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Sakunrangsit N, Khuisangeam N, Inthanachai T, Yodsurang V, Taechawattananant P, Suppipat K, Tawinwung S. Incorporating IL7 receptor alpha signaling in the endodomain of B7H3-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cells mediates antitumor activity in glioblastoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2024; 73:98. [PMID: 38619641 PMCID: PMC11018726 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-024-03685-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
CAR-T-cell therapy has shown promise in treating hematological malignancies but faces challenges in treating solid tumors due to impaired T-cell function in the tumor microenvironment. To provide optimal T-cell activation, we developed a B7 homolog 3 protein (B7H3)-targeting CAR construct consisting of three activation signals: CD3ζ (signal 1), 41BB (signal 2), and the interleukin 7 receptor alpha (IL7Rα) cytoplasmic domain (signal 3). We generated B7H3 CAR-T cells with different lengths of the IL7Rα cytoplasmic domain, including the full length (IL7R-L), intermediate length (IL7R-M), and short length (IL7R-S) domains, and evaluated their functionality in vitro and in vivo. All the B7H3-IL7Rα CAR-T cells exhibited a less differentiated phenotype and effectively eliminated B7H3-positive glioblastoma in vitro. Superiority was found in B7H3 CAR-T cells contained the short length of the IL7Rα cytoplasmic domain. Integration of the IL7R-S cytoplasmic domain maintained pSTAT5 activation and increased T-cell proliferation while reducing activation-induced cell death. Moreover, RNA-sequencing analysis of B7H3-IL7R-S CAR-T cells after coculture with a glioblastoma cell line revealed downregulation of proapoptotic genes and upregulation of genes associated with T-cell proliferation compared with those in 2nd generation B7H3 CAR-T cells. In animal models, compared with conventional CAR-T cells, B7H3-IL7R-S CAR-T cells suppressed tumor growth and prolonged overall survival. Our study demonstrated the therapeutic potential of IL7Rα-incorporating CAR-T cells for glioblastoma treatment, suggesting a promising strategy for augmenting the effectiveness of CAR-T cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nithidol Sakunrangsit
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Nattarika Khuisangeam
- Medical Microbiology, Interdisciplinary and International Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Thananya Inthanachai
- Medical Microbiology, Interdisciplinary and International Program, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Varalee Yodsurang
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Pasrawin Taechawattananant
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Koramit Suppipat
- Department of Research Affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Cellular Immunotherapy Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Thailand Hub of Talents in Cancer Immunotherapy (TTCI), Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Supannikar Tawinwung
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
- Cellular Immunotherapy Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
- Thailand Hub of Talents in Cancer Immunotherapy (TTCI), Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
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2
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Hou B, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Wang X, Li W, Tang J, Jia X, Wang J, Cong Y, Quan M, Yang H, Zheng H, Bao Y, Chen XL, Wang HR, Xu B, Gascoigne NRJ, Fu G. SHP-1 Regulates CD8+ T Cell Effector Function but Plays a Subtle Role with SHP-2 in T Cell Exhaustion Due to a Stage-Specific Nonredundant Functional Relay. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2024; 212:397-409. [PMID: 38088801 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
SHP-1 (Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase 1) is a well-known negative regulator of T cells, whereas its close homolog SHP-2 is the long-recognized main signaling mediator of the PD-1 inhibitory pathway. However, recent studies have challenged the requirement of SHP-2 in PD-1 signaling, and follow-up studies further questioned the alternative idea that SHP-1 may replace SHP-2 in its absence. In this study, we systematically investigate the role of SHP-1 alone or jointly with SHP-2 in CD8+ T cells in a series of gene knockout mice. We show that although SHP-1 negatively regulates CD8+ T cell effector function during acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection, it is dispensable for CD8+ T cell exhaustion during chronic LCMV infection. Moreover, in contrast to the mortality of PD-1 knockout mice upon chronic LCMV infection, mice double deficient for SHP-1 and SHP-2 in CD8+ T cells survived without immunopathology. Importantly, CD8+ T cells lacking both phosphatases still differentiate into exhausted cells and respond to PD-1 blockade. Finally, we found that SHP-1 and SHP-2 suppressed effector CD8+ T cell expansion at the early and late stages, respectively, during chronic LCMV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bowen Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yanyan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yuzhen Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xiaocui Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Wanyun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jian Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xian Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jiayu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yu Cong
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Minxue Quan
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Hongying Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Haiping Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yuzhou Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xiao Lei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Hong-Rui Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Bing Xu
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital and Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Nicholas R J Gascoigne
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Guo Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital and Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Cancer Research Center of Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- Laboratory Animal Center, Xiamen University; Xiamen, China
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Gautam N, Wojciech L, Yap J, Chua YL, Ding EM, Sim DC, Tan AS, Ahl PJ, Prasad M, Tung DW, Connolly JE, Adriani G, Brzostek J, Gascoigne NR. Themis controls T cell activation, effector functions, and metabolism of peripheral CD8 + T cells. Life Sci Alliance 2023; 6:e202302156. [PMID: 37739454 PMCID: PMC10517225 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Themis is important in regulating positive selection of thymocytes during T cell development, but its role in peripheral T cells is less understood. Here, we investigated T cell activation and its sequelae using a tamoxifen-mediated, acute Themis deletion mouse model. We find that proliferation, effector functions including anti-tumor killing, and up-regulation of energy metabolism are severely compromised. This study reveals the phenomenon of peripheral adaptation to loss of Themis, by demonstrating direct TCR-induced defects after acute deletion of Themis that were not evident in peripheral T cells chronically deprived of Themis in dLck-Cre deletion model. Peripheral adaptation to long-term loss was compared using chronic versus acute tamoxifen-mediated deletion and with the (chronic) dLck-Cre deletion model. We found that upon chronic tamoxifen-mediated Themis deletion, there was modulation in the gene expression profile for both TCR and cytokine signaling pathways. This profile overlapped with (chronic) dLck-Cre deletion model. Hence, we found that peripheral adaptation induced changes to both TCR and cytokine signaling modules. Our data highlight the importance of Themis in the activation of CD8+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namrata Gautam
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Immunology Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lukasz Wojciech
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Immunology Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jiawei Yap
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Immunology Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yen Leong Chua
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Immunology Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Eyan Mw Ding
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Don Cn Sim
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alrina Sm Tan
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Patricia J Ahl
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mukul Prasad
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Immunology Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Desmond Wh Tung
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Immunology Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - John E Connolly
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Giulia Adriani
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joanna Brzostek
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Immunology Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nicholas Rj Gascoigne
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Immunology Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- https://ror.org/01tgyzw49 Translational Cancer Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Wu L, Tan JC, Gascoigne NRJ. Generation of gene-of-interest double allele knockout clones in primary human T cells by CRISPR. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102445. [PMID: 37432856 PMCID: PMC10362176 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene-of-interest (GOI) knockout is an important technique to study the genetic mechanisms of T cells. Here, we present a protocol to generate GOI double allele gene knockouts in primary human T cells by CRISPR, thus depleting proteins of interest expressed intracellularly or extracellularly in primary T cells. We describe steps for gRNA selection and efficiency validation, homology-directed repair (HDR) DNA template design and cloning, and genome editing and HDR gene insertion. We then detail clone isolation and GOI knockout validation. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Wu et al.1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wu
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore.
| | - Jia Chi Tan
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Nicholas R J Gascoigne
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Cancer Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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