TME and “condition” tumors to be more susceptible to immunotherapy. To this end, along with the Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery Program we developed a novel prodrug of 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine, inhibitor of glutamine metabolism (JHU-083). Recently, it has been shown that M2 macrophages require glutamine metabolism for differentiation and function. In light of the similarities between M2 macrophages and suppressive myeloid cells, we hypothesized that JHU-083 might inhibit the generation and function of MDSCs and TAMs. We tested this hypothesis in the 4T1 breast cancer model and 3LL lung carcinoma model. These tumors are relatively resistant to immunotherapy and are characterized by increased generation of MDSCs and distant spontaneous metastasis. JHU-083 treated mice suppressed tumor growth compared to the vehicle treated group. Immunologically, we observed markedly reduced numbers of MDSCs in circulating blood within 3 days of drug treatment compared to vehicle group, leading to favorable CD8 to MDSCs ratios. Consistently, JHU083-treated group displayed significantly decreased percentages and numbers of MDSCs in the tumor, and increased tumor infiltrating CD8 cells. Interestingly, JHU-083 treatment induced TAM reprogramming. While the TAM from the vehicle treated group displayed increased M2 markers and arginase; the JHU-083 treated tumor-infiltrating cells showed increased TNF-a producing M1-like macrophage phenotypes compared to vehicle group. These TNF-a producing cells were negatively correlated with tumor sizes. Notably, JHU083 treatment not only controlled primary tumor growth but also drastically reduced spontaneous lung metastasis. The decrease of MDSCs infiltration in the lung were also observed in JHU083-treated group. Mechanistically, our data suggest that JHU-083 inhibits CSF2/CSF3 production and survival of the tumor itself as well as directly affects macrophage metabolism and signaling. Also, LC-MS based metabolites analysis from JHU-083 treated tumors revealed reduced kynurenine:tryptophan ratios compared to the control group, indicating the metabolic modulation of the tumor microenvironment. Overall, our data support a novel role for glutamine inhibitor, JHU-083, in enhancing tumor-specific Immunity by targeting suppressive myeloid cells.
Citation Format: Min-Hee Oh, Im-Hong Sun, Liang Zhao, Im-Meng Sun, Wei Xu, Chirag Patel, Robert Leone, Ada J. Tam, Judd Englert, Pavel Majer, Rana Rais, Barbara Slusher, Maureen R. Horton, Jonathan D. Powell. Targeting glutamine metabolism enhances tumor specific immunity by inhibiting the generation and function of suppressive myeloid cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4730.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Hee Oh
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Liang Zhao
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Meng Sun
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Wei Xu
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Chirag Patel
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Robert Leone
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ada J. Tam
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | | | - Pavel Majer
- 3Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry ASCR, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Rana Rais
- 4Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery Program, Baltimore, MD
| | | | | | - Jonathan D. Powell
- 1Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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Sun IH, Oh MH, Zhao L, Patel CH, Arwood ML, Xu W, Tam AJ, Blosser RL, Wen J, Powell JD. mTOR Complex 1 Signaling Regulates the Generation and Function of Central and Effector Foxp3 + Regulatory T Cells. J Immunol 2018; 201:481-492. [PMID: 29884702 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has emerged as a critical integrator of signals from the immune microenvironment capable of regulating T cell activation, differentiation, and function. The precise role of mTOR in the control of regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation and function is complex. Pharmacologic inhibition and genetic deletion of mTOR promotes the generation of Tregs even under conditions that would normally promote generation of effector T cells. Alternatively, mTOR activity has been observed to be increased in Tregs, and the genetic deletion of the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1)-scaffold protein Raptor inhibits Treg function. In this study, by employing both pharmacologic inhibitors and genetically altered T cells, we seek to clarify the role of mTOR in Tregs. Our studies demonstrate that inhibition of mTOR during T cell activation promotes the generation of long-lived central Tregs with a memory-like phenotype in mice. Metabolically, these central memory Tregs possess enhanced spare respiratory capacity, similar to CD8+ memory cells. Alternatively, the generation of effector Tregs (eTregs) requires mTOR function. Indeed, genetic deletion of Rptor leads to the decreased expression of ICOS and PD-1 on the eTregs. Overall, our studies define a subset of mTORC1hi eTregs and mTORC1lo central Tregs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Im-Hong Sun
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Liang Zhao
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Chirag H Patel
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Matthew L Arwood
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Wei Xu
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Ada J Tam
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Richard L Blosser
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Jiayu Wen
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Bloomberg∼Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287
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17
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Oh MH, Collins SL, Sun IH, Tam AJ, Patel CH, Arwood ML, Chan-Li Y, Powell JD, Horton MR. mTORC2 Signaling Selectively Regulates the Generation and Function of Tissue-Resident Peritoneal Macrophages. Cell Rep 2018; 20:2439-2454. [PMID: 28877476 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.08.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [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: 05/07/2016] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Tissue-resident macrophages play critical roles in sentinel and homeostatic functions as well as in promoting inflammation and immunity. It has become clear that the generation of these cells is highly dependent upon tissue-specific cues derived from the microenvironment that, in turn, regulate unique differentiation programs. Recently, a role for GATA6 has emerged in the differentiation programming of resident peritoneal macrophages. We identify a critical role for mTOR in integrating cues from the tissue microenvironment in regulating differentiation and metabolic reprogramming. Specifically, inhibition of mTORC2 leads to enhanced GATA6 expression in a FOXO1 dependent fashion. Functionally, inhibition of mTORC2 promotes peritoneal resident macrophage generation in the resolution phase during zymosan-induced peritonitis. Also, mTORC2-deficient peritoneal resident macrophages displayed increased functionality and metabolic reprogramming. Notably, mTORC2 activation distinguishes tissue-resident macrophage proliferation and differentiation from that of M2 macrophages. Overall, our data implicate a selective role for mTORC2 in the differentiation of tissue-resident macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Hee Oh
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Samuel L Collins
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Ada J Tam
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Chirag H Patel
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Matthew L Arwood
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Yee Chan-Li
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Maureen R Horton
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
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18
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Hsiao PY, Kalin JH, Sun IH, Amin MN, Lo YC, Chiang MJ, Giddens J, Sysa-Shah P, Gabrielson K, Wang LX, Powell JD, Cole PA. An Fc-Small Molecule Conjugate for Targeted Inhibition of the Adenosine 2A Receptor. Chembiochem 2016; 17:1951-1960. [PMID: 27432157 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201600337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The adenosine A2A receptor (A2A R) is expressed in immune cells, as well as brain and heart tissue, and has been intensively studied as a therapeutic target for multiple disease indications. Inhibitors of the A2A R have the potential for stimulating immune response, which could be valuable for cancer immune surveillance and mounting a response against pathogens. One well-established potent and selective small molecule A2A R antagonist, ZM-241385 (ZM), has a short pharmacokinetic half-life and the potential for systemic toxicity due to A2A R effects in the brain and the heart. In this study, we designed an analogue of ZM and tethered it to the Fc domain of the immunoglobulin IgG3 by using expressed protein ligation. The resulting protein-small molecule conjugate, Fc-ZM, retained high affinity for two Fc receptors: FcγRI and the neonatal Fc receptor, FcRn. In addition, Fc-ZM was a potent A2A R antagonist, as measured by a cell-based cAMP assay. Cell-based assays also revealed that Fc-ZM could stimulate interferon γ production in splenocytes in a fashion that was dependent on the presence of A2A R. We found that Fc-ZM, compared with the small molecule ZM, was a superior A2A R antagonist in mice, consistent with the possibility that Fc attachment can improve pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic properties of the small molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Yuan Hsiao
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 302 Wood Basic Science Building, 725 N Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Jay H Kalin
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 302 Wood Basic Science Building, 725 N Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building, Ste. 1100, 401 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Mohammed N Amin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, 8051 Regents Drive, College Park, MD, 20742-4454, USA.,Center for Vaccine Development, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, 685 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201-1509, USA
| | - Ying-Chun Lo
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building, Ste. 1100, 401 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.,Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, 310 Cedar Street, LH 108, New Haven, CT, 06520-8023, USA
| | - Meng-Jung Chiang
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 302 Wood Basic Science Building, 725 N Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.,Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA
| | - John Giddens
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, 8051 Regents Drive, College Park, MD, 20742-4454, USA
| | - Polina Sysa-Shah
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, 601 N Caroline St., Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kathleen Gabrielson
- Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 733 North Broadway, Miller Research Building, Room 807, Baltimore, MD, 21205-2196, USA
| | - Lai-Xi Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, 8051 Regents Drive, College Park, MD, 20742-4454, USA
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building, Ste. 1100, 401 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Philip A Cole
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 302 Wood Basic Science Building, 725 N Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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19
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Leone RD, Englert JM, Cheng CH, Wen J, Oh MH, Sun IH, Patel C, Bettencourt IA, Powell JD. Abstract 4364: Adenosine A2a receptor blockade as a means of enhancing immune checkpoint inhibition and adoptive T-cell therapy. Cancer Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2016-4364] [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
Adenosine signaling through the A2a receptor (A2aR) has pleiotropic immunosuppressive effects on a broad range of immune cells. Extracellular adenosine levels, which are typically very low in normal tissues, are elevated in the tumor microenvironment, allowing increased signaling through the A2aR. Previously, our lab and others have shown increased rejection of tumors in A2aR-null mice, demonstrating that adenosine signaling through A2aR limits immunologic response to tumors.
Present work in our lab demonstrates the ability of a potent and specific, orally administered A2aR antagonist, CPI-444, to enhance immunologic response in mice. First, A2aR blockade with CPI-444 (1 mg/kg) in the peri-vaccination period led to significant expansion of antigen-specific T cells over untreated controls. Interestingly, antigen-specific CTLs from CPI-444 treated mice showed significantly lower expression of inhibitory checkpoint receptors, including PD-1 and TIM-3. Second, in an MC38 tumor model, daily treatment with CPI-444 (100 mg/kg) led to tumor growth suppression and survival benefit compared with vehicle-treated controls. Notably, tumor infiltrating regulatory T cells had significantly lower CTLA-4 and FoxP3 expression in CPI-444 treated mice.
These initial immunologic findings of enhanced early CTL expansion and suppression of inhibitory co-signaling have important implications for applying A2aR blockade to immunotherapy in cancer. First, given the ability of CPI-444 to augment CTL expansion, we investigated its application to a therapeutic adoptive T cell transfer system using OVA-expressing B16 melanoma cell line. In mice with established tumors, daily CPI-444 (100 mg/kg) treatment initiated on the day of adoptive transfer of activated OVA-specific OT-I T cells led to suppressed tumor growth and increased survival versus vehicle treated controls. Second, in light of our data demonstrating its ability to suppress PD-1 in CTLs, we theorized that CPI-444 may lower the threshold for effective anti-PD-1 therapy and achieve synergistic effects as combination therapy. Indeed, daily CPI-444 (100 mg/kg) treatment combined with anti-PD-1 treatment showed robust antitumor effect in the CT26 tumor model, with complete tumor rejection in 7/9 mice (vs. 2/10 mice in the anti-PD-1 alone group). Survival was markedly improved in mice receiving combination treatment versus either CPI-444 or anti-PD-1 alone. In as much as increased adenosine in the tumor microenvironment is partly a consequence of dysregulated cancer cell metabolism, we hypothesized that targeting tumor metabolism would enhance the efficacy of A2aR antagonism. To this end, inhibition of tumor glutamine metabolism potently augmented the efficacy of CPI-444 in a CT26 model. Overall, our data suggest that A2aR antagonism can enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy in the form of checkpoint blockade and adoptive cellular therapy.
Citation Format: Robert D. Leone, Judson M. Englert, Chih-Hsien Cheng, Jiayu Wen, Min-Hee Oh, Im-Hong Sun, Chirag Patel, Ian A. Bettencourt, Jonathan D. Powell. Adenosine A2a receptor blockade as a means of enhancing immune checkpoint inhibition and adoptive T-cell therapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4364.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert D. Leone
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Judson M. Englert
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Chih-Hsien Cheng
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jiayu Wen
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Chirag Patel
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Ian A. Bettencourt
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Jonathan D. Powell
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
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20
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Pollizzi KN, Sun IH, Patel CH, Lo YC, Oh MH, Waickman AT, Tam AJ, Blosser RL, Wen J, Delgoffe GM, Powell JD. Asymmetric inheritance of mTORC1 kinase activity during division dictates CD8(+) T cell differentiation. Nat Immunol 2016; 17:704-11. [PMID: 27064374 PMCID: PMC4873361 DOI: 10.1038/ni.3438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [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: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The asymmetric partitioning of fate determining proteins has been shown to contribute to the generation of effector and memory CD8+ T cell precursors. Here, we demonstrate the asymmetric partitioning of mTORC1 activity upon activation of naïve CD8+ T cells. This results in the generation of one daughter T cell with increased mTORC1 activity, increased glycolytic activity and increased expression of effector molecules. The other daughter T cell inherits relatively low levels of mTORC1 activity, possesses increased lipid metabolism, expresses increased anti-apoptotic molecules and subsequently displays enhanced long-term survival. Mechanistically, we demonstrate a link between TCR-induced asymmetric expression of amino acid transporters and RagC-mediated translocation of mTOR to the lysosomes. Overall, our data provide important insight into how mTORC1-mediated metabolic reprogramming affects the fate decisions of T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen N Pollizzi
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Im-Hong Sun
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Chirag H Patel
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ying-Chun Lo
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Min-Hee Oh
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Adam T Waickman
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Ada J Tam
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Richard L Blosser
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jiayu Wen
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Greg M Delgoffe
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jonathan D Powell
- Sidney-Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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21
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Pollizzi KN, Patel CH, Sun IH, Oh MH, Waickman AT, Wen J, Delgoffe GM, Powell JD. mTORC1 and mTORC2 selectively regulate CD8⁺ T cell differentiation. J Clin Invest 2015; 125:2090-108. [PMID: 25893604 DOI: 10.1172/jci77746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 287] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation of mTOR-dependent pathways regulates the specification and differentiation of CD4+ T effector cell subsets. Herein, we show that mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2 have distinct roles in the generation of CD8+ T cell effector and memory populations. Evaluation of mice with a T cell-specific deletion of the gene encoding the negative regulator of mTORC1, tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2), resulted in the generation of highly glycolytic and potent effector CD8+ T cells; however, due to constitutive mTORC1 activation, these cells retained a terminally differentiated effector phenotype and were incapable of transitioning into a memory state. In contrast, CD8+ T cells deficient in mTORC1 activity due to loss of RAS homolog enriched in brain (RHEB) failed to differentiate into effector cells but retained memory characteristics, such as surface marker expression, a lower metabolic rate, and increased longevity. However, these RHEB-deficient memory-like T cells failed to generate recall responses as the result of metabolic defects. While mTORC1 influenced CD8+ T cell effector responses, mTORC2 activity regulated CD8+ T cell memory. mTORC2 inhibition resulted in metabolic reprogramming, which enhanced the generation of CD8+ memory cells. Overall, these results define specific roles for mTORC1 and mTORC2 that link metabolism and CD8+ T cell effector and memory generation and suggest that these functions have the potential to be targeted for enhancing vaccine efficacy and antitumor immunity.
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22
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Abstract
Myxococcus xanthus moves by gliding motility powered by Type IV pili (S-motility) and a second motility system, A-motility, whose mechanism remains elusive despite the identification of approximately 40 A-motility genes. In this study, we used biochemistry and cell biology analyses to identify multi-protein complexes associated with A-motility. Previously, we showed that the N-terminal domain of FrzCD, the receptor for the frizzy chemosensory pathway, interacts with two A-motility proteins, AglZ and AgmU. Here we characterized AgmU, a protein that localized to both the periplasm and cytoplasm. On firm surfaces, AgmU-mCherry colocalized with AglZ as distributed clusters that remained fixed with respect to the substratum as cells moved forward. Cluster formation was favoured by hard surfaces where A-motility is favoured. In contrast, AgmU-mCherry clusters were not observed on soft agar surfaces or when cells were in large groups, conditions that favour S-motility. Using glutathione-S-transferase affinity chromatography, AgmU was found to interact either directly or indirectly with multiple A-motility proteins including AglZ, AglT, AgmK, AgmX, AglW and CglB. These proteins, important for the correct localization of AgmU and AglZ, appear to be organized as a motility complex, spanning the cytoplasm, inner membrane and the periplasm. Identification of this complex may be important for uncovering the mechanism of A-motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beiyan Nan
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3204, USA
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