Specific elimination of IgE production using T cell lines expressing chimeric T cell receptor genes

Bispecific T-Cell Engagers Targeting Membrane-Bound IgE

The increased incidence of allergies and asthma has sparked interest in IgE, the central player in the allergic response. Interaction with its high-affinity receptor FcεRI leads to sensitization and allergen presentation, extracellular membrane-proximal domain in membrane IgE can act as an antigen receptor on B cells, and the interaction with low-affinity IgE receptor CD23 additionally influences its homeostatic range. Therapeutic anti-IgE antibodies act by the inhibition of IgE functions by interfering with its receptor binding or by the obliteration of IgE-B cells, causing a reduction of serum IgE levels. Fusion proteins of antibody fragments that can act as bispecific T-cell engagers have proven very potent in eliciting cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-mediated killing. We have tested five anti-IgE Fc antibodies, recognizing different epitopes on the membrane-expressed IgE, for the ability to elicit specific T-cell activation when expressed as single-chain Fv fragments fused with anti-CD3ε single-chain antibody. All candidates could specifically stain the cell line, expressing the membrane-bound IgE-Fc and bind to CD3-positive Jurkat cells, and the specific activation of engineered CD3-overexpressing Jurkat cells and non-stimulated CD8-positive cells was demonstrated for 8D6- and ligelizumab-based bispecific antibodies. Thus, such anti-IgE antibodies have the potential to be developed into agents that reduce the serum IgE concentration by lowering the numbers of IgE-secreting cells.

Anti-IgE therapy for IgE-mediated allergic diseases: from neutralizing IgE antibodies to eliminating IgE+ B cells

Allergic diseases are inflammatory disorders that involve many types of cells and factors, including allergens, immunoglobulin (Ig)E, mast cells, basophils, cytokines and soluble mediators. Among them, IgE plays a vital role in the development of acute allergic reactions and chronic inflammatory allergic diseases, making its control particularly important in the treatment of IgE-mediated allergic diseases. This review provides an overview of the current state of IgE targeted therapy development, focusing on three areas of translational research: IgE neutralization in blood; IgE-effector cell elimination; and IgE⁺ B cell reduction. IgE-targeted medicines such as FDA approved drug Xolair (Omalizumab) represent a promising avenue for treating IgE-mediated allergic diseases given the pernicious role of IgE in disease progression. Additionally, targeted therapy for IgE-mediated allergic diseases may be advanced through cellular treatments, including the modification of effector cells.

Impact of chimeric immune receptor extracellular protein domains on T cell function

Chimeric immune receptors (CIR) encompass tumor- or virus-specific ligands or antibodies fused to the signaling domains of either the T cell receptor or Fc receptor. T cells expressing these receptors recapitulate the cytopathic effects mediated by the T cell receptor and allow the targeting of tumor or virus infected cells in an MHC-independent manner. With this technology, large numbers of T cells with redirected target specificity can be generated. To define the structural features of recombinant CIRs required for optimal function, a panel of five closely related CIRs with identical target specificity were generated. These receptors recognized HIVenv through the single chain Fv (scFv) of an anti-gp 120 antibody. These scFv-zeta receptors were constructed to include alternative extracellular spacer and transmembrane protein domains derived from members of the immunoglobulin supergene family. The effect of these alternative extracellular protein domains on receptor stability, antigen affinity and T cell activity was assessed. We demonstrate that modifying the extracellular protein domains of the anti-HIVenv CIRs significantly impacted receptor stability and substrate binding affinity and that these effects, and not simply the level of cell surface expression, correlated most strongly with changes in CIR-mediated killing. These studies will aid in the rationale design of recombinant CIRs for the immunotherapy of viral infections, cancer and other diseases.

Tyrosine kinase chimeras for antigen-selective T-body therapy

Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) transmit activation signals in almost every cell type, including immune effector cells. The aberrant or constitutive activation of PTKs can often cause neoplastic transformation. The use of chimeric receptors based on PTKs may enable us to elucidate the signaling pathways of normal immune cells and other cell types, and the abnormal events that can lead to malignant transformation. In this review, we focus on antigen specific chimeric PTKs in which antibody-derived scFv are joined to the Syk family of PTKs. These chimeric receptors yielded reagents that can selectively redirect immune effector cells and specifically activate them to produce cytokines or lyse their target. The advantages of using such PTK-based chimeras to redirect lymphocytes to tumor targets and their potential as an immunotherapeutic approach to malignant disease is discussed.

Harnessing Syk Family Tyrosine Kinases as Signaling Domains for Chimeric Single Chain of the Variable Domain Receptors: Optimal Design for T Cell Activation

T cells of tumor bearers often show defective TCR-mediated signaling events and, therefore, exhibit impaired immune responses. As such, patients with heavy tumor burden are often not amenable to adoptive T cell therapy. To overcome this limitation, we have developed a chimeric receptor that joins an extracellular single chain Fv (scFv) of a specific Ab for Ag recognition to an intracellular protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) for signal propagation. Stimulation through the scFv-PTK receptor should bypass defective TCR-proximal events and directly access the T cell’s effector mechanisms. In this study we describe the optimization of a scFv-PTK configuration, leading to complete T cell activation. The cytosolic PTK Syk is superior to its family member, Zap-70, for intracellular signaling. As a transmembrane (TM) domain, CD4 performs better than CD8 when plastic-immobilized Ag serves as a stimulator. However, when APC are used to trigger chimeric receptors, the need for a flexible spacer between the scFv and TM domains becomes apparent. The CD8α-derived hinge successfully performs this task in chimeric scFv-Syk receptors regardless of its cysteine content. A cytotoxic T cell hybridoma expressing chimeric receptor genes composed of scFv-CD8hinge-CD8TM-Syk or scFv-CD8hinge-CD4TM-Syk is efficiently stimulated to produce IL-2 upon interaction with APC and specifically lyses appropriate target cells in a non-MHC-restricted manner.

Direct T cell activation by chimeric single chain Fv-Syk promotes Syk-Cbl association and Cbl phosphorylation

The protein tyrosine kinase Syk is activated upon engagement of immune recognition receptors. We have focused on the identification of signaling elements immediately downstream to Syk in the pathway leading to T cell activation. To circumvent T cell receptor (TCR). CD3 activation of Src family kinases, we constructed a signaling molecule with an extracellular single chain Fv of an anti-TNP antibody, attached via a transmembrane region to Syk (scFv-Syk). In a murine T cell hybridoma, direct aggregation of chimeric Syk with antigen culminates in interleukin-2 production and target cell lysis. Initially, it causes an increase in the association between scFv-Syk and the cytosolic protein Cbl and subsequently promotes tyrosine phosphorylation of Cbl. Interestingly, although both Cbl and phospholipase C-gamma (PLC-gamma) are phosphorylated in this hybridoma upon TCR.CD3 cross-linking, these two events are uncoupled in scFv-Syk-transfected cells, in which we were unable to detect antigen-driven PLC-gamma phosphorylation. These results support a model in which Syk can initiate and directly activate the T cell's signaling machinery and position Cbl as a primary tyrosine kinase substrate in this pathway. Furthermore, for efficient PLC-gamma phosphorylation to occur in these cells, the combined actions of different tyrosine kinase families may be required.