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Caracciolo D, Riillo C, Ballerini A, Gaipa G, Lhermitte L, Rossi M, Botta C, Duroyon E, Grillone K, Gallo Cantafio ME, Buracchi C, Alampi G, Gulino A, Belmonte B, Conforti F, Golino G, Juli G, Altomare E, Polerà N, Scionti F, Arbitrio M, Iannone M, Martino M, Correale P, Talarico G, Ghelli Luserna di Rorà A, Ferrari A, Concolino D, Sestito S, Pensabene L, Giordano A, Hildinger M, Di Martino MT, Martinelli G, Tripodo C, Asnafi V, Biondi A, Tagliaferri P, Tassone P. Therapeutic afucosylated monoclonal antibody and bispecific T-cell engagers for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:e002026. [PMID: 33597219 PMCID: PMC7893666 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-002026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive disease with a poor cure rate for relapsed/resistant patients. Due to the lack of T-cell restricted targetable antigens, effective immune-therapeutics are not presently available and the treatment of chemo-refractory T-ALL is still an unmet clinical need. To develop novel immune-therapy for T-ALL, we generated an afucosylated monoclonal antibody (mAb) (ahuUMG1) and two different bispecific T-cell engagers (BTCEs) against UMG1, a unique CD43-epitope highly and selectively expressed by T-ALL cells from pediatric and adult patients. METHODS UMG1 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on a wide panel of normal tissue microarrays (TMAs), and by flow cytometry on healthy peripheral blood/bone marrow-derived cells, on 10 different T-ALL cell lines, and on 110 T-ALL primary patient-derived cells. CD43-UMG1 binding site was defined through a peptide microarray scanning. ahuUMG1 was generated by Genetic Glyco-Engineering technology from a novel humanized mAb directed against UMG1 (huUMG1). BTCEs were generated as IgG1-(scFv)2 constructs with bivalent (2+2) or monovalent (2+1) CD3ε arms. Antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and redirected T-cell cytotoxicity assays were analysed by flow cytometry. In vivo antitumor activity of ahUMG1 and UMG1-BTCEs was investigated in NSG mice against subcutaneous and orthotopic xenografts of human T-ALL. RESULTS Among 110 T-ALL patient-derived samples, 53 (48.1%) stained positive (24% of TI/TII, 82% of TIII and 42.8% of TIV). Importantly, no expression of UMG1-epitope was found in normal tissues/cells, excluding cortical thymocytes and a minority (<5%) of peripheral blood T lymphocytes. ahUMG1 induced strong ADCC and ADCP on T-ALL cells in vitro, which translated in antitumor activity in vivo and significantly extended survival of treated mice. Both UMG1-BTCEs demonstrated highly effective killing activity against T-ALL cells in vitro. We demonstrated that this effect was specifically exerted by engaged activated T cells. Moreover, UMG1-BTCEs effectively antagonized tumor growth at concentrations >2 log lower as compared with ahuUMG1, with significant mice survival advantage in different T-ALL models in vivo. CONCLUSION Altogether our findings, including the safe UMG1-epitope expression profile, provide a framework for the clinical development of these innovative immune-therapeutics for this still orphan disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Caracciolo
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Caterina Riillo
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Gaipa
- Centro Ricerca M. Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica Università Milano-Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
| | - Ludovic Lhermitte
- Université de Paris, Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de Recherche Médicale U1151, Paris, France
- Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Marco Rossi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Cirino Botta
- Hematology Unit, Annunziata Hospital, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Eugénie Duroyon
- Université de Paris, Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de Recherche Médicale U1151, Paris, France
- Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Katia Grillone
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Buracchi
- Centro Ricerca M. Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica Università Milano-Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
| | - Greta Alampi
- Centro Ricerca M. Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica Università Milano-Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gulino
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Human Pathology Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Beatrice Belmonte
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Human Pathology Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Gaetanina Golino
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Giada Juli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Emanuela Altomare
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Polerà
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Francesca Scionti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | | | | | - Massimo Martino
- Stem Cell Transplant Program, Clinical Section, Department of Hemato-Oncology and Radiotherapy, Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Pierpaolo Correale
- Medical Oncology Unit, "Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli" Grand Metropolitan Hospital, Reggio Calabria, Italy
| | - Gabriella Talarico
- Immunotransfusion Service Unit, Pugliese-Ciaccio Hospital, Catanzaro, Italy
| | | | - Anna Ferrari
- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola, Italy
| | - Daniela Concolino
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Pediatric Unit, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Simona Sestito
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Pediatric Unit, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Licia Pensabene
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Pediatric Unit, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Antonio Giordano
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - Maria Teresa Di Martino
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Giovanni Martinelli
- Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola, Italy
| | - Claudio Tripodo
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Human Pathology Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Vahid Asnafi
- Université de Paris, Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Institut National de Recherche Médicale U1151, Paris, France
- Laboratory of Onco-Hematology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Necker Enfants-Malades, Paris, France
| | - Andrea Biondi
- Centro Ricerca M. Tettamanti, Clinica Pediatrica Università Milano-Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Italy
| | - Pierosandro Tagliaferri
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Pierfrancesco Tassone
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Græcia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
- Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Tuccillo FM, Palmieri C, Fiume G, de Laurentiis A, Schiavone M, Falcone C, Iaccino E, Galandrini R, Capuano C, Santoni A, D'Armiento FP, Arra C, Barbieri A, Dal Piaz F, Venzon D, Bonelli P, Buonaguro FM, Scala I, Mallardo M, Quinto I, Scala G. Cancer-associated CD43 glycoforms as target of immunotherapy. Mol Cancer Ther 2013; 13:752-62. [PMID: 24356816 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-13-0651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
CD43 is a sialoglycosylated membrane protein that is involved in cell proliferation and differentiation. CD43 glycoforms that are recognized by the UN1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) were expressed in lymphoblastoid T-cell lines and solid tumors, such as breast, colon, gastric, and squamous cell lung carcinomas, while unexpressed in the normal counterparts. The cancer association of UN1/CD43 epitope suggested the possibility to use the UN1 mAb for tumor diagnosis and therapy. In this study, we show that the UN1 mAb was endowed with antitumor activity in vivo because its passive transfer inhibited the growth of UN1-positive HPB-ALL lymphoblastoid T cells in mice. Furthermore, we demonstrate that tumor inhibition was due to UN1 mAb-dependent natural killer-mediated cytotoxicity. By screening a phage-displayed random peptide library, we identified the phagotope 2/165 as a mimotope of the UN1 antigen, as it harbored a peptide sequence that was specifically recognized by the UN1 mAb and inhibited the binding of the UN1 mAb to UN1-positive tumor cells. On the basis of sequence homology with the extracellular region of CD43 (amino acids 64 to 83), the 2/165 peptide sequence was likely mimicking the protein core of the UN1/CD43 epitope. When used as vaccine in mice, the 2/165 phagotope raised antibodies against the UN1/CD43 antigen, indicating that the 2/165 phagotope mimicked the UN1 antigen structure, and could represent a novel immunogen for cancer immunotherapy. These findings support the feasibility of using monoclonal antibodies to identify cancer-associated mimotopes for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franca Maria Tuccillo
- Corresponding Authors: Franca Maria Tuccillo, Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale", IRCCS, via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy.
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de Laurentiis A, Gaspari M, Palmieri C, Falcone C, Iaccino E, Fiume G, Massa O, Masullo M, Tuccillo FM, Roveda L, Prati U, Fierro O, Cozzolino I, Troncone G, Tassone P, Scala G, Quinto I. Mass spectrometry-based identification of the tumor antigen UN1 as the transmembrane CD43 sialoglycoprotein. Mol Cell Proteomics 2011; 10:M111.007898. [PMID: 21372249 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m111.007898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The UN1 monoclonal antibody recognized the UN1 antigen as a heavily sialylated and O-glycosylated protein with the apparent molecular weight of 100-120 kDa; this antigen was peculiarly expressed in fetal tissues and several cancer tissues, including leukemic T cells, breast, and colon carcinomas. However, the lack of primary structure information has limited further investigation on the role of the UN1 antigen in neoplastic transformation. In this study, we have identified the UN1 antigen as CD43, a transmembrane sialoglycoprotein involved in cell adhesion, differentiation, and apoptosis. Indeed, mass spectrometry detected two tryptic peptides of the membrane-purified UN1 antigen that matched the amino acidic sequence of the CD43 intracellular domain. Immunological cross-reactivity, migration pattern in mono- and bi-dimensional electrophoresis, and CD43 gene-dependent expression proved the CD43 identity of the UN1 antigen. Moreover, the monosaccharide GalNAc-O-linked to the CD43 peptide core was identified as an essential component of the UN1 epitope by glycosidase digestion of specific glycan branches. UN1-type CD43 glycoforms were detected in colon, sigmoid colon, and breast carcinomas, whereas undetected in normal tissues from the same patients, confirming the cancer-association of the UN1 epitope. Our results highlight UN1 monoclonal antibody as a suitable tool for cancer immunophenotyping and analysis of CD43 glycosylation in tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annamaria de Laurentiis
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Catanzaro Magna Graecia, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
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Mukherjee K, Chava AK, Bandyopadhyay S, Mallick A, Chandra S, Mandal C. Co-expression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins and their binding proteins on lymphoblasts of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: an anti-apoptotic role. Biol Chem 2009; 390:325-35. [DOI: 10.1515/bc.2009.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
AbstractEnhanced levels of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycoproteins (Neu5,9Ac2GPs) as disease-associated molecules was reported to act as signaling molecules for promoting survival of lymphoblasts in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Here, we searched for potential physiological ligands for Neu5,9Ac2GPs that could be involved in modulating the survival of lymphoblasts. Accordingly, we examined the presence of binding proteins for Neu5,9Ac2GPs on cell lines and primary cells of patients with B- and T-ALL, at presentation of the disease. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal healthy donors and cells from myeloid leukemia patients were used for comparison. Neu5,9Ac2GPs-binding proteins (BPs) were specifically detected on the surface of both T- and B-ALL-lymphoblasts and ALL-cell lines along with the consistent presence of Neu5,9Ac2GPs. The Neu5,9Ac2GPs and BPs also co-localized on the cell surface and interacted specificallyin vitro. Apoptosis of lymphoblasts, induced by serum starvation, was reversed in the presence of purified Neu5,9Ac2GPs due to possible engagement of BPs, and the anti-apoptotic role of this interaction was established. This is the first report of the presence of potential physiological ligands for disease-associated molecules like Neu5,9Ac2GPs, the interaction of which is able to trigger an anti-apoptotic signal conferring a survival advantage to leukemic cells in childhood ALL.
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