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Bister A, Ibach T, Haist C, Gerhorst G, Smorra D, Soldierer M, Roellecke K, Wagenmann M, Scheckenbach K, Gattermann N, Wiek C, Hanenberg H. Optimized NGFR-derived hinges for rapid and efficient enrichment and detection of CAR T cells in vitro and in vivo. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2022; 26:120-134. [PMID: 35795096 PMCID: PMC9240717 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2022.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has demonstrated unprecedented success with high remission rates for heavily pretreated patients with hematological malignancies. The hinge connecting the extracellular antigen recognition unit to the transmembrane domain provides the length and flexibility of the CAR constructs and ensures that the CAR can reach the target antigen and mediate recognition and killing of target cells. The hinge can also include specific amino acid sequences to improve CAR expression, influence T cell proliferation, and facilitate CAR T cell detection, enrichment, and even elimination. Here, we report the generation of two novel hinge domains derived from the low-affinity p75 chain of the human nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR), termed N3 and N4, which, when incorporated into the CAR backbone, allow detection as well as high-grade enrichment of CAR T cells with GMP-compatible immunomagnetic reagents. After optimizing the MACS protocol for excellent CAR T cell purity and yield, we demonstrated that N3- and N4-hinged CAR T cells are as efficacious as their CD8-hinged counterparts in vitro against hematological blasts and also in vivo in the control of acute monocytic leukemia in an immunodeficient mouse xenograft model. Thus, both hinges could potentially be an integral part of future CAR designs and universally applicable in clinical applications.
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Haist C, Poschinski Z, Bister A, Hoffmann MJ, Grunewald CM, Hamacher A, Kassack M, Wiek C, Scheckenbach K, Hanenberg H. Engineering a single-chain variable fragment of cetuximab for CAR T-cell therapy against head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Oral Oncol 2022; 129:105867. [DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2022.105867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Soldierer M, Bister A, Haist C, Thivakaran A, Cengiz SC, Sendker S, Bartels N, Thomitzek A, Smorra D, Hejazi M, Uhrberg M, Scheckenbach K, Monzel C, Wiek C, Reinhardt D, Niktoreh N, Hanenberg H. Genetic Engineering and Enrichment of Human NK Cells for CAR-Enhanced Immunotherapy of Hematological Malignancies. Front Immunol 2022; 13:847008. [PMID: 35464442 PMCID: PMC9022481 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.847008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The great clinical success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has unlocked new levels of immunotherapy for hematological malignancies. Genetically modifying natural killer (NK) cells as alternative CAR immune effector cells is also highly promising, as NK cells can be transplanted across HLA barriers without causing graft-versus-host disease. Therefore, off-the-shelf usage of CAR NK cell products might allow to widely expand the clinical indications and to limit the costs of treatment per patient. However, in contrast to T cells, manufacturing suitable CAR NK cell products is challenging, as standard techniques for genetically engineering NK cells are still being defined. In this study, we have established optimal lentiviral transduction of primary human NK cells by systematically testing different internal promoters for lentiviral CAR vectors and comparing lentiviral pseudotypes and viral entry enhancers. We have additionally modified CAR constructs recognizing standard target antigens for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapy—CD19, CD33, and CD123—to harbor a CD34-derived hinge region that allows efficient detection of transduced NK cells in vitro and in vivo and also facilitates CD34 microbead-assisted selection of CAR NK cell products to >95% purity for potential clinical usage. Importantly, as most leukemic blasts are a priori immunogenic for activated primary human NK cells, we developed an in vitro system that blocks the activating receptors NKG2D, DNAM-1, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, and NKp80 on these cells and therefore allows systematic testing of the specific killing of CAR NK cells against ALL and AML cell lines and primary AML blasts. Finally, we evaluated in an ALL xenotransplantation model in NOD/SCID-gamma (NSG) mice whether human CD19 CAR NK cells directed against the CD19+ blasts are relying on soluble or membrane-bound IL15 production for NK cell persistence and also in vivo leukemia control. Hence, our study provides important insights into the generation of pure and highly active allogeneic CAR NK cells, thereby advancing adoptive cellular immunotherapy with CAR NK cells for human malignancies further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren Soldierer
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Arthur Bister
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Corinna Haist
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Aniththa Thivakaran
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Sevgi Can Cengiz
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Stephanie Sendker
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nina Bartels
- Department of Experimental Medical Physics, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Antonia Thomitzek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Denise Smorra
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Maryam Hejazi
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Uhrberg
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kathrin Scheckenbach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Cornelia Monzel
- Department of Experimental Medical Physics, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Constanze Wiek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dirk Reinhardt
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Naghmeh Niktoreh
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Helmut Hanenberg
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Bister A, Ibach T, Haist C, Smorra D, Roellecke K, Wagenmann M, Scheckenbach K, Gattermann N, Wiek C, Hanenberg H. A novel CD34-derived hinge for rapid and efficient detection and enrichment of CAR T cells. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2021; 23:534-546. [PMID: 34901395 PMCID: PMC8640169 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has revolutionized modern cancer therapy and has achieved remarkable remission and survival rates for several malignancies with historically dismal outcomes. The hinge of the CAR connects the antigen binding to the transmembrane domain and can be exploited to confer features to CAR T cells including additional stimulation, targeted elimination or detection and enrichment of the genetically modified cells. For establishing a novel hinge derived from human CD34, we systematically tested CD34 fragments of different lengths, all containing the binding site of the QBend-10 monoclonal antibody, in a FMC63-based CD19 CAR lentiviral construct. A final construct of 99 amino acids called C6 proved to be the best candidate for flow cytometry-based detection of CAR T cells and >95% enrichment of genetically modified T cells on MACS columns. The C6 hinge was functionally indistinguishable from the commonly used CD8α hinge in vitro as well as in in vivo experiments in NSG mice. We also showed that the C6 hinge can be used for a variety of different CARs and mediates high killing efficacy without unspecific activation by target antigen-negative cells, thus making C6 ideally suited as a universal hinge for CARs for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Bister
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Tabea Ibach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Corinna Haist
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Denise Smorra
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Katharina Roellecke
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Martin Wagenmann
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kathrin Scheckenbach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Norbert Gattermann
- Department of Hematology, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Constanze Wiek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Helmut Hanenberg
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany
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Grunewald CM, Haist C, König C, Petzsch P, Bister A, Nößner E, Wiek C, Scheckenbach K, Köhrer K, Niegisch G, Hanenberg H, Hoffmann MJ. Epigenetic Priming of Bladder Cancer Cells With Decitabine Increases Cytotoxicity of Human EGFR and CD44v6 CAR Engineered T-Cells. Front Immunol 2021; 12:782448. [PMID: 34868059 PMCID: PMC8637820 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.782448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Treatment of B-cell malignancies with CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells marked a new era in immunotherapy, which yet has to be successfully adopted to solid cancers. Epigenetic inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTi) and histone deacetylases (HDACi) can induce broad changes in gene expression of malignant cells, thus making these inhibitors interesting combination partners for immunotherapeutic approaches. Methods Urothelial carcinoma cell lines (UCC) and benign uroepithelial HBLAK cells pretreated with the DNMTi decitabine or the HDACi romidepsin were co-incubated with CAR T-cells directed against EGFR or CD44v6, and subsequent cytotoxicity assays were performed. Effects on T-cell cytotoxicity and surface antigen expression on UCC were determined by flow cytometry. We also performed next-generation mRNA sequencing of inhibitor-treated UCC and siRNA-mediated knockdown of potential regulators of CAR T-cell killing. Results Exposure to decitabine but not romidepsin enhanced CAR T-cell cytotoxicity towards all UCC lines, but not towards the benign HBLAK cells. Increased killing could neither be attributed to enhanced target antigen expression (EGFR and CD44v6) nor fully explained by changes in the T-cell ligands PD-L1, PD-L2, ICAM-1, or CD95. Instead, gene expression analysis suggested that regulators of cell survival and apoptosis were differentially induced by the treatment. Decitabine altered the balance between survival and apoptosis factors towards an apoptosis-sensitive state associated with increased CAR T-cell killing, while romidepsin, at least partially, tilted this balance in the opposite direction. Knockdown experiments with siRNA in UCC confirmed BID and BCL2L1/BCLX as two key factors for the altered susceptibility of the UCC. Conclusion Our data suggest that the combination of decitabine with CAR T-cell therapy is an attractive novel therapeutic approach to enhance tumor-specific killing of bladder cancer. Since BID and BCL2L1 are essential determinants for the susceptibility of a wide variety of malignant cells, their targeting might be additionally suitable for combination with immunotherapies, e.g., CAR T-cells or checkpoint inhibitors in other malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla M Grunewald
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Corinna Haist
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Carolin König
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Patrick Petzsch
- Biological and Medical Research Center (BMFZ), Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Arthur Bister
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Elfriede Nößner
- Immunoanalytics: Tissue Control of Immunocytes, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
| | - Constanze Wiek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Kathrin Scheckenbach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Karl Köhrer
- Biological and Medical Research Center (BMFZ), Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Günter Niegisch
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Helmut Hanenberg
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany.,Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Michèle J Hoffmann
- Department of Urology, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
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Grunewald C, Haist C, König C, Petzsch P, Nößner E, Wiek C, Scheckenbach K, Köhrer K, Niegisch G, Hanenberg H, Hoffmann M. Epigenetic priming of Bladder cancer cells improves CAR T-cell cytotoxicity. Eur Urol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/s0302-2838(21)00842-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Kawai M, Güth K, Winnikes K, Haist C, Rüegg JC. The effect of inorganic phosphate on the ATP hydrolysis rate and the tension transients in chemically skinned rabbit psoas fibers. Pflugers Arch 1987; 408:1-9. [PMID: 3822768 DOI: 10.1007/bf00581833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The role of orthophosphate ions (Pi) in crossbridge kinetics was investigated by parallel measurements of the ATP hydrolysis rate and tension transients in maximally activated, chemically skinned rabbit psoas fibers. The hydrolysis rate of the standard activation at 20 degrees C was measured at 1.25 nmole X s-1 X m-1 X fiber-1, which corresponds to the hydrolysis of 3 moles ATP per mole of myosin head per second. The isometric tension, stiffness extrapolated to the infinite frequency, and the ATPase rate progressively decreased when increasing concentrations of Pi (0-16 mM) were added to the activating saline. The decrease was greatest with tension, followed by stiffness and the ATPase rate. Both the apparent rate constant and the magnitude parameters of exponential process (B) increased with Pi concentration resulting in a significant increase in the oscillatory power output. The effects of Pi on processes (A) and (C) were only marginal. When fibers were oscillated at 1 Hz [close to the characteristic frequency of process (A)], no significant increase in the ATP hydrolysis rate was observed. However, a small increase was noticed at 10 Hz [1%, process (B)], and at 100 Hz [6%, process (C)]. We interpret these results in terms of a crossbridge scheme which adds a branch pathway to the conventional hydrolysis cycle. In the proposed scheme, the number of crossbridges entering the branch pathway increases at higher Pi concentrations and in the presence of imposed oscillations at the proper frequency.
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Mrwa U, Güth K, Haist C, Troschka M, Herrmann R, Wojciechowski R, Gagelmann M. Calcium-requirement for activation of skinned vascular smooth muscle from spontaneously hypertensive (SHRSP) and normotensive control rats. Life Sci 1986; 38:191-6. [PMID: 3945163 DOI: 10.1016/0024-3205(86)90011-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to clarify whether the increased vascular tone in spontaneous hypertension of rats is due to a change of the calcium-sensitivity of the contractile proteins themselves. In skinned rat tail artery rings from SHRSP and WKY rats the calcium-requirement for half maximal activation (3.6 X 10(-6)M Ca++ for both rat strains) as well as relaxation half times (1.45 +/- 0.43 min, SHRSP and 1.63 +/- 0.48 min, WKY) were found to be identical. The extent of myosin phosphorylation in the contracted and in the relaxed state did not differ between SHRSP and WKY. It is concluded that changes at the level of the contractile proteins are not involved in the increased vascular tone of SHRSP essential hypertension.
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