1
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Yazdi M, Hasanzadeh Kafshgari M, Khademi Moghadam F, Zarezade V, Oellinger R, Khosravi M, Haas S, Hoch CC, Pockley AG, Wagner E, Wollenberg B, Multhoff G, Bashiri Dezfouli A. Crosstalk Between NK Cell Receptors and Tumor Membrane Hsp70-Derived Peptide: A Combined Computational and Experimental Study. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2305998. [PMID: 38298098 PMCID: PMC11005703 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202305998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are central components of the innate immunity system against cancers. Since tumor cells have evolved a series of mechanisms to escape from NK cells, developing methods for increasing the NK cell antitumor activity is of utmost importance. It is previously shown that an ex vivo stimulation of patient-derived NK cells with interleukin (IL)-2 and Hsp70-derived peptide TKD (TKDNNLLGRFELSG, aa450-461) results in a significant upregulation of activating receptors including CD94 and CD69 which triggers exhausted NK cells to target and kill malignant solid tumors expressing membrane Hsp70 (mHsp70). Considering that TKD binding to an activating receptor is the initial step in the cytolytic signaling cascade of NK cells, herein this interaction is studied by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation computational modeling. The in silico results showed a crucial role of the heterodimeric receptor CD94/NKG2A and CD94/NKG2C in the TKD interaction with NK cells. Antibody blocking and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout studies verified the key function of CD94 in the TKD stimulation and activation of NK cells which is characterized by an increased cytotoxic capacity against mHsp70 positive tumor cells via enhanced production and release of lytic granules and pro-inflammatory cytokines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Yazdi
- Pharmaceutical BiotechnologyDepartment of PharmacyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität (LMU)81377MunichGermany
| | - Morteza Hasanzadeh Kafshgari
- Heinz‐Nixdorf‐Chair of Biomedical ElectronicsCampus Klinikum München rechts der IsarTranslaTUMTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
| | | | - Vahid Zarezade
- Behbahan Faculty of Medical SciencesBehbahan6361796819Iran
| | - Rupert Oellinger
- Institute of Molecular Oncology and Functional GenomicsSchool of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
- Central Institute for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM)School of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
| | - Mohammad Khosravi
- Department of PathobiologyFaculty of Veterinary MedicineShahid Chamran University of AhvazAhvaz6135783151Iran
| | - Stefan Haas
- Department of Radiation OncologySchool of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
- Department of OtorhinolaryngologySchool of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
| | - Cosima C. Hoch
- Department of OtorhinolaryngologySchool of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
| | - Alan Graham Pockley
- John van Geest Cancer Research CentreSchool of Science and TechnologyNottingham Trent UniversityNottinghamNG11 8NSUK
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical BiotechnologyDepartment of PharmacyLudwig‐Maximilians‐Universität (LMU)81377MunichGermany
| | - Barbara Wollenberg
- Department of OtorhinolaryngologySchool of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
| | - Gabriele Multhoff
- Central Institute for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM)School of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
- Department of Radiation OncologySchool of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
| | - Ali Bashiri Dezfouli
- Central Institute for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM)School of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
- Department of Radiation OncologySchool of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
- Department of OtorhinolaryngologySchool of MedicineTechnische Universität München81675MunichGermany
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2
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MacLachlan BJ, Sullivan LC, Brooks AG, Rossjohn J, Vivian JP. Structure of the murine CD94-NKG2A receptor in complex with Qa-1 b presenting an MHC-I leader peptide. FEBS J 2024; 291:1530-1544. [PMID: 38158698 DOI: 10.1111/febs.17050] [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: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The heterodimeric natural killer cells antigen CD94 (CD94)-NKG2-A/NKG2-B type II integral membrane protein (NKG2A) receptor family expressed on human and mouse natural killer (NK) cells monitors global major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I cell surface expression levels through binding to MHC class Ia-derived leader sequence peptides presented by HLA class I histocompatibility antigen, alpha chain E (HLA-E; in humans) or H-2 class I histocompatibility antigen, D-37 (Qa-1b; in mice). Although the molecular basis underpinning human CD94-NKG2A recognition of HLA-E is known, the equivalent interaction in the murine setting is not. By determining the high-resolution crystal structure of murine CD94-NKG2A in complex with Qa-1b presenting the Qa-1 determinant modifier peptide (QDM), we resolved the mode of binding. Compared to the human homologue, the murine CD94-NKG2A-Qa-1b-QDM displayed alterations in the distribution of interactions across CD94 and NKG2A subunits that coincide with differences in electrostatic complementarity of the ternary complex and the lack of cross-species reactivity. Nevertheless, we show that Qa-1b could be modified through W65R + N73I mutations to mimic HLA-E, facilitating binding with both human and murine CD94-NKG2A. These data underscore human and murine CD94-NKG2A cross-species heterogeneity and provide a foundation for humanising Qa-1b in immune system models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce J MacLachlan
- Infection and Immunity Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Lucy C Sullivan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Andrew G Brooks
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia
| | - Jamie Rossjohn
- Infection and Immunity Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, UK
| | - Julian P Vivian
- Infection and Immunity Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
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3
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Middelburg J, Ghaffari S, Schoufour TAW, Sluijter M, Schaap G, Göynük B, Sala BM, Al-Tamimi L, Scheeren F, Franken KLMC, Akkermans JJLL, Cabukusta B, Joosten SA, Derksen I, Neefjes J, van der Burg SH, Achour A, Wijdeven RHM, Weidanz J, van Hall T. The MHC-E peptide ligands for checkpoint CD94/NKG2A are governed by inflammatory signals, whereas LILRB1/2 receptors are peptide indifferent. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113516. [PMID: 38048225 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113516] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune checkpoint NKG2A/CD94 is a promising target for cancer immunotherapy, and its ligand major histocompatibility complex E (MHC-E) is frequently upregulated in cancer. NKG2A/CD94-mediated inhibition of lymphocytes depends on the presence of specific leader peptides in MHC-E, but when and where they are presented in situ is unknown. We apply a nanobody specific for the Qdm/Qa-1b complex, the NKG2A/CD94 ligand in mouse, and find that presentation of Qdm peptide depends on every member of the endoplasmic reticulum-resident peptide loading complex. With a turnover rate of 30 min, the Qdm peptide reflects antigen processing capacity in real time. Remarkably, Qdm/Qa-1b complexes require inflammatory signals for surface expression in situ, despite the broad presence of Qa-1b molecules in homeostasis. Furthermore, we identify LILRB1 as a functional inhibition receptor for MHC-E in steady state. These data provide a molecular understanding of NKG2A blockade in immunotherapy and assign MHC-E as a convergent ligand for multiple immune checkpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jim Middelburg
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Soroush Ghaffari
- Department of Biology, College of Science, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Tom A W Schoufour
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Marjolein Sluijter
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Gaby Schaap
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Büsra Göynük
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Benedetta M Sala
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute & Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Lejla Al-Tamimi
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute & Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Ferenc Scheeren
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kees L M C Franken
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jimmy J L L Akkermans
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Birol Cabukusta
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Simone A Joosten
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Ian Derksen
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jacques Neefjes
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sjoerd H van der Burg
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Adnane Achour
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute & Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Ruud H M Wijdeven
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Jon Weidanz
- Abexxa Biologics, Inc., Arlington, TX, USA; College of Nursing and Health Innovation, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Thorbald van Hall
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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Badami GD, La Manna MP, Di Carlo P, Stanek O, Linhartova I, Caccamo N, Sebo P, Dieli F. Delivery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis epitopes by Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase toxoid expands HLA-E-restricted cytotoxic CD8 + T cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1289212. [PMID: 38106407 PMCID: PMC10722248 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1289212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) remains the first cause of death from infection caused by a bacterial pathogen. Chemotherapy does not eradicate Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) from human lungs, and the pathogen causes a latent tuberculosis infection that cannot be prevented by the currently available Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is ineffective in the prevention of pulmonary TB in adults. HLA-E-restricted CD8+ T lymphocytes are essential players in protective immune responses against Mtb. Hence, expanding this population in vivo or ex vivo may be crucial for vaccination or immunotherapy against TB. Methods The enzymatically inactive Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase (CyaA) toxoid is an effective tool for delivering peptide epitopes into the cytosol of antigen-presenting cells (APC) for presentation and stimulation of specific CD8+ T-cell responses. In this study, we have investigated the capacity of the CyaA toxoid to deliver Mtb epitopes known to bind HLA-E for the expansion of human CD8+ T cells in vitro. Results Our results show that the CyaA-toxoid containing five HLA-E-restricted Mtb epitopes causes significant expansion of HLA-E-restricted antigen-specific CD8+ T cells, which produce IFN-γ and exert significant cytotoxic activity towards peptide-pulsed macrophages. Discussion HLA-E represents a promising platform for the development of new vaccines; our study indicates that the CyaA construct represents a suitable delivery system of the HLA-E-binding Mtb epitopes for ex vivo and in vitro expansion of HLA-E-restricted CD8+ T cells inducing a predominant Tc1 cytokine profile with a significant increase of IFN-γ production, for prophylactic and immunotherapeutic applications against Mtb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giusto D. Badami
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnosis and Biomedical Research (CLADIBIOR), AOUP Paolo Giaccone, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnosis (BIND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Marco P. La Manna
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnosis and Biomedical Research (CLADIBIOR), AOUP Paolo Giaccone, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnosis (BIND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Paola Di Carlo
- Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother-Child Care “G. D’Alessandro”, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Ondrej Stanek
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Bacterial Pathogen, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Irena Linhartova
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Bacterial Pathogen, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Nadia Caccamo
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnosis and Biomedical Research (CLADIBIOR), AOUP Paolo Giaccone, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnosis (BIND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Peter Sebo
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Bacterial Pathogen, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Francesco Dieli
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnosis and Biomedical Research (CLADIBIOR), AOUP Paolo Giaccone, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnosis (BIND), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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5
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Martín Almazán N, Sala BM, Sandalova T, Sun Y, Resink T, Cichocki F, Söderberg-Nauclér C, Miller JS, Achour A, Sarhan D. Non-classical HLA-E restricted CMV 15-mer peptides are recognized by adaptive NK cells and induce memory responses. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1230718. [PMID: 37809084 PMCID: PMC10552778 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1230718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) reactivation causes complications in immunocompromised patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), significantly increasing morbidity and mortality. Adaptive Natural Killer (aNK) cells undergo a persistent reconfiguration in response to HCMV reactivation; however, the exact role of aNK cell memory in HCMV surveillance remains elusive. Methods We employed mass spectrometry and computational prediction approaches to identify HLA-E-restricted HCMV peptides that can elucidate aNK cell responses. We also used the K562 cell line transfected with HLA-E0*0103 for specific peptide binding and blocking assays. Subsequently, NK cells were cocultured with dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with each of the identified peptides to examine aNK and conventional (c)NK cell responses. Results Here, we discovered three unconventional HLA-E-restricted 15-mer peptides (SEVENVSVNVHNPTG, TSGSDSDEELVTTER, and DSDEELVTTERKTPR) derived from the HCMV pp65-protein that elicit aNK cell memory responses restricted to HCMV. aNK cells displayed memory responses towards HMCV-infected cells and HCMV-seropositive individuals when primed by DCs loaded with each of these peptides and predicted 9-mer versions. Blocking the interaction between HLA-E and the activation NKG2C receptor but not the inhibitory NKG2A receptor abolished these specific recall responses. Interestingly, compared to the HLA-E complex with the leader peptide VMAPRTLIL, HLA-E complexes formed with each of the three identified peptides significantly changed the surface electrostatic potential to highly negative. Furthermore, these peptides do not comprise the classical HLA-E-restriction motifs. Discussion These findings suggest a differential binding to NKG2C compared to HLA-E complexes with classical leader peptides that may result in the specific activation of aNK cells. We then designed six nonameric peptides based on the three discovered peptides that could elicit aNK cell memory responses to HCMV necessary for therapeutic inventions. The results provide novel insights into HLA-E-mediated signaling networks that mediate aNK cell recall responses and maximize their reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Martín Almazán
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Benedetta Maria Sala
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tatyana Sandalova
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yizhe Sun
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tom Resink
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Frank Cichocki
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Cecilia Söderberg-Nauclér
- Department of Medicine, Microbial Pathogenesis Unit, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Neurology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
- Institute of Biomedicine, Unit for Infection and immunology, MediCity Research Laboratory, InFLAMES Flagship, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Jeffrey S Miller
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Adnane Achour
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dhifaf Sarhan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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6
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Huisman BD, Guan N, Rückert T, Garner L, Singh NK, McMichael AJ, Gillespie GM, Romagnani C, Birnbaum ME. High-throughput characterization of HLA-E-presented CD94/NKG2x ligands reveals peptides which modulate NK cell activation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4809. [PMID: 37558657 PMCID: PMC10412585 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40220-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
HLA-E is a non-classical class I MHC protein involved in innate and adaptive immune recognition. While recent studies have shown HLA-E can present diverse peptides to NK cells and T cells, the HLA-E repertoire recognized by CD94/NKG2x has remained poorly defined, with only a limited number of peptide ligands identified. Here we screen a yeast-displayed peptide library in the context of HLA-E to identify 500 high-confidence unique peptides that bind both HLA-E and CD94/NKG2A or CD94/NKG2C. Utilizing the sequences identified via yeast display selections, we train prediction algorithms and identify human and cytomegalovirus (CMV) proteome-derived, HLA-E-presented peptides capable of binding and signaling through both CD94/NKG2A and CD94/NKG2C. In addition, we identify peptides which selectively activate NKG2C+ NK cells. Taken together, characterization of the HLA-E-binding peptide repertoire and identification of NK activity-modulating peptides present opportunities for studies of NK cell regulation in health and disease, in addition to vaccine and therapeutic design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke D Huisman
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ning Guan
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Timo Rückert
- Innate Immunity, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin (DRFZ), ein Leibniz Institut, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lee Garner
- Centre for Immuno-Oncology, Old Road Campus Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nishant K Singh
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrew J McMichael
- Centre for Immuno-Oncology, Old Road Campus Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Geraldine M Gillespie
- Centre for Immuno-Oncology, Old Road Campus Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Chiara Romagnani
- Innate Immunity, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin (DRFZ), ein Leibniz Institut, Berlin, Germany
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael E Birnbaum
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Biological Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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7
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Yang X, Wang X, Zou Y, Zhang S, Xia M, Fu L, Vollger MR, Chen NC, Taylor DJ, Harvey WT, Logsdon GA, Meng D, Shi J, McCoy RC, Schatz MC, Li W, Eichler EE, Lu Q, Mao Y. Characterization of large-scale genomic differences in the first complete human genome. Genome Biol 2023; 24:157. [PMID: 37403156 PMCID: PMC10320979 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-02995-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The first telomere-to-telomere (T2T) human genome assembly (T2T-CHM13) release is a milestone in human genomics. The T2T-CHM13 genome assembly extends our understanding of telomeres, centromeres, segmental duplication, and other complex regions. The current human genome reference (GRCh38) has been widely used in various human genomic studies. However, the large-scale genomic differences between these two important genome assemblies are not characterized in detail yet. RESULTS Here, in addition to the previously reported "non-syntenic" regions, we find 67 additional large-scale discrepant regions and precisely categorize them into four structural types with a newly developed website tool called SynPlotter. The discrepant regions (~ 21.6 Mbp) excluding telomeric and centromeric regions are highly structurally polymorphic in humans, where the deletions or duplications are likely associated with various human diseases, such as immune and neurodevelopmental disorders. The analyses of a newly identified discrepant region-the KLRC gene cluster-show that the depletion of KLRC2 by a single-deletion event is associated with natural killer cell differentiation in ~ 20% of humans. Meanwhile, the rapid amino acid replacements observed within KLRC3 are probably a result of natural selection in primate evolution. CONCLUSION Our study provides a foundation for understanding the large-scale structural genomic differences between the two crucial human reference genomes, and is thereby important for future human genomics studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Yang
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuankai Wang
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yawen Zou
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shilong Zhang
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Manying Xia
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lianting Fu
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mitchell R Vollger
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nae-Chyun Chen
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dylan J Taylor
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - William T Harvey
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Glennis A Logsdon
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dan Meng
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junfeng Shi
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Advanced Dental Technology and Materials, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Rajiv C McCoy
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael C Schatz
- Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Weidong Li
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Evan E Eichler
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Qing Lu
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yafei Mao
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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8
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Lin Z, Bashirova AA, Viard M, Garner L, Quastel M, Beiersdorfer M, Kasprzak WK, Akdag M, Yuki Y, Ojeda P, Das S, Andresson T, Naranbhai V, Horowitz A, McMichael AJ, Hoelzemer A, Gillespie GM, Garcia-Beltran WF, Carrington M. HLA class I signal peptide polymorphism determines the level of CD94/NKG2-HLA-E-mediated regulation of effector cell responses. Nat Immunol 2023; 24:1087-1097. [PMID: 37264229 PMCID: PMC10690437 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01523-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E binds epitopes derived from HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C and HLA-G signal peptides (SPs) and serves as a ligand for CD94/NKG2A and CD94/NKG2C receptors expressed on natural killer and T cell subsets. We show that among 16 common classical HLA class I SP variants, only 6 can be efficiently processed to generate epitopes that enable CD94/NKG2 engagement, which we term 'functional SPs'. The single functional HLA-B SP, known as HLA-B/-21M, induced high HLA-E expression, but conferred the lowest receptor recognition. Consequently, HLA-B/-21M SP competes with other SPs for providing epitope to HLA-E and reduces overall recognition of target cells by CD94/NKG2A, calling for reassessment of previous disease models involving HLA-B/-21M. Genetic population data indicate a positive correlation between frequencies of functional SPs in humans and corresponding cytomegalovirus mimics, suggesting a means for viral escape from host responses. The systematic, quantitative approach described herein will facilitate development of prediction algorithms for accurately measuring the impact of CD94/NKG2-HLA-E interactions in disease resistance/susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhansong Lin
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Arman A Bashirova
- Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mathias Viard
- Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lee Garner
- Centre for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Max Quastel
- Centre for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Maya Beiersdorfer
- Leibniz Institute of Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wojciech K Kasprzak
- Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Marjan Akdag
- Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yuko Yuki
- Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Pedro Ojeda
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sudipto Das
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Thorkell Andresson
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Vivek Naranbhai
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, Durban, South Africa
| | - Amir Horowitz
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Precision Immunology Institute, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Angelique Hoelzemer
- Leibniz Institute of Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- 1st Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Mary Carrington
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA.
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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9
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Saunders PM, Brooks AG, Rossjohn J. Oyez, Oyez, Oyez! Nat Immunol 2023:10.1038/s41590-023-01541-x. [PMID: 37308666 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01541-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Philippa M Saunders
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew G Brooks
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jamie Rossjohn
- Infection and Immunity Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University, School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.
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10
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Ljubič M, Prašnikar E, Perdih A, Borišek J. All-Atom Simulations Reveal the Intricacies of Signal Transduction upon Binding of the HLA-E Ligand to the Transmembrane Inhibitory CD94/NKG2A Receptor. J Chem Inf Model 2023. [PMID: 37207294 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the innate immune response against tumors and various pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. Their function is controlled by a wide array of activating and inhibitory receptors, which are expressed on their cell surface. Among them is a dimeric NKG2A/CD94 inhibitory transmembrane (TM) receptor which specifically binds to the non-classical MHC I molecule HLA-E, which is often overexpressed on the surface of senescent and tumor cells. Using the Alphafold 2 artificial intelligence system, we constructed the missing segments of the NKG2A/CD94 receptor and generated its complete 3D structure comprising extracellular (EC), TM, and intracellular regions, which served as a starting point for the multi-microsecond all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of the receptor with and without the bound HLA-E ligand and its nonameric peptide. The simulated models revealed that an intricate interplay of events is taking place between the EC and TM regions ultimately affecting the intracellular immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM) regions that host the point at which the signal is transmitted further down the inhibitory signaling cascade. Signal transduction through the lipid bilayer was also coupled with the changes in the relative orientation of the NKG2A/CD94 TM helices in response to linker reorganization, mediated by fine-tuned interactions in the EC region of the receptor, taking place after HLA-E binding. This research provides atomistic details of the cells' protection mechanism against NK cells and broadens the knowledge regarding the TM signaling of ITIM-bearing receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Ljubič
- National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eva Prašnikar
- National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Perdih
- National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jure Borišek
- National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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11
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Bueno-Sánchez JC, Gómez-Gutiérrez AM, Maldonado-Estrada JG, Quintana-Castillo JC. Expression of placental glycans and its role in regulating peripheral blood NK cells during preeclampsia: a perspective. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1087845. [PMID: 37206444 PMCID: PMC10190602 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1087845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-related multisystem disorder characterized by altered trophoblast invasion, oxidative stress, exacerbation of systemic inflammatory response, and endothelial damage. The pathogenesis includes hypertension and mild-to-severe microangiopathy in the kidney, liver, placenta, and brain. The main mechanisms involved in its pathogenesis have been proposed to limit trophoblast invasion and increase the release of extracellular vesicles from the syncytiotrophoblast into the maternal circulation, exacerbating the systemic inflammatory response. The placenta expresses glycans as part of its development and maternal immune tolerance during gestation. The expression profile of glycans at the maternal-fetal interface may play a fundamental role in physiological pregnancy changes and disorders such as preeclampsia. It is unclear whether glycans and their lectin-like receptors are involved in the mechanisms of maternal-fetal recognition by immune cells during pregnancy homeostasis. The expression profile of glycans appears to be altered in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, which could lead to alterations in the placental microenvironment and vascular endothelium in pregnancy conditions such as preeclampsia. Glycans with immunomodulatory properties at the maternal-fetal interface are altered in early-onset severe preeclampsia, implying that innate immune system components, such as NK cells, exacerbate the systemic inflammatory response observed in preeclampsia. In this article, we discuss the evidence for the role of glycans in gestational physiology and the perspective of glycobiology on the pathophysiology of hypertensive disorders in gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio C. Bueno-Sánchez
- Reproduction Group, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
- Red Iberoamericana de Alteraciones Vasculares en Trastornos del Embarazo (RIVATREM), Chillan, Chile
| | - Alejandra M. Gómez-Gutiérrez
- Reproduction Group, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Juan G. Maldonado-Estrada
- One Health and Veterinary Innovative Research & Development (OHVRI) Research Group, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
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12
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Rousselière A, Charreau B. Persistent CD8 T Cell Marks Caused by the HCMV Infection in Seropositive Adults: Prevalence of HLA-E-Reactive CD8 T Cells. Cells 2023; 12:cells12060889. [PMID: 36980230 PMCID: PMC10047643 DOI: 10.3390/cells12060889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the frequency and peptide specificity of long-lasting HCMV-specific CD8 T cells in a cohort of 120 cytomegalovirus seropositive (HCMV+) healthy carriers with the aim of deciphering the relative contribution of unconventional HLA-E- versus conventional HLA-A2-specific CD8 T cells to long-term T cell memory expansion in HCMV immunity. The presence of HCMV-specific CD8 T cells was investigated by flow cytometry using five MHC/peptide tetramer complexes (HLA-A2/pp65, HLA-A2/IE1 and three different HLA-E/UL40). Here, we report that 50% of HCMV+ healthy individuals possess HCMV-specific CD8 T cells, representing ≥0.1% of total blood CD8 T cells years post-infection. Around a third (30.8%) of individuals possess HLA-A2-restricted (A2pp65 or A2IE1) and an equal proportion (27.5%) possess an HLA-E/UL40 CD8 T response. Concomitant HLA-E- and HLA-A2-reactive CD8 T cells were frequently found, and VMAPRTLIL peptide was the major target. The frequency of HLA-E/VMAPRTLIL among total blood CD8 T cells was significantly higher than the frequency of HLA-A2pp65 T cells (mean values: 5.9% versus 2.3%, p = 0.0354). HLA-EUL40 CD8 T cells display lower TCR avidity but similar levels of CD3 and CD8 coreceptors. In conclusion, HLA-E-restricted CD8 T cells against the VMAPRTLIL UL40 peptide constitute a predominant subset among long-lasting anti-HCMV CD8 T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Rousselière
- Centre de Recherche Translationnelle en Transplantation et Immunologie (CR2TI), Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Inserm, UMR 1064, 44093 Nantes, France
| | - Béatrice Charreau
- Centre de Recherche Translationnelle en Transplantation et Immunologie (CR2TI), Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Inserm, UMR 1064, 44093 Nantes, France
- CHU Nantes, Institut de Transplantation Urologie Néphrologie (ITUN), CEDEX 1, 44093 Nantes, France
- Correspondence:
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13
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Li Q, Lan P. Activation of immune signals during organ transplantation. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:110. [PMID: 36906586 PMCID: PMC10008588 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01377-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The activation of host's innate and adaptive immune systems can lead to acute and chronic graft rejection, which seriously impacts graft survival. Thus, it is particularly significant to clarify the immune signals, which are critical to the initiation and maintenance of rejection generated after transplantation. The initiation of response to graft is dependent on sensing of danger and stranger molecules. The ischemia and reperfusion of grafts lead to cell stress or death, followed by releasing a variety of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which are recognized by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of host immune cells to activate intracellular immune signals and induce sterile inflammation. In addition to DAMPs, the graft exposed to 'non-self' antigens (stranger molecules) are recognized by the host immune system, stimulating a more intense immune response and further aggravating the graft damage. The polymorphism of MHC genes between different individuals is the key for host or donor immune cells to identify heterologous 'non-self' components in allogeneic and xenogeneic organ transplantation. The recognition of 'non-self' antigen by immune cells mediates the activation of immune signals between donor and host, resulting in adaptive memory immunity and innate trained immunity to the graft, which poses a challenge to the long-term survival of the graft. This review focuses on innate and adaptive immune cells receptor recognition of damage-associated molecular patterns, alloantigens and xenoantigens, which is described as danger model and stranger model. In this review, we also discuss the innate trained immunity in organ transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingwen Li
- Institute of Organ Transplantation, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education; NHC Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Peixiang Lan
- Institute of Organ Transplantation, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China. .,Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Education; NHC Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation; Key Laboratory of Organ Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuhan, China.
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14
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Esparvarinha M, Madadi S, Aslanian-Kalkhoran L, Nickho H, Dolati S, Pia H, Danaii S, Taghavi S, Yousefi M. Dominant immune cells in pregnancy and pregnancy complications: T helper cells (TH1/TH2, TH17/Treg cells), NK cells, MDSCs, and the immune checkpoints. Cell Biol Int 2023; 47:507-519. [PMID: 36335635 DOI: 10.1002/cbin.11955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Pregnancy problems including recurrent pregnancy loss, repeated implantation failure and pre-eclampsia are common problems in the reproductive ages. Different reasons such as genetic, immunological, and environmental agents and also infections could develop these complications. In those cases in which the cause of the abortion is diagnosed, the chance of a successful pregnancy is increased by eliminating defective factors. However, in patients with unknown causes, there may be an imbalance in immune cells pattern. As a matter of fact, an inappropriate immune response is often associated with a failed pregnancy. Hence, the focus of treatment is to increase tolerance, not to suppress maternal immune system. These findings are linked to an elevated number of Treg cells and immune checkpoints through normal pregnancy. The present review discusses the balance of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, natural killer cells, T cells, and immune checkpoints, and also targeting them to maintain pregnancy and prevent associated complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojgan Esparvarinha
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Sahar Madadi
- Women's Reproductive Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Lida Aslanian-Kalkhoran
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Hamid Nickho
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Immunology Research Center, Institute of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sanam Dolati
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Center, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Helen Pia
- Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Shahla Danaii
- Gynecology Department, Eastern Azerbaijan ACECR ART Centre, Eastern Azerbaijan branch of ACECR, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Simin Taghavi
- Women's Reproductive Health Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Yousefi
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
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15
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Anderko RR, Mailliard RB. Mapping the interplay between NK cells and HIV: therapeutic implications. J Leukoc Biol 2023; 113:109-138. [PMID: 36822173 PMCID: PMC10043732 DOI: 10.1093/jleuko/qiac007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Although highly effective at durably suppressing plasma HIV-1 viremia, combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment regimens do not eradicate the virus, which persists in long-lived CD4+ T cells. This latent viral reservoir serves as a source of plasma viral rebound following treatment interruption, thus requiring lifelong adherence to ART. Additionally, challenges remain related not only to access to therapy but also to a higher prevalence of comorbidities with an inflammatory etiology in treated HIV-1+ individuals, underscoring the need to explore therapeutic alternatives that achieve sustained virologic remission in the absence of ART. Natural killer (NK) cells are uniquely positioned to positively impact antiviral immunity, in part due to the pleiotropic nature of their effector functions, including the acquisition of memory-like features, and, therefore, hold great promise for transforming HIV-1 therapeutic modalities. In addition to defining the ability of NK cells to contribute to HIV-1 control, this review provides a basic immunologic understanding of the impact of HIV-1 infection and ART on the phenotypic and functional character of NK cells. We further delineate the qualities of "memory" NK cell populations, as well as the impact of HCMV on their induction and subsequent expansion in HIV-1 infection. We conclude by highlighting promising avenues for optimizing NK cell responses to improve HIV-1 control and effect a functional cure, including blockade of inhibitory NK receptors, TLR agonists to promote latency reversal and NK cell activation, CAR NK cells, BiKEs/TriKEs, and the role of HIV-1-specific bNAbs in NK cell-mediated ADCC activity against HIV-1-infected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee R Anderko
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, United States
| | - Robbie B Mailliard
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, United States
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16
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Dutta S, Ganguly A, Chatterjee K, Spada S, Mukherjee S. Targets of Immune Escape Mechanisms in Cancer: Basis for Development and Evolution of Cancer Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12020218. [PMID: 36829496 PMCID: PMC9952779 DOI: 10.3390/biology12020218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has emerged as a novel therapeutic tool for cancer therapy in the last decade. Unfortunately, a small number of patients benefit from approved immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Therefore, multiple studies are being conducted to find new ICIs and combination strategies to improve the current ICIs. In this review, we discuss some approved immune checkpoints, such as PD-L1, PD-1, and CTLA-4, and also highlight newer emerging ICIs. For instance, HLA-E, overexpressed by tumor cells, represents an immune-suppressive feature by binding CD94/NKG2A, on NK and T cells. NKG2A blockade recruits CD8+ T cells and activates NK cells to decrease the tumor burden. NKG2D acts as an NK cell activating receptor that can also be a potential ICI. The adenosine A2A and A2B receptors, CD47-SIRPα, TIM-3, LAG-3, TIGIT, and VISTA are targets that also contribute to cancer immunoresistance and have been considered for clinical trials. Their antitumor immunosuppressive functions can be used to develop blocking antibodies. PARPs, mARTs, and B7-H3 are also other potential targets for immunosuppression. Additionally, miRNA, mRNA, and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated immunotherapeutic approaches are being investigated with great interest. Pre-clinical and clinical studies project these targets as potential immunotherapeutic candidates in different cancer types for their robust antitumor modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shovan Dutta
- The Center for Immunotherapy & Precision Immuno-Oncology (CITI), Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Anirban Ganguly
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar 814152, India
| | | | - Sheila Spada
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (S.M.)
| | - Sumit Mukherjee
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (S.M.)
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17
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Scur M, Parsons BD, Dey S, Makrigiannis AP. The diverse roles of C-type lectin-like receptors in immunity. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1126043. [PMID: 36923398 PMCID: PMC10008955 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1126043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the C-type lectin-like receptors (CTLRs) and their functions in immunity have continued to expand from their initial roles in pathogen recognition. There are now clear examples of CTLRs acting as scavenger receptors, sensors of cell death and cell transformation, and regulators of immune responses and homeostasis. This range of function reflects an extensive diversity in the expression and signaling activity between individual CTLR members of otherwise highly conserved families. Adding to this diversity is the constant discovery of new receptor binding capabilities and receptor-ligand interactions, distinct cellular expression profiles, and receptor structures and signaling mechanisms which have expanded the defining roles of CTLRs in immunity. The natural killer cell receptors exemplify this functional diversity with growing evidence of their activity in other immune populations and tissues. Here, we broadly review select families of CTLRs encoded in the natural killer cell gene complex (NKC) highlighting key receptors that demonstrate the complex multifunctional capabilities of these proteins. We focus on recent evidence from research on the NKRP1 family of CTLRs and their interaction with the related C-type lectin (CLEC) ligands which together exhibit essential immune functions beyond their defined activity in natural killer (NK) cells. The ever-expanding evidence for the requirement of CTLR in numerous biological processes emphasizes the need to better understand the functional potential of these receptor families in immune defense and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Scur
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Brendon D Parsons
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Sayanti Dey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Andrew P Makrigiannis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
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18
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Rousselière A, Gérard N, Delbos L, Guérif P, Giral M, Bressollette-Bodin C, Charreau B. Distinctive phenotype for HLA-E- versus HLA-A2-restricted memory CD8 αβT cells in the course of HCMV infection discloses features shared with NKG2C +CD57 +NK and δ2 -γδT cell subsets. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1063690. [PMID: 36532017 PMCID: PMC9752567 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1063690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) triggers both innate and adaptive immune responses, including protective CD8+ αβT cells (CD8T) that contributes to the control of the infection. In addition to CD8T restricted by classical HLA class Ia molecules, HCMV also triggers CD8T recognizing peptides from the HCMV UL40 leader peptide and restricted by HLA-E molecules (HLA-EUL40 CD8T). This study investigated the frequency, phenotype and functions of HLA-EUL40 CD8T in comparison to the immunodominant HLA-A2pp65 CD8T upon acute (primary or secondary infection) or chronic infection in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) and in seropositive (HCMV+) healthy volunteer (HV) hosts. The frequency of hosts with detected HLA-EUL40 CD8T was similar after a primary infection (24%) and during viral latency in HCMV+ HV (26%) and equal to the frequency of HLA-A2pp65 CD8T cells in both conditions (29%). Both CD8T subsets vary from 0.1% to >30% of total circulating CD8T according to the host. Both HLA-EUL40 and HLA-A2pp65 CD8T display a phenotype specific of CD8+ TEMRA (CD45RA+/CCR7-) but HLA-EUL40 CD8T express distinctive level for CD3, CD8 and CD45RA. Tim3, Lag-3, 4-1BB, and to a lesser extend 2B4 are hallmarks for T cell priming post-primary infection while KLRG1 and Tigit are markers for restimulated and long lived HCMV-specific CD8T responses. These cell markers are equally expressed on HLA-EUL40 and HLA-A2pp65 CD8T. In contrast, CD56 and PD-1 are cell markers discriminating memory HLA-E- from HLA-A2-restricted CD8T. Long lived HLA-EUL40 display higher proliferation rate compared to HLA-A2pp65 CD8T consistent with elevated CD57 expression. Finally, a comparative immunoprofiling indicated that HLA-EUL40 CD8T, divergent from HLA-A2pp65 CD8T, share the expression of CD56, CD57, NKG2C, CD158 and the lack of PD-1 with NKG2C+CD57+ NK and δ2-γδT cells induced in response to HCMV and thus defines a common immunopattern for these subsets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Rousselière
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Inserm, Centre de Recherche Translationnelle en Transplantation et Immunologie, UMR 1064, Nantes, France
| | - Nathalie Gérard
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Inserm, Centre de Recherche Translationnelle en Transplantation et Immunologie, UMR 1064, Nantes, France
| | - Laurence Delbos
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Inserm, Centre de Recherche Translationnelle en Transplantation et Immunologie, UMR 1064, Nantes, France
| | - Pierrick Guérif
- CHU Nantes, Nantes Université, Institut de Transplantation Urologie Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes, France
| | - Magali Giral
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Inserm, Centre de Recherche Translationnelle en Transplantation et Immunologie, UMR 1064, Nantes, France,CHU Nantes, Nantes Université, Institut de Transplantation Urologie Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes, France
| | - Céline Bressollette-Bodin
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Inserm, Centre de Recherche Translationnelle en Transplantation et Immunologie, UMR 1064, Nantes, France,CHU Nantes, Nantes Université, Laboratoire de Virologie, Nantes, France
| | - Béatrice Charreau
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, Inserm, Centre de Recherche Translationnelle en Transplantation et Immunologie, UMR 1064, Nantes, France,CHU Nantes, Nantes Université, Institut de Transplantation Urologie Néphrologie (ITUN), Nantes, France,*Correspondence: Béatrice Charreau,
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19
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Fisher JG, Doyle ADP, Graham LV, Khakoo SI, Blunt MD. Disruption of the NKG2A:HLA-E Immune Checkpoint Axis to Enhance NK Cell Activation against Cancer. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1993. [PMID: 36560403 PMCID: PMC9783329 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10121993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ligation of the inhibitory receptor NKG2A by its ligand HLA-E negatively regulates the activation of natural killer (NK) cells, as well as subsets of CD8+ T cells and innate T cell populations. NKG2A has recently become a novel immune checkpoint target for the treatment of cancer and direct antibody mediated blockade of NKG2A function is currently under assessment in two phase 3 clinical trials. In addition to direct targeting, the NKG2A:HLA-E axis can also be disrupted indirectly via multiple different targeted cancer agents that were not previously recognised to possess immunomodulatory properties. Increased understanding of immune cell modulation by targeted cancer therapies will allow for the design of rational and more efficacious drug combination strategies to improve cancer patient outcomes. In this review, we summarise and discuss the various strategies currently in development which either directly or indirectly disrupt the NKG2A:HLA-E interaction to enhance NK cell activation against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Matthew D. Blunt
- School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
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20
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Asenjo J, Moraru M, Al‐Akioui‐Sanz K, Altadill M, Muntasell A, López‐Botet M, Vilches C. Diversity of NKG2C genotypes in a European population: Conserved and recombinant haplotypes in the coding, promoter, and 3'-untranslated regions. HLA 2022; 100:469-478. [PMID: 35802353 PMCID: PMC9796621 DOI: 10.1111/tan.14734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
NK cells monitor altered molecular patterns in tumors and infected cells through an ample array of receptors. Two families of evolutionarily distant receptors have converged to enable human NK cells to sense levels of HLA class I ligands, frequently abnormal in altered cells. Whilst different forms of polymorphism are a hallmark of killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors and their classic HLA-A, B, and C ligands, genetic diversity of killer-cell lectin-like receptors for the non-classical HLA-E (CD94/NKG2 heterodimers) is less conspicuous and has attracted less attention. A common pattern of diversification in both receptor families is evolution of pairs of inhibitory and activating homologs for a common ligand, the genes encoding activating receptors being more frequently affected by copy number variation (CNV). This is exemplified by the gene encoding the activating NKG2C subunit (KLRC2 or NKG2C), which marks an NK-cell subpopulation that differentiates or expands in response to cytomegalovirus. We have studied NKG2C diversity in 240 South European individuals, using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing methods to assess both gene CNV and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affecting its promoter, coding and 3'-untranslated (3'UT) regions. Sequence analysis revealed eight common SNPs-one in the promoter, two in the coding sequence, and five in the 3'UT region. These SNPs associate strongly with each other, forming three conserved extended haplotypes (frequencies: 0.456, 0.221, and 0.117). Homo- and heterozygous combination of these, together with complete gene deletion (0.175) and additional haplotypes with frequencies lower than 0.015, generate a diversity of NKG2C genotypes of potential immunological importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judit Asenjo
- Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility LabInstituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro ‐ Segovia de AranaMadridSpain
| | - Manuela Moraru
- Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility LabInstituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro ‐ Segovia de AranaMadridSpain
| | - Karima Al‐Akioui‐Sanz
- Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility LabInstituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro ‐ Segovia de AranaMadridSpain
| | - Mireia Altadill
- Medicine and Life SciencesUniversity Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain
| | - Aura Muntasell
- Immunology, Department of PathologyHospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM)BarcelonaSpain,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and ImmunologyUniversitat Autonòma de BarcelonaBellaterraCataloniaSpain
| | - Miguel López‐Botet
- Medicine and Life SciencesUniversity Pompeu FabraBarcelonaSpain,Immunology, Department of PathologyHospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM)BarcelonaSpain
| | - Carlos Vilches
- Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility LabInstituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro ‐ Segovia de AranaMadridSpain
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21
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Zafari R, Razi S, Rezaei N. The role of dendritic cells in neuroblastoma: Implications for immunotherapy. Immunobiology 2022; 227:152293. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2022.152293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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22
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Ravindranath MH, El Hilali F, Amato-Menker CJ, El Hilali H, Selvan SR, Filippone EJ. Role of HLA-I Structural Variants and the Polyreactive Antibodies They Generate in Immune Homeostasis. Antibodies (Basel) 2022; 11:antib11030058. [PMID: 36134954 PMCID: PMC9495617 DOI: 10.3390/antib11030058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-surface HLA-I molecules consisting of β2-microglobulin (β2m) associated heavy chains (HCs), referred to as Face-1, primarily present peptides to CD8+ T-cells. HCs consist of three α-domains, with selected amino acid sequences shared by all alleles of all six isoforms. The cell-surface HLA undergoes changes upon activation by pathological conditions with the expression of β2m-free HCs (Face-2) resulting in exposure of β2m-masked sequences shared by almost all alleles and the generation of HLA-polyreactive antibodies (Abs) against them. Face-2 may homodimerize or heterodimerize with the same (Face-3) or different alleles (Face-4) preventing exposure of shared epitopes. Non-allo immunized males naturally carry HLA-polyreactive Abs. The therapeutic intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) purified from plasma of thousands of donors contains HLA-polyreactive Abs, admixed with non-HLA Abs. Purified HLA-polyreactive monoclonal Abs (TFL-006/007) generated in mice after immunizing with Face-2 are documented to be immunoregulatory by suppressing or activating different human lymphocytes, much better than IVIg. Our objectives are (a) to elucidate the complexity of the HLA-I structural variants, and their Abs that bind to both shared and uncommon epitopes on different variants, and (b) to examine the roles of those Abs against HLA-variants in maintaining immune homeostasis. These may enable the development of personalized therapeutic strategies for various pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mepur H. Ravindranath
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Emeritus Research Scientist, Terasaki Foundation Laboratory, Santa Monica, CA 90064, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Fatiha El Hilali
- Medico-Surgical, Biomedicine and Infectiology Research Laboratory, The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Laayoune & Agadir, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco
| | - Carly J. Amato-Menker
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Hajar El Hilali
- Medico-Surgical, Biomedicine and Infectiology Research Laboratory, The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Laayoune & Agadir, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco
| | - Senthamil R. Selvan
- Division of Immunology and Hematology Devices, OHT 7: Office of In Vitro Diagnostics, Office of Product Evaluation and Quality, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA
| | - Edward J. Filippone
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19145, USA
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23
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Yang Y, Wang W, Weng J, Li H, Ma Y, Liu L, Ma W. Advances in the study of HLA class Ib in maternal-fetal immune tolerance. Front Immunol 2022; 13:976289. [PMID: 36105800 PMCID: PMC9465335 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.976289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The HLA class Ib molecule is an alloantigen that causes transplant rejection on behalf of individual human and plays an important role in maternal-fetal immune tolerance. Early studies on HLA class Ib focused on the mechanism of HLA-G-induced immune escape, but in recent years, studies on the mechanism of HLA-G have deepened and gradually explored the mechanism of HLA-E and HLA-F, which are also HLA class Ib molecules. In the maternal-fetal interface, trophoblast cells express HLA class Ib molecules to protect the fetus from maternal immune cells by binding to inhibitory receptors of decidual immune cells (DICs) and shifting Th1/Th2 balance toward Th2 bias. Further studies on the molecular mechanism of HLA class Ib molecules provide a reference for its application in the field of clinical assisted reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiran Yang
- Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Peptide and Small Molecular Drugs, Engineering Research Center of Endogenous Prophylactic of Ministry of Education of China, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wanning Wang
- Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Peptide and Small Molecular Drugs, Engineering Research Center of Endogenous Prophylactic of Ministry of Education of China, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Weng
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Jing Weng, ; Lingyan Liu,
| | - Huifang Li
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yanmin Ma
- Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lingyan Liu
- Beijing Area Major Laboratory of Peptide and Small Molecular Drugs, Engineering Research Center of Endogenous Prophylactic of Ministry of Education of China, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Jing Weng, ; Lingyan Liu,
| | - Wei Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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24
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Haanen JBAG, Peters S. Minus Times Minus Equals Plus. J Clin Oncol 2022; 40:3453-3455. [PMID: 35981269 DOI: 10.1200/jco.22.01112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John B A G Haanen
- Medical Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Solange Peters
- Chair Medical Oncology, Oncology Department-CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
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25
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Arnaiz-Villena A, Suarez-Trujillo F, Juarez I, Rodríguez-Sainz C, Palacio-Gruber J, Vaquero-Yuste C, Molina-Alejandre M, Fernández-Cruz E, Martin-Villa JM. Evolution and molecular interactions of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-G, -E and -F genes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:464. [PMID: 35925520 PMCID: PMC9352621 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04491-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Classical HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) is the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) in man. HLA genes and disease association has been studied at least since 1967 and no firm pathogenic mechanisms have been established yet. HLA-G immune modulation gene (and also -E and -F) are starting the same arduous way: statistics and allele association are the trending subjects with the same few results obtained by HLA classical genes, i.e., no pathogenesis may be discovered after many years of a great amount of researchers’ effort. Thus, we believe that it is necessary to follow different research methodologies: (1) to approach this problem, based on how evolution has worked maintaining together a cluster of immune-related genes (the MHC) in a relatively short chromosome area since amniotes to human at least, i.e., immune regulatory genes (MHC-G, -E and -F), adaptive immune classical class I and II genes, non-adaptive immune genes like (C2, C4 and Bf) (2); in addition to using new in vitro models which explain pathogenetics of HLA and disease associations. In fact, this evolution may be quite reliably studied during about 40 million years by analyzing the evolution of MHC-G, -E, -F, and their receptors (KIR—killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor, NKG2—natural killer group 2-, or TCR-T-cell receptor—among others) in the primate evolutionary lineage, where orthology of these molecules is apparently established, although cladistic studies show that MHC-G and MHC-B genes are the ancestral class I genes, and that New World apes MHC-G is paralogous and not orthologous to all other apes and man MHC-G genes. In the present review, we outline past and possible future research topics: co-evolution of adaptive MHC classical (class I and II), non-adaptive (i.e., complement) and modulation (i.e., non-classical class I) immune genes may imply that the study of full or part of MHC haplotypes involving several loci/alleles instead of single alleles is important for uncovering HLA and disease pathogenesis. It would mainly apply to starting research on HLA-G extended haplotypes and disease association and not only using single HLA-G genetic markers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Arnaiz-Villena
- Departamento de Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pabellón 5, planta 4. Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Fabio Suarez-Trujillo
- Departamento de Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pabellón 5, planta 4. Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ignacio Juarez
- Departamento de Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pabellón 5, planta 4. Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Rodríguez-Sainz
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias Gregorio Marañón, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Palacio-Gruber
- Departamento de Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pabellón 5, planta 4. Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Christian Vaquero-Yuste
- Departamento de Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pabellón 5, planta 4. Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Molina-Alejandre
- Departamento de Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pabellón 5, planta 4. Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduardo Fernández-Cruz
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias Gregorio Marañón, Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Manuel Martin-Villa
- Departamento de Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Pabellón 5, planta 4. Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
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26
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Prašnikar E, Perdih A, Borišek J. What a Difference an Amino Acid Makes: An All-Atom Simulation Study of Nonameric Peptides in Inhibitory HLA-E/NKG2A/CD94 Immune Complexes. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:925427. [PMID: 35991867 PMCID: PMC9385950 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.925427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
MHC class I antigen E (HLA-E), a ligand for the inhibitory NKG2A/CD94 receptor of the immune system, is responsible for evading the immune surveillance in several settings, including senescent cell accumulation and tumor persistence. The formation of this ligand-receptor interaction promotes the inhibition of the cytolytic action of immune system natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+ T-cells expressing this receptor. The final outcome of the HLA-E/NKG2A/CD94 interaction on target cells is also highly dependent on the identity of the nonameric peptide incorporated into the HLA-E ligand. To better understand the role played by a nonameric peptide in these immune complexes, we performed a series of multi-microsecond all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. We generated natural and alternative variants of the nonameric peptide bound to the HLA-E ligand alone or in the HLA-E/NKG2A/CD94 complexes. A systematic study of molecular recognition between HLA-E and peptides led to the development of new variants that differ at the strategic 6th position (P6) of the peptide and have favorable in silico properties comparable to those of natural binding peptides. Further examination of a selected subset of peptides in full complexes revealed a new variant that, according to our previously derived atomistic model, can interfere with the signal transduction via HLA-E/NKG2A/CD94 and thus prevent the target cell from evading immune clearance by NK and CD8+ T-cells. These simulations provide an atomistic picture of how a small change in amino acid sequence can lead to a profound effect on binding and molecular recognition. Furthermore, our study also provides new data on the peptide interaction motifs as well as the energetic and conformational properties of the binding interface, laying the structure-based foundation for future development of potential therapeutic peptides, peptidomimetics, or even small molecules that would bind to the HLA-E ligand and abrogate NKG2A/CD94 recognition. Such external intervention would be useful in the emerging field of targeting senescent cells in a variety of age-related diseases, as well as in novel cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Prašnikar
- Theory Department, Laboratory for Chemical Informatics, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Perdih
- Theory Department, Laboratory for Computational Biochemistry and Drug Design, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Andrej Perdih, ; Jure Borišek,
| | - Jure Borišek
- Theory Department, Laboratory for Chemical Informatics, National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- *Correspondence: Andrej Perdih, ; Jure Borišek,
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27
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Walters LC, Rozbesky D, Harlos K, Quastel M, Sun H, Springer S, Rambo RP, Mohammed F, Jones EY, McMichael AJ, Gillespie GM. Primary and secondary functions of HLA-E are determined by stability and conformation of the peptide-bound complexes. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110959. [PMID: 35705051 PMCID: PMC9380258 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
MHC-E regulates NK cells by displaying MHC class Ia signal peptides (VL9) to NKG2A:CD94 receptors. MHC-E can also present sequence-diverse, lower-affinity, pathogen-derived peptides to T cell receptors (TCRs) on CD8+ T cells. To understand these affinity differences, human MHC-E (HLA-E)-VL9 versus pathogen-derived peptide structures are compared. Small-angle X-ray scatter (SAXS) measures biophysical parameters in solution, allowing comparison with crystal structures. For HLA-E-VL9, there is concordance between SAXS and crystal parameters. In contrast, HLA-E-bound pathogen-derived peptides produce larger SAXS dimensions that reduce to their crystallographic dimensions only when excess peptide is supplied. Further crystallographic analysis demonstrates three amino acids, exclusive to MHC-E, that not only position VL9 close to the α2 helix, but also allow non-VL9 peptide binding with re-configuration of a key TCR-interacting α2 region. Thus, non-VL9-bound peptides introduce an alternative peptide-binding motif and surface recognition landscape, providing a likely basis for VL9- and non-VL9-HLA-E immune discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy C Walters
- Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Daniel Rozbesky
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karl Harlos
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Max Quastel
- Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Hong Sun
- Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Sebastian Springer
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Robert P Rambo
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Fiyaz Mohammed
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - E Yvonne Jones
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Andrew J McMichael
- Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK.
| | - Geraldine M Gillespie
- Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK.
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28
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NKG2C+ NK Cells for Immunotherapy of Glioblastoma Multiforme. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23105857. [PMID: 35628668 PMCID: PMC9148069 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In glioblastoma, non-classical human leucocyte antigen E (HLA-E) and HLA-G are frequently overexpressed. HLA-E loaded with peptides derived from HLA class I and from HLA-G contributes to inhibition of natural killer (NK) cells with expression of the inhibitory receptor CD94/NKG2A. We investigated whether NK cells expressing the activating CD94/NKG2C receptor counterpart were able to exert anti-glioma effects. NKG2C+ subsets were preferentially expanded by a feeder cell line engineered to express an artificial disulfide-stabilized trimeric HLA-E ligand (HLA-E*spG). NK cells expanded by a feeder cell line, which facilitates outgrowth of conventional NKG2A+, and fresh NK cells, were included for comparison. Expansion via the HLA-E*spG feeder cells selectively increased the fraction of NKG2C+ NK cells, which displayed a higher frequency of KIR2DL2/L3/S2 and CD16 when compared to expanded NKG2A+ NK cells. NKG2C+ NK cells exhibited increased cytotoxicity against K562 and KIR:HLA-matched and -mismatched primary glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells when compared to NKG2A+ NK cells and corresponding fresh NK cells. Cytotoxic responses of NKG2C+ NK cells were even more pronounced when utilizing target cells engineered with HLA-E*spG. These findings support the notion that NKG2C+ NK cells have potential therapeutic value for treating gliomas.
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29
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Yan S, Zeng H, Jin K, Shao F, Liu Z, Chang Y, Wang Y, Zhu Y, Wang Z, Xu L, Xu J. NKG2A and PD-L1 expression panel predicts clinical benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy and PD-L1 blockade in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2022-004569. [PMID: 35523436 PMCID: PMC9073407 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-004569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression as a single biomarker for immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) was controversial. NKG2A was a PD1/PD-L1 axis-related immunity-dependent factor. NKG2A and PD-L1 expression as a combinatorial biomarker might improve the prediction of PD-L1 in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Methods Three independent cohorts were enrolled in our study. 195 patients with bladder-derived metastatic urothelial carcinoma on PD-L1 inhibitor treatment from the IMvigor210 trial were enrolled. 124 MIBC patients from Zhongshan Hospital and 391 patients with MIBC from The Cancer Genome Atlas database were included in this study. The PD-L1/NKG2A-based risk stratification was validated in three independent cohorts, and its association with response to ICB and adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT), immune contexture and molecular features was evaluated. Histologic staining and genomic algorithm were performed to detect characteristics of NKG2A and PD-L1 expression and infiltration of immune cells. Results We identified NKG2AhiPD-L1hi patients could benefit more from cisplatin-based ACT and PD-L1 inhibitor. Further analyses revealed NKG2A and PD-L1 expression panel was linked to an immune-active tumor microenvironment with highly immune effector cells and effector molecules. In addition, NKG2A and PD-L1 expression panel was intrinsically correlated with genomic alterations related to therapeutic response in MIBC. Conclusions NKG2A and PD-L1 expression panel was associated with an immune inflamed microenvironment and acted as a combinatorial biomarker to predict the therapeutic response to ACT and PD-L1 blockade in MIBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Yan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Han Zeng
- Department of Urology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kaifeng Jin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Shao
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhaopei Liu
- Department of Urology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Chang
- Department of Urology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiwei Wang
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Zhu
- Department of Urology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Zewei Wang
- Department of Urology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Le Xu
- Department of Urology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiejie Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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30
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Li D, Brackenridge S, Walters LC, Swanson O, Harlos K, Rozbesky D, Cain DW, Wiehe K, Scearce RM, Barr M, Mu Z, Parks R, Quastel M, Edwards RJ, Wang Y, Rountree W, Saunders KO, Ferrari G, Borrow P, Jones EY, Alam SM, Azoitei ML, Gillespie GM, McMichael AJ, Haynes BF. Mouse and human antibodies bind HLA-E-leader peptide complexes and enhance NK cell cytotoxicity. Commun Biol 2022; 5:271. [PMID: 35347236 PMCID: PMC8960791 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03183-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The non-classical class Ib molecule human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E) has limited polymorphism and can bind HLA class Ia leader peptides (VL9). HLA-E-VL9 complexes interact with the natural killer (NK) cell receptors NKG2A-C/CD94 and regulate NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Here we report the isolation of 3H4, a murine HLA-E-VL9-specific IgM antibody that enhances killing of HLA-E-VL9-expressing cells by an NKG2A+ NK cell line. Structural analysis reveal that 3H4 acts by preventing CD94/NKG2A docking on HLA-E-VL9. Upon in vitro maturation, an affinity-optimized IgG form of 3H4 showes enhanced NK killing of HLA-E-VL9-expressing cells. HLA-E-VL9-specific IgM antibodies similar in function to 3H4 are also isolated from naïve B cells of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-negative, healthy humans. Thus, HLA-E-VL9-targeting mouse and human antibodies isolated from the naïve B cell antibody pool have the capacity to enhance NK cell cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dapeng Li
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Simon Brackenridge
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Lucy C Walters
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Olivia Swanson
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Karl Harlos
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Daniel Rozbesky
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
- Department of Cell Biology, Charles University, Prague, 12800, Czech Republic
| | - Derek W Cain
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Kevin Wiehe
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Richard M Scearce
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Maggie Barr
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Zekun Mu
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Robert Parks
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Max Quastel
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Robert J Edwards
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Yunfei Wang
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Wes Rountree
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Kevin O Saunders
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Guido Ferrari
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Persephone Borrow
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - E Yvonne Jones
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - S Munir Alam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Mihai L Azoitei
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
| | - Geraldine M Gillespie
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK.
| | - Andrew J McMichael
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK.
| | - Barton F Haynes
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
- Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
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31
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Dohnálek J, Skálová T. C-type lectin-(like) fold - Protein-protein interaction patterns and utilization. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 58:107944. [PMID: 35301089 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The C-type lectin-like fold (CTL fold) is a building block of many proteins, including saccharide-binding lectins, natural killer cell receptors, macrophage mannose receptor, selectins, collectins, snake venoms and others. Some are important players in innate immunity and are involved in the first-line response to virally infected cells or cancer cells, some play a role in antimicrobial defense, and some are potential targets for fight against problems connected with allergies, obesity, and autoimmunity. The structure of a CTL domain typically contains two α-helices, two small β-sheets and a long surface loop, with two or three disulfide bridges stabilizing the structure. This small domain is often involved in interactions with a target molecule, however, utilizing varied parts of the domain surface, with or without structural modifications. More than 500 three-dimensional structures of CTL fold-containing proteins are available in the Protein Data Bank, including a significant number of complexes with their key interacting partners (protein:protein complexes). The amount of available structural data enables a detailed analysis of the rules of interaction patterns utilized in activation, inhibition, attachment and other pathways or functionalities. Interpretation of known CTL receptor structures and all other CTL-containing proteins and complexes with described three-dimensional structures, complemented with sequence/structure/interaction correlation analysis offers a comprehensive view of the rules of interaction patterns of the CTL fold. The results are of value for prediction of interaction behavior of so far not understood CTL-containing proteins and development of new protein binders based on this fold, with applications in biomedicine or biotechnologies. It follows from the available structural data that almost the whole surface of the CTL fold is utilized in protein:protein interactions, with the heaviest frequency of utilization in the canonical interaction region. The individual categories of interactions differ in the interface buildup strategy. The strongest CTL binders rely on interfaces with large interaction area, presence of hydrophobic core, or high surface complementarity. The typical interaction surfaces of the fold are not conserved in amino acid sequence and can be utilized in design of new binders for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Dohnálek
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biocev, Průmyslová 595, 25250 Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Tereza Skálová
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Biocev, Průmyslová 595, 25250 Vestec, Czech Republic
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Hammer Q, Dunst J, Christ W, Picarazzi F, Wendorff M, Momayyezi P, Huhn O, Netskar HK, Maleki KT, García M, Sekine T, Sohlberg E, Azzimato V, Aouadi M, Degenhardt F, Franke A, Spallotta F, Mori M, Michaëlsson J, Björkström NK, Rückert T, Romagnani C, Horowitz A, Klingström J, Ljunggren HG, Malmberg KJ. SARS-CoV-2 Nsp13 encodes for an HLA-E-stabilizing peptide that abrogates inhibition of NKG2A-expressing NK cells. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110503. [PMID: 35235832 PMCID: PMC8858686 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells that contribute to host defense against virus infections. NK cells respond to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro and are activated in patients with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, by which mechanisms NK cells detect SARS-CoV-2-infected cells remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the Non-structural protein 13 of SARS-CoV-2 encodes for a peptide that is presented by human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E). In contrast with self-peptides, the viral peptide prevents binding of HLA-E to the inhibitory receptor NKG2A, thereby rendering target cells susceptible to NK cell attack. In line with these observations, NKG2A-expressing NK cells are particularly activated in patients with COVID-19 and proficiently limit SARS-CoV-2 replication in infected lung epithelial cells in vitro. Thus, these data suggest that a viral peptide presented by HLA-E abrogates inhibition of NKG2A+ NK cells, resulting in missing self-recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quirin Hammer
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Josefine Dunst
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Wanda Christ
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Francesca Picarazzi
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Mareike Wendorff
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Pouria Momayyezi
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Oisín Huhn
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Herman K Netskar
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kimia T Maleki
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marina García
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Takuya Sekine
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ebba Sohlberg
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Valerio Azzimato
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Myriam Aouadi
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Frauke Degenhardt
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Andre Franke
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Francesco Spallotta
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "A. Ruberti," National Research Council (IASI-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Mattia Mori
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Jakob Michaëlsson
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niklas K Björkström
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Timo Rückert
- Innate Immunity, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum (DRFZ), Institute of the Leibniz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Chiara Romagnani
- Innate Immunity, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum (DRFZ), Institute of the Leibniz Association, Berlin, Germany; Division of Gastroenterology, Infectiology and Rheumatology, Medical Department I, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Amir Horowitz
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Precision Immunology Institute, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonas Klingström
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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33
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da Silva LHR, Catharino LCC, da Silva VJ, Evangelista GCM, Barbuto JAM. The War Is on: The Immune System against Glioblastoma—How Can NK Cells Drive This Battle? Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10020400. [PMID: 35203609 PMCID: PMC8962431 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10020400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that play an important role in immunosurveillance, acting alongside other immune cells in the response against various types of malignant tumors and the prevention of metastasis. Since their discovery in the 1970s, they have been thoroughly studied for their capacity to kill neoplastic cells without the need for previous sensitization, executing rapid and robust cytotoxic activity, but also helper functions. In agreement with this, NK cells are being exploited in many ways to treat cancer. The broad arsenal of NK-based therapies includes adoptive transfer of in vitro expanded and activated cells, genetically engineered cells to contain chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-NKs), in vivo stimulation of NK cells (by cytokine therapy, checkpoint blockade therapies, etc.), and tumor-specific antibody-guided NK cells, among others. In this article, we review pivotal aspects of NK cells’ biology and their contribution to immune responses against tumors, as well as providing a wide perspective on the many antineoplastic strategies using NK cells. Finally, we also discuss those approaches that have the potential to control glioblastoma—a disease that, currently, causes inevitable death, usually in a short time after diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Henrique Rodrigues da Silva
- Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508000, Brazil; (L.H.R.d.S.); (L.C.C.C.); (V.J.d.S.); (G.C.M.E.)
| | - Luana Correia Croda Catharino
- Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508000, Brazil; (L.H.R.d.S.); (L.C.C.C.); (V.J.d.S.); (G.C.M.E.)
| | - Viviane Jennifer da Silva
- Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508000, Brazil; (L.H.R.d.S.); (L.C.C.C.); (V.J.d.S.); (G.C.M.E.)
- Laboratory of Medical Investigation in Pathogenesis and Targeted Therapy in Onco-Immuno-Hematology (LIM-31), Departamento de Hematologia, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 0124690, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Coeli Menezes Evangelista
- Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508000, Brazil; (L.H.R.d.S.); (L.C.C.C.); (V.J.d.S.); (G.C.M.E.)
| | - José Alexandre Marzagão Barbuto
- Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508000, Brazil; (L.H.R.d.S.); (L.C.C.C.); (V.J.d.S.); (G.C.M.E.)
- Laboratory of Medical Investigation in Pathogenesis and Targeted Therapy in Onco-Immuno-Hematology (LIM-31), Departamento de Hematologia, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 0124690, Brazil
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-11-3091-7375
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Xu YP, Sun LY, Wang SX, Hong WX. Correlation of Human Leukocyte Antigen-E Genomic Polymorphism with Leukemia and Functional Study of Human Leukocyte Antigen-E Different Type Promoters. DNA Cell Biol 2022; 41:235-244. [PMID: 34986028 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2021.0483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-E is one of the least polymorphic nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I genes; its nucleotide variability can affect immune response. In this study, we assess the correlation between HLA-E polymorphism and leukemia and further study the transcriptional activity of promoter variation at nucleotide position-26. A total of 142 healthy blood donors and 111 leukemia patients were collected. The genomic sequence of HLA-E was amplified by high-fidelity reaction system and identified by Sanger and cloning sequencing. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to detect the transcription activity of promoter variation at nucleotide position-26. In the HLA-E genomic sequence results, a total of 16 alleles and 32 genotypes were detected; the HLA-E*01:01:01:06 allele had a significantly lower frequency in leukemia patients than in healthy participants (p = 0.026 < 0.05). And the HLA-E*01:03:02:01, *01:03:02:01 genotype showed the greatest difference in frequency between the two groups of participants (p = 0.028 < 0.05). Eight HLA-E alleles were first reported worldwide in Chinese individuals. The results of the dual luciferase reporter gene experiment showed that the transcription activity of the mutant-type promoter (HLA-E*01:01:01:06 with "T" allele at nucleotide position-26) was significantly lower compared with the wild-type promoter (HLA-E*01:01:01:01 with "G" allele at nucleotide position-26) (p = 0.0242 < 0.05). HLA-E*01:01:01:06 allele has a protective effect against leukemia through decreasing transcription activity by "T" variation at nucleotide position-26.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Ping Xu
- Shenzhen Institution of Transfusion Medicine, Shenzhen Blood Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Li-Yan Sun
- Shenzhen Institution of Transfusion Medicine, Shenzhen Blood Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.,Department of Transfusion Medicine, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Song-Xing Wang
- Shenzhen Institution of Transfusion Medicine, Shenzhen Blood Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Wen-Xu Hong
- Shenzhen Institution of Transfusion Medicine, Shenzhen Blood Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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Exhausted NK cells and cytokine storms in COVID-19: Whether NK cell therapy could be a therapeutic choice. Hum Immunol 2022; 83:86-98. [PMID: 34583856 PMCID: PMC8423992 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2021.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The global outbreak of coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) still claims more lives daily around the world due to the lack of a definitive treatment and the rapid tendency of virus to mutate, which even jeopardizes vaccination efficacy. At the forefront battle against SARS-CoV-2, an effective innate response to the infection has a pivotal role in the initial control and treatment of disease. However, SARS-CoV-2 subtly interrupts the equations of immune responses, disrupting the cytolytic antiviral effects of NK cells, while seriously activating infected macrophages and other immune cells to induce an unleashed "cytokine storm", a dangerous and uncontrollable inflammatory response causing life-threatening symptoms in patients. Notably, the NK cell exhaustion with ineffective cytolytic function against the sources of exaggerated cytokine release, acts as an Achilles' heel which exacerbates the severity of COVID-19. Given this, approaches that improve NK cell cytotoxicity may benefit treatment protocols. As a suggestion, adoptive transfer of NK or CAR-NK cells with proper cytotolytic potentials and the lowest capacity of cytokine-release (for example CD56dim NK cells brightly express activating receptors), to severe COVID-19 patients may provide an effective cure especially in cases suffering from cytokine storms. More intriguingly, the ongoing evidence for persistent clonal expansion of NK memory cells characterized by an activating phenotype in response to viral infections, can benefit the future studies on vaccine development and adoptive NK cell therapy in COVID-19. Whether vaccinated volunteers or recovered patients can also be considered as suitable candidates for cell donation could be the subject of future research.
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36
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Vaurs J, Douchin G, Echasserieau K, Oger R, Jouand N, Fortun A, Hesnard L, Croyal M, Pecorari F, Gervois N, Bernardeau K. A novel and efficient approach to high-throughput production of HLA-E/peptide monomer for T-cell epitope screening. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17234. [PMID: 34446788 PMCID: PMC8390762 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96560-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past two decades, there has been a great interest in the study of HLA-E-restricted αβ T cells during bacterial and viral infections, including recently SARS-CoV-2 infection. Phenotyping of these specific HLA-E-restricted T cells requires new tools such as tetramers for rapid cell staining or sorting, as well as for the identification of new peptides capable to bind to the HLA-E pocket. To this aim, we have developed an optimal photosensitive peptide to generate stable HLA-E/pUV complexes allowing high-throughput production of new HLA-E/peptide complexes by peptide exchange. We characterized the UV exchange by ELISA and improved the peptide exchange readout using size exclusion chromatography. This novel approach for complex quantification is indeed very important to perform tetramerization of MHC/peptide complexes with the high quality required for detection of specific T cells. Our approach allows the rapid screening of peptides capable of binding to the non-classical human HLA-E allele, paving the way for the development of new therapeutic approaches based on the detection of HLA-E-restricted T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Vaurs
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Gaël Douchin
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Klara Echasserieau
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Romain Oger
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO «Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology», Nantes, France
| | - Nicolas Jouand
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, Inserm, CNRS, SFR Santé, Inserm UMS 016, CNRS UMS 3556, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Agnès Fortun
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU de Nantes, Cibles et médicaments des infections et du cancer, IICiMed, EA 1155, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Leslie Hesnard
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Mikaël Croyal
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, Inserm, CNRS, SFR Santé, Inserm UMS 016, CNRS UMS 3556, 44000, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du thorax, 44000, Nantes, France
- CRNH-Ouest Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Frédéric Pecorari
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Nadine Gervois
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France.
- LabEx IGO «Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology», Nantes, France.
| | - Karine Bernardeau
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France.
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France.
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37
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Bansal A, Gehre MN, Qin K, Sterrett S, Ali A, Dang Y, Abraham S, Costanzo MC, Venegas LA, Tang J, Manjunath N, Brockman MA, Yang OO, Kan-Mitchell J, Goepfert PA. HLA-E-restricted HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell responses in natural infection. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:148979. [PMID: 34228645 PMCID: PMC8363272 DOI: 10.1172/jci148979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T cell responses restricted by MHC-E, a nonclassical MHC molecule, have been associated with protection in an SIV/rhesus macaque model. The biological relevance of HLA-E-restricted CD8+ T cell responses in HIV infection, however, remains unknown. In this study, CD8+ T cells responding to HIV-1 Gag peptides presented by HLA-E were analyzed. Using in vitro assays, we observed HLA-E-restricted T cell responses to what we believe to be a newly identified subdominant Gag-KL9 as well as a well-described immunodominant Gag-KF11 epitope in T cell lines derived from chronically HIV-infected patients and also primed from healthy donors. Blocking of the HLA-E/KF11 binding by the B7 signal peptide resulted in decreased CD8+ T cell responses. KF11 presented via HLA-E in HIV-infected cells was recognized by antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Importantly, bulk CD8+ T cells obtained from HIV-infected individuals recognized infected cells via HLA-E presentation. Ex vivo analyses at the epitope level showed a higher responder frequency of HLA-E-restricted responses to KF11 compared with KL9. Taken together, our findings of HLA-E-restricted HIV-specific immune responses offer intriguing and possibly paradigm-shifting insights into factors that contribute to the immunodominance of CD8+ T cell responses in HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anju Bansal
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Mika N. Gehre
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Kai Qin
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Sarah Sterrett
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Ayub Ali
- Department of Medicine and AIDS Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ying Dang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Sojan Abraham
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Margaret C. Costanzo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Leon A. Venegas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Jianming Tang
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - N. Manjunath
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | | | - Otto O. Yang
- Department of Medicine and AIDS Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - June Kan-Mitchell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Paul A. Goepfert
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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Neuchel C, Fürst D, Tsamadou C, Schrezenmeier H, Mytilineos J. Extended loci histocompatibility matching in HSCT-Going beyond classical HLA. Int J Immunogenet 2021; 48:299-316. [PMID: 34109752 DOI: 10.1111/iji.12545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Unrelated haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has evolved from an experimental protocol to a potentially curative first-line treatment in a variety of haematologic malignancies. The continuous refinement of treatment protocols and supportive care paired with ongoing achievements in the technological field of histocompatibility testing enabled this transformation. Without a doubt, HLA matching is still the foremost criterion for donor selection in unrelated HSCT. However, HSCT-related treatment complications still occur frequently, often resulting in patients suffering severely or even dying as a consequence of such complications. Current literature indicates that other immune system modulating factors may play a role in the setting of HSCT. In this review, we discuss the current clinical evidence of a possible influence of nonclassical HLA antigens HLA-E, HLA-F, and HLA-G as well as the HLA-like molecules MICA and MICB, in HSCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Neuchel
- Institute of Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics Ulm, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Baden Wuerttemberg-Hessen, and University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Daniel Fürst
- Institute of Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics Ulm, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Baden Wuerttemberg-Hessen, and University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Chrysanthi Tsamadou
- Institute of Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics Ulm, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Baden Wuerttemberg-Hessen, and University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Hubert Schrezenmeier
- Institute of Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics Ulm, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, Baden Wuerttemberg-Hessen, and University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Joannis Mytilineos
- ZKRD - Zentrales Knochenmarkspender-Register für Deutschland, German National Bone Marrow Donor Registry, Ulm, Germany
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Prašnikar E, Perdih A, Borišek J. All-Atom Simulations Reveal a Key Interaction Network in the HLA-E/NKG2A/CD94 Immune Complex Fine-Tuned by the Nonameric Peptide. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:3593-3603. [PMID: 34196180 PMCID: PMC8389527 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells, an important part of the innate immune system, can clear a wide variety of pathological challenges, including tumor, senescent, and virally infected cells. They express various activating and inhibitory receptors on their surface, and the balance of interactions between them and specific ligands displayed on the surface of target cells is critical for NK cell cytolytic function and target cell protection. The CD94/NKG2A heterodimer is one of the inhibitory receptors that interacts with its trimeric ligand consisting of HLA-E, β2m, and a nonameric peptide. Here, multi-microsecond-long all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of eight immune complexes elucidate the subtleties of receptor (NKG2A/CD94)-ligand (HLA-E/β2m/peptide) molecular recognition that mediate the NK cell protection from a geometric and energetic perspective. We identify key differences in the interactions between the receptor and ligand complexes, which are via an entangled network of hydrogen bonds fine-tuned by the ligand-specific nonameric peptide. We further reveal that the receptor protein NKG2A regulates the NK cell activity, while its CD94 partner forms the majority of the energetically important interactions with the ligand. This knowledge rationalizes the atomistic details of the fundamental NK cell protection mechanism and may enable a variety of opportunities in rational-based drug discovery for diverse pathologies including viral infections and cancer and elimination of senescent cells associated with potential treatment of many age-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Prašnikar
- National
Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Graduate
School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Perdih
- National
Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty
of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jure Borišek
- National
Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Huang RYC, Wang Y, Jhatakia AD, Deng AX, Bee C, Deshpande S, Rangan VS, Bezman N, Gudmundsson O, Chen G. Higher-Order Structure Characterization of NKG2A/CD94 Protein Complex and Anti-NKG2A Antibody Binding Epitopes by Mass Spectrometry-Based Protein Footprinting Strategies. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2021; 32:1567-1574. [PMID: 33415981 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.0c00399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
NK group 2 member A (NKG2A), an immune checkpoint inhibitor, is an emerging therapeutic target in immuno-oncology. NKG2A forms a heterodimer with CD94 on the cell surface of NK and a subset of T cells and recognizes the nonclassical human leukocyte antigen (HLA-E) in humans. Therapeutic blocking antibodies that block the ligation between HLA-E and NKG2A/CD94 have been shown to enhance antitumor immunity in mice and humans. In this study, we illustrate the practical utilities of mass spectrometry (MS)-based protein footprinting in areas from reagent characterization to antibody epitope mapping. Hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) in the higher-order structure characterization of NKG2A in complex with CD94 provides novel insights into the conformational dynamics of NKG2A/CD94 heterodimer. To fully understand antibody/target interactions, we employed complementary protein footprinting methods, including HDX-MS and fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP)-MS, to determine the binding epitopes of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies targeting NKG2A. Such a combination approach provides molecular insights into the binding mechanisms of antibodies to NKG2A with high specificity, demonstrating the blockade of NKG2A/HLA-E interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Y-C Huang
- Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Nonclinical Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey United States
| | - Yun Wang
- Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Nonclinical Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey United States
| | - Amy D Jhatakia
- Discovery Biology, Research and Early Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Redwood City, California United States
| | - Andy X Deng
- Discovery Biotherapeutics, Research and Early Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Redwood City, California United States
| | - Christine Bee
- Discovery Biotherapeutics, Research and Early Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Redwood City, California United States
| | - Shrikant Deshpande
- Discovery Biotherapeutics, Research and Early Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Redwood City, California United States
| | - Vangipuram S Rangan
- Discovery Biotherapeutics, Research and Early Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Redwood City, California United States
| | - Natalie Bezman
- Discovery Biology, Research and Early Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Redwood City, California United States
| | - Olafur Gudmundsson
- Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Nonclinical Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey United States
| | - Guodong Chen
- Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Nonclinical Research and Development, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, New Jersey United States
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Prašnikar E, Perdih A, Borišek J. Nonameric Peptide Orchestrates Signal Transduction in the Activating HLA-E/NKG2C/CD94 Immune Complex as Revealed by All-Atom Simulations. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:6670. [PMID: 34206395 PMCID: PMC8268078 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The innate immune system's natural killer (NK) cells exert their cytolytic function against a variety of pathological challenges, including tumors and virally infected cells. Their activation depends on net signaling mediated via inhibitory and activating receptors that interact with specific ligands displayed on the surfaces of target cells. The CD94/NKG2C heterodimer is one of the NK activating receptors and performs its function by interacting with the trimeric ligand comprised of the HLA-E/β2m/nonameric peptide complex. Here, simulations of the all-atom multi-microsecond molecular dynamics in five immune complexes provide atomistic insights into the receptor-ligand molecular recognition, as well as the molecular events that facilitate the NK cell activation. We identify NKG2C, the HLA-Eα2 domain, and the nonameric peptide as the key elements involved in the molecular machinery of signal transduction via an intertwined hydrogen bond network. Overall, the study addresses the complex intricacies that are necessary to understand the mechanisms of the innate immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Prašnikar
- National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Graduate School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov Trg 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Perdih
- National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
- Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jure Borišek
- National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
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42
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Slepicka PF, Yazdanifar M, Bertaina A. Harnessing Mechanisms of Immune Tolerance to Improve Outcomes in Solid Organ Transplantation: A Review. Front Immunol 2021; 12:688460. [PMID: 34177941 PMCID: PMC8222735 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.688460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival after solid organ transplantation (SOT) is limited by chronic rejection as well as the need for lifelong immunosuppression and its associated toxicities. Several preclinical and clinical studies have tested methods designed to induce transplantation tolerance without lifelong immune suppression. The limited success of these strategies has led to the development of clinical protocols that combine SOT with other approaches, such as allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). HSCT prior to SOT facilitates engraftment of donor cells that can drive immune tolerance. Recent innovations in graft manipulation strategies and post-HSCT immune therapy provide further advances in promoting tolerance and improving clinical outcomes. In this review, we discuss conventional and unconventional immunological mechanisms underlying the development of immune tolerance in SOT recipients and how they can inform clinical advances. Specifically, we review the most recent mechanistic studies elucidating which immune regulatory cells dampen cytotoxic immune reactivity while fostering a tolerogenic environment. We further discuss how this understanding of regulatory cells can shape graft engineering and other therapeutic strategies to improve long-term outcomes for patients receiving HSCT and SOT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscila Ferreira Slepicka
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Mahboubeh Yazdanifar
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Alice Bertaina
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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43
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Burster T, Gärtner F, Bulach C, Zhanapiya A, Gihring A, Knippschild U. Regulation of MHC I Molecules in Glioblastoma Cells and the Sensitizing of NK Cells. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14030236. [PMID: 33800301 PMCID: PMC7998501 DOI: 10.3390/ph14030236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has been established as an important area in the therapy of malignant diseases. Immunogenicity sufficient for immune recognition and subsequent elimination can be bypassed by tumors through altered and/or reduced expression levels of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) molecules. Natural killer (NK) cells can eliminate tumor cells in a MHC I antigen presentation-independent manner by an array of activating and inhibitory receptors, which are promising candidates for immunotherapy. Here we summarize the latest findings in recognizing and regulating MHC I molecules that affect NK cell surveillance of glioblastoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Burster
- Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, Kabanbay Batyr Ave. 53, 010000 Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +7-(7172)-70-66-75
| | - Fabian Gärtner
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Surgery Center, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (F.G.); (C.B.); (A.G.); (U.K.)
| | - Christiane Bulach
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Surgery Center, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (F.G.); (C.B.); (A.G.); (U.K.)
| | - Anuar Zhanapiya
- Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Humanities, Nazarbayev University, Kabanbay Batyr Ave. 53, 010000 Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan;
| | - Adrian Gihring
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Surgery Center, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (F.G.); (C.B.); (A.G.); (U.K.)
| | - Uwe Knippschild
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Surgery Center, Ulm University Hospital, Albert-Einstein-Allee 23, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (F.G.); (C.B.); (A.G.); (U.K.)
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44
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Mbiribindi B, Pena JK, Arvedson MP, Moreno Romero C, McCarthy SR, Hatton OL, Esquivel CO, Martinez OM, Krams SM. Epstein-Barr virus peptides derived from latent cycle proteins alter NKG2A + NK cell effector function. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19973. [PMID: 33203899 PMCID: PMC7673117 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76344-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells control viral infection through the interaction between inhibitory receptors and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands and bound peptide. NK cells expressing the inhibitory receptor NKG2A/CD94 recognize and respond to autologous B cells latently infected with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The mechanism is not yet understood, thus we investigated peptides derived from seven latent proteins of EBV in the interaction of NKG2A and its ligand HLA-E. Functional analysis demonstrated that EBV peptides can bind to HLA-E and block inhibition of NK cell effector function. Moreover, analysis of DNA from 79 subjects showed sequence variations in the latent protein, LMP1, which alters NK responses to EBV. We provide evidence that peptides derived from EBV latent cycle proteins can impair the recognition of NKG2A despite being presented by HLA-E, resulting in NK cell activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berenice Mbiribindi
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Josselyn K Pena
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Matthew P Arvedson
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Claudia Moreno Romero
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sarah R McCarthy
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Olivia L Hatton
- Department of Molecular Biology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
| | - Carlos O Esquivel
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Olivia M Martinez
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sheri M Krams
- Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Yang Y, Sun M, Yu Z, Liu J, Yan W, Liu Z, Wei M, Wang H. Designing high affinity target-binding peptides to HLA-E: a key membrane antigen of multiple myeloma. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12:20457-20470. [PMID: 33115963 PMCID: PMC7655190 DOI: 10.18632/aging.103858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy that is currently incurable. Finding new targets and designing drugs are crucial for the treatment of MM. The two datasets (GSE6691 and GSE39754) are used to screen highly expressed antigen on MM cells. HLA-E was an ideal target for it was a hub gene, and also located in one of the key clusters. Highly expression of HLA-E mRNA on MM cells was also confirmed by real-time qPCR testing the MM patients' samples in Shengjing hospital. Crystal structure of HLA-E was obtained from Protein Data Bank (PDB ID: 3CDG) which was used to design targeting peptides with Molecular Operating Environment software. By analyzing interaction between CD94/NKG2A and HLA-E, a peptide with twelve amino acids was screened as a model peptide. Peptides library was constructed by randomly replaced non-key amino acid. Peptide-protein docking method was used to identify high affinity peptides. PEPTIDE 1-3 and model peptide were synthesized and identified the affinity to HLA-E by flow cytometer and confocal laser microscopy. At last, PEPTIDE3 (NALDEYCEDKNR) was found with the highest affinity. Taking all, HLA-E is a new treatment target, and PEPTIDE 3 is an ideal high affinity target-binding peptide candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Yang
- Department of Hematology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Mingli Sun
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Zhaojin Yu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Jinwei Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Chifeng Municipal Hospital, Chifeng Inner Mongolia, China
| | - Wei Yan
- Department of Hematology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Zhuogang Liu
- Department of Hematology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Minjie Wei
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Hongtao Wang
- Department of Hematology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
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46
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Unconventional Peptide Presentation by Classical MHC Class I and Implications for T and NK Cell Activation. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21207561. [PMID: 33066279 PMCID: PMC7590165 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell-mediated immune recognition of peptides is initiated upon binding of the antigen receptor on T cells (TCR) to the peptide-MHC complex. TCRs are typically restricted by a particular MHC allele, while polymorphism within the MHC molecule can affect the spectrum of peptides that are bound and presented to the TCR. Classical MHC Class I molecules have a confined binding groove that restricts the length of the presented peptides to typically 8-11 amino acids. Both N- and C-termini of the peptide are bound within binding pockets, allowing the TCR to dock in a diagonal orientation above the MHC-peptide complex. Longer peptides have been observed to bind either in a bulged or zig-zag orientation within the binding groove. More recently, unconventional peptide presentation has been reported for different MHC I molecules. Here, either N- or C-terminal amino acid additions to conventionally presented peptides induced a structural change either within the MHC I molecule that opened the confined binding groove or within the peptide itself, allowing the peptide ends to protrude into the solvent. Since both TCRs on T cells and killer immunoglobulin receptors on Natural Killer (NK) cells contact the MHC I molecule above or at the periphery of the peptide binding groove, unconventionally presented peptides could modulate both T cell and NK cell responses. We will highlight recent advances in our understanding of the functional consequences of unconventional peptide presentation in cellular immunity.
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Seliger B, Massa C, Yang B, Bethmann D, Kappler M, Eckert AW, Wickenhauser C. Immune Escape Mechanisms and Their Clinical Relevance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21197032. [PMID: 32987799 PMCID: PMC7582858 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21197032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has been recently approved for the treatment of relapsed and metastatic human papilloma virus (HPV) positive and negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, the response of patients is limited and the overall survival remains short with a low rate of long-term survivors. There exists growing evidence that complex and partially redundant immune escape mechanisms play an important role for the low efficacy of immunotherapies in this disease. These are caused by diverse complex processes characterized by (i) changes in the expression of immune modulatory molecules in tumor cells, (ii) alterations in the frequency, composition and clonal expansion of immune cell subpopulations in the tumor microenvironment and peripheral blood leading to reduced innate and adaptive immune responses, (iii) impaired homing of immune cells to the tumor site as well as (iv) the presence of immune suppressive soluble and physical factors in the tumor microenvironment. We here summarize the major immune escape strategies of HNSCC lesions, highlight pathways, and molecular targets that help to attenuate HNSCC-induced immune tolerance, affect the selection and success of immunotherapeutic approaches to overcome resistance to immunotherapy by targeting immune escape mechanisms and thus improve the HNSCC patients’ outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06112 Halle, Germany; (C.M.); (B.Y.)
- Fraunhofer Institute of Cell Therapy and Immunology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Correspondence:
| | - Chiara Massa
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06112 Halle, Germany; (C.M.); (B.Y.)
| | - Bo Yang
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06112 Halle, Germany; (C.M.); (B.Y.)
| | - Daniel Bethmann
- Institute of Pathology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06112 Halle, Germany; (D.B.); (C.W.)
| | - Matthias Kappler
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany; (M.K.); (A.W.E.)
| | - Alexander Walter Eckert
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany; (M.K.); (A.W.E.)
- Klinik für Mund-, Kiefer- und Plastische Gesichtschirurgie, Universitätsklinik der Paracelsus Medizinischen Privatuniversität; 90471 Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Claudia Wickenhauser
- Institute of Pathology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, 06112 Halle, Germany; (D.B.); (C.W.)
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Hossain MA, Liu G, Dai B, Si Y, Yang Q, Wazir J, Birnbaumer L, Yang Y. Reinvigorating exhausted CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment and current strategies in cancer immunotherapy. Med Res Rev 2020; 41:156-201. [PMID: 32844499 DOI: 10.1002/med.21727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer in recent years and achieved overall success and long-term clinical benefit in patients with a wide variety of cancer types. However, there is still a large proportion of patients exhibiting limited or no responses to immunotherapeutic strategy, some of which were even observed with hyperprogressive disease. One major obstacle restricting the efficacy is that tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells, which are central for tumor control, undergo exhaustion, and lose their ability to eliminate cancer cells after infiltrating into the strongly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Thus, as a potential therapeutic rationale in the development of cancer immunotherapy, targeting or reinvigorating exhausted CD8+ T cells has been attracting much interest. Hitherto, both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that govern CD8+ T-cell exhaustion have been explored. Specifically, the transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes have been depicted utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing or mass cytometry (CyTOF). In addition, cellular metabolism dictating the tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T-cell fate is currently under investigation. A series of clinical trials are being carried out to further establish the current strategies targeting CD8+ T-cell exhaustion. Taken together, despite the proven benefit of immunotherapy in cancer patients, additional efforts are still needed to fully circumvent limitations of exhausted T cells in the treatment. In this review, we will focus on the current cellular and molecular understanding of metabolic changes, epigenetic remodeling, and transcriptional regulation in CD8+ T-cell exhaustion and describe hypothetical treatment approaches based on immunotherapy aiming at reinvigorating exhausted CD8+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Amir Hossain
- Center for New Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guilai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Beiying Dai
- Center for New Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yaxuan Si
- Center for New Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qitao Yang
- Center for New Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Junaid Wazir
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lutz Birnbaumer
- Neurobiology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Institute of Biomedical Research (BIOMED), Catholic University of Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Yong Yang
- Center for New Drug Safety Evaluation and Research, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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49
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Bouayad A. Innate immune evasion by SARS-CoV-2: Comparison with SARS-CoV. Rev Med Virol 2020; 30:1-9. [PMID: 32734714 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 virus, a member of the Coronaviridae family, causes Covid-19 pandemic disease with severe respiratory illness. Multiple strategies enable SARS-CoV-2 to eventually overcome antiviral innate immune mechanisms which are important components of viral pathogenesis. This review considers several mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 innate immune evasion including suppression of IFN-α/β production at the earliest stage of infection, mechanisms that exhaust natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, overstimulation of NLRP3 inflammasome and induction of a cytokine storm. A comparison with SARS-CoV is made. Greater knowledge of these and other immune evasion tactics may provide us with improved possibilities for research into this novel deadly virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdellatif Bouayad
- Laboratory of Immunohematology and Cellular Therapy, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco.,Laboratory of Immunology, Mohammed VI Hospital, Oujda, Morocco
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NKG2A/CD94 Is a New Immune Receptor for HLA-G and Distinguishes Amino Acid Differences in the HLA-G Heavy Chain. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21124362. [PMID: 32575403 PMCID: PMC7352787 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cell therapies are a tool to antagonize a dysfunctional immune system. NK cells recognize malignant cells, traffic to a tumor location, and infiltrate the solid tumor. The immune checkpoint molecule human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G is upregulated on malignant cells but not on healthy surrounding cells, the requirement of understanding the basis of receptor mediated events at the HLA-G/NK cell interface becomes obvious. The NK cell receptors ILT2 and KIR2DL4 have been described to bind to HLA-G; however, their differential function and expression levels on NK cell subsets suggest the existence of an unreported receptor. Here, we performed a ligand-based receptor capture on living cells utilizing sHLA-G*01:01 molecules coupled to TriCEPS and bound to NK cells followed by mass spectrometric analyses. We could define NKG2A/CD94 as a cognate receptor of HLA-G. To verify the results, we used the reciprocal method by expressing recombinant soluble heterodimeric NKG2A/CD94 molecules and used them to target HLA-G*01:01 expressing cells. NKG2A/CD94 could be confirmed as an immune receptor of HLA-G*01:01. Despite HLA-G is marginal polymorphic, we could previously demonstrate that the most common allelic subtypes HLA-G*01:01/01:03 and 01:04 differ in peptide repertoire, their engagement to NK cells, their catalyzation of dNK cell proliferation and their impact on NK cell development. Continuing these studies with regard to NKG2A/CD94 engagement we engineered recombinant single antigen presenting K562 cells and targeted the surface expressed HLA-G*01:01, 01:03 or 01:04 molecules with NKG2A/CD94. Specificity and sensitivity of HLA-G*01:04/NKG2A/CD94 engagement could be significantly verified. The binding affinity decreases when using K562-G*01:03 or K562-G*01:01 cells as targets. These results demonstrate that the ligand-receptor assignment between HLA-G and NKG2A/CD94 is dependent of the amino acid composition in the HLA-G heavy chain. Understanding the biophysical basis of receptor-mediated events that lead to NK cell inhibition would help to remove non-tumor reactive cells and support personalized mild autologous NK cell therapies.
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