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Modulation of innate immunity in the tumor microenvironment. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2016; 65:1261-8. [PMID: 27344341 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-016-1859-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
A recent report from the Center for Disease Control identified melanoma as being among the highest causes of cancer-related mortalities in the USA. While interventions such as checkpoint blockade have made substantial impact in terms of improving response rates and overall survival, a significant number of patients fail to respond to treatment or become resistant to therapy. A better understanding of the tumor microenvironment in these patients becomes imperative for identifying immune suppressive mechanisms that impact the development of effective anti-tumor immune responses. We have investigated innate immune cells (dendritic cells, NK cells) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in order to devise effective targeted anticancer immune therapies. We find that matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), secreted from melanoma cells and stromal cells, cleaves IFNAR1 and stimulates TLR-2 on dendritic cells (DC) within the TME. Both these events independently culminate in programing the DCs to promote pro-tumorigenic TH2 T cell differentiation. In addition, we have shown that NK cells become functionally exhausted in melanoma patients. We identified the expression of Tim-3 as one of the factors responsible for NK cell exhaustion and showed that anti-Tim3 antibodies partially reversed this exhaustion. We have initiated local intervention strategies such as intra-tumoral administration of DC activating Poly-ICLC and compared the efficacy of different TLR agonists and melanoma antigens for use as combination tumor vaccine in clinical trials. Such approaches will provide a unique insight into tumor biology and will facilitate in development of highly effective and cell type-specific immune therapies.
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Ebstein F, Keller M, Paschen A, Walden P, Seeger M, Bürger E, Krüger E, Schadendorf D, Kloetzel PM, Seifert U. Exposure to Melan-A/MART-126-35 tumor epitope specific CD8(+)T cells reveals immune escape by affecting the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). Sci Rep 2016; 6:25208. [PMID: 27143649 PMCID: PMC4855237 DOI: 10.1038/srep25208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient processing of target antigens by the ubiquitin-proteasome-system (UPS) is essential for treatment of cancers by T cell therapies. However, immune escape due to altered expression of IFN-γ-inducible components of the antigen presentation machinery and consequent inefficient processing of HLA-dependent tumor epitopes can be one important reason for failure of such therapies. Here, we show that short-term co-culture of Melan-A/MART-1 tumor antigen-expressing melanoma cells with Melan-A/MART-126-35-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) led to resistance against CTL-induced lysis because of impaired Melan-A/MART-126-35 epitope processing. Interestingly, deregulation of p97/VCP expression, which is an IFN-γ-independent component of the UPS and part of the ER-dependent protein degradation pathway (ERAD), was found to be essentially involved in the observed immune escape. In support, our data demonstrate that re-expression of p97/VCP in Melan-A/MART-126-35 CTL-resistant melanoma cells completely restored immune recognition by Melan-A/MART-126-35 CTL. In conclusion, our experiments show that impaired expression of IFN-γ-independent components of the UPS can exert rapid immune evasion of tumor cells and suggest that tumor antigens processed by distinct UPS degradation pathways should be simultaneously targeted in T cell therapies to restrict the likelihood of immune evasion due to impaired antigen processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Ebstein
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Biochemie, Charité-Platz 1/ Virchowweg 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Keller
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Biochemie, Charité-Platz 1/ Virchowweg 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Annette Paschen
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, University Duisburg-Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Hufelandstr. 55, 45122 Essen, Germany
| | - Peter Walden
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Klinik für Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie, Charité Platz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Seeger
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Biochemie, Charité-Platz 1/ Virchowweg 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Elke Bürger
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Biochemie, Charité-Platz 1/ Virchowweg 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Elke Krüger
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Biochemie, Charité-Platz 1/ Virchowweg 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dirk Schadendorf
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, University Duisburg-Essen and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Hufelandstr. 55, 45122 Essen, Germany
| | - Peter-M. Kloetzel
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Biochemie, Charité-Platz 1/ Virchowweg 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health Kapelle-Ufer 2 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrike Seifert
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institut für Biochemie, Charité-Platz 1/ Virchowweg 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Molekulare und Klinische Immunologie, Medizinische Fakultät der Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Leipzigerstr. 44, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
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Yewdell JW. DRiPs solidify: progress in understanding endogenous MHC class I antigen processing. Trends Immunol 2011; 32:548-58. [PMID: 21962745 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2011.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2011] [Revised: 07/27/2011] [Accepted: 08/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Defective ribosomal products (DRiPs) are a subset of rapidly degraded polypeptides that provide peptide ligands for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules. Here, recent progress in understanding DRiP biogenesis is reviewed. These findings place DRiPs at the center of the MHC class I antigen processing pathway, linking immunosurveillance of viruses and tumors to mechanisms of specialized translation and cellular compartmentalization. DRiPs enable the immune system to rapidly detect alterations in cellular gene expression with great sensitivity.
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Vigneron N, Van den Eynde BJ. Insights into the processing of MHC class I ligands gained from the study of human tumor epitopes. Cell Mol Life Sci 2011; 68:1503-20. [PMID: 21387143 PMCID: PMC11114561 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-011-0658-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2011] [Revised: 02/17/2011] [Accepted: 02/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The molecular definition of tumor antigens recognized by cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) started in the late 1980s, at a time when the MHC class I antigen processing field was in its infancy. Born together, these two fields of science evolved together and provided each other with critical insights. Over the years, stimulated by the potential interest of tumor antigens for cancer immunotherapy, scientists have identified and characterized numerous antigens recognized by CTL on human tumors. These studies have provided a wealth of information relevant to the mode of production of antigenic peptides presented by MHC class I molecules. A number of tumor antigenic peptides were found to result from unusual mechanisms occurring at the level of transcription, translation or processing. Although many of these mechanisms occur in the cell at very low level, they are relevant to the immune system as they determine the killing of tumor cells by CTL, which are sensitive to low levels of peptide/MHC complexes. Moreover, these unusual mechanisms were found to occur not only in tumor cells but also in normal cells. Thereby, the study of tumor antigens has illuminated many aspects of MHC class I processing. We review here those insights into the MHC I antigen processing pathway that result from the characterization of human tumor antigens recognized by CTL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Vigneron
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch and de Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Hippocrate 74, UCL 7459, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Benoît J. Van den Eynde
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels Branch and de Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Hippocrate 74, UCL 7459, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
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