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Mediratta K, El-Sahli S, Marotel M, Awan MZ, Kirkby M, Salkini A, Kurdieh R, Abdisalam S, Shrestha A, Di Censo C, Sulaiman A, McGarry S, Lavoie JR, Liu Z, Lee SH, Li X, Sciumè G, D’Costa VM, Ardolino M, Wang L. Targeting CD73 with flavonoids inhibits cancer stem cells and increases lymphocyte infiltration in a triple-negative breast cancer mouse model. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1366197. [PMID: 38601156 PMCID: PMC11004431 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1366197] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Chemotherapy remains the mainstay treatment for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) due to the lack of specific targets. Given a modest response of immune checkpoint inhibitors in TNBC patients, improving immunotherapy is an urgent and crucial task in this field. CD73 has emerged as a novel immunotherapeutic target, given its elevated expression on tumor, stromal, and specific immune cells, and its established role in inhibiting anti-cancer immunity. CD73-generated adenosine suppresses immunity by attenuating tumor-infiltrating T- and NK-cell activation, while amplifying regulatory T cell activation. Chemotherapy often leads to increased CD73 expression and activity, further suppressing anti-tumor immunity. While debulking the tumor mass, chemotherapy also enriches heterogenous cancer stem cells (CSC), potentially leading to tumor relapse. Therefore, drugs targeting both CD73, and CSCs hold promise for enhancing chemotherapy efficacy, overcoming treatment resistance, and improving clinical outcomes. However, safe and effective inhibitors of CD73 have not been developed as of now. Methods We used in silico docking to screen compounds that may be repurposed for inhibiting CD73. The efficacy of these compounds was investigated through flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, CD73 activity, cell viability, tumorsphere formation, and other in vitro functional assays. For assessment of clinical translatability, TNBC patient-derived xenograft organotypic cultures were utilized. We also employed the ovalbumin-expressing AT3 TNBC mouse model to evaluate tumor-specific lymphocyte responses. Results We identified quercetin and luteolin, currently used as over-the-counter supplements, to have high in silico complementarity with CD73. When quercetin and luteolin were combined with the chemotherapeutic paclitaxel in a triple-drug regimen, we found an effective downregulation in paclitaxel-enhanced CD73 and CSC-promoting pathways YAP and Wnt. We found that CD73 expression was required for the maintenance of CD44highCD24low CSCs, and co-targeting CD73, YAP, and Wnt effectively suppressed the growth of human TNBC cell lines and patient-derived xenograft organotypic cultures. Furthermore, triple-drug combination inhibited paclitaxel-enriched CSCs and simultaneously improved lymphocyte infiltration in syngeneic TNBC mouse tumors. Discussion Conclusively, our findings elucidate the significance of CSCs in impairing anti-tumor immunity. The high efficacy of our triple-drug regimen in clinically relevant platforms not only underscores the importance for further mechanistic investigations but also paves the way for potential development of new, safe, and cost-effective therapeutic strategies for TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karan Mediratta
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Sara El-Sahli
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Marie Marotel
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Muhammad Z. Awan
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan
| | - Melanie Kirkby
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ammar Salkini
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Reem Kurdieh
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Salman Abdisalam
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Amit Shrestha
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Chiara Di Censo
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrew Sulaiman
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Pathology, John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Sarah McGarry
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jessie R. Lavoie
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Centre for Oncology, Radiopharmaceuticals and Research, Biologic and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Zhen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Seung-Hwan Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Xuguang Li
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Centre for Biologics Evaluation, Biologics and Genetic Therapies Directorate, Health Canada, Sir Frederick G. Banting Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Sciumè
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Instituto Pasteur Italia – Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Roma, Italy
| | - Vanessa M. D’Costa
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Lisheng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- The Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation (CI3), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- China-Canada Center of Research for Digestive Diseases (ccCRDD), Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine-University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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2
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Bergin CJ, Zouggar A, Mendes da Silva A, Fenouil T, Haebe JR, Masibag AN, Agrawal G, Shah MS, Sandouka T, Tiberi M, Auer RC, Ardolino M, Benoit YD. The dopamine transporter antagonist vanoxerine inhibits G9a and suppresses cancer stem cell functions in colon tumors. Nat Cancer 2024; 5:463-480. [PMID: 38351181 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-024-00727-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs), functionally characterized by self-renewal and tumor-initiating activity, contribute to decreased tumor immunogenicity, while fostering tumor growth and metastasis. Targeting G9a histone methyltransferase (HMTase) effectively blocks CSC functions in colorectal tumors by altering pluripotent-like molecular networks; however, existing molecules directly targeting G9a HMTase activity failed to reach clinical stages due to safety concerns. Using a stem cell-based phenotypic drug-screening pipeline, we identified the dopamine transporter (DAT) antagonist vanoxerine, a compound with previously demonstrated clinical safety, as a cancer-specific downregulator of G9a expression. Here we show that gene silencing and chemical antagonism of DAT impede colorectal CSC functions by repressing G9a expression. Antagonizing DAT also enhanced tumor lymphocytic infiltration by activating endogenous transposable elements and type-I interferon response. Our study unveils the direct implication of the DAT-G9a axis in the maintenance of CSC populations and an approach to improve antitumor immune response in colon tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Bergin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aïcha Zouggar
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Amanda Mendes da Silva
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tanguy Fenouil
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Inserm U1052, CNRS UMR5286, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France
- Institut de Pathologie Multisite des Hospices Civils de Lyon, Site Est, Groupement Hospitalier Est, Bron, France
| | - Joshua R Haebe
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Angelique N Masibag
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gautam Agrawal
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Muhammad S Shah
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tamara Sandouka
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mario Tiberi
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Neuroscience Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rebecca C Auer
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Center for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Infection, Inflammation and Immunity, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Center for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Infection, Inflammation and Immunity, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yannick D Benoit
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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3
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Galpin KJC, Rodriguez GM, Maranda V, Cook DP, Macdonald E, Murshed H, Zhao S, McCloskey CW, Chruscinski A, Levy GA, Ardolino M, Vanderhyden BC. FGL2 promotes tumour growth and attenuates infiltration of activated immune cells in melanoma and ovarian cancer models. Sci Rep 2024; 14:787. [PMID: 38191799 PMCID: PMC10774293 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51217-1] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The tumour microenvironment is infiltrated by immunosuppressive cells, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs), which contribute to tumour escape and impede immunotherapy outcomes. Soluble fibrinogen-like protein 2 (sFGL2), a Treg effector protein, inhibits immune cell populations, via receptors FcγRIIB and FcγRIII, leading to downregulation of CD86 in antigen presenting cells and limiting T cell activation. Increased FGL2 expression is associated with tumour progression and poor survival in several different cancers, such as glioblastoma multiforme, lung, renal, liver, colorectal, and prostate cancer. Querying scRNA-seq human cancer data shows FGL2 is produced by cells in the tumour microenvironment (TME), particularly monocytes and macrophages as well as T cells and dendritic cells (DCs), while cancer cells have minimal expression of FGL2. We studied the role of FGL2 exclusively produced by cells in the TME, by leveraging Fgl2 knockout mice. We tested two murine models of cancer in which the role of FGL2 has not been previously studied: epithelial ovarian cancer and melanoma. We show that absence of FGL2 leads to a more activated TME, including activated DCs (CD86+, CD40+) and T cells (CD25+, TIGIT+), as well as demonstrating for the first time that the absence of FGL2 leads to more activated natural killer cells (DNAM-1+, NKG2D+) in the TME. Furthermore, the absence of FGL2 leads to prolonged survival in the B16F10 melanoma model, while the absence of FGL2 synergizes with oncolytic virus to prolong survival in the ID8-p53-/-Brca2-/- ovarian cancer model. In conclusion, targeting FGL2 is a promising cancer treatment strategy alone and in combination immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristianne J C Galpin
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Galaxia M Rodriguez
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Vincent Maranda
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - David P Cook
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Macdonald
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Humaira Murshed
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Shan Zhao
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Curtis W McCloskey
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Andrzej Chruscinski
- Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gary A Levy
- Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Barbara C Vanderhyden
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
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Abou-Hamad J, Hodgins JJ, Yakubovich E, Vanderhyden BC, Ardolino M, Sabourin LA. Sox10-Deficient Drug-Resistant Melanoma Cells Are Refractory to Oncolytic RNA Viruses. Cells 2023; 13:73. [PMID: 38201278 PMCID: PMC10777920 DOI: 10.3390/cells13010073] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Targeted therapy resistance frequently develops in melanoma due to intratumor heterogeneity and epigenetic reprogramming. This also typically induces cross-resistance to immunotherapies. Whether this includes additional modes of therapy has not been fully assessed. We show that co-treatments of MAPKi with VSV-based oncolytics do not function in a synergistic fashion; rather, the MAPKis block infection. Melanoma resistance to vemurafenib further perturbs the cells' ability to be infected by oncolytic viruses. Resistance to vemurafenib can be induced by the loss of SOX10, a common proliferative marker in melanoma. The loss of SOX10 promotes a cross-resistant state by further inhibiting viral infection and replication. Analysis of RNA-seq datasets revealed an upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in SOX10 knockout populations and targeted therapy-resistant cells. Interestingly, the induction of ISGs appears to be independent of type I IFN production. Overall, our data suggest that the pathway mediating oncolytic resistance is due to the loss of SOX10 during acquired drug resistance in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Abou-Hamad
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Jonathan J. Hodgins
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Edward Yakubovich
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Barbara C. Vanderhyden
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Luc A. Sabourin
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (J.A.-H.); (E.Y.); (B.C.V.); (M.A.)
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
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5
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Azad T, Rezaei R, Singaravelu R, Pelin A, Boulton S, Petryk J, Onsu KA, Martin NT, Hoskin V, Ghahremani M, Marotel M, Marius R, He X, Crupi MJF, Hoang HD, Nik-Akhtar A, Ahmadi M, Zamani NK, Golshani A, Alain T, Greer P, Ardolino M, Dickinson BC, Tai LH, Ilkow CS, Bell JC. Synthetic virology approaches to improve the safety and efficacy of oncolytic virus therapies. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3035. [PMID: 37236967 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38651-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The large coding potential of vaccinia virus (VV) vectors is a defining feature. However, limited regulatory switches are available to control viral replication as well as timing and dosing of transgene expression in order to facilitate safe and efficacious payload delivery. Herein, we adapt drug-controlled gene switches to enable control of virally encoded transgene expression, including systems controlled by the FDA-approved rapamycin and doxycycline. Using ribosome profiling to characterize viral promoter strength, we rationally design fusions of the operator element of different drug-inducible systems with VV promoters to produce synthetic promoters yielding robust inducible expression with undetectable baseline levels. We also generate chimeric synthetic promoters facilitating additional regulatory layers for VV-encoded synthetic transgene networks. The switches are applied to enable inducible expression of fusogenic proteins, dose-controlled delivery of toxic cytokines, and chemical regulation of VV replication. This toolbox enables the precise modulation of transgene circuitry in VV-vectored oncolytic virus design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taha Azad
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1E 4K8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Reza Rezaei
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Ragunath Singaravelu
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Adrian Pelin
- Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, CA 94158, USA
| | - Stephen Boulton
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Julia Petryk
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | | | | | - Victoria Hoskin
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Mina Ghahremani
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Marie Marotel
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H, Canada
| | - Ricardo Marius
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Xiaohong He
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Mathieu J F Crupi
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Huy-Dung Hoang
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Abolfazl Nik-Akhtar
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Department of Biology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Mahsa Ahmadi
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nika Kooshki Zamani
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ashkan Golshani
- Department of Biology, Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Tommy Alain
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1, Canada
| | - Peter Greer
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, Queens University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H, Canada
| | - Bryan C Dickinson
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lee-Hwa Tai
- Centre de Recherche du CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC, J1H 5N4, Canada
- Department of Immunology & Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1E 4K8, Canada
| | - Carolina S Ilkow
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - John C Bell
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
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Kilgour MK, Bastin DJ, Lee SH, Ardolino M, McComb S, Visram A. Advancements in CAR-NK therapy: lessons to be learned from CAR-T therapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1166038. [PMID: 37205115 PMCID: PMC10187144 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1166038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Advancements in chimeric antigen receptor engineered T-cell (CAR-T) therapy have revolutionized treatment for several cancer types over the past decade. Despite this success, obstacles including the high price tag, manufacturing complexity, and treatment-associated toxicities have limited the broad application of this therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor engineered natural killer cell (CAR-NK) therapy offers a potential opportunity for a simpler and more affordable "off-the-shelf" treatment, likely with fewer toxicities. Unlike CAR-T, CAR-NK therapies are still in early development, with few clinical trials yet reported. Given the challenges experienced through the development of CAR-T therapies, this review explores what lessons we can apply to build better CAR-NK therapies. In particular, we explore the importance of optimizing the immunochemical properties of the CAR construct, understanding factors leading to cell product persistence, enhancing trafficking of transferred cells to the tumor, ensuring the metabolic fitness of the transferred product, and strategies to avoid tumor escape through antigen loss. We also review trogocytosis, an important emerging challenge that likely equally applies to CAR-T and CAR-NK cells. Finally, we discuss how these limitations are already being addressed in CAR-NK therapies, and what future directions may be possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa K. Kilgour
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | | | - Seung-Hwan Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Scott McComb
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Alissa Visram
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
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Cortés-Kaplan S, Kurdieh R, Hasim MS, Kaczmarek S, Taha Z, Maznyi G, McComb S, Lee SH, Diallo JS, Ardolino M. A New Functional Screening Platform Identifies Colistin Sulfate as an Enhancer of Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14122832. [PMID: 35740500 PMCID: PMC9221353 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14122832] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The use of small compounds in cancer immunotherapy has been limited so far. Her we screen for drugs that enhanced the ability of immune cells to kill tumor cells and identified the molecule Colistin Sulfate as a booster of immune activity. Abstract Due to their crucial role in tumor immunity, NK cells have quickly became a prime target for immunotherapies, with the adoptive transfer of NK cells and the use of NK cell engagers quickly moving to the clinical stage. On the other hand, only a few studies have focused on small molecule drugs capable of unleashing NK cells against cancer. In this context, repurposing small molecules is an attractive strategy to identify new immunotherapies from already approved drugs. Here, we developed a new platform to screen small molecule compounds based on a high-throughput luciferase-release cytotoxicity assay. We tested 1200 FDA approved drugs from the Prestwick Chemical Library, to identify compounds that increase NK cells’ cytotoxic potential. We found that the antibiotic colistin sulfate increased the cytotoxicity of human NK cells towards cancer cells. The effect of colistin was short lived and was not observed when NK cells were pretreated with the drug, showing how NK cell activity was potentiated only when the compound was present at the time of recognition of cancer cells. Further studies are needed to uncover the mechanism of action and the pre-clinical efficacy of colistin sulfate in mouse cancer models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Cortés-Kaplan
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (S.C.-K.); (R.K.); (M.S.H.); (Z.T.); (G.M.); (J.-S.D.)
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Reem Kurdieh
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (S.C.-K.); (R.K.); (M.S.H.); (Z.T.); (G.M.); (J.-S.D.)
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
| | - Mohamed S. Hasim
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (S.C.-K.); (R.K.); (M.S.H.); (Z.T.); (G.M.); (J.-S.D.)
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Shelby Kaczmarek
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Zaid Taha
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (S.C.-K.); (R.K.); (M.S.H.); (Z.T.); (G.M.); (J.-S.D.)
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Glib Maznyi
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (S.C.-K.); (R.K.); (M.S.H.); (Z.T.); (G.M.); (J.-S.D.)
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Scott McComb
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Seung-Hwan Lee
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Jean-Simon Diallo
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (S.C.-K.); (R.K.); (M.S.H.); (Z.T.); (G.M.); (J.-S.D.)
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; (S.C.-K.); (R.K.); (M.S.H.); (Z.T.); (G.M.); (J.-S.D.)
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; (S.K.); (S.M.); (S.-H.L.)
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-613-737-8899 (ext. 77257)
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8
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Hasim MS, Marotel M, Hodgins JJ, Vulpis E, Makinson OJ, Asif S, Shih HY, Scheer AK, MacMillan O, Alonso FG, Burke KP, Cook DP, Li R, Petrucci MT, Santoni A, Fallon PG, Sharpe AH, Sciumè G, Veillette A, Zingoni A, Gray DA, McCurdy A, Ardolino M. When killers become thieves: Trogocytosed PD-1 inhibits NK cells in cancer. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabj3286. [PMID: 35417234 PMCID: PMC9007500 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj3286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Trogocytosis modulates immune responses, with still unclear underlying molecular mechanisms. Using leukemia mouse models, we found that lymphocytes perform trogocytosis at high rates with tumor cells. While performing trogocytosis, both Natural Killer (NK) and CD8+ T cells acquire the checkpoint receptor PD-1 from leukemia cells. In vitro and in vivo investigation revealed that PD-1 on the surface of NK cells, rather than being endogenously expressed, was derived entirely from leukemia cells in a SLAM receptor-dependent fashion. PD-1 acquired via trogocytosis actively suppressed NK cell antitumor immunity. PD-1 trogocytosis was corroborated in patients with clonal plasma cell disorders, where NK cells that stained for PD-1 also stained for tumor cell markers. Our results, in addition to shedding light on a previously unappreciated mechanism underlying the presence of PD-1 on NK and cytotoxic T cells, reveal the immunoregulatory effect of membrane transfer occurring when immune cells contact tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed S. Hasim
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Marie Marotel
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jonathan J. Hodgins
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Elisabetta Vulpis
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia—Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Olivia J. Makinson
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Sara Asif
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Han-Yun Shih
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Amit K. Scheer
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Olivia MacMillan
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Felipe G. Alonso
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Kelly P. Burke
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David P. Cook
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Maria Teresa Petrucci
- Department of Cellular Biotechnology and Hematology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Santoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia—Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Padraic G. Fallon
- School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Arlene H. Sharpe
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Giuseppe Sciumè
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia—Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - André Veillette
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Alessandra Zingoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia—Fondazione Cenci-Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Douglas A. Gray
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Arleigh McCurdy
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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9
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Kehoe H, Iannello A, Cheung K, Peterson B, Marotel M, Tribble S, He H, Hodgins J, Ardolino M, Rae C, Thanos C, Glickman L. 853 ACTM-838: a microbial-based immunotherapy that delivers combination IL-15 + engineered STING to tumor-resident APCs after IV dosing in T-cell excluded solid tumors. J Immunother Cancer 2021. [DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-sitc2021.853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundIn a metastatic setting, systemically-administered therapies that overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment to promote T-cell recruitment and T-cell cytolytic function will be required to elicit durable anti-tumor immunity. To accomplish this, the STACT (S. Typhimurium-Attenuated Cancer Therapy) platform was developed. STACT is a live bacterial product that has been highly modified using precision genome editing for the following properties: (1) enhanced tolerability after IV dosing, (2) tumor-specific enrichment, (3) phagocytosis by tumor-resident antigen-presenting cells (APCs) with a lack of epithelial cell infectivity, (4) multiplexed genetic cargo delivery, and (5) attenuation of bacterial pathways that impair CD8+ T-cell function. An extensive screening campaign was performed to identify ideal encoded immunomodulatory payload combinations delivered by STACT for efficacy against T-cell excluded tumors.MethodsChromosomal edits to the STACT platform strain were made using PCR. A panel of immunomodulatory proteins, including cytokines, type I interferon (IFN)-inducing factors, co-stimulatory receptors, checkpoint antibodies and TGFβR-Fc decoys were tested for combinatorial potency using STACT. An engineered STING (eSTING) was designed through an extensive protein engineering campaign to identify optimal variants. Combinations were evaluated in primary human APCs using in vitro functional assays, where STACT IL-15Rα-IL-15 (IL-15) + eSTING (ACTM-838) emerged as a lead candidate. ACTM-838 was then evaluated in multiple murine tumor models for therapeutic efficacy and mechanism, as well as tolerability in rodents and primates after systemic administration.ResultsCombinatorial target profiling led to the discovery of ACTM-838, a STACT encoding IL-15 + eSTING. In vitro, ACTM-838 payloads synergistically produced high levels of type I IFN and T-cell recruitment and activation factors from primary human APCs. In vivo, ACTM-838 demonstrated a high degree of complete tumor responses that were entirely CD8+ T-cell dependent. In an autochthonous breast cancer model that lacks any significant lymphocyte infiltrate, ACTM-838 was able to uniformly enrich in each spontaneous lesion to high levels after IV dosing and resulted in significant CD8+ T-cell infiltration. In primates, ACTM-838 was well-tolerated, rapidly cleared, and elicited minimal cytokine response after IV dosing.ConclusionsACTM-838 is a highly attenuated, precision genome-engineered bacterial immunotherapy that delivers IL-15 + eSTING to phagocytic APCs of the solid tumor microenvironment after systemic administration. In preclinical studies, ACTM-838 promotes CD8+ T-cell mediated tumor clearance in T-cell excluded tumors and elicits durable anti-tumor immunity, and is well tolerated in primates. Based on these data, ACTM-838 was nominated for clinical development and has entered cGMP manufacturing and IND-enabling studies.Ethics ApprovalAll animals were used according to protocols approved by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and maintained in specific pathogen-free conditions in a barrier facility.
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10
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Di Censo C, Marotel M, Mattiola I, Müller L, Scarno G, Pietropaolo G, Peruzzi G, Laffranchi M, Mazej J, Hasim MS, Asif S, Russo E, Tomaipitinca L, Stabile H, Lee SH, Vian L, Gadina M, Gismondi A, Shih HY, Mikami Y, Capuano C, Bernardini G, Bonelli M, Sozzani S, Diefenbach A, Ardolino M, Santoni A, Sciumè G. Granzyme A and CD160 expression delineates ILC1 with graded functions in the mouse liver. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:2568-2575. [PMID: 34347289 PMCID: PMC9292164 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Type 1 innate lymphoid cells (ILC1) are tissue‐resident lymphocytes that provide early protection against bacterial and viral infections. Discrete transcriptional states of ILC1 have been identified in homeostatic and pathological contexts. However, whether these states delineate ILC1 with different functional properties is not completely understood. Here, we show that liver ILC1 are heterogeneous for the expression of distinct effector molecules and surface receptors, including granzyme A (GzmA) and CD160, in mice. ILC1 expressing high levels of GzmA are enriched in the liver of adult mice, and represent the main hepatic ILC1 population at birth. However, the heterogeneity of GzmA and CD160 expression in hepatic ILC1 begins perinatally and increases with age. GzmA+ ILC1 differ from NK cells for the limited homeostatic requirements of JAK/STAT signals and the transcription factor Nfil3. Moreover, by employing Rorc(γt)‐fate map (fm) reporter mice, we established that ILC3‐ILC1 plasticity contributes to delineate the heterogeneity of liver ILC1, with RORγt‐fm+ cells skewed toward a GzmA–CD160+ phenotype. Finally, we showed that ILC1 defined by the expression of GzmA and CD160 are characterized by graded cytotoxic potential and ability to produce IFN‐γ. In conclusion, our findings help deconvoluting ILC1 heterogeneity and provide evidence for functional diversification of liver ILC1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Di Censo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Marie Marotel
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Irene Mattiola
- Laboratory of Innate Immunity, Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Anna-Louisa-Karsch Strasse 2, Berlin, Germany.,Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum, Mucosal and Developmental Immunology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lena Müller
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gianluca Scarno
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pietropaolo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Peruzzi
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Laffranchi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Julija Mazej
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Mohamed Shaad Hasim
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sara Asif
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eleonora Russo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Luana Tomaipitinca
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Helena Stabile
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Seung-Hwan Lee
- Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Laura Vian
- Translational Immunology Section, Office of Science and Technology, National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Massimo Gadina
- Translational Immunology Section, Office of Science and Technology, National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Angela Gismondi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Han-Yu Shih
- Neuro-Immune Regulome Unit, National Eye Institute and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yohei Mikami
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Cristina Capuano
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Bernardini
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
| | - Michael Bonelli
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Silvano Sozzani
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Andreas Diefenbach
- Laboratory of Innate Immunity, Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Anna-Louisa-Karsch Strasse 2, Berlin, Germany.,Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum, Mucosal and Developmental Immunology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Angela Santoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy.,IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Sciumè
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia - Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
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11
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Birdi HK, Jirovec A, Cortés-Kaplan S, Werier J, Nessim C, Diallo JS, Ardolino M. Immunotherapy for sarcomas: new frontiers and unveiled opportunities. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-001580. [PMID: 33526607 PMCID: PMC7852926 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcomas are a rare malignancy of mesenchymal tissues, comprizing a plethora of unique subtypes, with more than 60 types. The sheer heterogeneity of disease phenotype makes this a particularly difficult cancer to treat. Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery have been employed for over three decades and, although effective in early disease (stages I–II), in later stages, where metastatic tumors are present, these treatments are less effective. Given the spectacular results obtained by cancer immunotherapy in a variety of solid cancers and leukemias, there is now a great interest in appliying this new realm of therapy for sarcomas. The widespread use of immunotherapy for sarcoma relies on immuno-profiling of subtypes, immunomonitoring for prognosis, preclinical studies and insight into the safety profile of these novel therapies. Herein, we discuss preclinical and clinical data highlighting how immunotherapy is being used in soft tissue sarcoma and bone sarcomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harsimrat Kaur Birdi
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anna Jirovec
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Serena Cortés-Kaplan
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joel Werier
- Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Ottawa Hospital Reseach Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Carolyn Nessim
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Ottawa Hospital Reseach Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jean-Simon Diallo
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada .,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,CI3, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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12
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Pryce BR, Labrèche C, Hamoudi D, Abou-Hamad J, Al-Zahrani KN, Hodgins JJ, Boulanger-Piette A, Bossé S, Balog-Alvarez C, Frénette J, Ardolino M, Kornegay JN, Sabourin LA. Muscle-specific deletion of SLK/Stk2 enhances p38 activity and myogenesis in mdx mice. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res 2020; 1868:118917. [PMID: 33259860 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2020.118917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne's muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe muscle wasting disorder characterized by the loss of dystrophin expression, muscle necrosis, inflammation and fibrosis. Ongoing muscle regeneration is impaired by persistent cytokine stress, further decreasing muscle function. Patients with DMD rarely survive beyond their early 20s, with cardiac and respiratory dysfunction being the primary cause of death. Despite an increase in our understanding of disease progression as well as promising preclinical animal models for therapeutic intervention, treatment options for muscular dystrophy remain limited and novel therapeutic targets are required. Many reports suggest that the TGFβ signalling pathway is activated in dystrophic muscle and contributes to the pathology of DMD in part by impairing the differentiation of myoblasts into mature myofibers. Here, we show that in vitro knockdown of the Ste20-like kinase, SLK, can partially restore myoblast differentiation downstream of TGFβ in a Smad2/3 independent manner. In an mdx model, we demonstrate that SLK is expressed at high levels in regenerating myofibers. Muscle-specific deletion of SLK reduced leukocyte infiltration, increased myogenin and utrophin expression and enhanced differentiation. This was accompanied by resistance to eccentric contraction-induced injury in slow fiber type-enriched soleus muscles. Finally, we found that these effects were partially dependent on the upregulation of p38 signalling. Collectively, these results demonstrate that SLK downregulation can restore some aspects of disease progression in DMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin R Pryce
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Cédrik Labrèche
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dounia Hamoudi
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec-Centre Hospitalier de L'Université Laval, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - John Abou-Hamad
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Khalid N Al-Zahrani
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jonathan J Hodgins
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Antoine Boulanger-Piette
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec-Centre Hospitalier de L'Université Laval, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sabrina Bossé
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec-Centre Hospitalier de L'Université Laval, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Cindy Balog-Alvarez
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Jérôme Frénette
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec-Centre Hospitalier de L'Université Laval, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; Département de Réadaptation, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Joe N Kornegay
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Luc A Sabourin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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13
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard Angka
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology
| | - Marisa Market
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology
- Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, and
| | - Rebecca C. Auer
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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14
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Market M, Angka L, Martel AB, Bastin D, Olanubi O, Tennakoon G, Boucher DM, Ng J, Ardolino M, Auer RC. Flattening the COVID-19 Curve With Natural Killer Cell Based Immunotherapies. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1512. [PMID: 32655581 PMCID: PMC7324763 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural Killer (NK) cells are innate immune responders critical for viral clearance and immunomodulation. Despite their vital role in viral infection, the contribution of NK cells in fighting SARS-CoV-2 has not yet been directly investigated. Insights into pathophysiology and therapeutic opportunities can therefore be inferred from studies assessing NK cell phenotype and function during SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. These studies suggest a reduction in circulating NK cell numbers and/or an exhausted phenotype following infection and hint toward the dampening of NK cell responses by coronaviruses. Reduced circulating NK cell levels and exhaustion may be directly responsible for the progression and severity of COVID-19. Conversely, in light of data linking inflammation with coronavirus disease severity, it is necessary to examine NK cell potential in mediating immunopathology. A common feature of coronavirus infections is that significant morbidity and mortality is associated with lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome resulting from an exaggerated immune response, of which NK cells are an important component. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of how NK cells respond in both early and late coronavirus infections, and the implication for ongoing COVID-19 clinical trials. Using this immunological lens, we outline recommendations for therapeutic strategies against COVID-19 in clearing the virus while preventing the harm of immunopathological responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa Market
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Leonard Angka
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Andre B. Martel
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Donald Bastin
- Schulich School of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Oladunni Olanubi
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Gayashan Tennakoon
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Dominique M. Boucher
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Juliana Ng
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Centre for Infection, Immunity, and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Rebecca C. Auer
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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15
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Marotel M, Hasim MS, Hagerman A, Ardolino M. The two-faces of NK cells in oncolytic virotherapy. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2020; 56:59-68. [PMID: 32586674 DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2020.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are immunotherapeutics capable of directly killing cancer cells and with potent immunostimulatory properties. OVs exert their antitumor effect, at least partially, by activating the antitumor immune response, of which NK cells are an important component. However, if on the one hand increasing evidence revealed that NK cells are important mediators of oncolytic virotherapy, on the other hand, NK cells have evolved to fight viral infections, and therefore they can have a detrimental effect for the efficacy of OVs. In this review, we will discuss the dichotomy between the antitumor and antiviral functions of NK cells related to oncolytic virotherapy. We will also review NK cell-based and OV-based therapies, engineered OVs aimed at enhancing immune stimulation, and combination therapies involving OVs and NK cells currently used in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Marotel
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa, Canada; Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - M S Hasim
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa, Canada; Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - A Hagerman
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa, Canada; Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; University of Ottawa, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ottawa, Canada
| | - M Ardolino
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa, Canada; Centre for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; University of Ottawa, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Ottawa, Canada.
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16
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Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate cytotoxic lymphocytes involved in the surveillance and elimination of cancer. As we have learned more and more about the mechanisms NK cells employ to recognize and eliminate tumor cells, and how, in turn, cancer evades NK cell responses, we have gained a clear appreciation that NK cells can be harnessed in cancer immunotherapy. Here, we review the evidence for NK cells' critical role in combating transformed and malignant cells, and how cancer immunotherapies potentiate NK cell responses for therapeutic purposes. We highlight cutting-edge immunotherapeutic strategies in preclinical and clinical development such as adoptive NK cell transfer, chimeric antigen receptor-expressing NK cells (CAR-NKs), bispecific and trispecific killer cell engagers (BiKEs and TriKEs), checkpoint blockade, and oncolytic virotherapy. Further, we describe the challenges that NK cells face (e.g., postsurgical dysfunction) that must be overcome by these therapeutic modalities to achieve cancer clearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Hodgins
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, and
| | - Sarwat T Khan
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Maria M Park
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, and
| | - Rebecca C Auer
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, and
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17
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Hodgins J, Park MM, Bell JC, Bourgeois-Daigneault MC, Ardolino M. PD-L1 enhances the efficacy of the oncolytic virus VSVΔ51. The Journal of Immunology 2020. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.204.supp.249.24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are a novel immunotherapy showing great promise in the treatment of cancer. Due to the impaired anti-viral response in cancer cells, OVs such as VSVΔ51 preferentially replicate in cancer cells relative to healthy cells. PD-L1 is a surface protein that binds to the inhibitory checkpoint receptor PD-1 to inhibit anti-cancer immunity in vivo. Previous work has suggested that PD-L1 has the ability to inhibit type I interferon signaling. Given that the type I interferon pathway is responsible for inducing the cellular anti-viral response, we hypothesized that PD-L1 will affect the replication of the OV VSVΔ51 in cancer cells. To this end, a PD-L1 knockout line was generated from the PD-L1-expressing mouse prostate cancer cell line TRAMP-C2 by CRISPR/Cas9 (TRAMP-C2 Cd274−/−). Indeed, WT TRAMP-C2 is more susceptible to VSVΔ51 infection and oncolysis compared to TRAMP-C2 Cd274−/− cells, and TRAMP-C2 Cd274−/− cells exhibit severe defects in viral replication and virion production. Similar results have been observed in a different cell type/line. Mechanistically, TRAMP-C2 Cd274−/− secrete greater amounts of IFN-β compared to WT TRAMP-C2 post-infection (with subsequent enhanced expression of IFN-stimulated anti-viral genes), and have altered signaling in response to IFN-β stimulation and VSVΔ51 infection. Similar results are observed following treatment with the viral mimic, poly(I:C). Importantly, all differences in infection between WT TRAMP-C2 and TRAMP-C2 Cd274−/− are abolished when the activity of IFNAR is blocked. Lastly, preliminary evidence suggests that CD80 surface expression is required for the function of PD-L1. Ultimately, we aim to characterize PD-1-independent functions of PD-L1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Hodgins
- 1University of Ottawa, Canada
- 2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada
| | - Maria M Park
- 1University of Ottawa, Canada
- 2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada
| | - John C Bell
- 1University of Ottawa, Canada
- 2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada
| | | | - Michele Ardolino
- 1University of Ottawa, Canada
- 2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada
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18
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Al-Zahrani KN, Abou-Hamad J, Pryce B, Cook DP, Hodgins J, Labreche C, Robineau-Charette P, de Souza C, Bell J, Auer R, Ardolino M, Vanderhyden B, Schramek D, Sabourin L. Abstract P2-04-05: Loss of Ste20-like kinase induces a basal/stem-like phenotype in HER2-positive breast cancers. Cancer Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs19-p2-04-05] [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
Over the past two decades, the mammalian Ste20-like kinase (SLK) has been characterized for its role in regulating cellular migration, proliferation and apoptosis in fibroblasts and myoblasts. In mammary epithelial cells, SLK has been shown to be required for efficient epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and to be activated downstream of the HER2/Neu-oncogene to control chemotactic cellular migration. Here, we assessed the role of SLK in HER2/Neu-induced mammary tumorigenesis in vivo. As SLK is activated downstream of HER2/Neu, we hypothesized that the loss of SLK would significantly delay tumor progression in a mouse model of HER2-positive breast cancer. As we have shown that global attenuation of SLK kinase activity results in embryonic lethality, a conditional SLK knockout mouse model was generated. To study the role of SLK in HER2-positive breast cancer, we crossed these conditional SLK knockout mice with mice expressing HER2/Neu linked to Cre recombinase in the mammary luminal epithelium. Unexpectedly, we have demonstrated that conditional deletion of SLK significantly accelerates Neu-induced mammary tumor onset and decreases overall survival. SLK deletion results in the induction of Sox10 which drives mammary stem/progenitor activity and cooperates with HER2/Neu to drive tumor growth. Using the Cancer Genome Atlas, we have supported previous findings and validated Sox10 as a potential biomarker of the Triple-negative Breast Cancer subtype. Furthermore, we have uncovered that SLK deletion results in enhanced activation of AKT. We provide evidence that Sox10 induction requires signaling through a novel AKT/Sox9-dependent pathway following SLK deletion. Taken together, our data suggests that SLK may be required to maintain cells in a fully differentiated state and that loss of SLK in HER2/Neu-induced breast cancer drives a more basal/stem-like phenotype through the induction of Sox10.
Citation Format: Khalid N Al-Zahrani, John Abou-Hamad, Ben Pryce, David P Cook, Johnathan Hodgins, Cedrik Labreche, Pascale Robineau-Charette, Christiano de Souza, John Bell, Rebecca Auer, Michele Ardolino, Barbara Vanderhyden, Daniel Schramek, Luc Sabourin. Loss of Ste20-like kinase induces a basal/stem-like phenotype in HER2-positive breast cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-04-05.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ben Pryce
- 3Ottawa Hospital Research Intitute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - David P Cook
- 2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - John Bell
- 2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Rebecca Auer
- 2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | | | - Daniel Schramek
- 1Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Luc Sabourin
- 2Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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19
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Hsu J, Hodgins JJ, Marathe M, Nicolai CJ, Bourgeois-Daigneault MC, Trevino TN, Azimi CS, Scheer AK, Randolph HE, Thompson TW, Zhang L, Iannello A, Mathur N, Jardine KE, Kirn GA, Bell JC, McBurney MW, Raulet DH, Ardolino M. Contribution of NK cells to immunotherapy mediated by PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. J Clin Invest 2018; 128:4654-4668. [PMID: 30198904 DOI: 10.1172/jci99317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 508] [Impact Index Per Article: 84.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory axis has produced remarkable results in the treatment of several types of cancer. Whereas cytotoxic T cells are known to provide important antitumor effects during checkpoint blockade, certain cancers with low MHC expression are responsive to therapy, suggesting that other immune cell types may also play a role. Here, we employed several mouse models of cancer to investigate the effect of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade on NK cells, a population of cytotoxic innate lymphocytes that also mediate antitumor immunity. We discovered that PD-1 and PD-L1 blockade elicited a strong NK cell response that was indispensable for the full therapeutic effect of immunotherapy. PD-1 was expressed on NK cells within transplantable, spontaneous, and genetically induced mouse tumor models, and PD-L1 expression in cancer cells resulted in reduced NK cell responses and generation of more aggressive tumors in vivo. PD-1 expression was more abundant on NK cells with an activated and more responsive phenotype and did not mark NK cells with an exhausted phenotype. These results demonstrate the importance of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in inhibiting NK cell responses in vivo and reveal that NK cells, in addition to T cells, mediate the effect of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joy Hsu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Jonathan J Hodgins
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Malvika Marathe
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Chris J Nicolai
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Marie-Claude Bourgeois-Daigneault
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Troy N Trevino
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Camillia S Azimi
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Amit K Scheer
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Haley E Randolph
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Thornton W Thompson
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Lily Zhang
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Alexandre Iannello
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Nikhita Mathur
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Karen E Jardine
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Georgia A Kirn
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - John C Bell
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael W McBurney
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - David H Raulet
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Immunotherapy and Vaccine Research Initiative, Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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20
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Shifrin NT, Kissiov DU, Ardolino M, Joncker NT, Raulet DH. Differential Role of Hematopoietic and Nonhematopoietic Cell Types in the Regulation of NK Cell Tolerance and Responsiveness. J Immunol 2016; 197:4127-4136. [PMID: 27798146 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1402447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Many NK cells express inhibitory receptors that bind self-MHC class I (MHC I) molecules and prevent killing of self-cells, while enabling killing of MHC I-deficient cells. But tolerance also occurs for NK cells that lack inhibitory receptors for self-MHC I, and for all NK cells in MHC I-deficient animals. In both cases, NK cells are unresponsive to MHC I-deficient cells and hyporesponsive when stimulated through activating receptors, suggesting that hyporesponsiveness is responsible for self-tolerance. We generated irradiation chimeras, or carried out adoptive transfers, with wild-type (WT) and/or MHC I-deficient hematopoietic cells in WT or MHC I-deficient C57BL/6 host mice. Unexpectedly, in WT hosts, donor MHC I-deficient hematopoietic cells failed to induce hyporesponsiveness to activating receptor stimulation, but did induce tolerance to MHC I-deficient grafts. Therefore, these two properties of NK cells are separable. Both tolerance and hyporesponsiveness occurred when the host was MHC I deficient. Interestingly, infections of mice or exposure to inflammatory cytokines reversed the tolerance of NK cells that was induced by MHC I-deficient hematopoietic cells, but not the tolerance induced by MHC I-deficient nonhematopoietic cells. These data have implications for successful bone marrow transplantation, and suggest that tolerance induced by hematopoietic cells versus nonhematopoietic cells may be imposed by distinct mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataliya Tovbis Shifrin
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Djem U Kissiov
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada and Centre for Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Nathalie T Joncker
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - David H Raulet
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Ardolino
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Joy Hsu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - David H Raulet
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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22
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Spiegel A, Brooks MW, Houshyar S, Reinhardt F, Ardolino M, Fessler E, Chen MB, Krall JA, DeCock J, Zervantonakis IK, Iannello A, Iwamoto Y, Cortez-Retamozo V, Kamm RD, Pittet MJ, Raulet DH, Weinberg RA. Neutrophils Suppress Intraluminal NK Cell-Mediated Tumor Cell Clearance and Enhance Extravasation of Disseminated Carcinoma Cells. Cancer Discov 2016; 6:630-49. [PMID: 27072748 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-15-1157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 324] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Immune cells promote the initial metastatic dissemination of carcinoma cells from primary tumors. In contrast to their well-studied functions in the initial stages of metastasis, the specific roles of immunocytes in facilitating progression through the critical later steps of the invasion-metastasis cascade remain poorly understood. Here, we define novel functions of neutrophils in promoting intraluminal survival and extravasation at sites of metastatic dissemination. We show that CD11b(+)/Ly6G(+) neutrophils enhance metastasis formation via two distinct mechanisms. First, neutrophils inhibit natural killer cell function, which leads to a significant increase in the intraluminal survival time of tumor cells. Thereafter, neutrophils operate to facilitate extravasation of tumor cells through the secretion of IL1β and matrix metalloproteinases. These results identify neutrophils as key regulators of intraluminal survival and extravasation through their cross-talk with host cells and disseminating carcinoma cells. SIGNIFICANCE This study provides important insights into the systemic contributions of neutrophils to cancer metastasis by identifying how neutrophils facilitate intermediate steps of the invasion-metastasis cascade. We demonstrate that neutrophils suppress natural killer cell activity and increase extravasation of tumor cells. Cancer Discov; 6(6); 630-49. ©2016 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 561.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asaf Spiegel
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Mary W Brooks
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Samin Houshyar
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Ferenc Reinhardt
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California
| | - Evelyn Fessler
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Michelle B Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jordan A Krall
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jasmine DeCock
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Ioannis K Zervantonakis
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Alexandre Iannello
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California
| | - Yoshiko Iwamoto
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Virna Cortez-Retamozo
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Roger D Kamm
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Mikael J Pittet
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David H Raulet
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California
| | - Robert A Weinberg
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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23
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Ardolino M, Raulet DH. Cytokine therapy restores antitumor responses of NK cells rendered anergic in MHC I-deficient tumors. Oncoimmunology 2015; 5:e1002725. [PMID: 26942049 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2014.1002725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2014] [Accepted: 12/20/2014] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent extraordinary advances in cancer immunotherapy rely primarily on marshaling T cell responses. Here we discuss how NK cell responses can be amplified. We find that MHC I-deficient tumors induce anergy of NK cells but that cytokine therapy restores NK cell activity and increases the survival of mice bearing MHC I-deficient tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Ardolino
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and Cancer Research Laboratory; Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology; University of California, Berkeley ; Berkeley, CA USA
| | - David H Raulet
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, and Cancer Research Laboratory; Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology; University of California, Berkeley ; Berkeley, CA USA
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24
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Ardolino M, Azimi CS, Iannello A, Trevino TN, Horan L, Zhang L, Deng W, Ring AM, Fischer S, Garcia KC, Raulet DH. Cytokine therapy reverses NK cell anergy in MHC-deficient tumors. J Clin Invest 2014; 124:4781-94. [PMID: 25329698 DOI: 10.1172/jci74337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 08/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Various cytokines have been evaluated as potential anticancer drugs; however, most cytokine trials have shown relatively low efficacy. Here, we found that treatments with IL-12 and IL-18 or with a mutant form of IL-2 (the "superkine" called H9) provided substantial therapeutic benefit for mice specifically bearing MHC class I-deficient tumors, but these treatments were ineffective for mice with matched MHC class I+ tumors. Cytokine efficacy was linked to the reversal of the anergic state of NK cells that specifically occurred in MHC class I-deficient tumors, but not MHC class I+ tumors. NK cell anergy was accompanied by impaired early signal transduction and was locally imparted by the presence of MHC class I-deficient tumor cells, even when such cells were a minor population in a tumor mixture. These results demonstrate that MHC class I-deficient tumor cells can escape from the immune response by functionally inactivating NK cells, and suggest cytokine-based immunotherapy as a potential strategy for MHC class I-deficient tumors. These results suggest that such cytokine therapies would be optimized by stratification of patients. Moreover, our results suggest that such treatments may be highly beneficial in the context of therapies to enhance NK cell functions in cancer patients.
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Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells represent a first line of defense against pathogens and tumor cells. The activation of NK cells is regulated by the integration of signals deriving from activating and inhibitory receptors expressed on their surface. However, different NK cells respond differently to the same stimulus, be it target cells or agents that crosslink activating receptors. The processes that determine the level of NK cell responsiveness have been referred to collectively as NK cell education. NK cell education plays an important role in steady state conditions, where potentially auto-reactive NK cells are rendered tolerant to the surrounding environment. According to the "tuning" concept, the responsiveness of each NK cell is quantitatively adjusted to ensure self tolerance while at the same time ensuring useful reactivity against potential threats. MHC-specific inhibitory receptors displayed by NK cells play a major role in tuning NK cell responsiveness, but recent studies indicate that signaling from activating receptors is also important, suggesting that the critical determinant is an integrated signal from both types of receptors. An important and still unresolved question is whether NK cell education involves interactions with a specific cell population in the environment. Whether hematopoietic and/or non-hematopoietic cells play a role is still under debate. Recent results demonstrated that NK cell tuning exhibits plasticity in steady state conditions, meaning that it can be re-set if the MHC environment changes. Other evidence suggests, however, that inflammatory conditions accompanying infections may favor high responsiveness, indicating that inflammatory agents can over-ride the natural tendency of NK cells to adjust to the steady state environment. These findings raise many questions such as whether viruses and tumor cells manipulate NK cell responsiveness to evade immune-recognition. As knowledge of the underlying processes grows, the possibility of modulating NK cell responsiveness for therapeutic purposes is becoming increasingly attractive, and is now under serious investigation in clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataliya Shifrin
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - David H Raulet
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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26
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Abstract
In recent years, roles of the immune system in immune surveillance of cancer have been explored using a variety of approaches. The roles of the adaptive immune system have been a major emphasis, but increasing evidence supports a role for innate immune effector cells such as natural killer (NK) cells in tumor surveillance. Here, we discuss some of the evidence for roles in tumor surveillance of innate immune cells. In particular, we focus on NK cells and other immune cells that express germline-encoded receptors, often labeled NK receptors. The impact of these receptors and the cells that express them on tumor suppression is summarized. We discuss in detail some of the pathways and events in tumor cells that induce or upregulate cell-surface expression of the ligands for these receptors, and the logic of how those pathways serve to identify malignant, or potentially malignant cells. How tumors often evade tumor suppression mediated by innate killer cells is another major subject of the review. We end with a discussion on some of the implications of the various findings with respect to possible therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Marcus
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Benjamin G Gowen
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Thornton W Thompson
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Alexandre Iannello
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Weiwen Deng
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Nataliya Shifrin
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - David H Raulet
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
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27
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Bekerman E, Jeon D, Ardolino M, Coscoy L. A role for host activation-induced cytidine deaminase in innate immune defense against KSHV. PLoS Pathog 2013; 9:e1003748. [PMID: 24244169 PMCID: PMC3820765 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [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: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 09/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is specifically induced in germinal center B cells to carry out somatic hypermutation and class-switch recombination, two processes responsible for antibody diversification. Because of its mutagenic potential, AID expression and activity are tightly regulated to minimize unwanted DNA damage. Surprisingly, AID expression has been observed ectopically during pathogenic infections. However, the function of AID outside of the germinal centers remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, we demonstrate that infection of human primary naïve B cells with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) rapidly induces AID expression in a cell intrinsic manner. We find that infected cells are marked for elimination by Natural Killer cells through upregulation of NKG2D ligands via the DNA damage pathway, a pathway triggered by AID. Moreover, without having a measurable effect on KSHV latency, AID impinges directly on the viral fitness by inhibiting lytic reactivation and reducing infectivity of KSHV virions. Importantly, we uncover two KSHV-encoded microRNAs that directly regulate AID abundance, further reinforcing the role for AID in the antiviral response. Together our findings reveal additional functions for AID in innate immune defense against KSHV with implications for a broader involvement in innate immunity to other pathogens. Immune responses to pathogens rely heavily on the ability of B cells to generate a unique set of antibodies that can bind and eliminate the pathogen. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is the enzyme specifically upregulated in activated B cells to diversify the antibody repertoire by introducing mutations within the antibody coding genes. Curiously, AID expression has been observed outside of activated B cells upon infection with a number of viral and bacterial pathogens. However, in such cases AID function is poorly characterized and often deemed inappropriate since its mutagenic activity can put the cell at risk for oncogenic transformation. In this study, we investigate the expression of AID in response to infection with an oncogenic human pathogen Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and the antibody-independent immune defense it exerts. We show that AID marks infected cells for elimination by natural killer (NK) cells and directly impinges on viral fitness. Furthermore, we uncover novel viral immune evasion strategies employed by KSHV to counteract AID. Together, our findings demonstrate a protective role for AID in the response to infection with an oncogenic virus such as KSHV and suggest that AID may actually limit transformation rather than serve as its culprit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Bekerman
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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Iannello A, Thompson TW, Ardolino M, Lowe SW, Raulet DH. p53-dependent chemokine production by senescent tumor cells supports NKG2D-dependent tumor elimination by natural killer cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 210:2057-69. [PMID: 24043758 PMCID: PMC3782044 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20130783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 280] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [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] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
p53 induction regulates NK cell recruitment via CCL2, leading to NKG2D-dependent elimination of senescent tumors. The induction of cellular senescence is an important mechanism by which p53 suppresses tumorigenesis. Using a mouse model of liver carcinoma, where cellular senescence is triggered in vivo by inducible p53 expression, we demonstrated that NK cells participate in the elimination of senescent tumors. The elimination of senescent tumor cells is dependent on NKG2D. Interestingly, p53 restoration neither increases ligand expression nor increases the sensitivity to lysis by NK cells. Instead, p53 restoration caused tumor cells to secrete various chemokines with the potential to recruit NK cells. Antibody-mediated neutralization of CCL2, but not CCL3, CCL4 or CCL5, prevented NK cell recruitment to the senescent tumors and reduced their elimination. Our findings suggest that elimination of senescent tumors by NK cells occurs as a result of the cooperation of signals associated with p53 expression or senescence, which regulate NK cell recruitment, and other signals that induce NKG2D ligand expression on tumor cells.
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29
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Iannello A, Thompson T, Ardolino M, Raulet D. p53-dependent chemokine expression by tumor cells supports NKG2D-dependent elimination of senescent tumors by natural killer cells (P2115). The Journal of Immunology 2013. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.190.supp.170.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The cellular senescence is a key mechanism by which p53 suppresses tumorigenesis. Using a mouse model in which p53 expression can be regulated in tumor cells, we confirmed that NK cells participate in the elimination of senescent tumors. We further demonstrate that tumor elimination is dependent on the function of NKG2D. Surprisingly, however, p53 induction did not increase the expression of any of the NKG2D ligands. Furthermore, tumor cells grown in vitro were sensitive to NK lysis, in an NKG2D-dependent fashion, but p53 induction did not increase the sensitivity of the cells to NK lysis. Instead, our data demonstrate that p53 restoration enhanced the recruitment of NK cells into the tumor. We found that p53 restoration in vitro and in vivo induced the secretion of various chemokines and cytokines. Among the chemokines induced in senescent tumor cells was CCL2. Blockade of CCL2 in vivo with antibodies inhibited NK cell recruitment to the tumor and reduced the rate of elimination of the senescent tumors. Our findings suggest that expression of NKG2D ligands occurs largely independently of p53 or senescence, but that recruitment of NK cells to the tumor, and consequently the efficient elimination of the tumor by NK cells, is dependent on chemokine expression associated with the induction of senescence. Thus, p53-induced immune cell recruitment acts cooperatively with other signals in tumor cells that induce NKG2D ligands to promote the elimination of tumors.
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30
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Zingoni A, Ardolino M, Santoni A, Cerboni C. NKG2D and DNAM-1 activating receptors and their ligands in NK-T cell interactions: role in the NK cell-mediated negative regulation of T cell responses. Front Immunol 2013; 3:408. [PMID: 23316196 PMCID: PMC3540764 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [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: 10/30/2012] [Accepted: 12/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The negative regulation of adaptive immunity is relevant to maintain lymphocyte homeostasis. Several studies on natural killer (NK) cells have shown a previously unappreciated immunomodulatory role, as they can negatively regulate T cell-mediated immune responses by direct killing and by secretion of inhibitory cytokines. The molecular mechanisms of T cell suppression by NK cells, however, remained elusive. Only in the last few years has it become evident that, upon activation, human T cells express MICA-B, ULBP1-3, and PVR, ligands of the activating receptors NKG2D and DNAM-1, respectively. Their expression renders T cells targets of NK cell lysis, representing a new mechanism taking part to the negative regulation of T cell responses. Studies on the expression of NKG2D and DNAM-1 ligands on T cells have also contributed in understanding that the activation of ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia, mutated)/ATR (ATM/Rad3-related) kinases and the DNA damage response is a common pathway regulating the expression of activating ligands in different types of cells and under different conditions. The functional consequences of NKG2D and DNAM-1 ligand expression on activated T cells are discussed in the context of physiologic and pathologic processes such as infections, autoimmunity, and graft versus host disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Zingoni
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, "Sapienza" University of Rome Rome, Italy
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