1
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Jacobs MT, Wong P, Zhou AY, Becker-Hapak M, Marin ND, Marsala L, Foster M, Foltz JA, Cubitt CC, Tran J, Russler-Germain DA, Neal C, Kersting-Schadek S, Chang L, Schappe T, Pence P, McClain E, Zevallos JP, Rich JT, Paniello RC, Jackson c RS, Pipkorn P, Adkins DR, DeSelm CJ, Berrien-Elliott MM, Puram SV, Fehniger TA. Memory-like Differentiation, Tumor-Targeting mAbs, and Chimeric Antigen Receptors Enhance Natural Killer Cell Responses to Head and Neck Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:4196-4208. [PMID: 37556118 PMCID: PMC10796148 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive tumor with low response rates to frontline PD-1 blockade. Natural killer (NK) cells are a promising cellular therapy for T cell therapy-refractory cancers, but are frequently dysfunctional in patients with HNSCC. Strategies are needed to enhance NK cell responses against HNSCC. We hypothesized that memory-like (ML) NK cell differentiation, tumor targeting with cetuximab, and engineering with an anti-EphA2 (Erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular receptor A2) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) enhance NK cell responses against HNSCC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We generated ML NK and conventional (c)NK cells from healthy donors, then evaluated their ability to produce IFNγ, TNF, degranulate, and kill HNSCC cell lines and primary HNSCC cells, alone or in combination with cetuximab, in vitro and in vivo using xenograft models. ML and cNK cells were engineered to express anti-EphA2 CAR-CD8A-41BB-CD3z, and functional responses were assessed in vitro against HNSCC cell lines and primary HNSCC tumor cells. RESULTS Human ML NK cells displayed enhanced IFNγ and TNF production and both short- and long-term killing of HNSCC cell lines and primary targets, compared with cNK cells. These enhanced responses were further improved by cetuximab. Compared with controls, ML NK cells expressing anti-EphA2 CAR had increased IFNγ and cytotoxicity in response to EphA2+ cell lines and primary HNSCC targets. CONCLUSIONS These preclinical findings demonstrate that ML differentiation alone or coupled with either cetuximab-directed targeting or EphA2 CAR engineering were effective against HNSCCs and provide the rationale for investigating these combination approaches in early phase clinical trials for patients with HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam T. Jacobs
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Pamela Wong
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Alice Y. Zhou
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Nancy D. Marin
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Lynne Marsala
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Mark Foster
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Jennifer A. Foltz
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Celia C. Cubitt
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Jennifer Tran
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - David A. Russler-Germain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carly Neal
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | | | - Lily Chang
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Timfothy Schappe
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Patrick Pence
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Ethan McClain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
| | - Jose P. Zevallos
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jason T Rich
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Randal C. Paniello
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ryan S. Jackson c
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Patrik Pipkorn
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Douglas R. Adkins
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carl J. DeSelm
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Melissa M. Berrien-Elliott
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sidharth V. Puram
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Todd A. Fehniger
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, USA
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2
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Wong P, Foltz JA, Chang L, Neal CC, Yao T, Cubitt CC, Tran J, Kersting-Schadek S, Palakurty S, Jaeger N, Russler-Germain DA, Marin ND, Gang M, Wagner JA, Zhou AY, Jacobs MT, Foster M, Schappe T, Marsala L, McClain E, Pence P, Becker-Hapak M, Fisk B, Petti AA, Griffith OL, Griffith M, Berrien-Elliott MM, Fehniger TA. T-BET and EOMES sustain mature human NK cell identity and antitumor function. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e162530. [PMID: 37279078 PMCID: PMC10313375 DOI: 10.1172/jci162530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the T-box transcription factors (TFs) T-BET and EOMES are necessary for initiation of NK cell development, their ongoing requirement for mature NK cell homeostasis, function, and molecular programming remains unclear. To address this, T-BET and EOMES were deleted in unexpanded primary human NK cells using CRISPR/Cas9. Deleting these TFs compromised in vivo antitumor response of human NK cells. Mechanistically, T-BET and EOMES were required for normal NK cell proliferation and persistence in vivo. NK cells lacking T-BET and EOMES also exhibited defective responses to cytokine stimulation. Single-cell RNA-Seq revealed a specific T-box transcriptional program in human NK cells, which was rapidly lost following T-BET and EOMES deletion. Further, T-BET- and EOMES-deleted CD56bright NK cells acquired an innate lymphoid cell precursor-like (ILCP-like) profile with increased expression of the ILC-3-associated TFs RORC and AHR, revealing a role for T-box TFs in maintaining mature NK cell phenotypes and an unexpected role of suppressing alternative ILC lineages. Our study reveals the critical importance of sustained EOMES and T-BET expression to orchestrate mature NK cell function and identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela Wong
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology
| | | | - Lily Chang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology
| | | | - Tony Yao
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark Foster
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Bryan Fisk
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology
| | | | | | | | | | - Todd A. Fehniger
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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3
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Xia H, McMichael J, Becker-Hapak M, Onyeador OC, Buchli R, McClain E, Pence P, Supabphol S, Richters MM, Basu A, Ramirez CA, Puig-Saus C, Cotto KC, Freshour SL, Hundal J, Kiwala S, Goedegebuure SP, Johanns TM, Dunn GP, Ribas A, Miller CA, Gillanders WE, Fehniger TA, Griffith OL, Griffith M. Computational prediction of MHC anchor locations guides neoantigen identification and prioritization. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eabg2200. [PMID: 37027480 PMCID: PMC10450883 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abg2200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [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] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023]
Abstract
Neoantigens are tumor-specific peptide sequences resulting from sources such as somatic DNA mutations. Upon loading onto major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, they can trigger recognition by T cells. Accurate neoantigen identification is thus critical for both designing cancer vaccines and predicting response to immunotherapies. Neoantigen identification and prioritization relies on correctly predicting whether the presenting peptide sequence can successfully induce an immune response. Because most somatic mutations are single-nucleotide variants, changes between wild-type and mutated peptides are typically subtle and require cautious interpretation. A potentially underappreciated variable in neoantigen prediction pipelines is the mutation position within the peptide relative to its anchor positions for the patient's specific MHC molecules. Whereas a subset of peptide positions are presented to the T cell receptor for recognition, others are responsible for anchoring to the MHC, making these positional considerations critical for predicting T cell responses. We computationally predicted anchor positions for different peptide lengths for 328 common HLA alleles and identified unique anchoring patterns among them. Analysis of 923 tumor samples shows that 6 to 38% of neoantigen candidates are potentially misclassified and can be rescued using allele-specific knowledge of anchor positions. A subset of anchor results were orthogonally validated using protein crystallography structures. Representative anchor trends were experimentally validated using peptide-MHC stability assays and competition binding assays. By incorporating our anchor prediction results into neoantigen prediction pipelines, we hope to formalize, streamline, and improve the identification process for relevant clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiming Xia
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joshua McMichael
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Onyinyechi C. Onyeador
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rico Buchli
- Pure Protein LLC, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Ethan McClain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Patrick Pence
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Suangson Supabphol
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- The Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Megan M. Richters
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Anamika Basu
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Cody A. Ramirez
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Cristina Puig-Saus
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kelsy C. Cotto
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sharon L. Freshour
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jasreet Hundal
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Susanna Kiwala
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - S. Peter Goedegebuure
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tanner M. Johanns
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gavin P. Dunn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Antoni Ribas
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Christopher A. Miller
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - William E. Gillanders
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Todd A. Fehniger
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Obi L. Griffith
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Malachi Griffith
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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4
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Marin ND, Becker-Hapak M, Alayo QA, Berrien-Elliot M, Marsala L, Sonnek N, Jacobs MT, Foltz JA, Zhou A, Tran J, Wong P, Cubit C, Hwang K, Schappe T, Fields RC, Ciorba MA, Fehniger TA. Abstract 893: Memory like differentiation enhances in vitro and in vivo NK cell responses against colorectal cancer. Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2023-893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Metastatic (m) colorectal cancer (CRC) is an incurable, frequently lethal disease present in approximately 25% of newly diagnosed CRC patients, and almost 50% of the patients with CRC will develop metastatic disease. For mCRC, while systemic therapies (cytotoxic therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy or their combinations) have extended patient’s life expectancy, not all patients are candidates for these treatments. Immunotherapy has achieved significant curative effects in patients with solid tumors; however, a considerable proportion of mCRC patients (~90%) are not responsive to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) leaving a gap in the CRC immunotherapy options.
Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic innate lymphoid cells that display potent effector responses against a wide variety of tumor cells; however, they are frequently dysfunctional in cancer patients. NK cells from CRC patients exhibit decreased expression of activating receptors and reduced cytokine production after stimulation with CRC cells with a more accentuated phenotype in advanced stages of the disease. Memory-like (ML) NK cells differentiated after IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18 activation have been shown to overcome limitations associated with deficient tumor recognition and poor anti-tumor activity. In clinical trials, ML NK cells were safe and active against acute myeloid leukemia (Romee R et al, Sci Transl Med, 2016). Preclinically, ML NK cells exhibited improved responses against melanoma (Marin ND et al, Clin Cancer Res, 2021) and ovarian cancers, compared to conventional NK cells. Here, we hypothesized that memory-like differentiation will enhance multiple aspects of the NK cell response against CRC cells.
Allogeneic ML NK cells displayed enhanced IFN-γ production against four CRC cell lines DLD-1 (p=0.015), SW480 (p=0.0005), HT-29 (p=0.0005) and HCT116 (p=0.001), as well as primary patient derived CRC tumoroids (p=0.0156), compared to conventional (c) NK cells. ML NK cells also exhibited superior and sustained killing of CRC cell lines over time compared to cNK cells, as measured by Incucyte assays and using CRC tumoroids. Furthermore, IFN-γ production was significantly reduced after blockade of NKG2D, DNAM-1 and NKp46 (p<0.01) revealing mechanistic insights into how ML NK cells recognize CRC targets. Finally, using a xenograft model of CRC in NSG mice, we demonstrated that ML NK cells exhibited superior control of Luciferase expressing HCT116 cells compared to cNK cells (p=0.01) as measured by bioluminescent imaging (BLI).
Collectively, these findings demonstrate that ML NK cells exhibit enhanced responses against CRC cells, and thus warrants further investigation in clinical trials for CRC patients, especially those who are not candidates for standard of care therapy or failed ICB.
Citation Format: Nancy D. Marin, Michelle Becker-Hapak, Quazim A. Alayo, Melissa Berrien-Elliot, Lynne Marsala, Naomi Sonnek, Miriam T. Jacobs, Jennifer A. Foltz, Alice Zhou, Jennifer Tran, Pamela Wong, Celia Cubit, Kimberly Hwang, Timothy Schappe, Ryan C. Fields, Matthew A. Ciorba, Todd A. Fehniger. Memory like differentiation enhances in vitro and in vivo NK cell responses against colorectal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 893.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Naomi Sonnek
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | | | | | - Alice Zhou
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | | | - Pamela Wong
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Celia Cubit
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
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5
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Xia H, McMichael J, Becker-Hapak M, Onyeador OC, Buchli R, McClain E, Pence P, Supabphol S, Richters MM, Basu A, Ramirez CA, Puig-Saus C, Cotto KC, Hundal J, Kiwala S, Goedegebuure SP, Johanns TM, Dunn GP, Ribas A, Miller CA, Gillanders WE, Fehniger TA, Griffith OL, Griffith M. 33. Computational prediction of MHC anchor locations guide neoantigen identification and prioritization. Cancer Genet 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cancergen.2022.10.036] [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: 11/27/2022]
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6
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Xia H, McMichael J, Becker-Hapak M, Onyeador OC, Buchli R, McClain E, Pence P, Supabphol S, Richters MM, Basu A, Ramirez CA, Puig-Saus C, Cotto KC, Hundal J, Kiwala S, Goedegebuure SP, Johanns TM, Dunn GP, Ribas A, Miller CA, Gillanders W, Fehniger TA, Griffith OL, Griffith M. Abstract 5639: Computational prediction of MHC anchor locations guide neoantigen prediction and prioritization. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-5639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Neoantigens are novel peptide sequences resulting from somatic mutations in tumors that upon loading onto major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules allow recognition by T cells. Accurate neoantigen identification is thus critical for designing cancer vaccines and predicting response to immunotherapies. Neoantigen identification and prioritization relies on correctly inferring whether the presenting peptide sequence can successfully induce an immune response. As the majority of somatic mutations are SNVs, changes between wildtype and mutant peptide are subtle and require cautious interpretation. An important, yet underappreciated, variable in neoantigen-prediction pipelines is the mutation position within the peptide relative to its anchor positions for the patient’s specific HLA alleles. While a subset of peptide positions are presented to the T-cell receptor for recognition, others are responsible for anchoring to the MHC, making these positional considerations critical for predicting T-cell responses. However, a systematic method for determining anchor locations for the wide range of HLA alleles present in the population and application of these to evaluate MT/WT peptide pairs arising in tumors has not been reported. As a result, many neoantigen studies have either failed to adequately consider this crucial factor or have used conventional assumptions to guide their neoantigen identification process. Here, we provide a computational workflow for predicting anchor locations for a wide range of HLA alleles, using a reference dataset generated from clinical and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) patient samples. We calculated high probability anchor positions for different peptide lengths for over 300 common HLA alleles. Analysis of these results showed clusters of different anchor trends among the HLA alleles analyzed. A subset of these HLA anchor results were orthogonally validated using protein crystallography structures. Analysis of 923 tumor samples showed that 7-41% of neoantigen candidates were potentially misclassified in the neoantigen selection process and can be rescued using allele-specific knowledge of anchor positions. These anchor predictions are currently undergoing experimental validation using both peptide-MHC stability assays as well as fluorescence-based competition binding assays. By incorporating our anchor prediction results into neoantigen prediction pipelines, such as pVACtools, we hope to formalize and streamline the identification process for relevant clinical studies.
Citation Format: Huiming Xia, Joshua McMichael, Michelle Becker-Hapak, Onyinyechi C. Onyeador, Rico Buchli, Ethan McClain, Patrick Pence, Suangson Supabphol, Megan M. Richters, Anamika Basu, Cody A. Ramirez, Cristina Puig-Saus, Kelsy C. Cotto, Jasreet Hundal, Susanna Kiwala, S. Peter Goedegebuure, Tanner M. Johanns, Gavin P. Dunn, Antoni Ribas, Christopher A. Miller, William Gillanders, Todd A. Fehniger, Obi L. Griffith, Malachi Griffith. Computational prediction of MHC anchor locations guide neoantigen prediction and prioritization [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5639.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiming Xia
- 1Washington University in St.Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Anamika Basu
- 1Washington University in St.Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Antoni Ribas
- 4University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
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7
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Ward JP, Berrien-Elliott MM, Gomez F, Luo J, Becker-Hapak M, Cashen AF, Wagner-Johnston ND, Maddocks K, Mosior M, Foster M, Krysiak K, Schmidt A, Skidmore ZL, Desai S, Watkins MP, Fischer A, Griffith M, Griffith OL, Fehniger TA, Bartlett NL. Phase 1/dose expansion trial of brentuximab vedotin and lenalidomide in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood 2022; 139:1999-2010. [PMID: 34780623 PMCID: PMC8972094 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2021011894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [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] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
New therapies are needed for patients with relapsed/refractory (rel/ref) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who do not benefit from or are ineligible for stem cell transplant and chimeric antigen receptor therapy. The CD30-targeted, antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin (BV) and the immunomodulator lenalidomide (Len) have demonstrated promising activity as single agents in this population. We report the results of a phase 1/dose expansion trial evaluating the combination of BV/Len in rel/ref DLBCL. Thirty-seven patients received BV every 21 days, with Len administered continuously for a maximum of 16 cycles. The maximum tolerated dose of the combination was 1.2 mg/kg BV with 20 mg/d Len. BV/Len was well tolerated with a toxicity profile consistent with their use as single agents. Most patients required granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support because of neutropenia. The overall response rate was 57% (95% CI, 39.6-72.5), complete response rate, 35% (95% CI, 20.7-52.6); median duration of response, 13.1 months; median progression-free survival, 10.2 months (95% CI, 5.5-13.7); and median overall survival, 14.3 months (95% CI, 10.2-35.6). Response rates were highest in patients with CD30+ DLBCL (73%), but they did not differ according to cell of origin (P = .96). NK cell expansion and phenotypic changes in CD8+ T-cell subsets in nonresponders were identified by mass cytometry. BV/Len represents a potential treatment option for patients with rel/ref DLBCL. This combination is being further explored in a phase 3 study (registered on https://clinicaltrials.org as NCT04404283). This trial was registered on https://clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02086604.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey P Ward
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Melissa M Berrien-Elliott
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Felicia Gomez
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Jingqin Luo
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Amanda F Cashen
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Nina D Wagner-Johnston
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Kami Maddocks
- Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; and
| | - Matthew Mosior
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Mark Foster
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Kilannin Krysiak
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Alina Schmidt
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Zachary L Skidmore
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Sweta Desai
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Marcus P Watkins
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Anne Fischer
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Malachi Griffith
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Obi L Griffith
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Todd A Fehniger
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Nancy L Bartlett
- Division of Oncology and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
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8
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Cubitt CC, McClain E, Becker-Hapak M, Foltz JA, Wong P, Wagner JA, Neal CC, Marin ND, Marsala L, Foster M, Schappe T, Soon-Shiong P, Lee J, Berrien-Elliott MM, Fehniger TA. A novel fusion protein scaffold 18/12/TxM activates the IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18 receptors to induce human memory-like natural killer cells. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2022; 24:585-596. [PMID: 35284622 PMCID: PMC8889352 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2022.02.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [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: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic innate lymphoid cells that are emerging as a cellular immunotherapy for various malignancies. NK cells are particularly dependent on interleukin (IL)-15 for their survival, proliferation, and cytotoxic function. NK cells differentiate into memory-like cells with enhanced effector function after a brief activation with IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18. N-803 is an IL-15 superagonist composed of an IL-15 mutant (IL-15N72D) bound to the sushi domain of IL-15Rα fused to the Fc region of IgG1, which results in physiological trans-presentation of IL-15. Here, we describe the creation of a novel triple-cytokine fusion molecule, 18/12/TxM, using the N-803 scaffold fused to IL-18 via the IL-15N72D domain and linked to a heteromeric single-chain IL-12 p70 by the sushi domain of the IL-15Rα. This molecule displays trispecific cytokine activity through its binding and signaling through the individual cytokine receptors. Compared with activation with the individual cytokines, 18/12/TxM induces similar short-term activation and memory-like differentiation of NK cells on both the transcriptional and protein level and identical in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity. Thus, N-803 can be modified as a functional scaffold for the creation of cytokine immunotherapies with multiple receptor specificities to activate NK cells for adoptive cellular therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celia C Cubitt
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ethan McClain
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jennifer A Foltz
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Pamela Wong
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Julia A Wagner
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Carly C Neal
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Nancy D Marin
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lynne Marsala
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Mark Foster
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | | | - John Lee
- ImmunityBio, Culver City, CA 90232, USA
| | - Melissa M Berrien-Elliott
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Todd A Fehniger
- Washington University School of Medicine, 425 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8007, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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9
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Bednarski JJ, Zimmerman C, Berrien-Elliott MM, Foltz JA, Becker-Hapak M, Neal CC, Foster M, Schappe T, McClain E, Pence PP, Desai S, Kersting-Schadek S, Wong P, Russler-Germain DA, Fisk B, Lie WR, Eisele J, Hyde S, Bhatt ST, Griffith OL, Griffith M, Petti AA, Cashen AF, Fehniger TA. Donor memory-like NK cells persist and induce remissions in pediatric patients with relapsed AML after transplant. Blood 2022; 139:1670-1683. [PMID: 34871371 PMCID: PMC8931511 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2021013972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [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] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pediatric and young adult (YA) patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) have an extremely poor prognosis. Standard salvage chemotherapy and donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) have little curative potential. Previous studies showed that natural killer (NK) cells can be stimulated ex vivo with interleukin-12 (IL-12), -15, and -18 to generate memory-like (ML) NK cells with enhanced antileukemia responses. We treated 9 pediatric/YA patients with post-HCT relapsed AML with donor ML NK cells in a phase 1 trial. Patients received fludarabine, cytarabine, and filgrastim followed 2 weeks later by infusion of donor lymphocytes and ML NK cells from the original HCT donor. ML NK cells were successfully generated from haploidentical and matched-related and -unrelated donors. After infusion, donor-derived ML NK cells expanded and maintained an ML multidimensional mass cytometry phenotype for >3 months. Furthermore, ML NK cells exhibited persistent functional responses as evidenced by leukemia-triggered interferon-γ production. After DLI and ML NK cell adoptive transfer, 4 of 8 evaluable patients achieved complete remission at day 28. Two patients maintained a durable remission for >3 months, with 1 patient in remission for >2 years. No significant toxicity was experienced. This study demonstrates that, in a compatible post-HCT immune environment, donor ML NK cells robustly expand and persist with potent antileukemic activity in the absence of exogenous cytokines. ML NK cells in combination with DLI present a novel immunotherapy platform for AML that has relapsed after allogeneic HCT. This trial was registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03068819.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clare Zimmerman
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Melissa M Berrien-Elliott
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Jennifer A Foltz
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Carly C Neal
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Mark Foster
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Ethan McClain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Patrick P Pence
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Sweta Desai
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Samantha Kersting-Schadek
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Pamela Wong
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - David A Russler-Germain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Bryan Fisk
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | | | - Jeremy Eisele
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Stephanie Hyde
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Sima T Bhatt
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, and
| | - Obi L Griffith
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Malachi Griffith
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Allegra A Petti
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Amanda F Cashen
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Todd A Fehniger
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
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10
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Berrien-Elliott MM, Becker-Hapak M, Cashen AF, Jacobs M, Wong P, Foster M, McClain E, Desai S, Pence P, Cooley S, Brunstein C, Gao F, Abboud CN, Uy GL, Westervelt P, Jacoby MA, Pusic I, Stockerl-Goldstein KE, Schroeder MA, DiPersio JF, Soon-Shiong P, Miller JS, Fehniger TA. Systemic IL-15 promotes allogeneic cell rejection in patients treated with natural killer cell adoptive therapy. Blood 2022; 139:1177-1183. [PMID: 34797911 PMCID: PMC9211446 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2021011532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [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] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are a promising alternative to T cells for cancer immunotherapy. Adoptive therapies with allogeneic, cytokine-activated NK cells are being investigated in clinical trials. However, the optimal cytokine support after adoptive transfer to promote NK cell expansion, and persistence remains unclear. Correlative studies from 2 independent clinical trial cohorts treated with major histocompatibility complex-haploidentical NK cell therapy for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia revealed that cytokine support by systemic interleukin-15 (IL-15; N-803) resulted in reduced clinical activity, compared with IL-2. We hypothesized that the mechanism responsible was IL-15/N-803 promoting recipient CD8 T-cell activation that in turn accelerated donor NK cell rejection. This idea was supported by increased proliferating CD8+ T-cell numbers in patients treated with IL-15/N-803, compared with IL-2. Moreover, mixed lymphocyte reactions showed that IL-15/N-803 enhanced responder CD8 T-cell activation and proliferation, compared with IL-2 alone. Additionally, IL-15/N-803 accelerated the ability of responding T cells to kill stimulator-derived memory-like NK cells, demonstrating that additional IL-15 can hasten donor NK cell elimination. Thus, systemic IL-15 used to support allogeneic cell therapy may paradoxically limit their therapeutic window of opportunity and clinical activity. This study indicates that stimulating patient CD8 T-cell allo-rejection responses may critically limit allogeneic cellular therapy supported with IL-15. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03050216 and #NCT01898793.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa M Berrien-Elliott
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Amanda F Cashen
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Miriam Jacobs
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Pamela Wong
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Mark Foster
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Ethan McClain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Sweta Desai
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Patrick Pence
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Sarah Cooley
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | | | - Feng Gao
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Camille N Abboud
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Geoffrey L Uy
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Peter Westervelt
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Meagan A Jacoby
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Iskra Pusic
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | | | - Mark A Schroeder
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - John F DiPersio
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
| | - Patrick Soon-Shiong
- ImmunityBio Inc., Culver City, CA; and
- Department of Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Jeffrey S Miller
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Todd A Fehniger
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
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11
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Berrien-Elliott MM, Foltz JA, Russler-Germain DA, Neal CC, Tran J, Gang M, Wong P, Fisk B, Cubitt CC, Marin ND, Zhou AY, Jacobs MT, Foster M, Schappe T, McClain E, Kersting-Schadek S, Desai S, Pence P, Becker-Hapak M, Eisele J, Mosior M, Marsala L, Griffith OL, Griffith M, Khan SM, Spencer DH, DiPersio JF, Romee R, Uy GL, Abboud CN, Ghobadi A, Westervelt P, Stockerl-Goldstein K, Schroeder MA, Wan F, Lie WR, Soon-Shiong P, Petti AA, Cashen AF, Fehniger TA. Hematopoietic cell transplantation donor-derived memory-like NK cells functionally persist after transfer into patients with leukemia. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabm1375. [PMID: 35196021 PMCID: PMC9210521 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abm1375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [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: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphoid cells that eliminate cancer cells, produce cytokines, and are being investigated as a nascent cellular immunotherapy. Impaired NK cell function, expansion, and persistence remain key challenges for optimal clinical translation. One promising strategy to overcome these challenges is cytokine-induced memory-like (ML) differentiation, whereby NK cells acquire enhanced antitumor function after stimulation with interleukin-12 (IL-12), IL-15, and IL-18. Here, reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) for HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) was augmented with same-donor ML NK cells on day +7 and 3 weeks of N-803 (IL-15 superagonist) to treat patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in a clinical trial (NCT02782546). In 15 patients, donor ML NK cells were well tolerated, and 87% of patients achieved a composite complete response at day +28, which corresponded with clearing high-risk mutations, including TP53 variants. NK cells were the major blood lymphocytes for 2 months after HCT with 1104-fold expansion (over 1 to 2 weeks). Phenotypic and transcriptional analyses identified donor ML NK cells as distinct from conventional NK cells and showed that ML NK cells persisted for over 2 months. ML NK cells expressed CD16, CD57, and high granzyme B and perforin, along with a unique transcription factor profile. ML NK cells differentiated in patients had enhanced ex vivo function compared to conventional NK cells from both patients and healthy donors. Overall, same-donor ML NK cell therapy with 3 weeks of N-803 support safely augmented RIC haplo-HCT for AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa M. Berrien-Elliott
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jennifer A. Foltz
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - David A. Russler-Germain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Carly C. Neal
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jennifer Tran
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Margery Gang
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Pamela Wong
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Bryan Fisk
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Celia C. Cubitt
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Nancy D. Marin
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Alice Y. Zhou
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Miriam T. Jacobs
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Mark Foster
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ethan McClain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Samantha Kersting-Schadek
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sweta Desai
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Patrick Pence
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jeremy Eisele
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Matthew Mosior
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lynne Marsala
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Obi L. Griffith
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Malachi Griffith
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Saad M. Khan
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - David H. Spencer
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - John F. DiPersio
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Geoffrey L. Uy
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Camille N. Abboud
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Armin Ghobadi
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Peter Westervelt
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Keith Stockerl-Goldstein
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Mark A. Schroeder
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Fei Wan
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | | | | | - Allegra A. Petti
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Amanda F. Cashen
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Todd A. Fehniger
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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12
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Sullivan R, Mathyer M, Govero J, Dean J, Martens A, Zhou Y, Darwech M, Tumala B, Vessoni A, Hamil A, Leedom T, Johnson C, Berrien-Elliot M, Foster M, Becker-Hapak M, McClain E, Neal C, Fehniger T, Shrestha N, Dee M, Wong H, Kabakibi A, Cooper M, Chrobak K. 188 Development of WU-NK-101, a feeder cell-free expanded allogeneic memory NK cell product with potent anti-tumor activity. J Immunother Cancer 2021. [DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-sitc2021.188] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundAllogeneic Natural Killer (NK) cells are emerging as a safe and effective modality for the treatment of cancer, overcoming several limitations associated with adoptive T cell therapies. Cytokine induced memory-NK cells offer several advantages over conventional NK cells, including enhanced functional persistence, efficacy, and metabolic fitness. Additionally, unlike iPSC and cord blood derived NK cells, they do not require engineering to enable functionality. Here we describe the use of WU-PRIME, a GMP-grade fusion protein complex to generate memory NK cells, and WU-EXPAND, a feeder cell free expansion system to expand memory-NK cells and create WU-NK-101. Further cryopreservation enables the large-scale, off-the-shelf manufacture of memory NK for cancer immunotherapy, with high anti-tumor activity.MethodsNK cells derived from healthy donor leukopheresate were either activated with WU-PRIME and then expanded with WU-EXPAND to form WU-NK-101 or immediately expanded with WU- EXPAND as controls and then cryopreserved. We compared NK cell expansion as well as post- thaw NK cell functionality as assessed by cytokine secretion and short-term and long-term anti- tumor functionality, long-term persistence in NSG mice, as well as anti-tumor activity in vivo.ResultsNK cells activated with WU-PRIME followed by WU-EXPAND (WU-NK-101), expand robustly in large-scale reactions, over 250-fold in 14 days. The cells maintain durable expression of CD25 after expansion, as well as several other hallmarks of the memory-NK phenotype as assessed by mass cytometry. As compared to cells expanded with WU-EXPAND only, WU-NK-101 cells have improved in vitro activity against K562 cells, as well as AML cell lines (TF-1, THP-1, and HL-60). Notably, this functionality is maintained long-term upon repeated challenge. In vivo, WU-NK-101 cells, compared to expanded NK cells have improved in vivo persistence (figure 1; 50,290 v. 9,623, p<0.0001). In vivo anti-tumor activity was also assessed in leukemia models, where Memory NK cells demonstrate superior anti-tumor activity compared to expanded NK cells.Abstract 188 Figure 1NK cell persistence in tumor-bearing mice. 10e6 cryopreserved NK cells were injected into K562 tumor-bearing mice, and supported with 50,000IU human IL-2 every other day. After 9 days, blood was harvested by cheek bleed and assessed for NK cells (hCD45+, CD56+, CD3) in the blood by flow cytometry.ConclusionsThe data demonstrate that WU-NK-101 generated using a feeder cell-free expansion system has a memory phenotype and improved in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor activity compared to conventional NK cells. This activation and expansion platform will enable the development and clinical translation of multiple allogeneic NK cell therapies.
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13
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Marin ND, Krasnick BA, Becker-Hapak M, Conant L, Goedegebuure SP, Berrien-Elliott MM, Robbins KJ, Foltz JA, Foster M, Wong P, Cubitt CC, Tran J, Wetzel CB, Jacobs M, Zhou AY, Russler-Germain D, Marsala L, Schappe T, Fields RC, Fehniger TA. Memory-like Differentiation Enhances NK Cell Responses to Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:4859-4869. [PMID: 34187852 PMCID: PMC8416927 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-0851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Treatment of advanced melanoma is a clinical challenge. Natural killer (NK) cells are a promising cellular therapy for T cell-refractory cancers, but are frequently deficient or dysfunctional in patients with melanoma. Thus, new strategies are needed to enhance NK-cell antitumor responses. Cytokine-induced memory-like (ML) differentiation overcomes many barriers in the NK-cell therapeutics field, resulting in potent cytotoxicity and enhanced cytokine production against blood cancer targets. However, the preclinical activity of ML NK against solid tumors remains largely undefined. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Phenotypic and functional alterations of blood and advanced melanoma infiltrating NK cells were evaluated using mass cytometry. ML NK cells from healthy donors (HD) and patients with advanced melanoma were evaluated for their ability to produce IFNγ and kill melanoma targets in vitro and in vivo using a xenograft model. RESULTS NK cells in advanced melanoma exhibited a decreased cytotoxic potential compared with blood NK cells. ML NK cells differentiated from HD and patients with advanced melanoma displayed enhanced IFNγ production and cytotoxicity against melanoma targets. This included ML differentiation enhancing melanoma patients' NK-cell responses against autologous targets. The ML NK-cell response against melanoma was partially dependent on the NKG2D- and NKp46-activating receptors. Furthermore, in xenograft NSG mouse models, human ML NK cells demonstrated superior control of melanoma, compared with conventional NK cells. CONCLUSIONS Blood NK cells from allogeneic HD or patients with advanced melanoma can be differentiated into ML NK cells for use as a novel immunotherapeutic treatment for advanced melanoma, which warrants testing in early-phase clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy D. Marin
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Bradley A. Krasnick
- Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Leah Conant
- Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Simon P. Goedegebuure
- Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Melissa M. Berrien-Elliott
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Keenan J. Robbins
- Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jennifer A. Foltz
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Mark Foster
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Pamela Wong
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Celia C. Cubitt
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jennifer Tran
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Christopher B. Wetzel
- Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Miriam Jacobs
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Alice Y. Zhou
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - David Russler-Germain
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Lynne Marsala
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ryan C. Fields
- Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri.,Corresponding Authors: Todd A. Fehniger, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110. Phone: 314-747-1385; E-mail: ; and Ryan C. Fields, Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave, Campus Box 8109, St. Louis, MO 63110. Phone: 314-286-1694; E-mail:
| | - Todd A. Fehniger
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri.,Corresponding Authors: Todd A. Fehniger, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110. Phone: 314-747-1385; E-mail: ; and Ryan C. Fields, Section of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave, Campus Box 8109, St. Louis, MO 63110. Phone: 314-286-1694; E-mail:
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14
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Kerbauy LN, Marin ND, Kaplan M, Banerjee PP, Berrien-Elliott MM, Becker-Hapak M, Basar R, Foster M, Garcia Melo L, Neal CC, McClain E, Daher M, Nunez Cortes AK, Desai S, Inng Lim FW, Mendt MC, Schappe T, Li L, Shaim H, Shanley M, Ensley EL, Uprety N, Wong P, Liu E, Ang SO, Cai R, Nandivada V, Mohanty V, Miao Q, Shen Y, Baran N, Fowlkes NW, Chen K, Muniz-Feliciano L, Champlin RE, Nieto YL, Koch J, Treder M, Fischer W, Okamoto OK, Shpall EJ, Fehniger TA, Rezvani K. Combining AFM13, a Bispecific CD30/CD16 Antibody, with Cytokine-Activated Blood and Cord Blood-Derived NK Cells Facilitates CAR-like Responses Against CD30 + Malignancies. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:3744-3756. [PMID: 33986022 PMCID: PMC8254785 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-0164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [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] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Natural killer (NK)-cell recognition and function against NK-resistant cancers remain substantial barriers to the broad application of NK-cell immunotherapy. Potential solutions include bispecific engagers that target NK-cell activity via an NK-activating receptor when simultaneously targeting a tumor-specific antigen, as well as enhancing functionality using IL12/15/18 cytokine pre-activation. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We assessed single-cell NK-cell responses stimulated by the tetravalent bispecific antibody AFM13 that binds CD30 on leukemia/lymphoma targets and CD16A on various types of NK cells using mass cytometry and cytotoxicity assays. The combination of AFM13 and IL12/15/18 pre-activation of blood and cord blood-derived NK cells was investigated in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS We found heterogeneity within AFM13-directed conventional blood NK cell (cNK) responses, as well as consistent AFM13-directed polyfunctional activation of mature NK cells across donors. NK-cell source also impacted the AFM13 response, with cNK cells from healthy donors exhibiting superior responses to those from patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. IL12/15/18-induced memory-like NK cells from peripheral blood exhibited enhanced killing of CD30+ lymphoma targets directed by AFM13, compared with cNK cells. Cord-blood NK cells preactivated with IL12/15/18 and ex vivo expanded with K562-based feeders also exhibited enhanced killing with AFM13 stimulation via upregulation of signaling pathways related to NK-cell effector function. AFM13-NK complex cells exhibited enhanced responses to CD30+ lymphomas in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS We identify AFM13 as a promising combination with cytokine-activated adult blood or cord-blood NK cells to treat CD30+ hematologic malignancies, warranting clinical trials with these novel combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucila N Kerbauy
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
- Departments of Stem Cell Transplantation and Hemotherapy/Cellular Therapy, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Biosciences Institute, University of São Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nancy D Marin
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Mecit Kaplan
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Pinaki P Banerjee
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Melissa M Berrien-Elliott
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Rafet Basar
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Mark Foster
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Luciana Garcia Melo
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Carly C Neal
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ethan McClain
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - May Daher
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Ana Karen Nunez Cortes
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Sweta Desai
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Francesca Wei Inng Lim
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Mayela Carolina Mendt
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Li Li
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Hila Shaim
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Mayra Shanley
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Emily L Ensley
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Nadima Uprety
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Pamela Wong
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Enli Liu
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Sonny O Ang
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rong Cai
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Vandana Nandivada
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Vakul Mohanty
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Qi Miao
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Yifei Shen
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Natalia Baran
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Natalie W Fowlkes
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Ken Chen
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Luis Muniz-Feliciano
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Richard E Champlin
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Yago L Nieto
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | | | | | - Oswaldo Keith Okamoto
- Departments of Stem Cell Transplantation and Hemotherapy/Cellular Therapy, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Biosciences Institute, University of São Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth J Shpall
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Todd A Fehniger
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Katayoun Rezvani
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
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15
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Foltz JA, Hess BT, Bachanova V, Bartlett NL, Berrien-Elliott MM, McClain E, Becker-Hapak M, Foster M, Schappe T, Kahl B, Mehta-Shah N, Cashen AF, Marin ND, McDaniels K, Moreno C, Mosior M, Gao F, Griffith OL, Griffith M, Wagner JA, Epperla N, Rock AD, Lee J, Petti AA, Soon-Shiong P, Fehniger TA. Phase I Trial of N-803, an IL15 Receptor Agonist, with Rituximab in Patients with Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Clin Cancer Res 2021; 27:3339-3350. [PMID: 33832946 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-20-4575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE N-803 is an IL15 receptor superagonist complex, designed to optimize in vivo persistence and trans-presentation, thereby activating and expanding natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+ T cells. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) direct Fc receptor-bearing immune cells, including NK cells, to recognize and eliminate cancer targets. The ability of IL15R agonists to enhance tumor-targeting mAbs in patients has not been reported previously. PATIENTS AND METHODS Relapsed/refractory patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma were treated with rituximab and intravenous or subcutaneous N-803 on an open-label, dose-escalation phase I study using a 3+3 design (NCT02384954). Primary endpoint was maximum tolerated dose. Immune correlates were performed using multidimensional analysis via mass cytometry and cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE-seq) which simultaneously measures protein and single-cell RNA expression. RESULTS This immunotherapy combination was safe and well tolerated and resulted in durable clinical responses including in rituximab-refractory patients. Subcutaneous N-803 plus rituximab induced sustained proliferation, expansion, and activation of peripheral blood NK cells and CD8 T cells, with increased NK cell and T cells present 8 weeks following last N-803 treatment. CITE-seq revealed a therapy-altered NK cell molecular program, including enhancement of AP-1 transcription factor. Furthermore, the monocyte transcriptional program was remodeled with enhanced MHC expression and antigen-presentation genes. CONCLUSIONS N-803 combines with mAbs to enhance tumor targeting in patients, and warrants further investigation in combination with immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian T Hess
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | | | | | | | - Ethan McClain
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Mark Foster
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Brad Kahl
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Neha Mehta-Shah
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Amanda F Cashen
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Nancy D Marin
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Chaz Moreno
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Matthew Mosior
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Feng Gao
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Obi L Griffith
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Julia A Wagner
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | | | - John Lee
- ImmunityBio, Culver City, California
| | - Allegra A Petti
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Todd A Fehniger
- Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
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16
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Ramirez CA, Frenkel F, Plotnikova O, Belousov V, Bagaev A, Ocheredko E, Kiwala S, Hundal J, Skidmore ZL, Watkins M, Becker-Hapak M, Mooney TB, Walker J, Fronick C, Fulton R, Schreiber R, Bartlett NL, Kahl B, Ataullakhanov R, Griffith M, Griffith O, Fehniger TA. Abstract PO-56: Identification of predicted neoantigen vaccine candidates in follicular lymphoma patients. Blood Cancer Discov 2020. [DOI: 10.1158/2643-3249.lymphoma20-po-56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; however, it remains incurable with conventional therapies and is poorly responsive to checkpoint blockade. Additionally, because FL develops so slowly (and often asymptomatically), a major research focus has been to avoid chemotherapy treatments to limit the potential development of treatment-related side effects and the risk of therapy-related second cancers. The mutational processes that lead to lymphomagenesis and progression also produce tumor-specific mutant antigens (TSMAs) that can be targeted by the immune system to control malignancies. Personalized cancer vaccines designed for these TSMAs represent a promising new strategy for treatment of FL. However, the feasibility of this approach and precisely how to optimize effective vaccine design, informed by next-generation sequencing data, are not fully understood. We hypothesize that (tumor/normal) whole-exome sequencing (WES) and (tumor) RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) can be used to predict patient HLA typing and neoepitopes to engineer personalized cancer vaccines for FL. DNA and RNA from 58 patients' FL biopsies underwent WES and RNA-Seq. pVACtools and MiXCR predicted potential somatic and B-cell clonotype neoantigens, which were filtered to identify high-quality TSMAs. B-cell oligoclonality was determined by comparison to B-cell receptor (BCR) repertoire profiling of healthy individual lymph nodes. RNA-seq data allowed us to identify expressed TSMAs. Complementary in silico analysis based on mRNA-based peptide reconstruction and custom HLA affinity binding predictions were performed. An average of 52 somatic mutations per patient (range: 2-172) were identified. At least one high-quality TSMA was predicted for 57 of 58 patients. Five or more TSMA candidates were identified for 52 (90%) patients with a mean of 17 predicted peptides per patient (range: 0-45). 81% (813/1,004) of the total predicted TSMA peptides arose from missense mutations, 9% (94/1,004) from indels, and 10% (97/1,004) from BCR. 78% (45/58) of patients have both somatic and BCR vaccine candidates, while 21% (12/58) of patients had only somatic vaccine candidates. No fusion genes were identified within the cohort that could have been a source of neoepitope candidates. Predicted TSMAs were identified in multiple genes recurrently mutated in lymphoma (e.g., BCL2). There was a high prediction concordance with the orthogonal BostonGene Vaccine Module V1 pipeline. These preclinical results led to a first-in-human pilot trial of personalized TSMA vaccine combined with anti-PD-1 mAb for rel/ref FL patients (NCT03121677), with one response observed within 4 patients evaluable for response to date. TSMA peptides suitable for cancer vaccines were identified for most FL patients via next-generation sequencing, MiXCR and pVACtools. This preclinical study suggests that FL patients will be candidates for TSMA vaccine clinical trials, and pilot clinical results provide proof of concept for this approach.
Citation Format: Cody A. Ramirez, Felix Frenkel, Olga Plotnikova, Vladislav Belousov, Alexander Bagaev, Elena Ocheredko, Susanna Kiwala, Jasreet Hundal, Zachary L. Skidmore, Marcus Watkins, Michelle Becker-Hapak, Thomas B. Mooney, Jason Walker, Catrina Fronick, Robert Fulton, Robert Schreiber, Nancy L. Bartlett, Brad Kahl, Ravshan Ataullakhanov, Malachi Griffith, Obi Griffith, Todd A. Fehniger. Identification of predicted neoantigen vaccine candidates in follicular lymphoma patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Meeting: Advances in Malignant Lymphoma; 2020 Aug 17-19. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Blood Cancer Discov 2020;1(3_Suppl):Abstract nr PO-56.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A. Ramirez
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Susanna Kiwala
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Jasreet Hundal
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | | | - Marcus Watkins
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | | | - Thomas B. Mooney
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Jason Walker
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Catrina Fronick
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Robert Fulton
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Robert Schreiber
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Nancy L. Bartlett
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Brad Kahl
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | | | - Malachi Griffith
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Obi Griffith
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
| | - Todd A. Fehniger
- 1Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO,
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17
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Berrien-Elliott MM, Cashen AF, Cubitt CC, Neal CC, Wong P, Wagner JA, Foster M, Schappe T, Desai S, McClain E, Becker-Hapak M, Foltz JA, Cooper ML, Jaeger N, Srivatsan SN, Gao F, Romee R, Abboud CN, Uy GL, Westervelt P, Jacoby MA, Pusic I, Stockerl-Goldstein KE, Schroeder MA, DiPersio J, Fehniger TA. Multidimensional Analyses of Donor Memory-Like NK Cells Reveal New Associations with Response after Adoptive Immunotherapy for Leukemia. Cancer Discov 2020; 10:1854-1871. [PMID: 32826231 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-20-0312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are an emerging cancer cellular therapy and potent mediators of antitumor immunity. Cytokine-induced memory-like (ML) NK cellular therapy is safe and induces remissions in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the dynamic changes in phenotype that occur after NK-cell transfer that affect patient outcomes remain unclear. Here, we report comprehensive multidimensional correlates from ML NK cell-treated patients with AML using mass cytometry. These data identify a unique in vivo differentiated ML NK-cell phenotype distinct from conventional NK cells. Moreover, the inhibitory receptor NKG2A is a dominant, transcriptionally induced checkpoint important for ML, but not conventional NK-cell responses to cancer. The frequency of CD8α+ donor NK cells is negatively associated with AML patient outcomes after ML NK therapy. Thus, elucidating the multidimensional dynamics of donor ML NK cells in vivo revealed critical factors important for clinical response, and new avenues to enhance NK-cell therapeutics. SIGNIFICANCE: Mass cytometry reveals an in vivo memory-like NK-cell phenotype, where NKG2A is a dominant checkpoint, and CD8α is associated with treatment failure after ML NK-cell therapy. These findings identify multiple avenues for optimizing ML NK-cell immunotherapy for cancer and define mechanisms important for ML NK-cell function.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1775.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa M Berrien-Elliott
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Amanda F Cashen
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Celia C Cubitt
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Carly C Neal
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Pamela Wong
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Julia A Wagner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Mark Foster
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Sweta Desai
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ethan McClain
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jennifer A Foltz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Matthew L Cooper
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Natalia Jaeger
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | | | - Feng Gao
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Camille N Abboud
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Geoffrey L Uy
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Peter Westervelt
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Meagan A Jacoby
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Iskra Pusic
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Keith E Stockerl-Goldstein
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Mark A Schroeder
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - John DiPersio
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Todd A Fehniger
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. .,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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18
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Ramirez C, Frenkel F, Plotnikova O, Belousov V, Bagaev A, Ocheredko E, Kiwala S, Hundal J, Skidmore Z, Watkins M, Becker-Hapak M, Mooney T, Walker J, Fronick C, Fulton R, Schreiber R, Bartlett N, Kahl B, Ataullakhanov R, Griffith M, Griffith O, Fehniger T. 45. Identification of predicted neoantigen vaccine candidates in follicular lymphoma patients. Cancer Genet 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cancergen.2020.04.049] [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: 10/24/2022]
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19
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Ramirez C, Frenkel F, Plotnikova O, Belousov V, Bagaev A, Ocheredko E, Kiwala S, Hundal J, Skidmore ZL, Watkins M, Becker-Hapak M, Fronick C, Fulton R, Schreiber R, Bartlett NL, Kahl BS, Ataullakhanov R, Griffith M, Griffith O, Fehniger TA. Identification of predicted neoantigen vaccine candidates in follicular lymphoma patients. J Clin Oncol 2020. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.8054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
8054 Background: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is incurable with conventional therapies and poorly responsive to immune checkpoint blockade. There is a need for new therapies without long-term complications of chemotherapy and with curative potential. We hypothesize that FL contains tumor-specific mutant antigens (TSMAs) that can be targeted by the immune system by vaccination. Recent reports have highlighted the potential for unique immunoglobulin peptides to elicit immune response in lymphomas. We utilized whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of FL patient samples to infer HLA genotype, and predict TSMAs with the goal of designing a personalized cancer vaccine, supported by recent reports of this approach in solid cancers. Methods: DNA and RNA from 58 patients’ FL biopsies underwent WES and RNA-Seq. pVACtools and MiXCR predicted potential somatic and B-cell clonotype neoantigens, which were filtered to identify high quality TSMAs. B-cell oligoclonality was determined by comparison to B-cell receptor (BCR) repertoire profiling of healthy individual lymph nodes. RNA-seq data allowed us to identify expressed TSMAs. Complementary in silico analysis based on mRNA-based peptide reconstruction and custom HLA affinity binding predictions were performed. Results: An average of 52 somatic mutations per patient (range: 2-172) were identified. At least one high quality TSMA was predicted for 57 of 58 patients. Five or more TSMA candidates were identified for 52 (90%) patients with a mean of 17 predicted peptides per patient (range: 0-45). 81% (813/1,004) of the total predicted TSMA peptides arose from missense mutations, 9% (94/1,004) from indels, and 10% (97/1,004) from BCR. 78% (45/58) of patients have both somatic and BCR vaccine candidates, while 21% (12/58) of patients had only somatic vaccine candidates. Predicted TSMAs were identified in multiple genes recurrently mutated in lymphoma (e.g., BCL2). There was a high prediction concordance with the orthogonal BostonGene Vaccine Module V1 pipeline. These pre-clinical results led to a first-in-human pilot trial of personalized TSMA vaccine combined with anti-PD-1 mAb for rel/ref FL patients (NCT03121677), with one response observed within 4 patients evaluable for response to date. Conclusions: TSMA peptides suitable for cancer vaccines were identified for most FL patients via next-generation sequencing, MiXCR and pVACtools. This pre-clinical study suggests that FL patients will be candidates for TSMA vaccine clinical trials and pilot clinical results provide proof of concept for this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody Ramirez
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Susanna Kiwala
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Jasreet Hundal
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Zach L Skidmore
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Marcus Watkins
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Catrina Fronick
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Robert Fulton
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Robert Schreiber
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Nancy L. Bartlett
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Brad S. Kahl
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | | | - Malachi Griffith
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Obi Griffith
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | - Todd A. Fehniger
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
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Foltz-Stringfellow JA, Bartlett NL, McClain E, Becker-Hapak M, Hess BT, Bachanova V, Berrien-Elliott MM, Foster M, Schappe T, Kahl B, Mehta-Shah N, Cashen AF, McDaniels K, Moreno C, Gao F, Griffith O, Griffith M, Wagner JA, Rock AD, Soon-Shiong P, Lee J, Petti AA, Fehniger TA. The IL-15 receptor agonist N-803 combined with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab expands NK and CD8 T cells and alters single cell immune transcriptomes in a phase 1 clinical trial in lymphoma. The Journal of Immunology 2020. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.204.supp.246.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
IL-15 is a cytokine that is crucial for the development, survival, and activation of NK cells, and pre-clinical studies demonstrated that IL-15 augments antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. We hypothesized that IL-15 would augment anti-CD20 mAb (rituximab)-directed responses in patients with indolent non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. To address this, we performed a first-in-human combination clinical trial of the IL-15 super agonist N-803 with rituximab, and investigated the impact of this novel immune combination on NK, CD8 T cells, and monocytes. The combination was safe and demonstrated clinical activity, including in patients refractory to rituximab. To understand the in vivo impact on the patients’ immune systems, we performed mass cytometry and cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE-seq), which measures single-cell RNA-seq and cell surface proteins simultaneously. N-803 induced expansion of NK (12.5-fold) and CD8 T cells (2-fold) in serial blood samples and upregulated CD38, chemokines, and MHC class II family member expression while maintaining CD16 expression on NK. On CD56dim NK, N-803 increased activating receptors, decreased CD57, and modulated transcription factor expression (AP-1, Eomes, CEBPB/D). CD56bright NK cells were primed, with increases in granzyme A, B, and K. Therapy also markedly altered the monocyte compartment, significantly upregulating type 1 interferon and interferon gamma pathways in CD14+ monocytes, and decreased the percent of CD16+ monocytes, suggestive of potential trafficking to the tumor. Collectively, our data demonstrates that N-803 plus rituximab induces complex immune activation, and supports N-803 combination with other mAbs and immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Brad Kahl
- 1Washington University School of Medicine
| | | | | | | | | | - Feng Gao
- 1Washington University School of Medicine
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21
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Marin N, Becker-Hapak M, Koch J, Berrien-Elliott MM, Foster M, Neal C, McClain E, Desai S, Wagner JA, Schappe T, Marsala L, Wong P, Treder M, Fehniger TA. Abstract 1546: The CD30/CD16A bispecific innate immune cell engager AFM13 elicits heterogeneous single-cell NK cell responses and effectively triggers memory-like (ML) NK cells. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2019-1546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial effector cells of the innate immune system capable of rapidly recognizing and eliminating infected, stressed and malignant cells. NK cells discriminate tumor targets from healthy cells via integration of activating and inhibitory receptor signals. One barrier to the broad application of NK cells across many cancer types is inconsistent cancer cell recognition, which may be overcome by immune cell engagers. AFM13 is a tetravalent bispecific antibody based on the ROCK platform characterized by bivalent binding to CD30 and CD16A with clinical efficacy in CD30+ malignancies. However, our understanding of NK cell functional responses triggered via AFM13 remain incomplete. Moreover, adoptively transferred memory-like (ML) NK cells have demonstrated enhanced anti-tumor activity (Romee R et al, Sci Transl Med, 2016) that may be receptive to AFM13-based targeting to enhance target cell recognition. To address these questions, we analyzed single-cell conventional (cNK) and ML (IL-12/15/18-induced) NK cell functional responses to NK-resistant CD30+ lymphoma cells +/- AFM13. Primary cNK cells co-incubated with AFM13-treated Hut-78 cells demonstrated increased IFN-γ, TNF, and degranulation, compared to Hut-78 cells or Raji (CD30-) targets + AFM13 as a negative control (p<0.05). To define the single-cell specificity of NK cell responses to AFM13, similar assays were performed using mass cytometry analysis of 39 lineage, maturation, activating and inhibitory receptors, and function-relevant NK cell markers. tSNE-based multidimensional analyses revealed marked distinctions between Hut-78 and AFM13-Hut-78 stimulated cNK cells, due in part to IFN-γ, MIP-1α, CD107a, and CD16. To define the impact of specific NK receptors, SPADE was used to define highly activated IFN-γ+ NK cell sub-populations. In a KIR3DL1+ donor, activation was primarily within the KIR3DL1+ subset, consistent with the lack of its inhibitory ligand (HLA-Bw4). In KIR3DL1 negative donors, responding NK cells were enriched in mature KIR2DL2/L3+CD57+ NK cells that lacked NKG2A. Additional experiments revealed that both control and ML NK cells exhibited increased IFN-γ, degranulation, and cytotoxicity with AFM13 (P<0.01), and AFM13-stimulated ML NK cells exhibited the highest IFN-γ response and killing. Collectively, these data indicate that target cell recognition of NK cells can be significantly enhanced by AFM13, yet influenced by inhibitory receptor expression, maturation state, and memory-like differentiation. Thus, these data suggest that the status and repertoire of NK cells in a patient may offer diagnostic potential for therapeutic response, and the combination of ML NK cells with AFM13 appears to be a promising therapeutic approach.
Citation Format: Nancy Marin, Michelle Becker-Hapak, Joachim Koch, Melissa M. Berrien-Elliott, Mark Foster, Carly Neal, Ethan McClain, Sweta Desai, Julia A. Wagner, Timothy Schappe, Lynne Marsala, Pamela Wong, Martin Treder, Todd A. Fehniger. The CD30/CD16A bispecific innate immune cell engager AFM13 elicits heterogeneous single-cell NK cell responses and effectively triggers memory-like (ML) NK cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1546.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Marin
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | | | | | - Mark Foster
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Carly Neal
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Ethan McClain
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Sweta Desai
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | | | - Lynne Marsala
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Pamela Wong
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
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22
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Berrien-Elliott MM, Wagner JA, Romee R, Becker-Hapak M, Schappe T, Neal C, McClain E, DiPersio J, Westervelt P, Cashen AF, Fehniger TA. Abstract 5704: Mass cytometry identifies the expansion, persistence, and immune checkpoints of adoptively transferred memory-like NK cells in patients with leukemia. Cancer Res 2018. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2018-5704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
NK cells are an emerging cell therapy for cancer, however, the optimal approaches to maximize NK cell anti-tumor attack are unclear. NK cells exhibit memory-like (ML) properties following combined cytokine (IL-12/15/18) pre-activation, evidenced by enhanced responses to cancer cells upon re-stimulation weeks later. A first-in-human clinical trial for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Romee R et al., Sci Transl Med, 2016) revealed that 7 of 11 (54%) evaluable patients responded to ML NK cell therapy. To inform key aspects of response, we used mass cytometry to track ML NK cell diversity, checkpoints, and effector functions in AML patients treated with ML NK cells. Multidimensional analyses (viSNE) of patient samples collected 7 days after NK transfer accurately identified in vivo-differentiated ML NK cells that were distinct from conventional NK (cNK) cells: CD56hiCD11bloCD62L+ NKG2AhiNKp30hi Ki-67+ (cNK: 3%±0.5% vs. ML: 87%±5%, mean±SEM within ML gate, P<0.05, N=10). In a second clinical trial of MHC-haploidentical hematopoietic transplantation (HCT), augmented with same-donor IL-12/15/18 activated NK cells (NCT02782546), mass cytometry identified marked ML NK cell expansion in vivo in this immune-compatible environment. In the first two patients treated, ML NK cells expanded (>1000-fold expansion in vivo, peak >2000 cells/uL blood), persisted >= 60 days, and were distinct from immature CD56brightKIR-CD16- NK cells developing from the graft. These ML NK cells exhibited potent anti-leukemic functional responses at day +28. Utilizing the phase 1 study cohort, Citrus analysis identified increased NKG2A expression as significantly correlated with treatment failure [median NKG2A = 89±25 (treatment failure); 8±3 (clinical response); p=0.007, FDR<0.1]. NKG2A is an inhibitory receptor that binds to non-classical MHC HLA-E expressed on AML. We hypothesized that NKG2A/HLA-E interactions in vivo represent a key checkpoint on ML NK cell responses. Consistent with this idea, HLA-Ehi AML blasts resulted in reduced ML NK cells responses (P<0.05) in vitro. ML NK cells also triggered with HLA-E+ K562-AML in the presence of control or anti-NKG2A blocking antibodies. Increased functional responses including IFN-γ (p=0.02) and TNF (p=0.05) production by NKG2A-blocked ML NK cells were detected, compared to isotype-treated ML NK cells. Similar results were observed with HLA-E+ primary AML blasts as targets, showing that ML NK cells treated with NKG2A blockade produced significantly more IFN-γ (p=0.001). Thus, mass cytometry identified that in vivo-differentiated ML NK cells are distinct from cNK cells, and exhibit marked expansion and persistence in an immune-compatible environment. NKG2A was identified as a key ML NK cell checkpoint in vivo, and blockade of NKG2A signals may enhance the clinical efficacy of ML NK cell therapy for AML patients.
Citation Format: Melissa M. Berrien-Elliott, Julia A. Wagner, Rizwan Romee, Michelle Becker-Hapak, Timothy Schappe, Carly Neal, Ethan McClain, John DiPersio, Peter Westervelt, Amanda F. Cashen, Todd A. Fehniger. Mass cytometry identifies the expansion, persistence, and immune checkpoints of adoptively transferred memory-like NK cells in patients with leukemia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5704.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rizwan Romee
- Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | | | - Carly Neal
- Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Ethan McClain
- Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - John DiPersio
- Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
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23
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Wagner JA, Rosario M, Romee R, Berrien-Elliott MM, Schneider SE, Leong JW, Sullivan RP, Jewell BA, Becker-Hapak M, Schappe T, Abdel-Latif S, Ireland AR, Jaishankar D, King JA, Vij R, Clement D, Goodridge J, Malmberg KJ, Wong HC, Fehniger TA. CD56bright NK cells exhibit potent antitumor responses following IL-15 priming. J Clin Invest 2017; 127:4042-4058. [PMID: 28972539 DOI: 10.1172/jci90387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
NK cells, lymphocytes of the innate immune system, are important for defense against infectious pathogens and cancer. Classically, the CD56dim NK cell subset is thought to mediate antitumor responses, whereas the CD56bright subset is involved in immunomodulation. Here, we challenge this paradigm by demonstrating that brief priming with IL-15 markedly enhanced the antitumor response of CD56bright NK cells. Priming improved multiple CD56bright cell functions: degranulation, cytotoxicity, and cytokine production. Primed CD56bright cells from leukemia patients demonstrated enhanced responses to autologous blasts in vitro, and primed CD56bright cells controlled leukemia cells in vivo in a murine xenograft model. Primed CD56bright cells from multiple myeloma (MM) patients displayed superior responses to autologous myeloma targets, and furthermore, CD56bright NK cells from MM patients primed with the IL-15 receptor agonist ALT-803 in vivo displayed enhanced ex vivo functional responses to MM targets. Effector mechanisms contributing to IL-15-based priming included improved cytotoxic protein expression, target cell conjugation, and LFA-1-, CD2-, and NKG2D-dependent activation of NK cells. Finally, IL-15 robustly stimulated the PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MEK/ERK pathways in CD56bright compared with CD56dim NK cells, and blockade of these pathways attenuated antitumor responses. These findings identify CD56bright NK cells as potent antitumor effectors that warrant further investigation as a cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia A Wagner
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Maximillian Rosario
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Melissa M Berrien-Elliott
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Stephanie E Schneider
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jeffrey W Leong
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ryan P Sullivan
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Brea A Jewell
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Timothy Schappe
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Sara Abdel-Latif
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Aaron R Ireland
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Devika Jaishankar
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Justin A King
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ravi Vij
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Dennis Clement
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,The KG Jebsen Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jodie Goodridge
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway.,The KG Jebsen Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Centre for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Todd A Fehniger
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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24
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Carreno BM, Magrini V, Becker-Hapak M, Kaabinejadian S, Hundal J, Petti AA, Ly A, Lie WR, Hildebrand WH, Mardis ER, Linette GP. Abstract LB-237: Vaccination increases the breadth and diversity of melanoma neoantigen-specific T cells in humans. Cancer Res 2015. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2015-lb-237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Melanoma genomes harbor somatic mutations that are caused by exposure to mutagens such as UV light. Tumor missense mutations (MM), translated into amino acid substitutions (AAS), may provide a form of non-self that elicits tumor specific T cell immunity. Indeed, T cell immunity directed against tumor encoded AAS has been reported in humans with cutaneous melanoma, thus implicating MM as a source of patient specific (private) neoantigens. However, a systematic evaluation of these putative neoantigens as validated targets is lacking and it is unknown whether the immune response directed against tumor encoded AAS can be augmented by vaccination. Here we show that vaccination against melanoma AAS-encoding peptides augments naturally occurring T cell immunity and reveals new HLA class I restricted private neoantigens in patients with advanced melanoma. Neoantigen specific T cells recognized naturally processed and presented antigen but failed to recognize wild type (non-mutated) antigen. The presentation of neoantigens by HLA-A*02:01 in human melanoma was confirmed by mass spectrometry. As determined by TCRβ CDR3 DNA sequencing, vaccination promotes a repertoire of neoantigen-specific T cells that is highly diverse in terms of both TCRβ usage and clonal composition. No evidence of autoimmunity was apparent after vaccination. Our results demonstrate that tumor MM can be targeted as neoantigens and vaccination directed at tumor AAS somatic mutations broadens the antigenic breadth and clonal diversity of anti-tumor immunity. These findings provide a new paradigm for private neoantigen identification in neoplasia and may form the basis of personalized cancer immunotherapies targeting somatic mutations.
Citation Format: Beatriz M. Carreno, Vincent Magrini, Michelle Becker-Hapak, Saghar Kaabinejadian, Jasreet Hundal, Allegra A. Petti, Amy Ly, Wen-Rong Lie, William H. Hildebrand, Elaine R. Mardis, Gerald P. Linette. Vaccination increases the breadth and diversity of melanoma neoantigen-specific T cells in humans. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-237. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-LB-237
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jasreet Hundal
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | - Amy Ly
- 1Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
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25
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Carreno BM, Magrini V, Becker-Hapak M, Kaabinejadian S, Hundal J, Petti AA, Ly A, Lie WR, Hildebrand WH, Mardis ER, Linette GP. Cancer immunotherapy. A dendritic cell vaccine increases the breadth and diversity of melanoma neoantigen-specific T cells. Science 2015; 348:803-8. [PMID: 25837513 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa3828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 946] [Impact Index Per Article: 105.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
T cell immunity directed against tumor-encoded amino acid substitutions occurs in some melanoma patients. This implicates missense mutations as a source of patient-specific neoantigens. However, a systematic evaluation of these putative neoantigens as targets of antitumor immunity is lacking. Moreover, it remains unknown whether vaccination can augment such responses. We found that a dendritic cell vaccine led to an increase in naturally occurring neoantigen-specific immunity and revealed previously undetected human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I-restricted neoantigens in patients with advanced melanoma. The presentation of neoantigens by HLA-A*02:01 in human melanoma was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Vaccination promoted a diverse neoantigen-specific T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in terms of both TCR-β usage and clonal composition. Our results demonstrate that vaccination directed at tumor-encoded amino acid substitutions broadens the antigenic breadth and clonal diversity of antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz M Carreno
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Vincent Magrini
- Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michelle Becker-Hapak
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Saghar Kaabinejadian
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Jasreet Hundal
- Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Allegra A Petti
- Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Amy Ly
- Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - William H Hildebrand
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Elaine R Mardis
- Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gerald P Linette
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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26
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Carreno BM, Becker-Hapak M, Huang A, Chan M, Alyasiry A, Lie WR, Aft RL, Cornelius LA, Trinkaus KM, Linette GP. IL-12p70-producing patient DC vaccine elicits Tc1-polarized immunity. J Clin Invest 2013; 123:3383-94. [PMID: 23867552 DOI: 10.1172/jci68395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Systemic administration of IL-12p70 has demonstrated clinical activity in cancer patients, but dose-limiting toxicities have hindered its incorporation in vaccine formulations. Here, we report on the immunological and clinical outcomes upon vaccination with CD40L/IFN-γ-matured, IL-12p70-producing DCs. METHODS 7 HLA-A*0201+ newly diagnosed stage IV melanoma patients were immunized against the gp100 melanoma antigen using autologous peptide-pulsed, CD40L/IFN-γ-matured DCs. PBMCs were taken weekly for immune monitoring by tetramer analysis and functional assays. CT imaging was performed at baseline, week 9, and week 18 for clinical assessment using RECIST. RESULTS 6 of 7 treated patients developed sustained T cell immunity to all 3 melanoma gp100 antigen-derived peptides. 3 of the 6 immunological responders developed confirmed clinical responses (1 complete remission >4 years, 2 partial response). Importantly, DC vaccine-derived IL-12p70 levels positively correlated with time to progression (P = 0.019, log-rank), as did T-cytotoxic 1 (Tc1) immunity, as assessed by IFN-γ/IL-13 and IFN-γ/IL-5 ratios (P = 0.035 and P = 0.030, respectively, log-rank). In contrast, a pathway-specific defect in IL-12p35 transcription was identified upon CD40L/IFN-γ activation in clinical nonresponder patient DCs, and gp100-specific T cells from these patients displayed a Tc2 phenotype. Incorporation of TLR3 and TLR8 agonists into the CD40L/IFN-γ activation protocol corrected the IL-12p70 production defect in DCs derived from clinical nonresponder patients. CONCLUSION These findings underscore the essential role of IL-12p70 in the development of therapeutic type 1 antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immunity in humans with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz M Carreno
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
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27
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Carreno BM, Becker-Hapak M, Huang A, Chan M, Alyasiry A, Lie WR, Aft RL, Cornelius LA, Trinkaus KM, Linette GP. Abstract LB-157: IL-12p70 producing dendritic cell vaccine elicits Tc1 polarized T cells and extends time to progression in metastatic melanoma. Cancer Res 2013. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2013-lb-157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Systemic administration of IL-12p70 has demonstrated clinical activity in cancer patients but dose-limiting toxicities have hindered its incorporation in vaccine formulations. In this proof-of-concept phase I clinical trial (NCT00683670), we report on the immunological and clinical outcomes upon vaccination of newly diagnosed stage IV melanoma patients with CD40L/IFN-γ matured IL-12p70 producing dendritic cells (mDC). HLA-A*0201+ individuals with treatment naïve metastatic melanoma were vaccinated with mDC pulsed with melanoma gp100-derived peptides, every 3 weeks by intravenous infusion for six doses, after a single dose of cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m2 iv). CT imaging was performed at baseline, week 9 and 18 for clinical assessment using RECIST. PBMC were taken weekly for immune monitoring by tetramer analysis and functional assays. Six of seven treated patients develop sustained T cell immunity to all three melanoma gp100 antigen-derived (G154, G209-2M and G280-9V) peptides, while one patient had transient immunity only to the G209-2M peptide. Three of the six immunological responders developed a radiographic response by RECIST criteria and all three individuals had a time to progression (TTP) >11.5 mo. A Cox regression analysis followed by likelihood-ratio test revealed a positive correlation (p=0.0198) between DC derived IL-12p70 and TTP. Moreover, among clinical responders, vaccine-induced gp100-specific T cells displayed a Tc1 phenotype. In contrast, a selective defect in IL-12p35 transcription was identified in clinical non-responder patient DC and gp100-specific T cells from these patients displayed the Tc2 phenotype. Incorporation of TLR3 and TLR8 agonists into the CD40L/IFN-γ maturation protocol corrected the IL-12p70 production defect in DC derived from clinical non-responder patients. These findings underscore the essential role of IL-12p70 in the development of type-1 immunity in humans with cancer and provide evidence-based rationale for incorporating IL-12p70 into the next generation of cancer vaccine formulations.
Citation Format: Beatriz M. Carreno, Michelle Becker-Hapak, Alexander Huang, Megan Chan, Amer Alyasiry, Wen-Rong Lie, Rebecca L. Aft, Lynn A. Cornelius, Katherine M. Trinkaus, Gerald P. Linette. IL-12p70 producing dendritic cell vaccine elicits Tc1 polarized T cells and extends time to progression in metastatic melanoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-157. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-157
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz M. Carreno
- 1Div. Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | - Alexander Huang
- 1Div. Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Megan Chan
- 1Div. Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Amer Alyasiry
- 1Div. Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | - Rebecca L. Aft
- 3Dept. Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Lynn A. Cornelius
- 4Div. Dermatology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | - Gerald P. Linette
- 1Div. Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
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Linette GP, Becker-Hapak M, Huang A, Alyasiry A, Chan M, Lie WR, Cornelius L, Moley JF, Aft R, Tan BR, Trinkaus K, Carreno BM. CD40 ligand/interferon-γ matured DC immunization with gp100 antigen HLA class I A *0201 restricted peptides in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic melanoma. J Clin Oncol 2012. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2012.30.15_suppl.2525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
2525 Background: CD40L/IFN-γ matured Dendritic Cells (DCs) produce IL-12 and are potent antigen-presenting cells for naïve resting T cells. We sought to determine the magnitude and kinetics of CD8+ T cell growth in patients receiving autologous CD40L/IFN-γ matured DC and identify biomarkers associated with clinical outcome. Methods: A phase I clinical trial (NCT00683670) incorporating CD40L/IFN-γ for the ex vivo maturation of autologous DCs pulsed with three well characterized gp100 melanoma antigen derived peptides (G154, G209-2M, G280-9V) was initiated with enrollment from 2008-11 at a single center. HLA-A*0201+ individuals with treatment naïve metastatic melanoma were immunized every 3 weeks by intravenous infusion for six doses after a single dose of cyclophosphamide (300 mg/m2 iv). CT imaging was performed at baseline, week 9 and 18 for clinical assessment using RECIST. Responding patients were eligible for maintenance doses every 2-4 months. PBMC were taken weekly for immune monitoring by tetramer analysis and functional assays. DC preparations were characterized to assess for biomarkers of response. Results: 10 patients were screened. Among the 7 treated patients, there were 3 confirmed responses (independently verified), including one durable CR >3 years and 2 PR. Three patients had rapid disease progression and received only 3 doses. Four patients (1 CR, 2 PR, 1 PD) received 6 or more vaccine doses. No SAEs were noted. There was no correlation between tumor volume and response. Using pre-specified immune response criteria, 6 (86%) treated patients developed CD8+ T cell immunity to all three peptides as assessed by tetramer analysis. The vaccine-induced T cells from all 6 individuals were polyfunctional and killed gp100+, HLA-A2+ human melanoma targets in a standard 51Cr release assay. IL-12 production by DCs correlated with TTP (p=0.0198, likelihood ratio test) but not OS (p=0.08). Conclusions: Weekly immune monitoring reveals the rapid onset of CD8+ T cell immunity against gp100 among the responder patients. This is the first DC vaccine clinical trial in melanoma to demonstrate a correlation of IL-12 production and TTP.
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Carreno BM, Becker-Hapak M, Chan M, Lie WR, Wang X, Hansen TH, Linette GP. Amino-terminal extended peptide single-chain trimers are potent synthetic agonists for memory human CD8+ T cells. J Immunol 2012; 188:5839-49. [PMID: 22573808 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1103647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Upon Ag exposure, most memory T cells undergo restimulation-induced cell death. In this article, we describe a novel synthetic agonist, an N-terminal extended decamer peptide expressed as a single-chain trimer, the amino-terminal extended peptide MHC class I single-chain trimer (AT-SCT), which preferentially promotes the growth of memory human CD8(+) T cells with minimal restimulation-induced cell death. Using CMV pp65 and melanoma gp100 Ags, we observe the in vitro numerical expansion of a clonally diverse polyfunctional population of Ag-specific CD8(+) T cells from healthy individuals and vaccinated melanoma patients, respectively. Memory CD8(+) T cells stimulated with AT-SCT presented on MHC class I/II-null cells show reduced cytokine production, slower kinetics of TCR downregulation, and decreased cell death compared with native nonamer MHC class I single-chain trimer (SCT)-activated T cells. However, both ERK phosphorylation and cell cycle kinetics are identical in AT-SCT- and SCT-activated T cells. Probing of SCT and AT-SCT peptide-MHC complexes using fluorochrome-conjugated TCR multimers suggests that nonamer- and decamer-linked peptides may be anchored differently to the HLA-A2 peptide-binding groove. Our findings demonstrate that modified peptide-MHC structures, such as AT-SCT, can be engineered as T cell agonists to promote the growth and expansion of memory human CD8(+) T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz M Carreno
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Carreno BM, Becker-Hapak M, Chan M, Lie WR, Linette GP. Abstract 5519: Vaccination of melanoma patients with CD40L/IFN-γ activated dendritic cells reveals a correlation between IL-12p70 production and CD8+ T cell priming to the melanoma differentiation antigen gp100. Cancer Res 2011. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2011-5519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Ex-vivo generated dendritic cells (DC) have been used as therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer. However, these first-generation vaccines consist of DC activated to up-regulate costimulatory molecules with minimal to absent IL-12p70 production. Inflammatory cytokines, primarily IL-12p70 and interferons, provide a critical third signal along with antigen (signal 1) and costimulation (signal 2) for optimal effector CD8 T cell expansion/differentiation and memory formation. In order to generate IL-12p70-producing DC, a GMP-grade cell line expressing CD40L was developed and used in conjunction with IFN-γ to activate monocyte-derived DC. Stage IV melanoma patients (n=6) received an initial priming dose of CD40L/IFN-γ activated DC pulsed with 3 gp100 melanoma peptides (G154, G209-2M, G280-9V), followed by additional DC doses every 3 weeks for a total of 6 immunizations. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated weekly during the course of immunizations were used to evaluate the kinetics and magnitude of vaccine-induced gp100-T cell responses. In all but one patient CD8+ T cell responses to all 3 gp100 peptides were detected, with strongest proliferative responses observed after 2 DC immunizations. Magnitude of responses was not heightened with further immunizations. Antigen-specific frequencies to the high affinity G154 peptide were consistently lower than those to low affinity G209 and G280 peptides. Notably, we observe a correlation between DC IL-12p70 production, immune responses to gp100, and clinical efficacy of vaccination. Patients (n=3) with highest DC IL-12p70 production levels exhibit high gp100 antigen-specific frequencies and are in remission (n=1) or have stable disease (n=2). A qualitative analysis of T cell responses generated among patients is currently underway. These results underscore the important role of DC activation status in vaccination and provide an immunological rationale for vaccine design whereby IL-12p70 contributes to effective immune-based therapy.
Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5519. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5519
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Megan Chan
- 1Washington Univ. School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
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Carreno BM, Garbow JR, Kolar GR, Jackson EN, Engelbach JA, Becker-Hapak M, Carayannopoulos LN, Piwnica-Worms D, Linette GP. Immunodeficient mouse strains display marked variability in growth of human melanoma lung metastases. Clin Cancer Res 2009; 15:3277-86. [PMID: 19447870 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-08-2502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Immunodeficient mice serve as critical hosts for transplantation of xenogeneic cells for in vivo analysis of various biological processes. Because investigators typically select one or two immunodeficient mouse strains as recipients, no comprehensive study has been published documenting differences in human tumor engraftment. Taking advantage of the increased metastatic potential of RhoC-expressing human (A375) melanoma cells, we evaluate four immunodeficient mouse strains: severe combined immunodeficiency (scid), nonobese diabetic (NOD)-scid, NOD-scid beta2m(null), and NOD-scid IL2Rgamma(null) as xenograft tumor recipients. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Bioluminescence, magnetic resonance imaging, and histopathology were used to monitor serial tumor growth. Natural killer (NK) cell function was examined in each mouse strain using standard (51)Chromium release assays. RESULTS Melanoma metastases growth is delayed and variable in scid and NOD-scid mice. In contrast, NOD-scid beta2m(null) and NOD-scid IL2Rgamma(null) mice show rapid tumor engraftment, although tumor growth is variable in NOD-scid beta2m(null) mice. NK cells were detected in all strains except NOD-scid IL2Rgamma(null), and in vitro activated scid, NOD-scid, and NOD-scid beta2m(null) NK cells kill human melanoma lines and primary melanoma cells. Expression of human NKG2D ligands MHC class I chain-related A and B molecules renders melanoma susceptible to murine NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity and killing is inhibited by antibody blockade of murine NKG2D. CONCLUSIONS Murine NKG2D recognition of MICA/B is an important receptor-ligand interaction used by NK cells in immunodeficient strains to limit engraftment of human tumors. The absolute NK deficiency in NOD-scid IL2Rgamma(null) animals makes this strain an excellent recipient of melanoma and potentially other human malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz M Carreno
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Carreno BM, Garbow JR, Kolar GR, Jackson EN, Engelbach JA, Becker-Hapak M, Carayannopoulos LN, Piwnica-Worms D, Linette GP. IMMUNE-DEFICIENT MOUSE STRAINS DISPLAY MARKED VARIABILITY IN GROWTH OF HUMAN MELANOMA LUNG METASTASES (88.6). The Journal of Immunology 2009. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.182.supp.88.6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Immune-deficient mice are widely used in cancer research to study human cancer biology and evaluate new therapeutics. No comprehensive study has been published documenting differences in human tumor engraftment among immune-deficient strains. Using RhoC-expressing human (A375) melanoma cells, we evaluate scid, NOD-scid (NS), NOD-scid β2mnull (NSB), and NOD-scid IL2Rγnull (NSG) as xenograft tumor recipients. Bioluminescence, magnetic resonance imaging and histopathology were employed to monitor serial tumor growth. Melanoma metastases growth is delayed and variable in scid, and NS mice. In contrast, NSB and NSG mice show rapid tumor engraftment, although tumor growth is variable in NSB mice. NK cells were detected in all strains except NSG, and in vitro activated scid, NS and NSB NK cells kill human melanoma lines and primary melanoma cells. Expression of human NKG2D ligands, MICA and MICB, renders melanoma susceptible to murine NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity and killing is inhibited by antibody blockade of murine NKG2D. Murine NKG2D recognition of MICA/B is an important receptor-ligand interaction employed by NK cells in immune-deficient strains to limit engraftment of human tumors. The absolute NK deficiency in NOD-scid IL2Rγnull animals makes this strain an excellent recipient of melanoma and potentially other human malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Erin N. Jackson
- 4Molecular Imaging Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo
| | | | | | | | - David Piwnica-Worms
- 4Molecular Imaging Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo
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Carreno BM, Becker-Hapak M, Linette GP. CD40 regulates human dendritic cell-derived IL-7 production that, in turn, contributes to CD8(+) T-cell antigen-specific expansion. Immunol Cell Biol 2008; 87:167-77. [PMID: 19002156 DOI: 10.1038/icb.2008.80] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
CD40L (CD154) expressed on activated CD4(+) T cells has been shown to provide CD40(+) dendritic cells (DCs), a critical signal for establishing CD8(+) T-cell immunity. CD40L-CD40 interaction leads to DC maturation with IL-12 production and upregulation of various costimulatory molecules. In this study, we show that CD40 engagement provides a unique maturation signal for human monocyte-derived DCs to upregulate IL-7 production. Other inducers of DC maturation, such as TLR 4 and TLR 7/8 agonist, fail to induce IL-7 upregulation. Neutralization of IL-7 activity in human CD8(+) T-cell cultures stimulated with CMV pp65-NLV peptide-pulsed mature DCs (mDCs) leads to a reduction in antigen-specific CD8(+) T-cell yields suggesting a role for mDC-derived IL-7 during T-cell receptor (TCR) activation. Furthermore, IL-7 signaling requires a temporal coordination with TCR activation for maximal antigen-specific T-cell yields. These results show that CD40 signals regulate DC-derived IL-7 production that, in turn, may instruct CD8(+) T cells at the time of TCR engagement for survival leading to an increased expansion of antigen-specific T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz M Carreno
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Abstract
This unit describes the technology that allows an investigator to transduce full-length proteins by utilizing a minimal, eleven-amino acid, HIV-TAT transduction domain that can be fused to a protein of choice using the pTAT or pTAT-HA protein expression plasmids. Bacterial expression, followed by solubilization of protein aggregates with a denaturing agent, affords high yields of transducible fusion protein. The fusion protein, once added to the culture medium, can cross the cell membrane and then be degraded or refolded by the cellular machinery. Correct targeting and function of the fusion protein can be easily examined by fluorescent microscopy or immunohistochemistry. This strategy was established and improved to its current state by the purification and transduction of a multitude of fusion proteins. Because the pool of fusion proteins spans many different functions, the protocols cover a wide variety of commonly used protein isolation and characterization methods.
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Gao L, Feng Y, Bowers R, Becker-Hapak M, Gardner J, Council L, Linette G, Zhao H, Cornelius LA. Ras-associated protein-1 regulates extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation and migration in melanoma cells: two processes important to melanoma tumorigenesis and metastasis. Cancer Res 2007; 66:7880-8. [PMID: 16912161 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-0254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma is one of the most devastating malignancies with a rising incidence and lack of effective treatments for advanced disease. Constitutive activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and altered expression of alpha(v)beta(3) integrin are critical for melanoma development and progression. Ras-associated protein-1 (Rap1), a Ras family member of the small GTPases, has emerged as a key mediator in these two important processes. In this study, we have shown Rap1 activation in cells derived from two human metastatic melanomas and also in three of seven cutaneous metastatic melanoma tissues. We found increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activity in the tumors with detected Rap1 activity that interestingly harbored neither BRAF nor N-Ras mutation, suggesting a role for Rap1 in ERK activation in vivo. We also showed Rap1 and ERK activation by both hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and 8CPT-2Me-cAMP (an activator of Epac, a Rap1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor) in two human melanoma cell lines. In addition, the activation of ERK by HGF was reduced, at least in part, by small interfering RNAs against Rap1 and a dominant-negative Rap1. Finally, a functional role for Rap1 activation was shown by Rap1-induced alpha(v)beta(3) integrin activation and consequent increased melanoma cell migration in vitro. Taken together, these results show that Rap1 is involved in the activation of MAPK pathway and integrin activation in human melanoma and suggest a potential role for Rap1 in melanoma tumorigenesis and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Gao
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Cai SR, Xu G, Becker-Hapak M, Ma M, Dowdy SF, McLeod HL. The kinetics and tissue distribution of protein transduction in mice. Eur J Pharm Sci 2006; 27:311-9. [PMID: 16376528 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2005.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [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] [Received: 12/15/2004] [Revised: 10/12/2005] [Accepted: 10/26/2005] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Protein transduction domains (PTDs) offer an exciting therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of many diseases. An 11-amino acid fragment of human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) TAT-protein can transduce large, biologically active proteins into mammalian cells; recent evidence has shown an in vivo PTD for the 116 kDa beta-galactosidase protein. However, there is little information on the in vivo distribution of the TAT fusion protein to define the viability of PTDs for human studies. In this study we examined the tissue kinetics and tissue distribution of the PTD-transduced TAT fusion protein in mice. Low (100 microg) or high (500 microg) doses of TAT-beta-galactosidase fusion protein were administrated to mice through four routes (portal vein, i.v., i.p., and oral). Tissues were harvested 15 min, 1h, 6h, 10h, and 24h after treatment. Distribution of beta-galactosidase in various tissues was analysed by in situ staining, enzymatic activity assay, and Western blot analysis. Beta-galactosidase enzyme activity was observed in all tissues (liver, kidney, spleen, lung, bowel, and brain). Beta-galactosidase activity peaked at 15 min in most tissues after portal vein, i.v., and i.p. administration and at 1h after oral dosing in all tissues. Beta-galactosidase activity in the liver at 15 min after portal vein injection (67 milliunits [mU]/mg) was higher than after i.v. (9.8 mU/mg), i.p. (4.4 mU/mg), and oral (0.3 mU/mg) dosing. In situ staining and Western blot results correlated closely with beta-galactosidase enzyme activity assay. The median initial half-life for activity was 2.2h, ranging from 1.2h to 3.4h (coefficient of variation=28.9%). The bioavailability of beta-galactosidase activity after an orally administered PTD was 24%. This study details the kinetics and tissue distribution of delivering of a model TAT fusion protein into the mouse via PTD. These data allow rational selection of delivery route and schedules for therapeutic PTD and will aid the use of TAT fusion protein transduction in the development of protein therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Rong Cai
- Department of Medicine, The Siteman Cancer Center, The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, Room 1021 CSRB NT, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8069, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Viehl CT, Becker-Hapak M, Lewis JS, Tanaka Y, Liyanage UK, Linehan DC, Eberlein TJ, Goedegebuure PS. A tat fusion protein-based tumor vaccine for breast cancer. Ann Surg Oncol 2005; 12:517-25. [PMID: 15889213 DOI: 10.1245/aso.2005.06.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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] [Received: 06/18/2004] [Accepted: 02/03/2005] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We recently reported that dendritic cells (DCs) transduced with a fusion protein between Her2/neu and the protein transduction domain Tat (DC-Tat-extracellular domain [ECD]) induced Her2/neu-specific CD8(+) T cells in vitro. This study tested the in vivo efficacy of DC-Tat-ECD in a murine breast cancer model. METHODS FVB/N mice received one or two weekly intraperitoneal immunizations with syngeneic DC-Tat-ECD followed by a tumor challenge with syngeneic neu(+) breast cancer cells, and tumor development was monitored. To test for Her2/neu specificity, CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells were isolated through magnetic bead separation and analyzed for specific interferon gamma release. RESULTS Intraperitoneally injected DCs migrated to secondary lymphoid organs, as evidenced by small-animal positron emission tomography studies. Immunized mice developed palpable tumors significantly later than control mice injected with DC-Tat-empty (P = .001 and P < .05 for two immunizations and for one immunization, respectively) or mice that received no DCs (P = .001 and P < .05). Similarly, immunized mice had smaller resulting tumors than mice injected with DC-Tat-empty (P < .05 and P < .01) or untreated mice (P < .001 and P < .001). Significantly more tumor-specific CD8(+) splenocytes were found in twice-immunized mice than in untreated animals (P < .001). Similarly, a T-helper type 1 CD4(+) T-cell response was observed. CONCLUSIONS Protein-transduced DCs may be effective vaccines for the treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten T Viehl
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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Yu BD, Becker-Hapak M, Snyder EL, Vooijs M, Denicourt C, Dowdy SF. Distinct and nonoverlapping roles for pRB and cyclin D:cyclin-dependent kinases 4/6 activity in melanocyte survival. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:14881-6. [PMID: 14630948 PMCID: PMC299840 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2431391100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Deregulation of the p16INK4a-cyclin D:cyclin-dependent kinases (cdk) 4/6-retinoblastoma (pRB) pathway is a common paradigm in the oncogenic transformation of human cells and suggests that this pathway functions linearly in malignant transformation. However, it is not understood why p16INK4a and cyclin D:cdk4/6 mutations are disproportionately more common than the rare genetic event of RB inactivation in human malignancies such as melanoma. To better understand how these complexes contribute to altered tissue homeostasis, we blocked cdk4/6 activation and acutely inactivated Rb by conditional mutagenesis during mouse hair follicle cycling. Inhibition of cdk4/6 in the skin by subcutaneous administration of a membrane-transducible TAT-p16INK4a protein completely blocked hair follicle growth and differentiation. In contrast, acute disruption of Rb in the skin of homozygous RbLoxP/LoxP mice via subcutaneous administration of TAT-Cre recombinase failed to affect hair growth. However, loss of Rb resulted in severe depigmentation of hair follicles. Further analysis of follicular melanocytes in vivo and in primary cell culture demonstrated that pRB plays a cell-autonomous role in melanocyte survival. Moreover, functional inactivation of all three Rb family members (Rb, p107, and p130) in primary melanocytes by treatment with a transducible TAT-E1A protein did not rescue the apoptotic phenotype. These findings suggest that deregulated cyclin D:cdk4/6 complexes and pRB perform nonoverlapping functions in vivo and provide a cellular mechanism that accounts for the low incidence of RB inactivation in cancers such as melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin D Yu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093-0686, USA
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McAllister SS, Becker-Hapak M, Pintucci G, Pagano M, Dowdy SF. Novel p27(kip1) C-terminal scatter domain mediates Rac-dependent cell migration independent of cell cycle arrest functions. Mol Cell Biol 2003; 23:216-28. [PMID: 12482975 PMCID: PMC140659 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.23.1.216-228.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [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: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) signaling via its receptor, the proto-oncogene Met, alters cell proliferation and motility and has been associated with tumor metastasis. HGF treatment of HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells induces cell migration concomitant with increased levels of the p27(kip1) cyclin-cdk inhibitor. HGF signaling resulted in nuclear export of endogenous p27 to the cytoplasm, via Ser-10 phosphorylation, where it colocalized with F-actin. Introduction of transducible p27 protein (TATp27) was sufficient for actin cytoskeletal rearrangement and migration of HepG2 cells. TATp27 mutational analysis identified a novel p27 C-terminal domain required for cell migration, distinct from the N-terminal cyclin-cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) binding domain. Loss or disruption of the p27 C-terminal domain abolished both actin rearrangement and cell migration. The cell-scattering activity of p27 occurred independently of its cell cycle arrest functions and required cytoplasmic localization of p27 via Ser-10 phosphorylation. Furthermore, Rac GTPase was necessary for p27-dependent migration but alone was insufficient for HepG2 cell migration. These results predicted a migration defect in p27-deficient cells. Indeed, p27-deficient primary fibroblasts failed to migrate, and reconstitution with TATp27 rescued the motility defect. These observations define a novel role for p27 in cell motility that is independent of its function in cell cycle inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra S McAllister
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla 92093-0686, USA
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Ezhevsky SA, Ho A, Becker-Hapak M, Davis PK, Dowdy SF. Differential regulation of retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein by G(1) cyclin-dependent kinase complexes in vivo. Mol Cell Biol 2001; 21:4773-84. [PMID: 11416152 PMCID: PMC87164 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.21.14.4773-4784.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2001] [Accepted: 04/10/2001] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRB) negatively regulates early-G(1) cell cycle progression, in part, by sequestering E2F transcription factors and repressing E2F-responsive genes. Although pRB is phosphorylated on up to 16 cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) sites by multiple G(1) cyclin-Cdk complexes, the active form(s) of pRB in vivo remains unknown. pRB is present as an unphosphorylated protein in G(0) quiescent cells and becomes hypophosphorylated (approximately 2 mol of PO(4) to 1 mol of pRB) in early G(1) and hyperphosphorylated (approximately 10 mol of PO(4) to 1 mol of pRB) in late G(1) phase. Here, we report that hypophosphorylated pRB, present in early G(1), represents the biologically active form of pRB in vivo that is assembled with E2Fs and E1A but that both unphosphorylated pRB in G(0) and hyperphosphorylated pRB in late G(1) fail to become assembled with E2Fs and E1A. Furthermore, using transducible dominant-negative TAT fusion proteins that differentially target cyclin D-Cdk4 or cyclin D-Cdk6 (cyclin D-Cdk4/6) and cyclin E-Cdk2 complexes, namely, TAT-p16 and TAT-dominant-negative Cdk2, respectively, we found that, in vivo, cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complexes hypophosphorylate pRB in early G(1) and that cyclin E-Cdk2 complexes inactivate pRB by hyperphosphorylation in late G(1). Moreover, we found that cycling human tumor cells expressing deregulated cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complexes, due to deletion of the p16(INK4a) gene, contained hypophosphorylated pRB that was bound to E2Fs in early G(1) and that E2F-responsive genes, including those for dihydrofolate reductase and cyclin E, were transcriptionally repressed. Thus, we conclude that, physiologically, pRB is differentially regulated by G(1) cyclin-Cdk complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Ezhevsky
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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41
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Abstract
Manipulation of mammalian cells has been achieved by the transfection of expression vectors, microinjection, or diffusion of peptidyl mimetics. While these approaches have been somewhat successful, the classic manipulation methods are not easily regulated and can be laborious. One approach to circumvent these problems is the use of HIV TAT-mediated protein transduction. Although this technology was originally described in 1988, few improvements were reported in the subsequent 10 years. In the last few years, significant steps have been taken to advance this technology into a broadly applicable method that allows for the rapid introduction of full-length proteins into primary and transformed cells. The technology requires the synthesis of a fusion protein, linking the TAT transduction domain to the molecule of interest using a bacterial expression vector, followed by the purification of this fusion protein under either soluble or denaturing conditions. The purified fusion protein can be directly added to mammalian cell culture or injected in vivo into mice. Protein transduction occurs in a concentration-dependent manner, achieving maximum intracellular concentrations in less than 5 min, with nearly equal intracellular concentrations between all cells in the transduced population. Full-length TAT fusion proteins have been used to address a number of biological questions, relating to cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and cellular architecture. Described here are the fundamental requirements for the creation, isolation, and utilization of TAT-fusion proteins to affect mammalian cells. A detailed protocol for production and transduction of TAT-Cdc42 into primary cells is given to illustrate the technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Becker-Hapak
- Department of Pathology and Department of Medicine, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, 4940 Parkview Place, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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Gius DR, Ezhevsky SA, Becker-Hapak M, Nagahara H, Wei MC, Dowdy SF. Transduced p16INK4a peptides inhibit hypophosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein and cell cycle progression prior to activation of Cdk2 complexes in late G1. Cancer Res 1999; 59:2577-80. [PMID: 10363976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Progression of cells through the G1 phase of the cell cycle requires cyclin D:Cdk4/6 and cyclin E:Cdk2 complexes; however, the duration and ordering of these complexes remain unclear. To address this, we synthesized a peptidyl mimetic of the Cdk4/6 inhibitor, p16INK4a that contained an NH2-terminal TAT protein transduction domain. Transduction of TAT-p16 wild-type peptides into cells resulted in the loss of active, hypophosphorylated pRb and elicited an early G1 cell cycle arrest, provided cyclin E:Cdk2 complexes were inactive. We conclude that cyclin D:Cdk4/6 activity is required for early G1 phase cell cycle progression up to, but not beyond, activation of cyclin E:Cdk2 complexes at the restriction point and is thus nonredundant with cyclin E:Cdk2 in late G1.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Gius
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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Nagahara H, Vocero-Akbani AM, Snyder EL, Ho A, Latham DG, Lissy NA, Becker-Hapak M, Ezhevsky SA, Dowdy SF. Transduction of full-length TAT fusion proteins into mammalian cells: TAT-p27Kip1 induces cell migration. Nat Med 1998; 4:1449-52. [PMID: 9846587 DOI: 10.1038/4042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 729] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- H Nagahara
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Dept of Pathology and Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Calcutt MJ, Becker-Hapak M, Gaut M, Hoerter J, Eisenstark A. The rpoS gene of Erwinia carotovora: gene organization and functional expression in E. coli. FEMS Microbiol Lett 1998; 159:275-81. [PMID: 9503622 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1998.tb12872.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
rpoS homologues were identified in several Erwinia species using Escherichia coli rpoS sequences as probes. The rpoS gene from Erwinia carotovora was cloned and the deduced amino acid sequence had 91% identity to E. coli RpoS. The latter sigma factor regulates the stationary phase inducible HPII catalase activity of E. coli. In an E. coli rpoS mutant, the E. carotovora rpoS gene was also able to regulate synthesis of this catalase. The presence of a similar catalase in E. carotovora suggests that the structural gene for this may be part of the rpoS 'regulon' in Erwinia also. This study also showed that there are several differences in the gene organization of the rpoS region of the E. coli and E. carotovora chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Calcutt
- Cancer Research Center, Columbia, MO 65201, USA
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45
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Lissy NA, Van Dyk LF, Becker-Hapak M, Vocero-Akbani A, Mendler JH, Dowdy SF. TCR antigen-induced cell death occurs from a late G1 phase cell cycle check point. Immunity 1998; 8:57-65. [PMID: 9462511 DOI: 10.1016/s1074-7613(00)80458-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Deletion of antigen-activated T cells after an immune response and during peripheral negative selection after strong T cell receptor (TCR) engagement of cycling T cells occurs by an apoptotic process termed TCR antigen-induced cell death (AID). By analyzing the timing of death, cell cycle markers, BrdU-labeled S phase cells, and phase-specific centrifugally elutriated cultures from stimulated Jurkat T cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes, we found that AID occurs from a late G1 check point prior to activation of cyclin E:Cdk2 complexes. T cells stimulated to undergo AID can be rescued by effecting an early G1 block by direct transduction of p16INK4a tumor suppressor protein or by inactivation of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (pRb) by transduced HPV E7 protein. These results suggest that AID occurs from a late G1 death check point in a pRb-dependent fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- N A Lissy
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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Becker-Hapak M, Troxtel E, Hoerter J, Eisenstark A. RpoS dependent overexpression of carotenoids from Erwinia herbicola in OXYR deficient Escherichia coli. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1997; 239:305-9. [PMID: 9345315 DOI: 10.1006/bbrc.1997.7469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [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: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Carotenoid synthesis in Escherichia coli, when transformed with plasmid containing a carotenoid gene cluster from Erwinia herbicola (pPL376), is regulated by RpoS. When the plasmid was transformed into E. coli mutants that were oxyR minus, the intracellular carotenoid concentration dramatically increased from that observed in an oxyR plus allele. The higher carotenoid concentration in these mutants correlated with an increase in rpoS transcription as indicated by beta-galactosidase activity from a rpoS::lacZ promoter fusion. This indication of a higher concentration of carotenoids correlated with an increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide and near-ultraviolet radiation (310-400 nm; near-UV).
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Affiliation(s)
- M Becker-Hapak
- Ferris State University, Department of Biology, Big Rapids, Michigan 49307, USA
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Graves DC, Chary-Reddy S, Becker-Hapak M. Detection of Pneumocystis carinii in induced sputa from immunocompromised patients using a repetitive DNA probe. Mol Cell Probes 1997; 11:1-9. [PMID: 9076709 DOI: 10.1006/mcpr.1996.0070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
A hybridization assay for the detection of Pneumocystis carinii was developed using a repetitive DNA fragment of P.c. hominis. The assay was specific as different micro-organisms typically found in the respiratory tract, normal human lung DNA (A 549 cell line) and normal rat lung DNA did not react with the repetitive probe. In a slot blot (SB) hybridization assay, the repetitive probe was able to detect as few as 100 P.c. hominis organisms with no false-positives. The results of the SB hybridization assay were compared with an immunofluorescence (IFA) assay for the detection of P.c. hominis in 84 induced sputum (IS) samples obtained from 52 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive patients, 22 HIV-seronegative patients and 10 healthy individuals. Samples from 24 patients clinically diagnosed with P. carinii pneumonia (PCP) were positive for P.c. hominis by both assays. In addition, the SB assay detected P.c. hominis in 14 patients (10 HIV-positive and four HIV-negative) who were negative by IFA. All 14 samples showed a positive PCR signal for the P.c. hominis dihydrofolate reductase gene, further confirming the presence of P.c. hominis in these specimens. Twelve of these patients had a clinical course highly suggestive of PCP and were either on P. carinii prophylaxis or P. carinii chemotherapy. The other two samples were from HIV-positive patients who had respiratory illness due to causes other than P.c. hominis (disseminated histoplasmosis and fatal Bordetella pneumonia). Detection of P.c. hominis in these samples suggests that these patients may have subclinical colonization by P.c. hominis. Furthermore, P.c. hominis was detected in all 12 sequential IS samples from six AIDS patients who had primary episodes of PCR using the SB assay, while P.c. hominis was detected only in eight samples by IFA (66.6%). All six patients developed recurrent PCP within 6 months from the time the assays were performed, further illustrating the potential of the SB hybridization assay in monitoring PCP recurrence. Thus, the ability of the SB hybridization assay to detect a low parasite load suggests that this assay may become an important supplemental tool, along with current cytological methods, for detecting P.c. hominis in patient populations with lower burdens of the organism and in identifying asymptomatic carriers of the parasite in healthy and immunosuppressed individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Graves
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City 73190, USA
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Abstract
The first phenotype described for mutations in the Escherichia coli rpoS gene was hypersensitivity to near-ultraviolet radiation and to its oxidative photoproduct, hydrogen peroxide. Initially named nur, this gene is now known to code for a sigma factor, and has acquired new names such as katF and rpoS. The role of its protein product (sigma-38) is to regulate a battery of genes as cells enter and rest in stationary phase. Some of the gene products are involved in protection against oxidants (e.g., catalases) and repair of oxidative damage (e.g., exonuclease III). Sigma-38 may also modulate transcription of certain growth phase genes, including hydroperoxidase I and glutathione reductase. Sigma-38 activity is regulated at transcriptional, translational, and protein stabilization levels. This review describes the complex mechanisms whereby sigma-38 controls various genes, the interaction of sigma-38 with other regulators, and a possible role of sigma-38 in bacterial virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Eisenstark
- Cancer Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA
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Abstract
RpoS (sigma-38) is the major regulator of genes for survival of Escherichia coli in the stationary phase. OxyR is a transcriptional regulator that responds to H2O2 induced stress in exponential phase. Once considered to act independently of each other, they are now known to be integrally involved in the expression of several oxidative stress genes. While it is known that in the exponential phase, OxyR is the transcriptional regulator of gor, this study has shown that RpoS regulates gor in the stationary phase. beta-Galactosidase activity of a gor::lacZ promoter fusion showed no induction in a oxyR rpoS double mutant. Challenge of a gor mutant to several oxidants showed that the gene product was not functioning as a classic antioxidant.
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50
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Liberator PA, Anderson JW, Powles M, Pittarelli LA, Worley M, Becker-Hapak M, Graves DC, Schmatz DM. Comparative study of antipneumocystis agents in rats by using a Pneumocystis carinii-specific DNA probe to quantitate infection. J Clin Microbiol 1992; 30:2968-74. [PMID: 1452667 PMCID: PMC270561 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.30.11.2968-2974.1992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [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: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
A repetitive genomic DNA clone (B12-2) that specifically hybridizes to Pneumocystis carinii DNA has been identified. No cross-hybridization to genomic DNA prepared from bacteria, other fungi, protozoa, or mammals was observed. Clone B12-2 is multiply represented in the P. carinii genome. By direct hybridization to DNA prepared from the lungs of immunosuppressed rats, the probe can detect the equivalent of fewer than 1,000 P. carinii organisms. A hybridization assay employing clone B12-2 has been developed to quantitate organism load in the rat model for P. carinii. Application of the assay to track the accumulation of organisms during the immunosuppression regimen as well as to monitor the efficacy of two drug therapies used clinically for the treatment of P. carinii pneumonia is described here. The clone B12-2 hybridization assay for the determination of P. carinii organism load possesses several advantageous features and thus should serve to complement conventional staining and immunohistochemical methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Liberator
- Department of Genetics, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey 07065
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