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Cheng C, Zhao Z, Liu G. Expression, Purification, and Crystallization of the Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell Receptor Recognizing Protein/Peptide Antigens. Protein J 2023; 42:778-791. [PMID: 37620608 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-023-10151-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
γδ T cells, especially Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, play an important role in mycobacterial infection. We have identified some Vγ9Vδ2 T cells that recognize protein/peptide antigens derived from mycobacteria, which may induce protective immune responses to mycobacterial infection. To clarify the structural basis of the molecular recognition mechanism, we tried many methods to express the Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell receptor (TCR). The Vγ9Vδ2 TCR was not expressed well in a prokaryotic expression system or a baculovirus expression system, even after extensive optimization. In a mammalian cell expression system, the Vγ9Vδ2 TCR was expressed in the form of a soluble heterodimer, which was suitable for crystal screening. Reduced-temperature cultivation (cold shock) increased the yield of the recombinant TCR. The recombinant purified TCR was used for crystal trials, and crystals that could be used for X-ray diffraction were obtained. Although we have not yet determined the crystal structure of the Vγ9Vδ2 TCR, we have established a procedure for Vγ9Vδ2 TCR expression and purification, which is useful for basic research and potentially for clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaofei Cheng
- Stem Cell Research Center, Henan Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Differentiation and Modification, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, China
- People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, China
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Zhendong Zhao
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
- Clinical Immunology Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Guangzhi Liu
- Stem Cell Research Center, Henan Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Differentiation and Modification, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, China.
- People's Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou, 450003, China.
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2
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Shafer P, Kelly LM, Hoyos V. Cancer Therapy With TCR-Engineered T Cells: Current Strategies, Challenges, and Prospects. Front Immunol 2022; 13:835762. [PMID: 35309357 PMCID: PMC8928448 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.835762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
To redirect T cells against tumor cells, T cells can be engineered ex vivo to express cancer-antigen specific T cell receptors (TCRs), generating products known as TCR-engineered T cells (TCR T). Unlike chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), TCRs recognize HLA-presented peptides derived from proteins of all cellular compartments. The use of TCR T cells for adoptive cellular therapies (ACT) has gained increased attention, especially as efforts to treat solid cancers with ACTs have intensified. In this review, we describe the differing mechanisms of T cell antigen recognition and signal transduction mediated through CARs and TCRs. We describe the classes of cancer antigens recognized by current TCR T therapies and discuss both classical and emerging pre-clinical strategies for antigen-specific TCR discovery, enhancement, and validation. Finally, we review the current landscape of clinical trials for TCR T therapy and discuss what these current results indicate for the development of future engineered TCR approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Shafer
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Program in Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Lauren M Kelly
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.,Program in Cancer & Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Valentina Hoyos
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, United States.,Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
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3
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Robinson RA, McMurran C, McCully ML, Cole DK. Engineering soluble T-cell receptors for therapy. FEBS J 2021; 288:6159-6173. [PMID: 33624424 PMCID: PMC8596704 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy approaches that target peptide-human leukocyte antigen (pHLA) complexes are becoming highly attractive because of their potential to access virtually all foreign and cellular proteins. For this reason, there has been considerable interest in the development of the natural ligand for pHLA, the T-cell receptor (TCR), as a soluble drug to target disease-associated pHLA presented at the cell surface. However, native TCR stability is suboptimal for soluble drug development, and natural TCRs generally have weak affinities for pHLAs, limiting their potential to reach efficacious receptor occupancy levels as soluble drugs. To overcome these limitations and make full use of the TCR as a soluble drug platform, several protein engineering solutions have been applied to TCRs to enhance both their stability and affinity, with a focus on retaining target specificity and selectivity. Here, we review these advances and look to the future for the next generation of soluble TCR-based therapies that can target monomorphic HLA-like proteins presenting both peptide and nonpeptide antigens.
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4
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Guest JD, Wang R, Elkholy KH, Chagas A, Chao KL, Cleveland TE, Kim YC, Keck ZY, Marin A, Yunus AS, Mariuzza RA, Andrianov AK, Toth EA, Foung SKH, Pierce BG, Fuerst TR. Design of a native-like secreted form of the hepatitis C virus E1E2 heterodimer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2015149118. [PMID: 33431677 PMCID: PMC7826332 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2015149118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major worldwide health burden, and a preventive vaccine is needed for global control or eradication of this virus. A substantial hurdle to an effective HCV vaccine is the high variability of the virus, leading to immune escape. The E1E2 glycoprotein complex contains conserved epitopes and elicits neutralizing antibody responses, making it a primary target for HCV vaccine development. However, the E1E2 transmembrane domains that are critical for native assembly make it challenging to produce this complex in a homogenous soluble form that is reflective of its state on the viral envelope. To enable rational design of an E1E2 vaccine, as well as structural characterization efforts, we have designed a soluble, secreted form of E1E2 (sE1E2). As with soluble glycoprotein designs for other viruses, it incorporates a scaffold to enforce assembly in the absence of the transmembrane domains, along with a furin cleavage site to permit native-like heterodimerization. This sE1E2 was found to assemble into a form closer to its expected size than full-length E1E2. Preservation of native structural elements was confirmed by high-affinity binding to a panel of conformationally specific monoclonal antibodies, including two neutralizing antibodies specific to native E1E2 and to its primary receptor, CD81. Finally, sE1E2 was found to elicit robust neutralizing antibodies in vivo. This designed sE1E2 can both provide insights into the determinants of native E1E2 assembly and serve as a platform for production of E1E2 for future structural and vaccine studies, enabling rational optimization of an E1E2-based antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnathan D Guest
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Ruixue Wang
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
| | - Khadija H Elkholy
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
- Molecular Biology Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Division, National Research Centre, Cairo 12622, Egypt
| | - Andrezza Chagas
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
| | - Kinlin L Chao
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Thomas E Cleveland
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
- Biomolecular Measurement Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899
| | - Young Chang Kim
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Zhen-Yong Keck
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Alexander Marin
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
| | - Abdul S Yunus
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
| | - Roy A Mariuzza
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Alexander K Andrianov
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
| | - Eric A Toth
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850
| | - Steven K H Foung
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Brian G Pierce
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850;
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
| | - Thomas R Fuerst
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD 20850;
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
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5
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Karapetyan AR, Chaipan C, Winkelbach K, Wimberger S, Jeong JS, Joshi B, Stein RB, Underwood D, Castle JC, van Dijk M, Seibert V. TCR Fingerprinting and Off-Target Peptide Identification. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2501. [PMID: 31695703 PMCID: PMC6817589 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive T cell therapy using patient T cells redirected to recognize tumor-specific antigens by expressing genetically engineered high-affinity T-cell receptors (TCRs) has therapeutic potential for melanoma and other solid tumors. Clinical trials implementing genetically modified TCRs in melanoma patients have raised concerns regarding off-target toxicities resulting in lethal destruction of healthy tissue, highlighting the urgency of assessing which off-target peptides can be recognized by a TCR. As a model system we used the clinically efficacious NY-ESO-1-specific TCR C259, which recognizes the peptide epitope SLLMWITQC presented by HLA-A*02:01. We investigated which amino acids at each position enable a TCR interaction by sequentially replacing every amino acid position outside of anchor positions 2 and 9 with all 19 possible alternative amino acids, resulting in 134 peptides (133 altered peptides plus epitope peptide). Each peptide was individually evaluated using three different in vitro assays: binding of the NY-ESOc259 TCR to the peptide, peptide-dependent activation of TCR-expressing cells, and killing of peptide-presenting target cells. To represent the TCR recognition kernel, we defined Position Weight Matrices (PWMs) for each assay by assigning normalized measurements to each of the 20 amino acids in each position. To predict potential off-target peptides, we applied a novel algorithm projecting the PWM-defined kernel into the human proteome, scoring NY-ESOc259 TCR recognition of 336,921 predicted human HLA-A*02:01 binding 9-mer peptides. Of the 12 peptides with high predicted score, we confirmed 7 (including NY-ESO-1 antigen SLLMWITQC) strongly activate human primary NY-ESOc259-expressing T cells. These off-target peptides include peptides with up to 7 amino acid changes (of 9 possible), which could not be predicted using the recognition motif as determined by alanine scans. Thus, this replacement scan assay determines the “TCR fingerprint” and, when coupled with the algorithm applied to the database of human 9-mer peptides binding to HLA-A*02:01, enables the identification of potential off-target antigens and the tissues where they are expressed. This platform enables both screening of multiple TCRs to identify the best candidate for clinical development and identification of TCR-specific cross-reactive peptide recognition and constitutes an improved methodology for the identification of potential off-target peptides presented on MHC class I molecules.
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6
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Gunnarsen KS, Høydahl LS, Neumann RS, Bjerregaard-Andersen K, Nilssen NR, Sollid LM, Sandlie I, Løset GÅ. Soluble T-cell receptor design influences functional yield in an E. coli chaperone-assisted expression system. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0195868. [PMID: 29649333 PMCID: PMC5897000 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a quest for production of soluble protein of high quality for the study of T-cell receptors (TCRs), but expression often results in low yields of functional molecules. In this study, we used an E. coli chaperone-assisted periplasmic production system and compared expression of 4 different soluble TCR formats: single-chain TCR (scTCR), two different disulfide-linked TCR (dsTCR) formats, and chimeric Fab (cFab). A stabilized version of scTCR was also included. Additionally, we evaluated the influence of host (XL1-Blue or RosettaBlueTM) and the effect of IPTG induction on expression profiles. A celiac disease patient-derived TCR with specificity for gluten was used, and we achieved detectable expression for all formats and variants. We found that expression in RosettaBlueTM without IPTG induction resulted in the highest periplasmic yields. Moreover, after large-scale expression and protein purification, only the scTCR format was obtained in high yields. Importantly, stability engineering of the scTCR was a prerequisite for obtaining reliable biophysical characterization of the TCR-pMHC interaction. The scTCR format is readily compatible with high-throughput screening approaches that may enable both development of reagents allowing for defined peptide MHC (pMHC) characterization and discovery of potential novel therapeutic leads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Støen Gunnarsen
- Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lene Støkken Høydahl
- Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ralf Stefan Neumann
- Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Nicolay Rustad Nilssen
- Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ludvig Magne Sollid
- Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- KG Jebsen Coeliac Disease Research Centre and Department of Immunology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Inger Sandlie
- Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Geir Åge Løset
- Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital-Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Nextera AS, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail:
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7
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Swee LK, Tan ZW, Sanecka A, Yoshida N, Patel H, Grotenbreg G, Frickel EM, Ploegh HL. Peripheral self-reactivity regulates antigen-specific CD8 T-cell responses and cell division under physiological conditions. Open Biol 2017; 6:rsob.160293. [PMID: 27881740 PMCID: PMC5133449 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell identity is established by the expression of a clonotypic T-cell receptor (TCR), generated by somatic rearrangement of TCRα and β genes. The properties of the TCR determine both the degree of self-reactivity and the repertoire of antigens that can be recognized. For CD8 T cells, the relationship between TCR identity-hence reactivity to self-and effector function(s) remains to be fully understood and has rarely been explored outside of the H-2b haplotype. We measured the affinity of three structurally distinct CD8 T-cell-derived TCRs that recognize the identical H-2 Ld-restricted epitope, derived from the Rop7 protein of Toxoplasma gondii We used CD8 T cells obtained from mice generated by somatic cell nuclear transfer as the closest approximation of primary T cells with physiological TCR rearrangements and TCR expression levels. First, we demonstrate the common occurrence of secondary rearrangements in endogenously rearranged loci. Furthermore, we characterized and compared the response of Rop7-specific CD8 T-cell clones upon Toxoplasma gondii infection as well as effector function and TCR signalling upon antigenic stimulation in vitro Antigen-independent TCR cross-linking in vitro uncovered profound intrinsic differences in the effector functions between T-cell clones. Finally, by assessing the degree of self-reactivity and comparing the transcriptomes of naive Rop7 CD8 T cells, we show that lower self-reactivity correlates with lower effector capacity, whereas higher self-reactivity is associated with enhanced effector function as well as cell cycle entry under physiological conditions. Altogether, our data show that potential effector functions and basal proliferation of CD8 T cells are set by self-reactivity thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Kim Swee
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Zhen Wei Tan
- Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Biological Sciences, Immunology Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anna Sanecka
- Host-Toxoplasma Interaction Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Nagisa Yoshida
- Host-Toxoplasma Interaction Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Harshil Patel
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Gijsbert Grotenbreg
- Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Biological Sciences, Immunology Programme, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Eva-Maria Frickel
- Host-Toxoplasma Interaction Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Hidde L Ploegh
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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8
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Foley KC, Spear TT, Murray DC, Nagato K, Garrett-Mayer E, Nishimura MI. HCV T Cell Receptor Chain Modifications to Enhance Expression, Pairing, and Antigen Recognition in T Cells for Adoptive Transfer. MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS 2017; 5:105-115. [PMID: 28573185 PMCID: PMC5447397 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2017.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
T cell receptor (TCR)-gene-modified T cells for adoptive cell transfer can mediate objective clinical responses in melanoma and other malignancies. When introducing a second TCR, mispairing between the endogenous and introduced α and β TCR chains limits expression of the introduced TCR, which can result in impaired efficacy or off-target reactivity and autoimmunity. One approach to promote proper TCR chain pairing involves modifications of the introduced TCR genes: introducing a disulfide bridge, substituting murine for human constant regions, codon optimization, TCR chain leucine zipper fusions, and a single-chain TCR. We have introduced these modifications into our hepatitis C virus (HCV) reactive TCR and utilize a marker gene, CD34t, which allows us to directly compare transduction efficiency with TCR expression and T cell function. Our results reveal that of the TCRs tested, T cells expressing the murine Cβ2 TCR or leucine zipper TCR have the highest levels of expression and the highest percentage of lytic and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-producing T cells. Our studies give us a better understanding of how TCR modifications impact TCR expression and T cell function that may allow for optimization of TCR-modified T cells for adoptive cell transfer to treat patients with malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra C Foley
- Department of Surgery, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Timothy T Spear
- Department of Surgery, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - David C Murray
- Department of Surgery, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Kaoru Nagato
- Department of Surgery, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
| | - Elizabeth Garrett-Mayer
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29415, USA.,Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29415, USA
| | - Michael I Nishimura
- Department of Surgery, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
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9
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Broad TCR repertoire and diverse structural solutions for recognition of an immunodominant CD8 + T cell epitope. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2017; 24:395-406. [PMID: 28250417 PMCID: PMC5383516 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.3383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A keystone of antiviral immunity is CD8 T-cell recognition of viral peptides bound to MHC-I proteins. The recognition mode of individual T cell receptors (TCRs) has been studied in some detail, but how TCR variation functions in providing a robust response to viral antigen is unclear. The influenza M1 epitope is an immunodominant target of CD8 T cells helping to control influenza in HLA-A2+ individuals. Here, we show that many distinct TCRs are used by CD8 T cells to recognize HLA-A2/M1, encoding different structural solutions to the problem of specifically recognizing a relatively featureless peptide antigen. The vast majority of responding TCRs target small clefts between peptide and MHC. These broad repertoires lead to plasticity in antigen recognition and protection against T cell clonal loss and viral escape.
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10
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da Cunha A, Antoniazi Michelin M, Cândido Murta EF. Phenotypic profile of dendritic and T cells in the lymph node of Balb/C mice with breast cancer submitted to dendritic cells immunotherapy. Immunol Lett 2016; 177:25-37. [PMID: 27423825 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2016.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant neoplasm and the cause of death by cancer among women worldwide. Its development influenced by various mutations that occur in the tumor cell and by the immune system's status, which has a direct influence on the tumor microenvironment and, consequently, on interactions with non-tumor cells involved in the immunological response. Strategies using dendritic cells (DCs) or antigen-presenting cells (APCs), therapeutic mode, in cancer have been developed for some time. The proper interaction between DCs and T cells upon antigen presentation is of greatest importance for an antitumor immune response activation. Thus, various receptors on the surface of T cells must be able to recognize ligands that are located on the surface of APCs. However, little is known about the real behavior and interaction forms of CDs and T cells after vaccination. Due to the crucial importance of DCs in an effective anti-tumor immune response activation and the search for compliant results in inducing this response by immunotherapies with DCs, the phenotypic profile of DCs and T cells in lymph nodes obtained from female Balb/C mice with breast cancer induced by 4T1 cells and DCs treated with vaccines was investigated. We evaluated through flow cytometry based on the surface and intracellular molecules marking; as well as the presence of cytokines and chemokines, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α and TGF-β in the supernatant of the culture of Balb/C lymph nodes by ELISA. The results show that the vaccination with DCs, in the maturation parameters used in this study, was able to stimulate the secretion of cytokines such as IFN-γ and IL-12 and inhibit the secretion of TGF-β and IL-10 in nodal lymph infiltrates, as well as co-stimulatory activating (CD86) and adhesion molecules in DCs and T cells LFA-1/ICAM-1 and inhibit the secretion of CTLA-4 present in lymph nodes. Facts that led to aTh1 profile polarization, immuno competent in relation to breast cancer. We indirectly evaluated the interaction between DCs and T cells dependent on the vaccination with DCs in tumor draining lymph nodes, in breast cancer in Balb/C mice and we believe that, this way, we will be able to achieve a model vaccine protocol in the future, based on the correct interaction between cells that enable the induction of anti-tumor effective response. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant neoplasm and the cause of death by cancer among women worldwide. Its development influenced by various mutations that occur in the tumor cell and by the immune system's status, which has a direct influence on the tumor microenvironment and, consequently, on interactions with non-tumor cells involved in the immunological response. Strategies using dendritic cells (DCs) or antigen-presenting cells (APCs), therapeutic mode, in cancer have been developed for some time. The proper interaction between DCs and T cells upon antigen presentation is of greatest importance for an antitumor immune response activation. Thus, various receptors on the surface of T cells must be able to recognize ligands that are located on the surface of APCs. However, little is known about the real behavior and interaction forms of DCs and T cells after vaccination. Due to the crucial importance of DCs in an effective anti-tumor immune response activation and the search for compliant results in inducing this response by immunotherapies with DCs, the phenotypic profile of DCs and T cells in lymph nodes obtained from female Balb/C mice with breast cancer induced by 4T1 cells and DCs treated with vaccines was investigated. We evaluated through flow cytometry based on the surface and intracellular molecules marking; as well as the presence of cytokines and chemokines, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α and TGF-β in the supernatant of the culture of Balb/C lymph nodes by ELISA. The results show that the vaccination with DCs, in the maturation parameters used in this study, was able to stimulate the secretion of cytokines such as IFN-γ and IL-12 and inhibit the secretion of TGF-β and IL-10 in nodal lymph infiltrates, as well as co-stimulatory activating (CD86) and adhesion molecules in DCs and T cells LFA-1/ICAM-1 and inhibit the secretion of CTLA-4 present in lymph nodes. Facts that led to aTh1 profile polarization, immuno competent in relation to breast cancer. We indirectly evaluated the interaction between DCs and T cells dependent on the vaccination with DCs in tumor draining lymph nodes, in breast cancer in Balb/C mice and we believe that, this way, we will be able to achieve a model vaccine protocol in the future, based on the correct interaction between cells that enable the induction of anti-tumor effective response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra da Cunha
- Research Oncology Institute (IPON), Federal University of the Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38025-440, Brazil
| | - Marcia Antoniazi Michelin
- Discipline of Immunology, Federal University of the Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38025-440, Brazil
| | - Eddie Fernando Cândido Murta
- Discipline of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Federal University of the Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38025-440, Brazil.
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11
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Oates J, Hassan NJ, Jakobsen BK. ImmTACs for targeted cancer therapy: Why, what, how, and which. Mol Immunol 2015; 67:67-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2015.01.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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12
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Soluble T-cell receptors produced in human cells for targeted delivery. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119559. [PMID: 25875651 PMCID: PMC4395278 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, technology has become available to generate soluble T-cell receptors (sTCRs) that contain the antigen recognition part. In contrast to antibodies, sTCRs recognize intracellular in addition to extracellular epitopes, potentially increasing the number of applications as reagents for target detection and immunotherapy. Moreover, recent data show that they can be used for identification of their natural peptide ligands in disease. Here we describe a new and simplified expression method for sTCRs in human cells and show that these sTCRs can be used for antigen-specific labeling and elimination of human target cells. Four different TCRs were solubilized by expression of constructs encoding the TCR alpha (α) and beta (β) chains lacking the transmembrane and intracellular domains, linked by a ribosomal skipping 2A sequence that facilitates equimolar production of the chains. Cell supernatants containing sTCRs labeled target cells directly in a peptide (p)-human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-specific manner. We demonstrated that a MART-1p/HLA-A*02:01-specific sTCR fused to a fluorescent protein, or multimerized onto magnetic nanoparticles, could be internalized. Moreover, we showed that this sTCR and two sTCRs recognizing CD20p/HLA-A*02:01 could mediate selective elimination of target cells expressing the relevant pHLA complex when tetramerized to streptavidin-conjugated toxin, demonstrating the potential for specific delivery of cargo. This simple and efficient method can be utilized to generate a wide range of minimally modified sTCRs from the naturally occurring TCR repertoire for antigen-specific detection and targeting.
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13
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Song L, Wang S, Wang H, Zhang H, Cong H, Jiang X, Tien P. Study on nanocomposite construction based on the multi-functional biotemplate self-assembled by the recombinant TMGMV coat protein for potential biomedical applications. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE. MATERIALS IN MEDICINE 2015; 26:97. [PMID: 25652772 DOI: 10.1007/s10856-014-5326-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays there is a growing interest in bio-scaffolded nanoarchitectures. Rapid progress in nanobiotechnology and molecular biology has allowed the engineering of inorganic-binding peptides termed as genetically engineered polypeptides for inorganics (GEPIs) into self-assembling biological structures to facilitate the design of novel biomedical or bioimaging devices. Here we introduce a novel nanocomposite comprising a self-assembled protein scaffold based on a recombinant tobacco mild green mosaic tobamovirus (TMGMV) coat protein (CP) and the photocatalytic TiO2 nanoparticles attached to it, which may provide a generic method for materials engineering. A template containing a modified TMGMV CP (mCP) gene, with the first six C-terminal amino acid residues deleted to accommodate more foreign peptides and expressing a site-directed mutation of A123C for bioconjugation utility, and two genetically engineered mutants, Escherichia coli-based P-mCP-Ti7 containing a C-terminal TiO2 GEPI sequence of seven peptides (Ti7) and Hi5 insect cells-derived E-CP-Ti7-His6 C-terminally fused with Ti7+His6 tag were created. Expression vectors and protocols for enriching of the two CP variants were established and the resultant proteins were identified by western blot analysis. Their RNA-free self-assembling structures were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immuno-gold labeling TEM analysis. Adherence of nanoparticles to the P-mCP-Ti7 induced protein scaffold was visualized by TEM analysis. Also discussed is the Cysteine thiol reactivity in bioconjugation reactions with the maleimide-functionalized porphyrin photosensitizers which can function as clinical photodynamic therapy agents. This study introduced a novel approach to producing an assembly-competent recombinant TMGMV CP, examined its ability to serve as a novel platform for the multivalent display of surface ligands and demonstrated an alternative method for nanodevice synthesis for nanobiotechnological applications by combining GEPIs-mediated immobilization with the controllability of self-assembling recombinant TMGMV CP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, People's Republic of China
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14
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Løset GÅ, Berntzen G, Frigstad T, Pollmann S, Gunnarsen KS, Sandlie I. Phage Display Engineered T Cell Receptors as Tools for the Study of Tumor Peptide-MHC Interactions. Front Oncol 2015; 4:378. [PMID: 25629004 PMCID: PMC4290511 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2014.00378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has finally come of age, demonstrated by recent progress in strategies that engage the endogenous adaptive immune response in tumor killing. Occasionally, significant and durable tumor regression has been achieved. A giant leap forward was the demonstration that the pre-existing polyclonal T cell repertoire could be re-directed by use of cloned T cell receptors (TCRs), to obtain a defined tumor-specific pool of T cells. However, the procedure must be performed with caution to avoid deleterious cross-reactivity. Here, the use of engineered soluble TCRs may represent a safer, yet powerful, alternative. There is also a need for deeper understanding of the processes that underlie antigen presentation in disease and homeostasis, how tumor-specific peptides are generated, and how epitope spreading evolves during tumor development. Due to its plasticity, the pivotal interaction where a TCR engages a peptide/MHC (pMHC) also requires closer attention. For this purpose, phage display as a tool to evolve cloned TCRs represents an attractive avenue to generate suitable reagents allowing the study of defined pMHC presentation, TCR engagement, as well as for the discovery of novel therapeutic leads. Here, we highlight important aspects of the current status in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geir Åge Løset
- Nextera AS , Oslo , Norway ; Centre for Immune Regulation, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway ; Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway
| | | | | | | | - Kristin S Gunnarsen
- Centre for Immune Regulation, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway
| | - Inger Sandlie
- Centre for Immune Regulation, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway ; Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway
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15
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Ozawa T, Horii M, Kobayashi E, Jin A, Kishi H, Muraguchi A. The binding affinity of a soluble TCR-Fc fusion protein is significantly improved by crosslinkage with an anti-Cβ antibody. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2012; 422:245-9. [PMID: 22575452 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2012.04.134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2012] [Accepted: 04/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The identification and cloning of tumor antigen-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) and the production of the soluble form of the TCR (sTCR) contributed to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for cancer. Recently, several groups have reported the development of technologies for the production of sTCRs. The native sTCR has a very low binding affinity for the antigenic peptide/MHC (p/MHC) complex. In this study, we established a technology to produce high affinity, functional sTCRs. We generated a novel sTCR-Fc fusion protein composed of the TCR V and C regions of the TCR linked to the immunoglobulin (Ig) Fc region. A Western blot analysis revealed that the molecular weight of the fusion protein was approximately 60 kDa under reducing conditions and approximately 100-200 kDa under non-reducing conditions. ELISAs using various antibodies showed that the structure of each domain of the TCR-Fc protein was intact. The TCR-Fc protein immobilized by an anti-Cβ antibody effectively bound to a p/MHC tetramer. An SPR analysis showed that the TCR-Fc protein had a low binding affinity (KD; 1.1 × 10(-5)M) to the p/MHC monomer. Interestingly, when the TCR-Fc protein was pre-incubated with an anti-Cβ antibody, its binding affinity for p/MHC increased by 5-fold (2.2 × 10(-6)M). We demonstrated a novel method for constructing a functional soluble TCR using the Ig Fc region and showed that the binding affinity of the functional sTCR-Fc was markedly increased by an anti-Cβ antibody, which is probably due to the stabilization of the Vα/Vβ region of the TCR. These findings provide new insights into the binding of sTCRs to p/MHCs and will hopefully be instrumental in establishing functional sTCR as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuhiko Ozawa
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama 930-0194, Japan
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16
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Simpson AA, Mohammed F, Salim M, Tranter A, Rickinson AB, Stauss HJ, Moss PAH, Steven NM, Willcox BE. Structural and energetic evidence for highly peptide-specific tumor antigen targeting via allo-MHC restriction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:21176-81. [PMID: 22160697 PMCID: PMC3248497 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1108422109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies targeting peptides presented by allogeneic MHC molecules offer the prospect of circumventing tolerance to key tumor-associated self-antigens. However, the degree of antigen specificity mediated by alloreactive T cells, and their ability to discriminate normal tissues from transformed cells presenting elevated antigen levels, is poorly understood. We examined allorecognition of an HLA-A2-restricted Hodgkin's lymphoma-associated antigen and were able to isolate functionally antigen-specific allo-HLA-A2-restricted T cells from multiple donors. Binding and structural studies, focused on a prototypic allo-HLA-A2-restricted T-cell receptor (TCR) termed NB20 derived from an HLA-A3 homozygote, suggested highly peptide-specific allorecognition that was energetically focused on antigen, involving direct recognition of a distinct allopeptide presented within a conserved MHC recognition surface. Although NB20/HLA-A2 affinity was unremarkable, TCR/MHC complexes were very short-lived, consistent with suboptimal TCR triggering and tolerance to low antigen levels. These data provide strong molecular evidence that within the functionally heterogeneous alloreactive repertoire, there is the potential for highly antigen-specific "allo-MHC-restricted" recognition and suggest a kinetic mechanism whereby allo-MHC-restricted T cells may discriminate normal from transformed tissue, thereby outlining a suitable basis for broad-based therapeutic targeting of tolerizing tumor antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy A. Simpson
- Birmingham Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; and
| | - Fiyaz Mohammed
- Birmingham Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; and
| | - Mahboob Salim
- Birmingham Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; and
| | - Amy Tranter
- Birmingham Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; and
| | - Alan B. Rickinson
- Birmingham Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; and
| | - Hans J. Stauss
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Department of Immunology, University College London, Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2PF, United Kingdom
| | - Paul A. H. Moss
- Birmingham Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; and
| | - Neil M. Steven
- Birmingham Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; and
| | - Benjamin E. Willcox
- Birmingham Cancer Research UK Cancer Centre, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom; and
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17
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Narimatsu S, Yoshioka Y, Morishige T, Yao X, Tsunoda SI, Tsutsumi Y, Nishimura MI, Mukai Y, Okada N, Nakagawa S. Structure-activity relationship of T-cell receptors based on alanine scanning. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011; 415:558-62. [PMID: 22079637 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2011.10.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2011] [Accepted: 10/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
T-cell receptors (TCR) recognize complexes between human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and peptides derived from intracellular proteins. Their therapeutic use for antigen targeting, however, has been hindered by the very low binding affinity of TCRs, typically in the 1- to 100-μM range. Therefore, to construct mutant TCRs with high binding affinity, we need to understand the relationship between the structure and activity of these molecules. Here, we attempted to identify the amino acids of the TCR that are important for binding to the peptide/HLA complex. We used a TCR that recognizes complexes between HLA-A(∗)0201 and the peptide from tyrosinase, antigen overexpressed in melanoma. We changed 16 amino acids in the third complementarity-determining region within the TCR to alanine and examined the effect on binding affinity. Five alanine substitutions decreased the binding affinity to below 10% compared with that of wild-type TCR. In contrast, one alanine substitution caused a faster on-rate and slower off-rate, and increased the binding affinity to three times that of the wild-type TCR. Our results provide fundamental information for constructing mutant TCRs with high binding affinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shogo Narimatsu
- Laboratory of Biotechnology and Therapeutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, 1-6, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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18
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Cheng H, Mohammed F, Nam G, Chen Y, Qi J, Garner LI, Allen RL, Yan J, Willcox BE, Gao GF. Crystal structure of leukocyte Ig-like receptor LILRB4 (ILT3/LIR-5/CD85k): a myeloid inhibitory receptor involved in immune tolerance. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:18013-25. [PMID: 21454581 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.221028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The myeloid inhibitory receptor LILRB4 (also called ILT3, LIR-5, CD85k), a member of the leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors (LILRs/LIRs), is an important mediator of immune tolerance. Up-regulated on tolerogenic dendritic cells, it has been shown to modulate immune responses via induction of T cell anergy and differentiation of CD8(+) T suppressor cells and may play a role in establishing immune tolerance in cancer. Consequently, characterizing the molecular mechanisms involved in LILRB4 function and in particular its structure and ligands is a key aim but has remained elusive to date. Here we describe the production, crystallization, and structure of the LILRB4 ectodomain to 1.7 Å using an expression strategy involving engineering of an additional disulfide bond in the D2 domain to enhance protein stability. LILRB4 comprises two immunoglobulin domains similar in structure to other LILRs; however, the D2 domain, which is most closely related to the D4 domains of other family members, contains 3(10) helices not previously observed. At the D1-D2 interface, reduced interdomain contacts resulted in an obtuse interdomain angle of ∼107°. Comparison with MHC class I binding Group 1 LILRs suggests LILRB4 is both conformationally and electrostatically unsuited to MHC ligation, consistent with LILRB4 status as a Group 2 LILR likely to bind novel non-MHC class I ligands. Finally, examination of the LILRB4 surface highlighted distinctive surface patches on the D1 domain and D1D2 hinge region, which may be involved in ligand binding. These findings will facilitate our attempts to precisely define the role of LILRB4 in the regulation of immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Cheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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19
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Moysey RK, Li Y, Paston SJ, Baston EE, Sami MS, Cameron BJ, Gavarret J, Todorov P, Vuidepot A, Dunn SM, Pumphrey NJ, Adams KJ, Yuan F, Dennis RE, Sutton DH, Johnson AD, Brewer JE, Ashfield R, Lissin NM, Jakobsen BK. High affinity soluble ILT2 receptor: a potent inhibitor of CD8(+) T cell activation. Protein Cell 2011; 1:1118-27. [PMID: 21213105 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-010-0144-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2010] [Accepted: 12/16/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Using directed mutagenesis and phage display on a soluble fragment of the human immunoglobulin super-family receptor ILT2 (synonyms: LIR1, MIR7, CD85j), we have selected a range of mutants with binding affinities enhanced by up to 168,000-fold towards the conserved region of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. Produced in a dimeric form, either by chemical cross-linking with bivalent polyethylene glycol (PEG) derivatives or as a genetic fusion with human IgG Fc-fragment, the mutants exhibited a further increase in ligand-binding strength due to the avidity effect, with resident half-times (t(1/2)) on the surface of MHC I-positive cells of many hours. The novel compounds antagonized the interaction of CD8 co-receptor with MHC I in vitro without affecting the peptide-specific binding of T-cell receptors (TCRs). In both cytokine-release assays and cell-killing experiments the engineered receptors inhibited the activation of CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in the presence of their target cells, with subnanomolar potency and in a dose-dependent manner. As a selective inhibitor of CD8(+) CTL responses, the engineered high affinity ILT2 receptor presents a new tool for studying the activation mechanism of different subsets of CTLs and could have potential for the development of novel autoimmunity therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth K Moysey
- Immunocore Limited, 57c Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RX, UK
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20
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Gunnarsen KS, Lunde E, Kristiansen PE, Bogen B, Sandlie I, Løset GÅ. Periplasmic expression of soluble single chain T cell receptors is rescued by the chaperone FkpA. BMC Biotechnol 2010; 10:8. [PMID: 20128915 PMCID: PMC2834602 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6750-10-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2009] [Accepted: 02/03/2010] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Efficient expression systems exist for antibody (Ab) molecules, which allow for characterization of large numbers of individual Ab variants. In contrast, such expression systems have been lacking for soluble T cell receptors (TCRs). Attempts to generate bacterial systems have generally resulted in low yields and material which is prone to aggregation and proteolysis. Here we present an optimized periplasmic bacterial expression system for soluble single chain (sc) TCRs. Results The effect of 1) over-expression of the periplasmic chaperon FkpA, 2) culture conditions and 3) molecular design was investigated. Elevated levels of FkpA allowed periplasmic soluble scTCR expression, presumably by preventing premature aggregation and inclusion body formation. Periplasmic expression enables disulphide bond formation, which is a prerequisite for the scTCR to reach its correct fold. It also enables quick and easy recovery of correctly folded protein without the need for time-consuming downstream processing. Expression without IPTG induction further improved the periplasmic expression yield, while addition of sucrose to the growth medium showed little effect. Shaker flask yield of mg levels of active purified material was obtained. The Vαβ domain orientation was far superior to the Vβα domain orientation regarding monomeric yield of functionally folded molecules. Conclusion The general expression regime presented here allows for rapid production of soluble scTCRs and is applicable for 1) high yield recovery sufficient for biophysical characterization and 2) high throughput screening of such molecules following molecular engineering.
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21
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Reiser JB, Legoux F, Machillot P, Debeaupuis E, Le Moullac-Vaydie B, Chouquet A, Saulquin X, Bonneville M, Housset D. Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic characterization of a public CMV-specific TCR in complex with its cognate antigen. Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun 2009; 65:1157-61. [PMID: 19923740 DOI: 10.1107/s1744309109037890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2009] [Accepted: 09/18/2009] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The T-cell response to human cytomegalovirus is characterized by a dramatic reduction of clonal diversity in patients undergoing chronic inflammation or immunodepression. In order to check whether all the selected high-avidity T-cell clones recognize the immunodominant pp65 peptide antigen pp65(495-503) (NLVPMVATV) presented by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule HLA-A2 in a similar manner, several public high-affinity T-cell receptors (TCRs) specific for the pp65(495-503)-HLA-A2 complex have been investigated. Expression, purification and crystallization were performed and preliminary crystallographic data were collected to 4.7 angstrom resolution for the RA15 TCR in complex with the pp65(495-503)-HLA-A2 complex. Comparison of the RA15-pp65(495-503)-HLA-A2 complex molecular-replacement solution with the structure of another high-affinity pp65(495-503)-HLA-A2-specific TCR, RA14, shows a shared docking mode, indicating that the clonal focusing could be accompanied by the selection of a most favoured peptide-readout mode. However, the position of the RA15 V beta domain is significantly shifted, suggesting a different interatomic interaction network.
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22
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van Boxel GI, Stewart-Jones G, Holmes S, Sainsbury S, Shepherd D, Gillespie GMA, Harlos K, Stuart DI, Owens R, Jones EY. Some lessons from the systematic production and structural analysis of soluble (alpha)(beta) T-cell receptors. J Immunol Methods 2009; 350:14-21. [PMID: 19715696 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2009.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2009] [Revised: 07/29/2009] [Accepted: 08/17/2009] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
T-cell receptors (TCRs) are membrane proteins which recognize antigens with high specificity forming the basis of the cellular immune response. The study of these receptors has been limited by the challenges in expressing sufficient quantities of stable soluble protein. Here we report our systematic approach for generating soluble, (alpha)(beta)-TCRs, for X-ray crystallographic studies. By using small-scale expression screens, novel standardized quality control mechanisms and crystallization and imaging robots we were able to add significantly to the current TCR structural database. Our success in crystallizing both isolated TCRs and Major histocompatibility complex (MHC):TCR complexes has provided us with sufficient data to develop focused crystallization screens, which have proved generically useful for the crystallization of this family of proteins and complexes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Crystallography, X-Ray/methods
- Histocompatibility Antigens/chemistry
- Histocompatibility Antigens/immunology
- Histocompatibility Antigens/metabolism
- Humans
- Protein Structure, Quaternary/physiology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- Solubility
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Affiliation(s)
- Gijs I van Boxel
- Cancer Research UK Receptor Structure Research Group, Division of Structural Biology, The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
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23
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Nicholls S, Piper KP, Mohammed F, Dafforn TR, Tenzer S, Salim M, Mahendra P, Craddock C, van Endert P, Schild H, Cobbold M, Engelhard VH, Moss PAH, Willcox BE. Secondary anchor polymorphism in the HA-1 minor histocompatibility antigen critically affects MHC stability and TCR recognition. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:3889-94. [PMID: 19234124 PMCID: PMC2656175 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0900411106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell recognition of minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) underlies allogeneic immune responses that mediate graft-versus-host disease and the graft-versus-leukemia effect following stem cell transplantation. Many mHags derive from single amino acid polymorphisms in MHC-restricted epitopes, but our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing mHag immunogenicity and recognition is incomplete. Here we examined antigenic presentation and T-cell recognition of HA-1, a prototypic autosomal mHag derived from single nucleotide dimorphism (HA-1(H) versus HA-1(R)) in the HMHA1 gene. The HA-1(H) peptide is restricted by HLA-A2 and is immunogenic in HA-1(R/R) into HA-1(H) transplants, while HA-1(R) has been suggested to be a "null allele" in terms of T cell reactivity. We found that proteasomal cleavage and TAP transport of the 2 peptides is similar and that both variants can bind to MHC. However, the His>Arg change substantially decreases the stability and affinity of HLA-A2 association, consistent with the reduced immunogenicity of the HA-1(R) variant. To understand these findings, we determined the structure of an HLA-A2-HA-1(H) complex to 1.3A resolution. Whereas His-3 is accommodated comfortably in the D pocket, incorporation of the lengthy Arg-3 is predicted to require local conformational changes. Moreover, a soluble TCR generated from HA-1(H)-specific T-cells bound HA-1(H) peptide with moderate affinity but failed to bind HA-1(R), indicating complete discrimination of HA-1 variants at the level of TCR/MHC interaction. Our results define the molecular mechanisms governing immunogenicity of HA-1, and highlight how single amino acid polymorphisms in mHags can critically affect both MHC association and TCR recognition.
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MESH Headings
- ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 2
- ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters/metabolism
- Arginine/metabolism
- Cell Separation
- Circular Dichroism
- Crystallography, X-Ray
- Epitopes/chemistry
- Epitopes/immunology
- HLA-A2 Antigen/chemistry
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/immunology
- Minor Histocompatibility Antigens/chemistry
- Minor Histocompatibility Antigens/genetics
- Polymorphism, Genetic
- Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex/metabolism
- Protein Binding
- Protein Stability
- Protein Structure, Secondary
- Protein Transport
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Surface Plasmon Resonance
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
- Tissue Donors
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Nicholls
- Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, School of Cancer Sciences
| | - Karen P. Piper
- Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, School of Cancer Sciences
| | - Fiyaz Mohammed
- Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, School of Cancer Sciences
| | | | - Stefan Tenzer
- Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Institut für Immunologie, Hochhaus am Augustusplatz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Mahboob Salim
- Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, School of Cancer Sciences
| | - Premini Mahendra
- Department of Haematology, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom
| | - Charles Craddock
- Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, School of Cancer Sciences
- Department of Haematology, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom
| | - Peter van Endert
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U580, Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Médecine René Descartes, Paris, France; and
| | - Hansjörg Schild
- Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Institut für Immunologie, Hochhaus am Augustusplatz, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Mark Cobbold
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Victor H. Engelhard
- Carter Immunology Center and Department of Microbiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908
| | - Paul A. H. Moss
- Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, School of Cancer Sciences
- Department of Haematology, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom
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24
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Primer sets for cloning the human repertoire of T cell Receptor Variable regions. BMC Immunol 2008; 9:50. [PMID: 18759974 PMCID: PMC2551579 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2172-9-50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2008] [Accepted: 08/29/2008] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Amplification and cloning of naïve T cell Receptor (TR) repertoires or antigen-specific TR is crucial to shape immune response and to develop immuno-based therapies. TR variable (V) regions are encoded by several genes that recombine during T cell development. The cloning of expressed genes as large diverse libraries from natural sources relies upon the availability of primers able to amplify as many V genes as possible. Results Here, we present a list of primers computationally designed on all functional TR V and J genes listed in the IMGT®, the ImMunoGeneTics information system®. The list consists of unambiguous or degenerate primers suitable to theoretically amplify and clone the entire TR repertoire. We show that it is possible to selectively amplify and clone expressed TR V genes in one single RT-PCR step and from as little as 1000 cells. Conclusion This new primer set will facilitate the creation of more diverse TR libraries than has been possible using currently available primer sets.
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25
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Sami M, Rizkallah PJ, Dunn S, Molloy P, Moysey R, Vuidepot A, Baston E, Todorov P, Li Y, Gao F, Boulter JM, Jakobsen BK. Crystal structures of high affinity human T-cell receptors bound to peptide major histocompatibility complex reveal native diagonal binding geometry. Protein Eng Des Sel 2007; 20:397-403. [PMID: 17644531 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzm033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Naturally selected T-cell receptors (TCRs) are characterised by low binding affinities, typically in the range 1-100 microM. Crystal structures of syngeneic TCRs bound to peptide major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) antigens exhibit a conserved mode of binding characterised by a distinct diagonal binding geometry, with poor shape complementarity (SC) between receptor and ligand. Here, we report the structures of three in vitro affinity enhanced TCRs that recognise the pMHC tumour epitope NY-ESO(157-165) (SLLMWITQC). These crystal structures reveal that the docking mode for the high affinity TCRs is identical to that reported for the parental wild-type TCR, with only subtle changes in the mutated complementarity determining regions (CDRs) that form contacts with pMHC; both CDR2 and CDR3 mutations act synergistically to improve the overall affinity. Comparison of free and bound TCR structures for both wild-type and a CDR3 mutant reveal an induced fit mechanism arising from restructuring of CDR3 loops which allows better peptide binding. Overall, an increased interface area, improved SC and additional H-bonding interactions are observed, accounting for the increase in affinity. Most notably, there is a marked increase in the SC for the central methionine and tryptophan peptide motif over the native TCR.
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MESH Headings
- Complementarity Determining Regions/chemistry
- Complementarity Determining Regions/genetics
- Crystallography, X-Ray
- Escherichia coli/genetics
- Humans
- Hydrogen Bonding
- Kinetics
- Ligands
- Major Histocompatibility Complex/immunology
- Models, Molecular
- Mutation
- Peptides/chemistry
- Peptides/immunology
- Protein Binding
- Protein Conformation
- Protein Structure, Secondary
- Protein Structure, Tertiary
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Surface Plasmon Resonance
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Affiliation(s)
- Malkit Sami
- Avidex Limited (subsidiary of Medigene Ag), 57c Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RX, UK
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26
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Kuball J, Dossett ML, Wolfl M, Ho WY, Voss RH, Fowler C, Greenberg PD. Facilitating matched pairing and expression of TCR chains introduced into human T cells. Blood 2007; 109:2331-8. [PMID: 17082316 PMCID: PMC1852191 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2006-05-023069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 280] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2006] [Accepted: 10/28/2006] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of T lymphocytes is a promising treatment for a variety of malignancies but often not feasible due to difficulties generating T cells that are reactive with the targeted antigen from patients. To facilitate rapid generation of cells for therapy, T cells can be programmed with genes encoding the alpha and beta chains of an antigen-specific T-cell receptor (TCR). However, such exogenous alpha and beta chains can potentially assemble as pairs not only with each other but also with endogenous TCR alpha and beta chains, thereby generating alphabetaTCR pairs of unknown specificity as well as reducing the number of exogenous matched alphabetaTCR pairs at the cell surface. We demonstrate that introducing cysteines into the constant region of the alpha and beta chains can promote preferential pairing with each other, increase total surface expression of the introduced TCR chains, and reduce mismatching with endogenous TCR chains. This approach should improve both the efficacy and safety of ongoing efforts to use TCR transfer as a strategy to generate tumor-reactive T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jürgen Kuball
- The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Program in Immunology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
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27
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Gostick E, Cole DK, Hutchinson SL, Wooldridge L, Tafuro S, Laugel B, Lissina A, Oxenius A, Boulter JM, Price DA, Sewell AK. Functional and biophysical characterization of an HLA-A*6801-restricted HIV-specific T cell receptor. Eur J Immunol 2007; 37:479-86. [PMID: 17273992 PMCID: PMC2699040 DOI: 10.1002/eji.200636243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2006] [Revised: 10/24/2006] [Accepted: 12/14/2006] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
HLA-A*6801 exhibits several unusual features. First, it is known to bind weakly to CD8 due to the presence of an A245V substitution in the alpha3 domain. Second, it is able to accommodate unusually long peptides as a result of peptide 'kinking' in the binding groove. Third, CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes that recognise HLA-A*6801-restricted antigens can tolerate substantial changes in the peptide sequence without apparent loss of recognition. In addition, it has been suggested that HLA-A68-restricted TCR might bind with higher affinity than other TCR due to their selection in the presence of a decreased contribution from CD8. Here we (1) examine monoclonal T cell recognition of an HLA-A*6801-restricted HIV-1 Tat-derived 11-amino acid peptide (ITKGLGISYGR) and natural variant sequences thereof; (2) measure the affinity and kinetics of a TCR/pHLA-A68 interaction biophysically for the first time, showing that equilibrium binding occurs within the range previously determined for non-HLA-A68-restricted TCR (KD approx. 7 microM); and (3) show that "normalization" of the non-canonical HLA-A*6801 CD8-binding domain enhances recognition of agonist peptides without inducing non-specific activation. This latter effect may provide a fundamental new mechanism with which to enhance T cell immunity to specific antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Gostick
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
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28
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Dunn SM, Rizkallah PJ, Baston E, Mahon T, Cameron B, Moysey R, Gao F, Sami M, Boulter J, Li Y, Jakobsen BK. Directed evolution of human T cell receptor CDR2 residues by phage display dramatically enhances affinity for cognate peptide-MHC without increasing apparent cross-reactivity. Protein Sci 2006; 15:710-21. [PMID: 16600963 PMCID: PMC2242494 DOI: 10.1110/ps.051936406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian alpha/beta T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire plays a pivotal role in adaptive immunity by recognizing short, processed, peptide antigens bound in the context of a highly diverse family of cell-surface major histocompatibility complexes (pMHCs). Despite the extensive TCR-MHC interaction surface, peptide-independent cross-reactivity of native TCRs is generally avoided through cell-mediated selection of molecules with low inherent affinity for MHC. Here we show that, contrary to expectations, the germ line-encoded complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of human TCRs, namely the CDR2s, which appear to contact only the MHC surface and not the bound peptide, can be engineered to yield soluble low nanomolar affinity ligands that retain a surprisingly high degree of specificity for the cognate pMHC target. Structural investigation of one such CDR2 mutant implicates shape complementarity of the mutant CDR2 contact interfaces as being a key determinant of the increased affinity. Our results suggest that manipulation of germ line CDR2 loops may provide a useful route to the production of high-affinity TCRs with therapeutic and diagnostic potential.
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MESH Headings
- Antigens/metabolism
- Cell Line, Transformed
- Complementarity Determining Regions/chemistry
- Complementarity Determining Regions/genetics
- Complementarity Determining Regions/metabolism
- Crystallography, X-Ray
- Humans
- Kinetics
- Ligands
- Major Histocompatibility Complex
- Models, Molecular
- Mutation
- Nerve Tissue Proteins
- Peptide Library
- Peptides/immunology
- Peptides/metabolism
- Protein Structure, Tertiary
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
- Sensitivity and Specificity
- Substrate Specificity
- Surface Plasmon Resonance
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29
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Gadola SD, Koch M, Marles-Wright J, Lissin NM, Shepherd D, Matulis G, Harlos K, Villiger PM, Stuart DI, Jakobsen BK, Cerundolo V, Jones EY. Structure and binding kinetics of three different human CD1d-alpha-galactosylceramide-specific T cell receptors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 203:699-710. [PMID: 16520393 PMCID: PMC2118257 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20052369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Invariant human TCR Vα24-Jα18+/Vβ11+ NKT cells (iNKT) are restricted by CD1d–α-glycosylceramides. We analyzed crystal structures and binding characteristics for an iNKT TCR plus two CD1d–α-GalCer–specific Vβ11+ TCRs that use different TCR Vα chains. The results were similar to those previously reported for MHC–peptide-specific TCRs, illustrating the versatility of the TCR platform. Docking TCR and CD1d–α-GalCer structures provided plausible insights into their interaction. The model supports a diagonal orientation of TCR on CD1d and suggests that complementarity determining region (CDR)3α, CDR3β, and CDR1β interact with ligands presented by CD1d, whereas CDR2β binds to the CD1d α1 helix. This docking provides an explanation for the dominant usage of Vβ11 and Vβ8.2 chains by human and mouse iNKT cells, respectively, for recognition of CD1d–α-GalCer.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigen Presentation/immunology
- Antigens, CD1/chemistry
- Antigens, CD1/immunology
- Antigens, CD1d
- Complementarity Determining Regions/chemistry
- Complementarity Determining Regions/immunology
- Crystallography, X-Ray
- Galactosylceramides/chemistry
- Galactosylceramides/immunology
- Humans
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Mice
- Models, Molecular
- Protein Binding/immunology
- Protein Structure, Quaternary
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
- Structure-Activity Relationship
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan D Gadola
- Department of Rheumathology and Clinical Immunology, University of Bern, Inselspital, Berne CH-3010, Switzerland.
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30
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Garner LI, Salim M, Mohammed F, Willcox BE. Expression, purification, and refolding of the myeloid inhibitory receptor leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor-5 for structural and ligand identification studies. Protein Expr Purif 2005; 47:490-7. [PMID: 16406677 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2005.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2005] [Revised: 11/20/2005] [Accepted: 11/26/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors (LIRs, also known as ILTs, CD85, and LILRs) comprise a family of related immunoregulatory receptors encoded within the leukocyte receptor cluster (LRC) on human chromosome 19. LIRs are transmembrane proteins containing either two or four extracellular immunoglobulin domains, and most family members are expressed predominantly on myeloid cell lineages. Although the inhibitory receptors LIR-1 and LIR-2 are known to bind to a broad range of class I MHC molecules and are thought to play important roles in immune regulation, the majority of LIRs are currently of unknown structure and their ligands remain unidentified. In this study, we describe recombinant production and characterisation of the extracellular portion of LIR-5 (ILT3), a poorly understood inhibitory receptor that transduces tolerising signals to dendritic cells. The two extracellular immunoglobulin domains of LIR-5 were expressed in Escherichia coli to a high level and were found to accumulate in inclusion bodies. Inclusion bodies were purified, solubilised, and receptor then renatured by dilution refolding, with acceptable yields. Size exclusion chromatography and SDS-PAGE analyses confirmed the extracellular portion behaved as a monomer in solution, and purified protein was antibody-reactive. LIR-5 is representative of a subset of LIR receptors that on the basis of structural and sequence comparisons with LIR-1 seem unlikely to bind class I MHC molecules. Successful prokaryotic generation of correctly folded LIR-5 in high levels has implications for production of other LRC receptors and should greatly facilitate attempts to define the structure and ligands of this important regulator of dendritic cell function.
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MESH Headings
- Antigens, CD/chemistry
- Antigens, CD/metabolism
- Chromatography, Gel
- Dendritic Cells/physiology
- Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
- Escherichia coli
- Genes, MHC Class I/physiology
- Humans
- Immune Tolerance/physiology
- Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-like Receptor B1
- Ligands
- Multigene Family/physiology
- Protein Binding
- Protein Folding
- Protein Structure, Tertiary/physiology
- Receptors, Immunologic/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Immunologic/chemistry
- Receptors, Immunologic/isolation & purification
- Receptors, Immunologic/metabolism
- Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis
- Recombinant Proteins/chemistry
- Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification
- Signal Transduction/physiology
- Structural Homology, Protein
- Surface Plasmon Resonance
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee I Garner
- Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
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31
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Boulter JM, Jakobsen BK. Stable, soluble, high-affinity, engineered T cell receptors: novel antibody-like proteins for specific targeting of peptide antigens. Clin Exp Immunol 2005; 142:454-60. [PMID: 16297157 PMCID: PMC1809535 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2005.02929.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/02/2005] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent development of T cell receptor phage display opens up the possibility of engineering human T cell receptors with antibody-like binding properties for cell-surface peptide antigens. In this review we briefly discuss recent developments in molecular targeting of peptide antigens. We then discuss potential clinical applications of engineered high-affinity T cell receptors in autoimmunity and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Boulter
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Immunology, Henry Wellcome Building, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, UK.
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32
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Wooldridge L, van den Berg HA, Glick M, Gostick E, Laugel B, Hutchinson SL, Milicic A, Brenchley JM, Douek DC, Price DA, Sewell AK. Interaction between the CD8 coreceptor and major histocompatibility complex class I stabilizes T cell receptor-antigen complexes at the cell surface. J Biol Chem 2005; 280:27491-501. [PMID: 15837791 PMCID: PMC2441837 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m500555200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The off-rate (k(off)) of the T cell receptor (TCR)/peptide-major histocompatibility complex class I (pMHCI) interaction, and hence its half-life, is the principal kinetic feature that determines the biological outcome of TCR ligation. However, it is unclear whether the CD8 coreceptor, which binds pMHCI at a distinct site, influences this parameter. Although biophysical studies with soluble proteins show that TCR and CD8 do not bind cooperatively to pMHCI, accumulating evidence suggests that TCR associates with CD8 on the T cell surface. Here, we titrated and quantified the contribution of CD8 to TCR/pMHCI dissociation in membrane-constrained interactions using a panel of engineered pMHCI mutants that retain faithful TCR interactions but exhibit a spectrum of affinities for CD8 of >1,000-fold. Data modeling generates a "stabilization factor" that preferentially increases the predicted TCR triggering rate for low affinity pMHCI ligands, thereby suggesting an important role for CD8 in the phenomenon of T cell cross-reactivity.
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MESH Headings
- Antigens/chemistry
- Biophysics/methods
- Biotinylation
- CD8 Antigens/biosynthesis
- CD8 Antigens/chemistry
- Cell Membrane/metabolism
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Epitopes/chemistry
- Flow Cytometry
- Genes, MHC Class I/genetics
- Genetic Engineering
- HIV-1/metabolism
- Herpesvirus 4, Human/metabolism
- Humans
- Kinetics
- Ligands
- Models, Chemical
- Mutation
- Protein Binding
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Time Factors
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Wooldridge
- T Cell Modulation Group, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
| | - Hugo A. van den Berg
- Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NF, United Kingdom
| | - Meir Glick
- Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
| | - Emma Gostick
- T Cell Modulation Group, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
| | - Bruno Laugel
- T Cell Modulation Group, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah L. Hutchinson
- T Cell Modulation Group, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
| | - Anita Milicic
- T Cell Modulation Group, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
| | - Jason M. Brenchley
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Daniel C. Douek
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - David A. Price
- Human Immunology Section, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
| | - Andrew K. Sewell
- T Cell Modulation Group, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
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33
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Laugel B, Boulter JM, Lissin N, Vuidepot A, Li Y, Gostick E, Crotty LE, Douek DC, Hemelaar J, Price DA, Jakobsen BK, Sewell AK. Design of Soluble Recombinant T Cell Receptors for Antigen Targeting and T Cell Inhibition. J Biol Chem 2005; 280:1882-92. [PMID: 15531581 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m409427200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of recombinant T cell receptors (TCRs) to target therapeutic interventions has been hindered by the naturally low affinity of TCR interactions with peptide major histocompatibility complex ligands. Here, we use multimeric forms of soluble heterodimeric alphabeta TCRs for specific detection of target cells pulsed with cognate peptide, discrimination of quantitative changes in antigen display at the cell surface, identification of virus-infected cells, inhibition of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte activation, and identification of cross-reactive peptides. Notably, the A6 TCR specific for the immunodominant HLA A2-restricted human T cell leukemia virus type 1 Tax(11-19) epitope bound to HLA A2-HuD(87-95) (K(D) 120 microm by surface plasmon resonance), an epitope implicated as a causal antigen in the paraneoplastic neurological degenerative disorder anti-Hu syndrome. A mutant A6 TCR that exhibited dramatically increased affinity for cognate antigen (K(D) 2.5 nm) without enhanced cross-reactivity was generated; this TCR demonstrated potent biological activity even as a monomeric molecule. These data provide insights into TCR repertoire selection and delineate a framework for the selective modification of TCRs in vitro that could enable specific therapeutic intervention in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Laugel
- The T-cell Modulation Group, The Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd., Oxford OX1 3SY, United Kingdom
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34
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Steele CR, Van Remoortere KC, Hayday AC. Production of a soluble gammadelta T-cell receptor to identify ligands for the murine intestinal intraepithelial gammadelta T cell population. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2003; 786:297-304. [PMID: 12651026 DOI: 10.1016/s1570-0232(02)00812-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Although the functions and antigen recognition requirements of alphabeta T cells are well characterised, the antigens recognised by gammadelta T cells and the consequences of this recognition are unclear. gammadelta T cells are enriched within epithelia, where they eradicate transformed epithelial cells and regulate inflammation. To understand how this occurs, we need to understand the cellular ligands recognised by the gammadelta cell through the gammadelta T-cell receptor (TCR). We have therefore generated a soluble TCR (sTCR) to identify ligands for the murine gammadelta intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte (IEL) population. sTCR was produced in the baculovirus expression system and purified by affinity chromatography on an anti-TCRdelta affinity column. sTCR was recognised by a panel of conformation-specific anti-TCRgammadelta antibodies. We will now use our sTCR to directly test the binding of putative ligands to the TCR using surface plasmon resonance, and to isolate the ligand biochemically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie R Steele
- Department of Immunobiology, GKT School of Medicine, Guy's Hospital, SE1 9RT, London, UK
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35
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Willcox BE, Thomas LM, Chapman TL, Heikema AP, West AP, Bjorkman PJ. Crystal structure of LIR-2 (ILT4) at 1.8 A: differences from LIR-1 (ILT2) in regions implicated in the binding of the Human Cytomegalovirus class I MHC homolog UL18. BMC STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2002; 2:6. [PMID: 12390682 PMCID: PMC130215 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6807-2-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2002] [Accepted: 10/11/2002] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-like Receptor-1 (LIR-1) and LIR-2 (also known as ILT2 and ILT4 respectively) are highly related cell surface receptors that bind a broad range of class I MHC molecules with low (microM) affinities. Expressed on monocytic cells and macrophages, both molecules transmit inhibitory signals after binding ligands. In addition to binding host class I MHC, the LIR-1 molecule, which is also expressed on lymphoid tissues, binds with a high (nM) affinity to UL18, a class I MHC homolog encoded by Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV). In comparison, LIR-2 binds UL18 only weakly (microM KD). To understand how HCMV preferentially targets the more broadly expressed LIR-1 molecule, we determined the crystal structure of a ligand-binding fragment of LIR-2, and compared this to the existing high-resolution crystal structure of LIR-1. RESULTS Recombinant LIR-2 (domains 1 and 2) was produced in E. coli and crystallized using streak seeding to optimize the crystal morphology. A data set complete to 1.8 A was collected at 100 K from a single crystal in the P4(1)2(1)2 spacegroup. The structure was solved by molecular replacement, using a search model based on the LIR-1 structure. CONCLUSIONS The overall structure of LIR-2 D1D2 resembles both LIR-1, and Killer Inhibitory Receptors, in that the A strand in each domain forms hydrogen bonds to both beta sheets, and there is a sharp angle between the two immunoglobulin-like domains. However, differences from LIR-1 are observed in each domain, with two key changes apparent in the ligand-binding domain, D1. The region corresponding to the residue 44-57 helix of LIR-1 adopts a topology distinct from that of both LIR-1 and the KIR structures, involving a shortened 310 helix. Secondly, the predicted UL18 binding region of LIR-1 is altered substantially in LIR-2: the 76-84 loop mainchain is displaced 11 A with respect to LIR-1, and Tyrosine 38 adopts an alternative rotamer conformation. In summary, the structure of LIR-2 has revealed significant differences to LIR-1, including ones that may help to explain the >1000-fold lower affinity of LIR-2 for UL18.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin E Willcox
- Division of Biology 156-29 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
- Current address: Cancer Research UK Institute for Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, Vincent Drive, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Leonard M Thomas
- Division of Biology 156-29 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - Tara L Chapman
- Division of Biology 156-29 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
- Current address: Amgen, One Amgen Center Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Astrid P Heikema
- Division of Biology 156-29 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - Anthony P West
- Division of Biology 156-29 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - Pamela J Bjorkman
- Division of Biology 156-29 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California 91125, USA
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36
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Glick M, Price DA, Vuidepot AL, Andersen TB, Hutchinson SL, Laugel B, Sewell AK, Boulter JM, Dunbar PR, Cerundolo V, Oxenius A, Bell JI, Richards WG, Jakobsen BK. Novel CD8+ T cell antagonists based on beta 2-microglobulin. J Biol Chem 2002; 277:20840-6. [PMID: 11914379 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m201819200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The CD8 coreceptor of cytotoxic T lymphocytes binds to a conserved region of major histocompatibility complex class I molecules during recognition of peptide-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigens on the surface of target cells. This event is central to the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) effector functions. The contribution of the MHC complex class I light chain, beta(2)-microglobulin, to CD8alphaalpha binding is relatively small and is mediated mainly through the lysine residue at position 58. Despite this, using molecular modeling, we predict that its mutation should have a dramatic effect on CD8alphaalpha binding. The predictions are confirmed using surface plasmon resonance binding studies and human CTL activation assays. Surprisingly, the charge-reversing mutation, Lys(58) --> Glu, enhances beta(2)m-MHC class I heavy chain interactions. This mutation also significantly reduces CD8alphaalpha binding and is a potent antagonist of CTL activation. These results suggest a novel approach to CTL-specific therapeutic immunosuppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meir Glick
- Department of Chemistry, Central Chemistry Laboratory, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, United Kingdom
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37
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Abstract
The application of surface plasmon resonance biosensors in life sciences and pharmaceutical research continues to increase. This review provides a comprehensive list of the commercial 1999 SPR biosensor literature and highlights emerging applications that are of general interest to users of the technology. Given the variability in the quality of published biosensor data, we present some general guidelines to help increase confidence in the results reported from biosensor analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- R L Rich
- Center for Biomolecular Interaction Analysis, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City 84132, USA
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38
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Abstract
Collagen triple helices, coiled coils and other oligomerization domains mediate the subunit assembly of a large number of proteins. Oligomerization leads to functional advantages of multivalency and high binding strength, increased structure stabilization and combined functions of different domains. These features seen in naturally occurring proteins can be engineered by protein design by combining oligomerization domains with functional domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Engel
- Abteilung für Biophysikalische Chemie,Biozentrum der Universität Basel, CH 4056, Basel, Switzerland
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