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Gaggero S, Martinez-Fabregas J, Cozzani A, Fyfe PK, Leprohon M, Yang J, Thomasen FE, Winkelmann H, Magnez R, Conti AG, Wilmes S, Pohler E, van Gijsel Bonnello M, Thuru X, Quesnel B, Soncin F, Piehler J, Lindorff-Larsen K, Roychoudhuri R, Moraga I, Mitra S. IL-2 is inactivated by the acidic pH environment of tumors enabling engineering of a pH-selective mutein. Sci Immunol 2022; 7:eade5686. [PMID: 36459543 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.ade5686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Cytokines interact with their receptors in the extracellular space to control immune responses. How the physicochemical properties of the extracellular space influence cytokine signaling is incompletely elucidated. Here, we show that the activity of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a cytokine critical to T cell immunity, is profoundly affected by pH, limiting IL-2 signaling within the acidic environment of tumors. Generation of lactic acid by tumors limits STAT5 activation, effector differentiation, and antitumor immunity by CD8+ T cells and renders high-dose IL-2 therapy poorly effective. Directed evolution enabled selection of a pH-selective IL-2 mutein (Switch-2). Switch-2 binds the IL-2 receptor subunit IL-2Rα with higher affinity, triggers STAT5 activation, and drives CD8+ T cell effector function more potently at acidic pH than at neutral pH. Consequently, high-dose Switch-2 therapy induces potent immune activation and tumor rejection with reduced on-target toxicity in normal tissues. Last, we show that sensitivity to pH is a generalizable property of a diverse range of cytokines with broad relevance to immunity and immunotherapy in healthy and diseased tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Gaggero
- Inserm UMR1277, CNRS UMR9020-CANTHER, Université de Lille, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
| | | | - Adeline Cozzani
- Inserm UMR1277, CNRS UMR9020-CANTHER, Université de Lille, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
| | - Paul K Fyfe
- Division of Cell Signaling and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Malo Leprohon
- Inserm UMR1277, CNRS UMR9020-CANTHER, Université de Lille, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
- Université de Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, US 41 - UAR 2014 - PLBS, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - F Emil Thomasen
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hauke Winkelmann
- Department of Biology/Chemistry and Center for Cellular Nanoanalytics (CellNanOs), Osnabrück University, Barbarastr. 11, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Romain Magnez
- Inserm UMR1277, CNRS UMR9020-CANTHER, Université de Lille, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
| | - Alberto G Conti
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stephan Wilmes
- Division of Cell Signaling and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Elizabeth Pohler
- Division of Cell Signaling and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | | | - Xavier Thuru
- Inserm UMR1277, CNRS UMR9020-CANTHER, Université de Lille, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
| | - Bruno Quesnel
- Inserm UMR1277, CNRS UMR9020-CANTHER, Université de Lille, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
| | - Fabrice Soncin
- CNRS/IIS/Centre Oscar Lambret/Lille University SMMiL-E Project, CNRS Délégation Hauts-de-France, Lille, France
- CNRS IRL 2820; Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jacob Piehler
- Department of Biology/Chemistry and Center for Cellular Nanoanalytics (CellNanOs), Osnabrück University, Barbarastr. 11, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Kresten Lindorff-Larsen
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Linderstrøm-Lang Centre for Protein Science, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rahul Roychoudhuri
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ignacio Moraga
- Division of Cell Signaling and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Suman Mitra
- Inserm UMR1277, CNRS UMR9020-CANTHER, Université de Lille, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
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