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Wardell CM, Fung VC, Chen E, Haque M, Gillies J, Spanier JA, Mojibian M, Fife BT, Levings MK. Short Report: CAR Tregs mediate linked suppression and infectious tolerance in islet transplantation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.06.588414. [PMID: 38645184 PMCID: PMC11030375 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.06.588414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have potential as a cell-based therapy to prevent or treat transplant rejection and autoimmunity. Using an HLA-A2-specific chimeric antigen receptor (A2-CAR), we previously showed that adoptive transfer of A2-CAR Tregs limited anti-HLA-A2 alloimmunity. However, it was unknown if A2-CAR Tregs could also limit immunity to autoantigens. Using a model of HLA-A2+ islet transplantation into immunodeficient non-obese diabetic mice, we investigated if A2-CAR Tregs could control diabetes induced by islet-autoreactive (BDC2.5) T cells. In mice transplanted with HLA-A2+ islets, A2-CAR Tregs reduced BDC2.5 T cell engraftment, proliferation and cytokine production, and protected mice from diabetes. Tolerance to islets was systemic, including protection of the HLA-A2negative endogenous pancreas. In tolerant mice, a significant proportion of BDC2.5 T cells gained FOXP3 expression suggesting that long-term tolerance is maintained by de novo Treg generation. Thus, A2-CAR Tregs mediate linked suppression and infectious tolerance and have potential therapeutic use to simultaneously control both allo- and autoimmunity in islet transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M. Wardell
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Vivian C.W. Fung
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Eleanor Chen
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Manjurul Haque
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jana Gillies
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Justin A. Spanier
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Majid Mojibian
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Brian T. Fife
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School; Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Megan K. Levings
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Mohammadi V, Maleki AJ, Nazari M, Siahmansouri A, Moradi A, Elahi R, Esmaeilzadeh A. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-Based Cell Therapy for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM); Current Progress and Future Approaches. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2024; 20:585-600. [PMID: 38153634 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-023-10668-1] [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] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease that destroys insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. Insulin replacement therapy is currently the mainstay of treatment for T1DM; however, treatment with insulin does not ameliorate disease progression, as dysregulated immune response and inflammation continue to cause further pancreatic β-cell degradation. Therefore, shifting therapeutic strategies toward immunomodulating approaches could be effective to prevent and reverse disease progression. Different immune-modulatory therapies could be used, e.g., monoclonal-based immunotherapy, mesenchymal stem cell, and immune cell therapy. Since immune-modulatory approaches could have a systemic effect on the immune system and cause toxicity, more specific treatment options should target the immune response against pancreatic β-cells. In this regard, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based immunotherapy could be a promising candidate for modulation of dysregulated immune function in T1DM. CAR-based therapy has previously been approved for a number of hematologic malignancies. Nevertheless, there is renewed interest in CAR T cells' " off-the-shelf " treatment for T1DM. Several pre-clinical studies demonstrated that redirecting antigen-specific CAR T cells, especially regulatory CAR T cells (CAR Tregs), toward the pancreatic β-cells, could prevent diabetes onset and progression in diabetic mice models. Here, we aim to review the current progress of CAR-based immune-cell therapy for T1DM and the corresponding challenges, with a special focus on designing CAR-based immunomodulatory strategies to improve its efficacy in the treatment of T1DM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Mohammadi
- School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | | | - Mahdis Nazari
- School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Amir Siahmansouri
- School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Amirhosein Moradi
- School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Reza Elahi
- School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Abdolreza Esmaeilzadeh
- Department of Immunology, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
- Cancer Gene Therapy Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
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Du H, Liu J, Jude KM, Yang X, Li Y, Bell B, Yang H, Kassardjian A, Mobedi A, Parekh U, Sperberg RAP, Julien JP, Mellins ED, Garcia KC, Huang PS. A general platform for targeting MHC-II antigens via a single loop. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.26.577489. [PMID: 38352315 PMCID: PMC10862749 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.26.577489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Class-II major histocompatibility complexes (MHC-IIs) are central to the communications between CD4+ T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs), but intrinsic structural features associated with MHC-II make it difficult to develop a general targeting system with high affinity and antigen specificity. Here, we introduce a protein platform, Targeted Recognition of Antigen-MHC Complex Reporter for MHC-II (TRACeR-II), to enable the rapid development of peptide-specific MHC-II binders. TRACeR-II has a small helical bundle scaffold and uses an unconventional mechanism to recognize antigens via a single loop. This unique antigen-recognition mechanism renders this platform highly versatile and amenable to direct structural modeling of the interactions with the antigen. We demonstrate that TRACeR-II binders can be rapidly evolved across multiple alleles, while computational protein design can produce specific binding sequences for a SARS-CoV-2 peptide of unknown complex structure. TRACeR-II sheds light on a simple and straightforward approach to address the MHC peptide targeting challenge, without relying on combinatorial selection on complementarity determining region (CDR) loops. It presents a promising basis for further exploration in immune response modulation as well as a broad range of theragnostic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haotian Du
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jingjia Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, CA, USA
| | - Kevin M. Jude
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Xinbo Yang
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ying Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Divisions of Human Gene Therapy and Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Program in Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Braxton Bell
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hongli Yang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, CA, USA
| | - Audrey Kassardjian
- Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Ali Mobedi
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, CA, USA
| | - Udit Parekh
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, CA, USA
| | | | - Jean-Philippe Julien
- Program in Molecular Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Elizabeth D. Mellins
- Department of Pediatrics, Divisions of Human Gene Therapy and Allergy, Immunology & Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Program in Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - K. Christopher Garcia
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Po-Ssu Huang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, CA, USA
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Tuomela K, Salim K, Levings MK. Eras of designer Tregs: Harnessing synthetic biology for immune suppression. Immunol Rev 2023; 320:250-267. [PMID: 37522861 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Since their discovery, CD4+ CD25hi FOXP3hi regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been firmly established as a critical cell type for regulating immune homeostasis through a plethora of mechanisms. Due to their immunoregulatory power, delivery of polyclonal Tregs has been explored as a therapy to dampen inflammation in the settings of transplantation and autoimmunity. Evidence shows that Treg therapy is safe and well-tolerated, but efficacy remains undefined and could be limited by poor persistence in vivo and lack of antigen specificity. With the advent of new genetic engineering tools, it is now possible to create bespoke "designer" Tregs that not only overcome possible limitations of polyclonal Tregs but also introduce new features. Here, we review the development of designer Tregs through the perspective of three 'eras': (1) the era of FOXP3 engineering, in which breakthroughs in the biological understanding of this transcription factor enabled the conversion of conventional T cells to Tregs; (2) the antigen-specificity era, in which transgenic T-cell receptors and chimeric antigen receptors were introduced to create more potent and directed Treg therapies; and (3) the current era, which is harnessing advanced genome-editing techniques to introduce and refine existing and new engineering approaches. The year 2022 marked the entry of "designer" Tregs into the clinic, with exciting potential for application and efficacy in a wide variety of immune-mediated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karoliina Tuomela
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kevin Salim
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Megan K Levings
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Chen D, Kakabadse D, Fishman S, Weinstein-Marom H, Davies J, Boldison J, Thayer TC, Wen L, Gross G, Wong FS. Novel engineered B lymphocytes targeting islet-specific T cells inhibit the development of type 1 diabetes in non-obese diabetic Scid mice. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1227133. [PMID: 37731505 PMCID: PMC10507356 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1227133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction In this study, we report a novel therapeutic approach using B lymphocytes to attract islet-specific T cells in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model and prevent the development of autoimmune diabetes. Rather than using the antibody receptor of B cells, this approach utilizes their properties as antigen-presenting cells to T cells. Methods Purified splenic B cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide, which increases regulatory B (Breg) cell function, then electroporated with mRNA encoding either chimeric MHC-I or MHC-II molecules covalently linked to antigenic peptides. Immunoregulatory functions of these engineered B cells (e-B cells) were tested by in vitro assays and in vivo co-transfer experiments with beta-cell-antigen-specific CD8+ or CD4+ T cells in NOD.Scid mice, respectively. Results The e-B cells expressing chimeric MHC-I-peptide inhibited antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell cytotoxicity in vitro. The e-B cells expressing chimeric MHC-II-peptide induced antigen-specific CD4+ T cells to express the regulatory markers, PD-1, ICOS, CTLA-4, Lag3, and Nrp1. Furthermore, e-B cells encoding the chimeric MHC-I and MHC-II peptide constructs protected NOD.Scid mice from autoimmune diabetes induced by transfer of antigen-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Discussion MHC-peptide chimeric e-B cells interacted with pathogenic T cells, and protected the host from autoimmune diabetes, in a mouse model. Thus, we have successfully expressed MHC-peptide constructs in B cells that selectively targeted antigen-specific cells, raising the possibility that this strategy could be used to endow different protective cell types to specifically regulate/remove pathogenic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Chen
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Systems Immunity University Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitri Kakabadse
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Systems Immunity University Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Sigal Fishman
- Laboratory of Immunology, MIGAL, Kiryat Shmona, Israel
| | - Hadas Weinstein-Marom
- Laboratory of Immunology, MIGAL, Kiryat Shmona, Israel
- Department of Biotechnology, Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel
| | - Joanne Davies
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Systems Immunity University Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Boldison
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Systems Immunity University Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Terri C. Thayer
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Systems Immunity University Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Li Wen
- Section of Endocrinology, Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Gideon Gross
- Laboratory of Immunology, MIGAL, Kiryat Shmona, Israel
- Department of Biotechnology, Tel-Hai College, Upper Galilee, Israel
| | - F. Susan Wong
- Diabetes Research Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Systems Immunity University Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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