1
|
Alarcon NO, Jaramillo M, Mansour HM, Sun B. Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines—Antigen Discovery and Adjuvant Delivery Platforms. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14071448. [PMID: 35890342 PMCID: PMC9325128 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14071448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
For decades, vaccines have played a significant role in protecting public and personal health against infectious diseases and proved their great potential in battling cancers as well. This review focused on the current progress of therapeutic subunit vaccines for cancer immunotherapy. Antigens and adjuvants are key components of vaccine formulations. We summarized several classes of tumor antigens and bioinformatic approaches of identification of tumor neoantigens. Pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-targeting adjuvants and their targeted delivery platforms have been extensively discussed. In addition, we emphasized the interplay between multiple adjuvants and their combined delivery for cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Neftali Ortega Alarcon
- Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (N.O.A.); (M.J.); (H.M.M.)
| | - Maddy Jaramillo
- Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (N.O.A.); (M.J.); (H.M.M.)
| | - Heidi M. Mansour
- Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (N.O.A.); (M.J.); (H.M.M.)
- The University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
- BIO5 Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Bo Sun
- Skaggs Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (N.O.A.); (M.J.); (H.M.M.)
- The University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- BIO5 Institute, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-520-621-6420
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Brennick CA, George MM, Srivastava PK, Karandikar SH. Prediction of cancer neoepitopes needs new rules. Semin Immunol 2020; 47:101387. [PMID: 31952902 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2020.101387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Tumors are immunogenic and the non-synonymous point mutations harbored by tumors are a source of their immunogenicity. Immunologists have long been enamored by the idea of synthetic peptides corresponding to mutated epitopes (neoepitopes) as specific "vaccines" against tumors presenting those neoepitopes in context of MHC I. Tumors may harbor hundreds of point mutations and it would require effective prediction algorithms to identify candidate neoepitopes capable of eliciting potent tumor-specific CD8+ T cell responses. Our current understanding of MHC I-restricted epitopes come from the observance of CD8+ T cell responses against viral (vaccinia, lymphocytic choriomeningitis etc.) and model (chicken ovalbumin, hen egg lysozyme etc.) antigens. Measurable CD8+ T cell responses elicited by model or viral antigens are always directed against epitopes possessing strong binding affinity for the restricting MHC I alleles. Immense collective effort to develop methodologies combining genomic sequencing, bioinformatics and traditional immunological techniques to identify neoepitopes with strong binding affinity to MHC I has only yielded inaccurate prediction algorithms. Additionally, new evidence has emerged suggesting that neoepitopes, which unlike the epitopes of viral or model antigens have closely resembling wild-type counterparts, may not necessarily demonstrate strong affinity to MHC I. Our bearing need recalibration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cory A Brennick
- Department of Immunology, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
| | - Mariam M George
- Department of Immunology, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
| | - Sukrut H Karandikar
- Department of Immunology, Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Vigneron N, Ferrari V, Van den Eynde BJ, Cresswell P, Leonhardt RM. Cytosolic Processing Governs TAP-Independent Presentation of a Critical Melanoma Antigen. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2018; 201:1875-1888. [PMID: 30135181 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1701479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has been flourishing in recent years with remarkable clinical success. But as more patients are treated, a shadow is emerging that has haunted other cancer therapies: tumors develop resistance. Resistance is often caused by defects in the MHC class I Ag presentation pathway critical for CD8 T cell-mediated tumor clearance. TAP and tapasin, both key players in the pathway, are frequently downregulated in human cancers, correlating with poor patient survival. Reduced dependence on these factors may promote vaccine efficiency by limiting immune evasion. In this study, we demonstrate that PMEL209-217, a promising phase 3 trial-tested antimelanoma vaccine candidate, is robustly presented by various TAP- and/or tapasin-deficient cell lines. This striking characteristic may underlie its potency as a vaccine. Surprisingly, cytosolic proteasomes generate the peptide even for TAP-independent presentation, whereas tripeptidyl peptidase 2 (TPP2) efficiently degrades the epitope. Consequently, inhibiting TPP2 substantially boosts PMEL209-217 presentation, suggesting a possible strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy of the vaccine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Vigneron
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels B-1200, Belgium.,de Duve Institute, University of Louvain, Brussels B-1200, Belgium.,Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Brussels B-1200, Belgium
| | - Violette Ferrari
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels B-1200, Belgium.,de Duve Institute, University of Louvain, Brussels B-1200, Belgium.,Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Brussels B-1200, Belgium
| | - Benoît J Van den Eynde
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels B-1200, Belgium; .,de Duve Institute, University of Louvain, Brussels B-1200, Belgium.,Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Brussels B-1200, Belgium
| | - Peter Cresswell
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06519; and .,Department of Cell Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06519
| | - Ralf M Leonhardt
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06519; and
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Brennick CA, George MM, Corwin WL, Srivastava PK, Ebrahimi-Nik H. Neoepitopes as cancer immunotherapy targets: key challenges and opportunities. Immunotherapy 2017; 9:361-371. [PMID: 28303769 DOI: 10.2217/imt-2016-0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last half century, it has become well established that cancers can elicit a host immune response that can target them with high specificity. Only within the last decade, with the advances in high-throughput gene sequencing and bioinformatics approaches, are we now on the forefront of harnessing the host's immune system to treat cancer. Recently, some strides have been taken toward understanding effective tumor-specific MHC I restricted epitopes or neoepitopes. However, many fundamental questions still remain to be addressed before this therapy can live up to its full clinical potential. In this review, we discuss the major hurdles that lie ahead and the work being done to address them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cory A Brennick
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | - Mariam M George
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | - William L Corwin
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | - Pramod K Srivastava
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| | - Hakimeh Ebrahimi-Nik
- Department of Immunology, & Carole & Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Connecticut, School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030-1601, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abstract
The search for specificity in cancers has been a holy grail in cancer immunology. Cancer geneticists have long known that cancers harbor transforming and other mutations. Immunologists have long known that inbred mice can be immunized against syngeneic cancers, indicating the existence of cancer-specific antigens. With the technological advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, the genetic and immunologic lines of inquiry are now converging to provide definitive evidence that human cancers are vastly different from normal tissues at the genetic level, and that some of these differences are recognized by the immune system. The very vastness of genetic changes in cancers now raises different question. Which of the many cancer-specific genetic (genomic) changes are actually recognized by the immune system, and why? New observations are now beginning to probe these vital issues with unprecedented resolution and are informing a new generation of studies in human cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pramod K Srivastava
- Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Leonhardt RM, Abrahimi P, Mitchell SM, Cresswell P. Three tapasin docking sites in TAP cooperate to facilitate transporter stabilization and heterodimerization. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 192:2480-94. [PMID: 24501197 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1302637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The TAP translocates peptide Ags into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum for loading onto MHC class I molecules. MHC class I acquires its peptide cargo in the peptide loading complex, an oligomeric complex that the chaperone tapasin organizes by bridging TAP to MHC class I and recruiting accessory molecules such as ERp57 and calreticulin. Three tapasin binding sites on TAP have been described, two of which are located in the N-terminal domains of TAP1 and TAP2. The third binding site is present in the core transmembrane (TM) domain of TAP1 and is used only by the unassembled subunits. Tapasin is required to promote TAP stability, but through which binding site(s) it is acting is unknown. In particular, the role of tapasin binding to the core TM domain of TAP1 single chains is mysterious because this interaction is lost upon TAP2 association. In this study, we map the respective binding site in TAP1 to the polar face of the amphipathic TM helix TM9 and identify key residues that are essential to establish the interaction. We find that this interaction is dispensable for the peptide transport function but essential to achieve full stability of human TAP1. The interaction is also required for proper heterodimerization of the transporter. Based on similar results obtained using TAP mutants that lack tapasin binding to either N-terminal domain, we conclude that all three tapasin-binding sites in TAP cooperate to achieve high transporter stability and efficient heterodimerization.
Collapse
|
7
|
Vigneron N, Stroobant V, Van den Eynde BJ, van der Bruggen P. Database of T cell-defined human tumor antigens: the 2013 update. CANCER IMMUNITY 2013; 13:15. [PMID: 23882160 PMCID: PMC3718731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The plethora of tumor antigens that have been--and are still being--defined required systematization to provide a comprehensive overview of those tumor antigens that are the most relevant targets for cancer immunotherapy approaches. Here, we provide a new update of a peptide database resource that we initiated many years ago. This database compiles all human antigenic peptides described in the literature that fulfill a set of strict criteria needed to ascertain their actual "tumor antigen" nature, as we aim at guiding scientists and clinicians searching for appropriate cancer vaccine candidates (www.cancerimmunity.org/peptide). In this review, we revisit those criteria in light of recent findings related to antigen processing. We also introduce the 29 new tumor antigens that were selected for this 2013 update. Two of the new peptides show unusual features, which will be briefly discussed. The database now comprises a total of 403 tumor antigenic peptides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Vigneron
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch, Brussels, Belgium
- WELBIO and de Duve Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Vincent Stroobant
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch, Brussels, Belgium
- WELBIO and de Duve Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Benoît J. Van den Eynde
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch, Brussels, Belgium
- WELBIO and de Duve Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre van der Bruggen
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch, Brussels, Belgium
- WELBIO and de Duve Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|