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Fuchs KJ, van de Meent M, Honders MW, Khatri I, Kester MGD, Koster EAS, Koutsoumpli G, de Ru AH, van Bergen CAM, van Veelen PA, ’t Hoen PAC, van Balen P, van den Akker EB, Veelken JH, Halkes CJM, Falkenburg JHF, Griffioen M. Expanding the repertoire reveals recurrent, cryptic, and hematopoietic HLA class I minor histocompatibility antigens. Blood 2024; 143:1856-1872. [PMID: 38427583 PMCID: PMC11076866 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2023022343] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) is a curative treatment for hematological malignancies. After HLA-matched alloSCT, antitumor immunity is caused by donor T cells recognizing polymorphic peptides, designated minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHAs), that are presented by HLA on malignant patient cells. However, T cells often target MiHAs on healthy nonhematopoietic tissues of patients, thereby inducing side effects known as graft-versus-host disease. Here, we aimed to identify the dominant repertoire of HLA-I-restricted MiHAs to enable strategies to predict, monitor or modulate immune responses after alloSCT. To systematically identify novel MiHAs by genome-wide association screening, T-cell clones were isolated from 39 transplanted patients and tested for reactivity against 191 Epstein-Barr virus transformed B cell lines of the 1000 Genomes Project. By discovering 81 new MiHAs, we more than doubled the antigen repertoire to 159 MiHAs and demonstrated that, despite many genetic differences between patients and donors, often the same MiHAs are targeted in multiple patients. Furthermore, we showed that one quarter of the antigens are cryptic, that is translated from unconventional open reading frames, for example long noncoding RNAs, showing that these antigen types are relevant targets in natural immune responses. Finally, using single cell RNA-seq data, we analyzed tissue expression of MiHA-encoding genes to explore their potential role in clinical outcome, and characterized 11 new hematopoietic-restricted MiHAs as potential targets for immunotherapy. In conclusion, we expanded the repertoire of HLA-I-restricted MiHAs and identified recurrent, cryptic and hematopoietic-restricted antigens, which are fundamental to predict, follow or manipulate immune responses to improve clinical outcome after alloSCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyra J. Fuchs
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marian van de Meent
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - M. Willy Honders
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Indu Khatri
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Michel G. D. Kester
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Eva A. S. Koster
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Georgia Koutsoumpli
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Arnoud H. de Ru
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Peter A. van Veelen
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter A. C. ’t Hoen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Medical BioSciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Peter van Balen
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Erik B. van den Akker
- Center for Computational Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - J. Hendrik Veelken
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Marieke Griffioen
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Fuchs KJ, Honders MW, van der Meijden ED, Adriaans AE, van der Lee DI, Pont MJ, Monajemi R, Kielbasa SM, 't Hoen PAC, van Bergen CAM, Falkenburg JHF, Griffioen M. Optimized Whole Genome Association Scanning for Discovery of HLA Class I-Restricted Minor Histocompatibility Antigens. Front Immunol 2020; 11:659. [PMID: 32362897 PMCID: PMC7180171 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation as treatment for hematological diseases face the risk of Graft-versus-Host Disease as well as relapse. Graft-versus-Host Disease and the favorable Graft-versus-Leukemia effect are mediated by donor T cells recognizing polymorphic peptides, which are presented on the cell surface by HLA molecules and result from single nucleotide polymorphism alleles that are disparate between patient and donor. Identification of polymorphic HLA-binding peptides, designated minor histocompatibility antigens, has been a laborious procedure, and the number and scope for broad clinical use of these antigens therefore remain limited. Here, we present an optimized whole genome association approach for discovery of HLA class I minor histocompatibility antigens. T cell clones isolated from patients who responded to donor lymphocyte infusions after HLA-matched allogeneic stem cell transplantation were tested against a panel of 191 EBV-transformed B cells, which have been sequenced by the 1000 Genomes Project and selected for expression of seven common HLA class I alleles (HLA-A∗01:01, A∗02:01, A∗03:01, B∗07:02, B∗08:01, C∗07:01, and C∗07:02). By including all polymorphisms with minor allele frequencies above 0.01, we demonstrated that the new approach allows direct discovery of minor histocompatibility antigens as exemplified by seven new antigens in eight different HLA class I alleles including one antigen in HLA-A∗24:02 and HLA-A∗23:01, for which the method has not been originally designed. Our new whole genome association strategy is expected to rapidly augment the repertoire of HLA class I-restricted minor histocompatibility antigens that will become available for donor selection and clinical use to predict, follow or manipulate Graft-versus-Leukemia effect and Graft-versus-Host Disease after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyra J Fuchs
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - M Willy Honders
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Edith D van der Meijden
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.,Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Internal Oncology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alwin E Adriaans
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | | | - Margot J Pont
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.,Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Ramin Monajemi
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Szymon M Kielbasa
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Peter A C 't Hoen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.,Centre for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Marieke Griffioen
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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