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Aparicio B, Theunissen P, Hervas-Stubbs S, Fortes P, Sarobe P. Relevance of mutation-derived neoantigens and non-classical antigens for anticancer therapies. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2024; 20:2303799. [PMID: 38346926 PMCID: PMC10863374 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2303799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Efficacy of cancer immunotherapies relies on correct recognition of tumor antigens by lymphocytes, eliciting thus functional responses capable of eliminating tumor cells. Therefore, important efforts have been carried out in antigen identification, with the aim of understanding mechanisms of response to immunotherapy and to design safer and more efficient strategies. In addition to classical tumor-associated antigens identified during the last decades, implementation of next-generation sequencing methodologies is enabling the identification of neoantigens (neoAgs) arising from mutations, leading to the development of new neoAg-directed therapies. Moreover, there are numerous non-classical tumor antigens originated from other sources and identified by new methodologies. Here, we review the relevance of neoAgs in different immunotherapies and the results obtained by applying neoAg-based strategies. In addition, the different types of non-classical tumor antigens and the best approaches for their identification are described. This will help to increase the spectrum of targetable molecules useful in cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belen Aparicio
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Patrick Theunissen
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
- DNA and RNA Medicine Division, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Sandra Hervas-Stubbs
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Puri Fortes
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
- DNA and RNA Medicine Division, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Spanish Network for Advanced Therapies (TERAV ISCIII), Spain
| | - Pablo Sarobe
- Program of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA) University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN), Pamplona, Spain
- Navarra Institute for Health Research (IDISNA), Pamplona, Spain
- CIBERehd, Pamplona, Spain
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Yao R, Xie C, Xia X. Recent progress in mRNA cancer vaccines. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2024; 20:2307187. [PMID: 38282471 PMCID: PMC10826636 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2307187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The research and development of messenger RNA (mRNA) cancer vaccines have gradually overcome numerous challenges through the application of personalized cancer antigens, structural optimization of mRNA, and the development of alternative RNA-based vectors and efficient targeted delivery vectors. Clinical trials are currently underway for various cancer vaccines that encode tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), tumor-specific antigens (TSAs), or immunomodulators. In this paper, we summarize the optimization of mRNA and the emergence of RNA-based expression vectors in cancer vaccines. We begin by reviewing the advancement and utilization of state-of-the-art targeted lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), followed by presenting the primary classifications and clinical applications of mRNA cancer vaccines. Collectively, mRNA vaccines are emerging as a central focus in cancer immunotherapy, offering the potential to address multiple challenges in cancer treatment, either as standalone therapies or in combination with current cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruhui Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chunyuan Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaojun Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
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Manoutcharian K, Gevorkian G. Are we getting closer to a successful neoantigen cancer vaccine? Mol Aspects Med 2024; 96:101254. [PMID: 38354548 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2024.101254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Although significant advances in immunotherapy have revolutionized the treatment of many cancer types over the past decade, the field of vaccine therapy, an important component of cancer immunotherapy, despite decades-long intense efforts, is still transmitting signals of promises and awaiting strong data on efficacy to proceed with regulatory approval. The field of cancer vaccines faces standard challenges, such as tumor-induced immunosuppression, immune response in inhibitory tumor microenvironment (TME), intratumor heterogeneity (ITH), permanently evolving cancer mutational landscape leading to neoantigens, and less known obstacles: neoantigen gain/loss upon immunotherapy, the timing and speed of appearance of neoantigens and responding T cell clonotypes and possible involvement of immune interference/heterologous immunity, in the complex interplay between evolving tumor epitopes and the immune system. In this review, we discuss some key issues related to challenges hampering the development of cancer vaccines, along with the current approaches focusing on neoantigens. We summarize currently well-known ideas/rationales, thus revealing the need for alternative vaccine approaches. Such a discussion should stimulate vaccine researchers to apply out-of-box, unconventional thinking in search of new avenues to deal with critical, often yet unaddressed challenges on the road to a new generation of therapeutics and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Manoutcharian
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), CDMX, Apartado Postal 70228, Cuidad Universitaria, Mexico DF, CP, 04510, Mexico.
| | - Goar Gevorkian
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomedicas, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), CDMX, Apartado Postal 70228, Cuidad Universitaria, Mexico DF, CP, 04510, Mexico.
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4
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Ren Y, Manoharan T, Liu B, Cheng CZM, En Siew B, Cheong WK, Lee KY, Tan IJW, Lieske B, Tan KK, Chia G. Circular RNA as a source of neoantigens for cancer vaccines. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e008402. [PMID: 38508656 PMCID: PMC10952939 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-008402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effectiveness of somatic neoantigen-based immunotherapy is often hindered by the limited number of mutations in tumors with low to moderate mutation burden. Focusing on microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (CRC), this study investigates the potential of tumor-associated circular RNAs (circRNAs) as an alternative source of neoepitopes in CRC. METHODS Tumor-associated circRNAs in CRC were identified using the MiOncoCirc database and ribo-depletion RNA sequencing of paired clinical normal and tumor samples. Candidate circRNA expression was validated by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) using divergent primers. TransCirc database was used for translation prediction. Human leukocyte antigen binding affinity of open reading frames from potentially translatable circRNA was predicted using pVACtools. Strong binders from messenger RNA-encoded proteins were excluded using BlastP. The immunogenicity of the candidate antigens was functionally validated through stimulation of naïve CD8+ T cells against the predicted neoepitopes and subsequent analysis of the T cells through enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay, intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) and granzyme B (GZMB) reporter. The cytotoxicity of T cells trained with antigen peptides was further tested using patient-derived organoids. RESULTS We identified a neoepitope from circRAPGEF5 that is upregulated in CRC tumor samples from MiOncoCirc database, and two neoepitopes from circMYH9, which is upregulated across various tumor samples from our matched clinical samples. The translation potential of candidate peptides was supported by Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium database using PepQuery. The candidate peptides elicited antigen-specific T cells response and expansion, evidenced by various assays including ELISpot, ICS and GZMB reporter. Furthermore, T cells trained with circMYH9 peptides were able to specifically target and eliminate tumor-derived organoids but not match normal organoids. This observation underscores the potential of circRNAs as a source of immunogenic neoantigens. Lastly, circMYH9 was enriched in the liquid biopsies of patients with CRC, thus enabling a detection-to-vaccination treatment strategy for patients with CRC. CONCLUSIONS Our findings underscore the feasibility of tumor-associated circRNAs as an alternative source of neoantigens for cancer vaccines targeting tumors with moderate mutation levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Ren
- Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- NUS iHealthtech, Singapore
| | - Thamizhanban Manoharan
- Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- NUS iHealthtech, Singapore
| | - Beijia Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cyrus Zai Ming Cheng
- Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- NUS iHealthtech, Singapore
| | - Bei En Siew
- Department of Surgery, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Wai-Kit Cheong
- Department of Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Kai Yin Lee
- Department of Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Ian Jse-Wei Tan
- Department of Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Bettina Lieske
- Department of Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Ker-Kan Tan
- Department of Surgery, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Surgery, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Gloryn Chia
- Department of Pharmacy, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- NUS iHealthtech, Singapore
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Nejo T, Wang L, Leung KK, Wang A, Lakshmanachetty S, Gallus M, Kwok DW, Hong C, Chen LH, Carrera DA, Zhang MY, Stevers NO, Maldonado GC, Yamamichi A, Watchmaker PB, Naik A, Shai A, Phillips JJ, Chang SM, Wiita AP, Wells JA, Costello JF, Diaz AA, Okada H. Challenges in the discovery of tumor-specific alternative splicing-derived cell-surface antigens in glioma. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6362. [PMID: 38493204 PMCID: PMC10944514 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56684-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite advancements in cancer immunotherapy, solid tumors remain formidable challenges. In glioma, profound inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity of antigen landscape hampers therapeutic development. Therefore, it is critical to consider alternative sources to expand the repertoire of targetable (neo-)antigens and improve therapeutic outcomes. Accumulating evidence suggests that tumor-specific alternative splicing (AS) could be an untapped reservoir of antigens. In this study, we investigated tumor-specific AS events in glioma, focusing on those predicted to generate major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-presentation-independent, cell-surface antigens that could be targeted by antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor-T cells. We systematically analyzed bulk RNA-sequencing datasets comparing 429 tumor samples (from The Cancer Genome Atlas) and 9166 normal tissue samples (from the Genotype-Tissue Expression project), and identified 13 AS events in 7 genes predicted to be expressed in more than 10% of the patients, including PTPRZ1 and BCAN, which were corroborated by an external RNA-sequencing dataset. Subsequently, we validated our predictions and elucidated the complexity of the isoforms using full-length transcript amplicon sequencing on patient-derived glioblastoma cells. However, analyses of the RNA-sequencing datasets of spatially mapped and longitudinally collected clinical tumor samples unveiled remarkable spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the candidate AS events. Furthermore, proteomics analysis did not reveal any peptide spectra matching the putative antigens. Our investigation illustrated the diverse characteristics of the tumor-specific AS events and the challenges of antigen exploration due to their notable spatiotemporal heterogeneity and elusive nature at the protein levels. Redirecting future efforts toward intracellular, MHC-presented antigens could offer a more viable avenue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahide Nejo
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Kevin K Leung
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Albert Wang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Senthilnath Lakshmanachetty
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Marco Gallus
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Darwin W Kwok
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Chibo Hong
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Lee H Chen
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Diego A Carrera
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Michael Y Zhang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Nicholas O Stevers
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Gabriella C Maldonado
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Akane Yamamichi
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Payal B Watchmaker
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Akul Naik
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Anny Shai
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Joanna J Phillips
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Susan M Chang
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Arun P Wiita
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA
- The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - James A Wells
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Joseph F Costello
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Aaron A Diaz
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Hideho Okada
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 1450 3Rd Street, Box 0520, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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Spring LM, Tolaney SM, Fell G, Bossuyt V, Abelman RO, Wu B, Maheswaran S, Trippa L, Comander A, Mulvey T, McLaughlin S, Ryan P, Ryan L, Abraham E, Rosenstock A, Garrido-Castro AC, Lynce F, Moy B, Isakoff SJ, Tung N, Mittendorf EA, Ellisen LW, Bardia A. Response-guided neoadjuvant sacituzumab govitecan for localized triple-negative breast cancer: results from the NeoSTAR trial. Ann Oncol 2024; 35:293-301. [PMID: 38092228 DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2023.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sacituzumab govitecan (SG), a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting TROP2, is approved for pre-treated metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). We conducted an investigator-initiated clinical trial evaluating neoadjuvant (NA) SG (NCT04230109), and report primary results. PATIENTS AND METHODS Participants with early-stage TNBC received NA SG for four cycles. The primary objective was to assess pathological complete response (pCR) rate in breast and lymph nodes (ypT0/isN0) to SG. Secondary objectives included overall response rate (ORR), safety, event-free survival (EFS), and predictive biomarkers. A response-guided approach was utilized, and subsequent systemic therapy decisions were at the discretion of the treating physician. RESULTS From July 2020 to August 2021, 50 participants were enrolled (median age = 48.5 years; 13 clinical stage I disease, 26 stage II, 11 stage III). Forty-nine (98%) completed four cycles of SG. Overall, the pCR rate with SG alone was 30% [n = 15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 18% to 45%]. The ORR per RECIST V1.1 after SG alone was 64% (n = 32/50, 95% CI 77% to 98%). Higher Ki-67 and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were predictive of pCR to SG (P = 0.007 for Ki-67 and 0.002 for TILs), while baseline TROP2 expression was not (P = 0.440). Common adverse events were nausea (82%), fatigue (76%), alopecia (76%), neutropenia (44%), and rash (48%). With a median follow-up time of 18.9 months (95% CI 16.3-21.9 months), the 2-year EFS for all participants was 95%. Among participants with a pCR with SG (n = 15), the 2-year EFS was 100%. CONCLUSIONS In the first NA trial with an ADC in localized TNBC, SG demonstrated single-agent efficacy and feasibility of response-guided escalation/de-escalation. Further research on optimal duration of SG as well as NA combination strategies, including immunotherapy, are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Spring
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - S M Tolaney
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - G Fell
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - V Bossuyt
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - R O Abelman
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - B Wu
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - S Maheswaran
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - L Trippa
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - A Comander
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - T Mulvey
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - S McLaughlin
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - P Ryan
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - L Ryan
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - E Abraham
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - A Rosenstock
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | | | - F Lynce
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - B Moy
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - S J Isakoff
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - N Tung
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - E A Mittendorf
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston
| | - L W Ellisen
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - A Bardia
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston.
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7
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Killock D. Personalized neoantigen mRNA vaccine mitigates melanoma recurrence. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2024; 21:168. [PMID: 38302646 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-024-00867-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 02/03/2024]
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8
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Valega-Mackenzie W, Rodriguez Messan M, Yogurtcu ON, Nukala U, Sauna ZE, Yang H. Dose optimization of an adjuvanted peptide-based personalized neoantigen melanoma vaccine. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1011247. [PMID: 38427689 PMCID: PMC10936818 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011247] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The advancements in next-generation sequencing have made it possible to effectively detect somatic mutations, which has led to the development of personalized neoantigen cancer vaccines that are tailored to the unique variants found in a patient's cancer. These vaccines can provide significant clinical benefit by leveraging the patient's immune response to eliminate malignant cells. However, determining the optimal vaccine dose for each patient is a challenge due to the heterogeneity of tumors. To address this challenge, we formulate a mathematical dose optimization problem based on a previous mathematical model that encompasses the immune response cascade produced by the vaccine in a patient. We propose an optimization approach to identify the optimal personalized vaccine doses, considering a fixed vaccination schedule, while simultaneously minimizing the overall number of tumor and activated T cells. To validate our approach, we perform in silico experiments on six real-world clinical trial patients with advanced melanoma. We compare the results of applying an optimal vaccine dose to those of a suboptimal dose (the dose used in the clinical trial and its deviations). Our simulations reveal that an optimal vaccine regimen of higher initial doses and lower final doses may lead to a reduction in tumor size for certain patients. Our mathematical dose optimization offers a promising approach to determining an optimal vaccine dose for each patient and improving clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wencel Valega-Mackenzie
- Office of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Marisabel Rodriguez Messan
- Office of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Osman N. Yogurtcu
- Office of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ujwani Nukala
- Office of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Zuben E. Sauna
- Office of Therapeutic Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Hong Yang
- Office of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
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9
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Casillas AC, Muhlbauer A, Barragan VA, Jefferson I, Speiser JJ. A Comparison of Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma Immunohistochemistry and Diagnostic Gene Expression-Profiling Assay in Challenging Melanocytic Proliferations. Am J Dermatopathol 2024; 46:137-146. [PMID: 38354382 DOI: 10.1097/dad.0000000000002501] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Most melanocytic tumors are classified as benign or malignant based on clinical morphology, histology, and immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis. A subset of more challenging cases with ambiguous features may require further evaluation with established ancillary diagnostic molecular studies, including fluorescence in situ hybridization and/or single nucleotide polymorphism array, to increase diagnostic certainty. More recently, a diagnostic gene expression-profiling (GEP) assay and an IHC stain for the detection of PRAME (PReferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma) have been developed. The use of PRAME IHC has been validated in cases of unequivocal and ambiguous melanocytic proliferations via comparing results with fluorescence in situ hybridization and/or single nucleotide polymorphism array. A study comparing performance metrics of PRAME IHC and diagnostic GEP has not been previously published. Herein, we evaluated the use of PRAME IHC in 55 melanocytic tumors with challenging histomorphology by comparing the results with diagnostic GEP and final histomorphologic diagnosis. Intertest agreement occurred in 88% of cases. PRAME IHC supported the final diagnosis in 89% of cases with a sensitivity of 79%, specificity of 95%, and positive predictive value of 88.2%. GEP agreed with the final diagnosis in 88% of cases with a sensitivity of 65%, 97% specificity, and positively predicted melanoma in 91.7% of cases. Because the results of this study align with past publications evaluating the performance metrics of PRAME IHC, showing it to be as sensitive as and more cost effective than all other ancillary molecular tests, we propose the use of PRAME IHC as the optimal first-line diagnostic tool for ambiguous melanocytic proliferations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Victor A Barragan
- Student, Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University, North Chicago, IL
| | | | - Jodi J Speiser
- Pathologist, Department of Pathology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL
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10
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Ji D, Zhang Y, Sun J, Zhang B, Ma W, Cheng B, Wang X, Li Y, Mu Y, Xu H, Wang Q, Zhang C, Xiao S, Zhang L, Zhou D. An engineered influenza virus to deliver antigens for lung cancer vaccination. Nat Biotechnol 2024; 42:518-528. [PMID: 37231262 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01796-7] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The development of cancer neoantigen vaccines that prime the anti-tumor immune responses has been hindered in part by challenges in delivery of neoantigens to the tumor. Here, using the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) in a melanoma model, we demonstrate a chimeric antigenic peptide influenza virus (CAP-Flu) system for delivery of antigenic peptides bound to influenza A virus (IAV) to the lung. We conjugated attenuated IAVs with the innate immunostimulatory agent CpG and, after intranasal administration to the mouse lung, observed increased immune cell infiltration to the tumor. OVA was then covalently displayed on IAV-CPG using click chemistry. Vaccination with this construct yielded robust antigen uptake by dendritic cells, a specific immune cell response and a significant increase in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes compared to peptides alone. Lastly, we engineered the IAV to express anti-PD1-L1 nanobodies that further enhanced regression of lung metastases and prolonged mouse survival after rechallenge. Engineered IAVs can be equipped with any tumor neoantigen of interest to generate lung cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dezhong Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China.
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China.
| | - Yuanjie Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Jiaqi Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenxiao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Boyang Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Xinchen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Yuanhao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Yu Mu
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Huan Xu
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Chuanling Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Sulong Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Lihe Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China
| | - Demin Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Gaoke International Innovation Center, Shenzhen, China.
- Peking University Ningbo Institute of Marine Medicines, Ningbo, China.
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11
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Liu Y, Zhu P, Ji C, Dong L, Yi W. Fusion expression, purification, and characterization of cytokeratin 19 fragments in E. coli for enhanced stability in diagnostic applications. Protein Expr Purif 2024; 215:106410. [PMID: 38040273 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2023.106410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1) serves as a crucial tumor marker in the context of lung cancer patients, playing a pivotal role as a calibrator in the realm of in vitro diagnostics. Nevertheless, during practical application, it has come to light that the recombinantly synthesized full-length CYFRA21-1 antigen exhibits suboptimal stability at the requisite concentration, while the utilization of natural antigens incurs a substantial cost. To address this issue, our investigation harnessed a strategic approach whereby the soluble fragment of cytokeratin 19 (Aa244-400) was integrated into the pET32a vector, subsequently being expressed within E. coli through a fusion with the TrxA protein. This process involved induction of protein expression through 0.2 mM IPTG at 16 °C for a duration of 16 h. After induction, the target protein was purified through Ni affinity and ion exchange chromatography. Subsequent characterization of the targeted protein was executed through the SEC-HPLC technique. The attained CYFRA21-1 antigen, as generated within this study, was effectively incorporated into a chemiluminescence-based in vitro diagnostic detection kit. The results indicate that the fusion protein exhibited commendable reactivity and stability, manifesting a deviation of less than 10 % following incubation at 37 °C for 7 days. Importantly, the production yield achieved a notable magnitude of 300 mg/L, thus rendering it a cost-effective and scalable alternative to natural antigens for clinical diagnostic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunbo Liu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China; Zybio Inc, Chongqing, 400082, China.
| | - Pan Zhu
- Zybio Inc, Chongqing, 400082, China
| | | | - Lichun Dong
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China
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12
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Brito S, Heo H, Cha B, Lee SH, Park G, Kwak BM, Seong JK, Lee H, Park JH, Weon BM, Bin BH. The Slc45a4 Gene Regulates Pigmentation in a Manner Distinct from that of the OCA4 Gene Slc45a2. J Invest Dermatol 2024; 144:720-722.e5. [PMID: 37775036 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2023.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Brito
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyojin Heo
- Department of Applied Bio Technology, Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Byungsun Cha
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Hun Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Gunwoo Park
- Department of Applied Bio Technology, Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Korea Bioinformation Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Byeong-Mun Kwak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Je Kyung Seong
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Genomics, BK21 Plus Program for Advanced Veterinary Science, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Interdiscplinary Program for Bioinformatics, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Korea Mouse Phenotyping Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Lee
- Korea Mouse Phenotyping Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Hwan Park
- Korea Bioinformation Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Mook Weon
- School of Advanced Materials Science & Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Bum-Ho Bin
- Department of Applied Bio Technology, Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School, Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
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13
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Tan J, Egelston CA, Guo W, Stark JM, Lee PP. STING signalling compensates for low tumour mutation burden to drive anti-tumour immunity. EBioMedicine 2024; 101:105035. [PMID: 38401418 PMCID: PMC10904200 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While mutation-derived neoantigens are well recognized in generating anti-tumour T cell response, increasing evidences highlight the complex association between tumour mutation burden (TMB) and tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). The exploration of non-TMB determinants of active immune response could improve the prognosis prediction and provide guidance for current immunotherapy. METHODS The transcriptomic and whole exome sequence data in The Cancer Genome Atlas were used to examine the relationship between TMB and exhausted CD8+ T cells (Tex), as an indicator of tumour antigen-specific T cells across nine major cancer types. Computational clustering analysis was performed on 4510 tumours to identify different immune profiles. NanoString gene expression analysis and single cell RNA-seq analysis using fresh human breast cancer were performed for finding validation. FINDINGS TMB was found to be poorly correlated with active immune response in various cancer types. Patient clustering analysis revealed a group of tumours with abundant Tex but low TMB. In those tumours, we observed significantly higher expression of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signalling. Dendritic cells, particularly those of BATF3+ lineage, were also found to be essential for accumulation of Tex within tumours. Mechanistically, loss of genomic and cellular integrity, marked by decreased DNA damage repair, defective replication stress response, and increased apoptosis were shown to drive STING activation. INTERPRETATION These results highlight that TMB alone does not fully predict tumour immune profiles, with STING signalling compensating for low TMB in non-hypermutated tumours to enhance anti-tumour immunity. Translating these results, STING agonists may benefit patients with non-hypermutated tumours. STING activation may serve as an additional biomarker to predict response to immune checkpoint blockades alongside TMB. Our research also unravelled the interplay between genomic instability and STING activation, informing potential combined chemotherapy targeting the axis of genomic integrity and immunotherapy. FUNDING City of Hope Christopher Family Endowed Innovation Fund for Alzheimer's Disease and Breast Cancer Research in honor of Vineta Christopher; Breast Cancer Alliance Early Career Investigator Award; National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01CA256989 and R01CA240392.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiayi Tan
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA; Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Colt A Egelston
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Weihua Guo
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy M Stark
- Department of Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Peter P Lee
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA.
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14
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Srivastava PK. Cancer neoepitopes viewed through negative selection and peripheral tolerance: a new path to cancer vaccines. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e176740. [PMID: 38426497 PMCID: PMC10904052 DOI: 10.1172/jci176740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
A proportion of somatic mutations in tumors create neoepitopes that can prime T cell responses that target the MHC I-neoepitope complexes on tumor cells, mediating tumor control or rejection. Despite the compelling centrality of neoepitopes to cancer immunity, we know remarkably little about what constitutes a neoepitope that can mediate tumor control in vivo and what distinguishes such a neoepitope from the vast majority of similar candidate neoepitopes that are inefficacious in vivo. Studies in mice as well as clinical trials have begun to reveal the unexpected paradoxes in this area. Because cancer neoepitopes straddle that ambiguous ground between self and non-self, some rules that are fundamental to immunology of frankly non-self antigens, such as viral or model antigens, do not appear to apply to neoepitopes. Because neoepitopes are so similar to self-epitopes, with only small changes that render them non-self, immune response to them is regulated at least partially the way immune response to self is regulated. Therefore, neoepitopes are viewed and understood here through the clarifying lens of negative thymic selection. Here, the emergent questions in the biology and clinical applications of neoepitopes are discussed critically and a mechanistic and testable framework that explains the complexity and translational potential of these wonderful antigens is proposed.
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15
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Cianciotti BC, Magnani ZI, Ugolini A, Camisa B, Merelli I, Vavassori V, Potenza A, Imparato A, Manfredi F, Abbati D, Perani L, Spinelli A, Shifrut E, Ciceri F, Vago L, Di Micco R, Naldini L, Genovese P, Ruggiero E, Bonini C. TIM-3, LAG-3, or 2B4 gene disruptions increase the anti-tumor response of engineered T cells. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1315283. [PMID: 38510235 PMCID: PMC10953820 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1315283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background In adoptive T cell therapy, the long term therapeutic benefits in patients treated with engineered tumor specific T cells are limited by the lack of long term persistence of the infused cellular products and by the immunosuppressive mechanisms active in the tumor microenvironment. Exhausted T cells infiltrating the tumor are characterized by loss of effector functions triggered by multiple inhibitory receptors (IRs). In patients, IR blockade reverts T cell exhaustion but has low selectivity, potentially unleashing autoreactive clones and resulting in clinical autoimmune side effects. Furthermore, loss of long term protective immunity in cell therapy has been ascribed to the effector memory phenotype of the infused cells. Methods We simultaneously redirected T cell specificity towards the NY-ESO-1 antigen via TCR gene editing (TCRED) and permanently disrupted LAG3, TIM-3 or 2B4 genes (IRKO) via CRISPR/Cas9 in a protocol to expand early differentiated long-living memory stem T cells. The effector functions of the TCRED-IRKO and IR competent (TCRED-IRCOMP) cells were tested in short-term co-culture assays and under a chronic stimulation setting in vitro. Finally, the therapeutic efficacy of the developed cellular products were evaluated in multiple myeloma xenograft models. Results We show that upon chronic stimulation, TCRED-IRKO cells are superior to TCRED-IRCOMP cells in resisting functional exhaustion through different mechanisms and efficiently eliminate cancer cells upon tumor re-challenge in vivo. Our data indicate that TIM-3 and 2B4-disruption preserve T-cell degranulation capacity, while LAG-3 disruption prevents the upregulation of additional inhibitory receptors in T cells. Conclusion These results highlight that TIM-3, LAG-3, and 2B4 disruptions increase the therapeutic benefit of tumor specific cellular products and suggest distinct, non-redundant roles for IRs in anti-tumor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zulma Irene Magnani
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Ugolini
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara Camisa
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Innovative Immunotherapies Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Ivan Merelli
- Institute for Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council, Segrate, Italy
| | - Valentina Vavassori
- Gene Transfer Technologies and New Gene Therapy Strategies Unit, San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Potenza
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio Imparato
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Manfredi
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Danilo Abbati
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Perani
- Experimental Imaging Centre, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonello Spinelli
- Experimental Imaging Centre, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Eric Shifrut
- The School of Neurobiology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Dotan Center for Advanced Therapies, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Fabio Ciceri
- Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Vago
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
- Unit of Immunogenetics, Leukemia Genomics and Immunobiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaella Di Micco
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Naldini
- Gene Transfer Technologies and New Gene Therapy Strategies Unit, San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Genovese
- Gene Transfer Technologies and New Gene Therapy Strategies Unit, San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Eliana Ruggiero
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Bonini
- Experimental Hematology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
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Amiri M, Asadi Samani L, Kashi AH, Khadem N, Ziaee SAM, Mowla SJ. New Molecular Markers for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis. Urol J 2024; 21:1-13. [PMID: 37818554 DOI: 10.22037/uj.v20i.7687] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death among men worldwide. Biomarkers are an important tool in the early detection of PCa. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is one of the oldest biomarkers for the early detection of PCa. Digital rectal exam (DRE) is another screening test for PCa detection, which is considered as an irritating experience for patients. Biopsy is still the most reliable method for PCa diagnosis; however, patients are prone to complications. Therefore, developing non-invasive and accurate methods for PCa screening seems urgent to avoid unnecessary biopsies. There has been remarkable development in PCa molecular biomarkers discovery, largely through progress in omics technologies. Due to the many benefits of liquid biopsies, a significant set of PCa diagnostic kits have been developed using urine samples. Despite the unique benefits of these kits, there are still many challenges to their widespread use in clinics. Here, we have reviewed the latest developments of PCa biomarkers in liquid biopsies. METHODS Literature on biomarkers for diagnosis of PCa was reviewed during the past two decades. RESULTS PSA, PHI, PCA3, and 4K score are among the commonly used markers for PCa diagnosis which have been used over a long-moderate length of time with multiple studies on their performance. We performed a review of their performance. Newer markers are among RNA and DNA markers. Multiple non-coding RNAs (mi-RNAs) were reviewed and their performance on Pca diagnosis was reviewed. Long noncoding RNAs (Lnc RNAs) including PlncRNA-1, HOTAIR, SchLAP-1, MALAT1, MEG3, and PRCAT17.3 were summarized. mRNA markers including TMPRSS2:ERG, and HOXC6 were presented. DNA-based markers including PTEN, HOXB13, and BRCA2 were reviewed. Finally, the use of CircRNAs was reviewed for PCa diagnosis. CONCLUSION Many reviewed RNA-based biomarkers have promising results in the diagnosis of PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahan Amiri
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Leila Asadi Samani
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Amir Hossein Kashi
- Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Labbafinejad Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Nazanin Khadem
- Department of Cardiovascular, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Science, Urmia, Iran.
| | - Seyed Amir Mohsen Ziaee
- Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Labbafinejad Medical Center, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Seyed Javad Mowla
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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Li L, Qin S, Tan H, Zhou J. LGALS3BP is a novel and potential biomarker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:4033-4051. [PMID: 38393692 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common solid renal tumor. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the related tumor markers. LGALS3BP (galectin 3 binding protein) is a multifunctional glycoprotein implicated in immunity and cancer. Some studies have shown that LGALS3BP promotes the occurrence and development of tumors. However, their exact role in renal tumorigenesis remains unclear. Our study used a webserver to explore the mRNA expression and clinical features of LGALS3BP in ccRCC. Survival analysis showed that patients with high LGALS3BP expression had significantly worse OS and DFS than those with low LGALS3BP expression. LGALS3BP expression is significantly related to B cells, CD4+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. Furthermore, we determined that LGALS3BP is significantly associated with angiogenesis, stemness and proliferation in renal cancer. Three phenotypes may be associated with a poor prognosis. Genes related to proliferation, angiogenesis and stemness were derived from a Venn diagram of FGF2. FGF2 is negatively correlated with proliferation and positively correlated with angiogenesis. Finally, we screened for drugs that may have potential therapeutic value for ccRCC. The PCR results showed that the expression of LGALS3BP in the normal cell line was lower than that in the tumor cell lines. After LGALS3BP knockdown, the proliferation of 769-P and 786-O cells decreased. The present findings show that LGALS3BP is critical for ccRCC cell proliferation and may be a potential target and biomarker for ccRCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Li
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Sen Qin
- Department of Orthopedics, The First People’s Hospital of Jingzhou, Jingzhou, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongwei Tan
- Department of Organ Transplantation, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiexue Zhou
- Department of Organ Transplantation, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China
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18
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Chen Y, Zhang C, Li Y, Tan X, Li W, Tan S, Liu G. Discovery of lung adenocarcinoma tumor antigens and ferroptosis subtypes for developing mRNA vaccines. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3219. [PMID: 38331967 PMCID: PMC10853282 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53622-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
mRNA vaccines are becoming a feasible alternative for treating cancer. To develop mRNA vaccines against LUAD, potential antigens were identified and LUAD ferroptosis subtypes distinguished for selecting appropriate patients. The genome expression omnibus, cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and FerrDB were used to collect gene expression profiles, clinical information, and the genes involved in ferroptosis, respectively. cBioPortal was used to visualize and compare genetic alterations, GEPIA2 to calculate prognostic factors of the selected antigens, and TIMER to visualize the relationship between potential antigens and tumor immune cell infiltration. Consensus clustering analysis was utilized to identify ferroptosis subtypes and their prognostic value assessed by Log-rank and cox regression tests. The modules of ferroptosis-related gene screening were conducted by weight gene co-expression network analysis. The LUAD ferroptosis landscape was visualized through dimensionality reduction and graph learning. Six tumor antigens had obvious LUAD-mutations, positively correlated with different antigen-presenting cells, and might induce tumor cell ferroptosis. LUAD patients were stratified into three ferroptosis subtypes (FS1, FS2, and FS3) according to diverse molecular, cellular, and clinical characteristics. FS3 showed the highest tumor mutation burden and the most somatic mutations, deemed potential indicators of mRNA vaccine effectiveness. Moreover, different ferroptosis subtypes expressed distinct immune checkpoints and immunogenic cell death modulators. AGPS, NRAS, MTDH, PANX1, NOX4, and PPARD are potentially suitable for mRNA vaccinations against LUAD, specifically in patients with FS3 tumors. This study defines vaccination candidates and establishes a theoretical basis for LUAD mRNA vaccinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Chen
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Daxue East Road No.166, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China
| | - Changwen Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Daxue East Road No.166, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China
| | - Yu Li
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Daxue East Road No.166, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China
| | - Xiaoyu Tan
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Daxue East Road No.166, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China
| | - Wentao Li
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Daxue East Road No.166, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China
| | - Sen Tan
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Daxue East Road No.166, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China
| | - Guangnan Liu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Daxue East Road No.166, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China.
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Ghosh Roy S, Bakhrat A, Abdu M, Afonso S, Pereira P, Carneiro M, Abdu U. Mutations in SLC45A2 lead to loss of melanin in parrot feathers. G3 (Bethesda) 2024; 14:jkad254. [PMID: 37943814 PMCID: PMC10849330 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Bird plumage coloration is a complex and multifactorial process that involves both genetic and environmental factors. Diverse pigment groups contribute to plumage variation in different birds. In parrots, the predominant green color results from the combination of 2 different primary colors: yellow and blue. Psittacofulvin, a pigment uniquely found in parrots, is responsible for the yellow coloration, while blue is suggested to be the result of light scattering by feather nanostructures and melanin granules. So far, genetic control of melanin-mediated blue coloration has been elusive. In this study, we demonstrated that feather from the yellow mutant rose-ringed parakeet displays loss of melanosome granules in spongy layer of feather barb. Using whole genome sequencing, we found that mutation in SLC45A2, an important solute carrier protein in melanin synthetic pathway, is responsible for the sex-linked yellow phenotype in rose-ringed parakeet. Intriguingly, one of the mutations, P53L found in yellow Psittacula krameri is already reported as P58A/S in the human albinism database, known to be associated with human OCA4. We further showed that mutations in SLC45A2 gene affect melanin production also in other members of Psittaculidae family such as alexandrine and plum-headed parakeets. Additionally, we demonstrate that the mutations associated with the sex-linked yellow phenotype, localized within the transmembrane domains of the SLC45A2 protein, affect the protein localization pattern. This is the first evidence of plumage color variation involving SLC45A2 in parrots and confirmation of associated mutations in the transmembrane domains of the protein that affects its localization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shatadru Ghosh Roy
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Anna Bakhrat
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - Moty Abdu
- ST Lab Hashita 240, Sede Tzvi 85340, Israel
| | - Sandra Afonso
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Paulo Pereira
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Miguel Carneiro
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Uri Abdu
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel
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20
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Purde MT, Cupovic J, Palmowski YA, Makky A, Schmidt S, Rochwarger A, Hartmann F, Stemeseder F, Lercher A, Abdou MT, Bomze D, Besse L, Berner F, Tüting T, Hölzel M, Bergthaler A, Kochanek S, Ludewig B, Lauterbach H, Orlinger KK, Bald T, Schietinger A, Schürch C, Ring SS, Flatz L. A replicating LCMV-based vaccine for the treatment of solid tumors. Mol Ther 2024; 32:426-439. [PMID: 38058126 PMCID: PMC10861942 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Harnessing the immune system to eradicate tumors requires identification and targeting of tumor antigens, including tumor-specific neoantigens and tumor-associated self-antigens. Tumor-associated antigens are subject to existing immune tolerance, which must be overcome by immunotherapies. Despite many novel immunotherapies reaching clinical trials, inducing self-antigen-specific immune responses remains challenging. Here, we systematically investigate viral-vector-based cancer vaccines encoding a tumor-associated self-antigen (TRP2) for the treatment of established melanomas in preclinical mouse models, alone or in combination with adoptive T cell therapy. We reveal that, unlike foreign antigens, tumor-associated antigens require replication of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-based vectors to break tolerance and induce effective antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses. Immunization with a replicating LCMV vector leads to complete tumor rejection when combined with adoptive TRP2-specific T cell transfer. Importantly, immunization with replicating vectors leads to extended antigen persistence in secondary lymphoid organs, resulting in efficient T cell priming, which renders previously "cold" tumors open to immune infiltration and reprograms the tumor microenvironment to "hot." Our findings have important implications for the design of next-generation immunotherapies targeting solid cancers utilizing viral vectors and adoptive cell transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette-Triin Purde
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Jovana Cupovic
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Yannick A Palmowski
- Department of Pathology and Neuropathology, University Hospital and Comprehensive Cancer Center Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ahmad Makky
- Department of Pathology and Neuropathology, University Hospital and Comprehensive Cancer Center Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Alexander Rochwarger
- Department of Pathology and Neuropathology, University Hospital and Comprehensive Cancer Center Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Fabienne Hartmann
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | | | - Alexander Lercher
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Marie-Therese Abdou
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - David Bomze
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Lenka Besse
- Laboratory of Experimental Oncology, Department of Oncology and Hematology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Fiamma Berner
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Tüting
- Laboratory of Experimental Dermatology, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Michael Hölzel
- Institute of Experimental Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Andreas Bergthaler
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Kochanek
- Department of Gene Therapy, Ulm University, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Burkhard Ludewig
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Tobias Bald
- QIMR Medical Research Institute, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
| | | | - Christian Schürch
- Department of Pathology and Neuropathology, University Hospital and Comprehensive Cancer Center Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sandra S Ring
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Flatz
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland; Department of Dermatology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, 9007 St. Gallen, Switzerland.
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21
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Krämer C, Kilian M, Chih YC, Kourtesakis A, Hoffmann DC, Boschert T, Koopmann P, Sanghvi K, De Roia A, Jung S, Jähne K, Day B, Shultz LD, Ratliff M, Harbottle R, Green EW, Will R, Wick W, Platten M, Bunse L. NLGN4X TCR transgenic T cells to treat gliomas. Neuro Oncol 2024; 26:266-278. [PMID: 37715782 PMCID: PMC10836769 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroligin 4 X-linked (NLGN4X) harbors a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02-restricted tumor-associated antigen, overexpressed in human gliomas, that was found to induce specific cytotoxic T cell responses following multi-peptide vaccination in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. METHODS T cell receptor (TCR) discovery was performed using droplet-based single-cell TCR sequencing of NLGN4X-tetramer-sorted T cells postvaccination. The identified TCR was delivered to Jurkat T cells and primary human T cells (NLGN4X-TCR-T). Functional profiling of NLGN4X-TCR-T was performed by flow cytometry and cytotoxicity assays. Therapeutic efficacy of intracerebroventricular NLGN4X-TCR-T was assessed in NOD scid gamma (NSG) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I/II knockout (KO) (NSG MHC I/II KO) mice bearing NLGN4X-expressing experimental gliomas. RESULTS An HLA-A*02-restricted vaccine-induced T cell receptor specifically binding NLGN4X131-139 was applied for preclinical therapeutic use. Reactivity, cytotoxicity, and polyfunctionality of this NLGN4X-specific TCR are demonstrated in various cellular models. Intracerebroventricular administration of NLGN4X-TCR-T prolongs survival and leads to an objective response rate of 44.4% in experimental glioma-bearing NSG MHC I/II KO mice compared to 0.0% in control groups. CONCLUSION NLGN4X-TCR-T demonstrate efficacy in a preclinical glioblastoma model. On a global scale, we provide the first evidence for the therapeutic retrieval of vaccine-induced human TCRs for the off-the-shelf treatment of glioblastoma patients.Keywords cell therapy | glioblastoma | T cell receptor | tumor antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoper Krämer
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Michael Kilian
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Yu-Chan Chih
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alexandros Kourtesakis
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Neurology Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK CCU Neurooncology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dirk C Hoffmann
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Neurology Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK CCU Neurooncology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tamara Boschert
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute of Translational Oncology (HI-TRON), Mainz, Germany
| | - Philipp Koopmann
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Khwab Sanghvi
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alice De Roia
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Faculty of Bioscience, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- DNA Vector Laboratory, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Jung
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kristine Jähne
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bryan Day
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia
- Cell and Molecular Biology Department, Sid Faithfull Brain Cancer Laboratory, QIMR Berghofer MRI, Brisbane, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point, Australia
| | - Lenny D Shultz
- Department of Immunology, The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, USA
| | - Miriam Ratliff
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Edward W Green
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rainer Will
- Neurology Clinic, Heidelberg University Hospital, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- DKTK CCU Neurooncology, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
- Core Facility Cellular tools, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Michael Platten
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute of Translational Oncology (HI-TRON), Mainz, Germany
- Immune Monitoring Unit, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
- DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lukas Bunse
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Clinical Cooperation Unit (CCU) Neuroimmunology and Brain Tumor Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Neurology, MCTN, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- DKFZ Hector Cancer Institute at the University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
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22
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Lin Z, Tu B, Hemken PM, Muerhoff AS. Antibody engineering to generate anti-tumor-associated glycoprotein 72 mouse recombinant CC49 IgG with improved solubility, purity, and thermal stability. J Immunol Methods 2024; 525:113606. [PMID: 38145790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Tumor-associated glycoprotein 72 (TAG-72) is a mucin that is overexpressed heterogeneously on the surface of cancer cells, and is a potential target for immunotherapies for various cancer types. As a tumor marker, TAG-72 is measured with the cancer antigen (CA) 72-4 immunoassay. The murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) CC49 is a second-generation IgG that targets an antigen on TAG-72; however, CC49 has an unfavorable propensity to aggregate, which results in antibody impurity, instability, and low solubility and thus low potency and efficacy for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Sequence analysis of CC49 revealed aggregation-prone motifs in the variable domain of the light chain. Using antibody engineering approaches, we developed three aggregation-resistant CC49 mIgG2a mutants (CC49M1, CC49M2, and CC49M3). The engineered CC49 mIgG2a mutants retained compatible binding performance with a significantly higher thermal stability. The CC49 mIgG2a mutants also demonstrated an almost 15-fold improvement in solubility, with 97% purity vs 70% purity of the parent molecule at 0.3 mg/mL. The enhanced stability and improved solubility of engineered CC49 could have significant advantages for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihong Lin
- Biologics Discovery, Abbott Diagnostics Division, Abbott Laboratories, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064, United States of America
| | - Bailin Tu
- Biologics Discovery, Abbott Diagnostics Division, Abbott Laboratories, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064, United States of America
| | - Philip M Hemken
- Biologics Discovery, Abbott Diagnostics Division, Abbott Laboratories, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064, United States of America.
| | - A Scott Muerhoff
- Biologics Discovery, Abbott Diagnostics Division, Abbott Laboratories, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064, United States of America
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23
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Gehring A, Huebner K, Rani H, Erlenbach-Wuensch K, Merkel S, Mahadevan V, Grutzmann R, Hartmann A, Schneider-Stock R. DNA demethylation and tri-methylation of H3K4 at the TACSTD2 promoter are complementary players for TROP2 regulation in colorectal cancer cells. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2683. [PMID: 38302503 PMCID: PMC10834991 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52437-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
TROP2 is a powerful cancer driver in colorectal cancer cells. Divergent epigenetic regulation mechanisms for the corresponding TACSTD2 gene exist such as miRNAs or DNA methylation. However, the role of TACSTD2 promoter hypermethylation in colorectal cancer has not been investigated yet. In this study, TROP2 expression strongly correlated with promoter methylation in different colorectal tumor cell lines. Treatment with 5-Azacytidine, a DNMT1 inhibitor, led to demethylation of the TACSTD2 promoter accompanied by an increase in TROP2 protein expression. TROP2 expression correlated with promoter methylation in vivo in human colon tumor tissue, thereby verifying promoter methylation as an important factor in the regulation of TROP2 expression in colorectal cancer. When performing a ChIP-Seq analysis in HCT116 and HT29 cells, we found that TACSTD2 promoter demethylation was accompanied by tri-methylation of H3K4. In silico analysis of GSE156613 data set confirmed that a higher binding of histone mark H3K4me3 around the TACSTD2 promoter was found in TACSTD2 high expressing tumors of colon cancer patients compared to the corresponding adjacent tumor tissue. Moreover, the link between TROP2 and the H3K4me3 code was even evident in tumors showing high intratumoral heterogeneity for TROP2 staining. Our data provide novel evidence for promoter demethylation and simultaneous gains of the active histone mark H3K4me3 across CpG-rich sequences, both being complementary mechanisms in the transcriptional regulation of TACSTD2 in colon cancer. The functional consequences of TROP2 loss in colorectal cancer needs to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Gehring
- Experimental Tumorpathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - K Huebner
- Experimental Tumorpathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - H Rani
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bangalore, India
| | - K Erlenbach-Wuensch
- Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - S Merkel
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Bavarian Cancer Research Center (BZKF), Erlangen, Germany
| | - V Mahadevan
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB), Bangalore, India
| | - R Grutzmann
- Department of Surgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Bavarian Cancer Research Center (BZKF), Erlangen, Germany
| | - A Hartmann
- Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Bavarian Cancer Research Center (BZKF), Erlangen, Germany
- FAU Profile Center Immunomedicine (FAU I-MED), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - R Schneider-Stock
- Experimental Tumorpathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
- Institute of Pathology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Bavarian Cancer Research Center (BZKF), Erlangen, Germany.
- FAU Profile Center Immunomedicine (FAU I-MED), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
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24
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He D, Liu X, Yao T, Hu J, Zheng X, Tang L, Fan X. Oculocutaneous albinism type 4: Novel compound heterozygous mutations in the SLC45A2 gene in a Chinese case. Mol Genet Genomic Med 2024; 12:e2385. [PMID: 38337174 PMCID: PMC10858317 DOI: 10.1002/mgg3.2385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oculocutaneous albinism type 4 (OCA4) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a reduction of pigmentation in skin, hair, and eyes, and OCA4 is mainly seen in the SLC45A2 gene variants. OBJECTIVE To report a Chinese patient suspected of oculocutaneous albinism and identify the causing mutation. METHODS Genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood samples of the patient, his parents, and elder brother. Whole exome sequencing was performed in the family, and Sanger sequencing was then used to verify the mutations. RESULTS Compound heterozygous variants, c.1304C>A (p.S435Y) and c.301C>G (p.R101G) in SLC45A2 gene, were detected in the proband, which were inherited from his father and mother respectively. Based on the ACMG guidelines, we can interpret the c.1304C>A (p.S435Y) variant as a suspected pathogenic variant and the c.301C>G (p.R101G) variant as a clinically significant unspecified variant. The diagnosis of OCA4 is confirmed. CONCLUSION We firstly reported this case of OCA4 with the compound heterozygous variants in the SLC45A2 gene. Our findings further enrich the reservoir of SLC45A2 mutations in OCA4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danyue He
- Department of DermatologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Dermatology (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of EducationHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune DiseasesHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
| | - Xiaonan Liu
- Department of DermatologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Dermatology (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of EducationHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune DiseasesHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
| | - Tianyu Yao
- Department of DermatologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Dermatology (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of EducationHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune DiseasesHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
| | - Jie Hu
- Department of DermatologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Dermatology (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of EducationHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune DiseasesHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
| | - Xiaodong Zheng
- Department of DermatologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Dermatology (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of EducationHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune DiseasesHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
| | - Lili Tang
- Department of DermatologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Dermatology (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of EducationHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune DiseasesHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
| | - Xing Fan
- Department of DermatologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Dermatology (Anhui Medical University), Ministry of EducationHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
- Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune DiseasesHefeiAnhuiP.R. China
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25
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Pounraj S, Chen S, Ma L, Mazzieri R, Dolcetti R, Rehm BHA. Targeting Tumor Heterogeneity with Neoantigen-Based Cancer Vaccines. Cancer Res 2024; 84:353-363. [PMID: 38055891 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-2042] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Neoantigen-based cancer vaccines have emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic approach to treat cancer. Nevertheless, the high degree of heterogeneity in tumors poses a significant hurdle for developing a vaccine that targets the therapeutically relevant neoantigens capable of effectively stimulating an immune response as each tumor contains numerous unique putative neoantigens. Understanding the complexities of tumor heterogeneity is crucial for the development of personalized neoantigen-based vaccines, which hold the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment and improve patient outcomes. In this review, we discuss recent advancements in the design of neoantigen-based cancer vaccines emphasizing the identification, validation, formulation, and targeting of neoantigens while addressing the challenges posed by tumor heterogeneity. The review highlights the application of cutting-edge approaches, such as single-cell sequencing and artificial intelligence to identify immunogenic neoantigens, while outlining current limitations and proposing future research directions to develop effective neoantigen-based vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saranya Pounraj
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shuxiong Chen
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Linlin Ma
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Roberta Mazzieri
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Riccardo Dolcetti
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bernd H A Rehm
- Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers (CCFB), Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University (Nathan Campus), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ), Griffith University (Gold Coast Campus), Queensland, Australia
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Trivedi V, Yang C, Klippel K, Yegorov O, von Roemeling C, Hoang-Minh L, Fenton G, Ogando-Rivas E, Castillo P, Moore G, Long-James K, Dyson K, Doonan B, Flores C, Mitchell DA. mRNA-based precision targeting of neoantigens and tumor-associated antigens in malignant brain tumors. Genome Med 2024; 16:17. [PMID: 38268001 PMCID: PMC10809449 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-024-01281-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite advancements in the successful use of immunotherapy in treating a variety of solid tumors, applications in treating brain tumors have lagged considerably. This is due, at least in part, to the lack of well-characterized antigens expressed within brain tumors that can mediate tumor rejection; the low mutational burden of these tumors that limits the abundance of targetable neoantigens; and the immunologically "cold" tumor microenvironment that hampers the generation of sustained and productive immunologic responses. The field of mRNA-based therapeutics has experienced a boon following the universal approval of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. mRNA-based immunotherapeutics have also garnered widespread interest for their potential to revolutionize cancer treatment. In this study, we developed a novel and scalable approach for the production of personalized mRNA-based therapeutics that target multiple tumor rejection antigens in a single therapy for the treatment of refractory brain tumors. METHODS Tumor-specific neoantigens and aberrantly overexpressed tumor-associated antigens were identified for glioblastoma and medulloblastoma tumors using our cancer immunogenomics pipeline called Open Reading Frame Antigen Network (O.R.A.N). Personalized tumor antigen-specific mRNA vaccine was developed for each individual tumor model using selective gene capture and enrichment strategy. The immunogenicity and efficacy of the personalized mRNA vaccines was evaluated in combination with anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade therapy or adoptive cellular therapy with ex vivo expanded tumor antigen-specific lymphocytes in highly aggressive murine GBM models. RESULTS Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of the antigen-specific mRNA vaccines in eliciting robust anti-tumor immune responses in GBM hosts. Our findings substantiate an increase in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes characterized by enhanced effector function, both intratumorally and systemically, after antigen-specific mRNA-directed immunotherapy, resulting in a favorable shift in the tumor microenvironment from immunologically cold to hot. Capacity to generate personalized mRNA vaccines targeting human GBM antigens was also demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS We have established a personalized and customizable mRNA-therapeutic approach that effectively targets a plurality of tumor antigens and demonstrated potent anti-tumor response in preclinical brain tumor models. This platform mRNA technology uniquely addresses the challenge of tumor heterogeneity and low antigen burden, two key deficiencies in targeting the classically immunotherapy-resistant CNS malignancies, and possibly other cold tumor types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vrunda Trivedi
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Changlin Yang
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Kelena Klippel
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Oleg Yegorov
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | | | - Lan Hoang-Minh
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Graeme Fenton
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | | | - Paul Castillo
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Ginger Moore
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Kaytora Long-James
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Kyle Dyson
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Bently Doonan
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Catherine Flores
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Duane A Mitchell
- University of Florida, 1333 Center Drive, BSB B1-118, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
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Chuwdhury GS, Guo Y, Chiang CL, Lam KO, Kam NW, Liu Z, Dai W. ImmuneMirror: A machine learning-based integrative pipeline and web server for neoantigen prediction. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae024. [PMID: 38343325 PMCID: PMC10859690 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Neoantigens are derived from somatic mutations in the tumors but are absent in normal tissues. Emerging evidence suggests that neoantigens can stimulate tumor-specific T-cell-mediated antitumor immune responses, and therefore are potential immunotherapeutic targets. We developed ImmuneMirror as a stand-alone open-source pipeline and a web server incorporating a balanced random forest model for neoantigen prediction and prioritization. The prediction model was trained and tested using known immunogenic neopeptides collected from 19 published studies. The area under the curve of our trained model was 0.87 based on the testing data. We applied ImmuneMirror to the whole-exome sequencing and RNA sequencing data obtained from gastrointestinal tract cancers including 805 tumors from colorectal cancer (CRC), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and hepatocellular carcinoma patients. We discovered a subgroup of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) CRC patients with a low neoantigen load but a high tumor mutation burden (> 10 mutations per Mbp). Although the efficacy of PD-1 blockade has been demonstrated in advanced MSI-H patients, almost half of such patients do not respond well. Our study identified a subset of MSI-H patients who may not benefit from this treatment with lower neoantigen load for major histocompatibility complex I (P < 0.0001) and II (P = 0.0008) molecules, respectively. Additionally, the neopeptide YMCNSSCMGV-TP53G245V, derived from a hotspot mutation restricted by HLA-A02, was identified as a potential actionable target in ESCC. This is so far the largest study to comprehensively evaluate neoantigen prediction models using experimentally validated neopeptides. Our results demonstrate the reliability and effectiveness of ImmuneMirror for neoantigen prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gulam Sarwar Chuwdhury
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Center of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), P. R. China
| | - Yunshan Guo
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Chi-Leung Chiang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Center of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), P. R. China
| | - Ka-On Lam
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Center of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), P. R. China
| | - Ngar-Woon Kam
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Center of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), P. R. China
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Limited, Hong Kong Science Park, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Zhonghua Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Wei Dai
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Center of Cancer Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR), P. R. China
- University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, P. R. China
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Yan X, Hu Y, Zhang X, Gao X, Zhao Y, Peng H, Ouyang L, Zhang C. Identification of a novel intronic mutation of MAGED2 gene in a Chinese family with antenatal Bartter syndrome. BMC Med Genomics 2024; 17:23. [PMID: 38238844 PMCID: PMC10795325 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-024-01797-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antenatal Bartter syndrome is a life-threatening disease caused by a mutation in the MAGED2 gene located on chromosome Xp11. It is characterized by severe polyhydramnios and extreme prematurity. While most reported mutations are located in the exon region, variations in the intron region are rarely reported. METHODS In our study, we employed whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing to genotype members of this family. Additionally, a minigene assay was conducted to evaluate the impact of genetic variants on splicing. RESULTS Our findings reveal a novel intronic variant (NM_177433.3:c.1271 + 4_1271 + 7delAGTA) in intron 10 of the MAGED2 gene. Further analysis using the minigene assay demonstrated that this variant activated an intronic cryptic splice site, resulting in a 96 bp insertion in mature mRNA. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that the novel intronic variant (c.1271 + 4_1271 + 7delAGTA) in intron 10 of the MAGED2 gene is pathogenic. This expands the mutation spectrum of MAGED2 and highlights the significance of intronic sequence analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Yan
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
- Biomedical Engineering College, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
- Hubei Clinical Research Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shiyan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
| | - Yueyue Hu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
| | - Xia Gao
- Obstetrics, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- Neonatal Intensive Care, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
| | - Haiying Peng
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
- Biomedical Engineering College, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
| | - Liu Ouyang
- Obstetrics, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China
| | - Changjun Zhang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Renmin Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China.
- Biomedical Engineering College, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, 442000, China.
- Hubei Clinical Research Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shiyan, China.
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China.
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Personalized DNA Vaccine Immunogenic Against Melanoma. Cancer Discov 2024; 14:8-9. [PMID: 37937932 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NB2023-0082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
A personalized neoantigen vaccine built around a DNA backbone, EVX-02, elicited robust and lasting T-cell responses in patients with melanoma after surgery. The first-in-human data, presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting, have inspired a next-generation DNA vaccine candidate, EVX-03, that includes an additional payload and a more sophisticated antigen-selection process.
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Kumar H, Luo R, Wen J, Yang C, Zhou X, Kim P. FusionNeoAntigen: a resource of fusion gene-specific neoantigens. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:D1276-D1288. [PMID: 37870454 PMCID: PMC10767944 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad922] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Among the diverse sources of neoantigens (i.e. single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertions or deletions (Indels) and fusion genes), fusion gene-derived neoantigens are generally more immunogenic, have multiple targets per mutation and are more widely distributed across various cancer types. Therefore, fusion gene-derived neoantigens are a potential source of highly immunogenic neoantigens and hold great promise for cancer immunotherapy. However, the lack of fusion protein sequence resources and knowledge prevents this application. We introduce 'FusionNeoAntigen', a dedicated resource for fusion-specific neoantigens, accessible at https://compbio.uth.edu/FusionNeoAntigen. In this resource, we provide fusion gene breakpoint crossing neoantigens focused on ∼43K fusion proteins of ∼16K in-frame fusion genes from FusionGDB2.0. FusionNeoAntigen provides fusion gene information, corresponding fusion protein sequences, fusion breakpoint peptide sequences, fusion gene-derived neoantigen prediction, virtual screening between fusion breakpoint peptides having potential fusion neoantigens and human leucocyte antigens (HLAs), fusion breakpoint RNA/protein sequences for developing vaccines, information on samples with fusion-specific neoantigen, potential CAR-T targetable cell-surface fusion proteins and literature curation. FusionNeoAntigen will help to develop fusion gene-based immunotherapies. We will report all potential fusion-specific neoantigens from all possible open reading frames of ∼120K human fusion genes in future versions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himansu Kumar
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ruihan Luo
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jianguo Wen
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Chengyuan Yang
- School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xiaobo Zhou
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Pora Kim
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Medicine, McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Jin Y, Dunn C, Persiconi I, Sike A, Skorstad G, Beck C, Kyte JA. Comparative Evaluation of STEAP1 Targeting Chimeric Antigen Receptors with Different Costimulatory Domains and Spacers. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:586. [PMID: 38203757 PMCID: PMC10778617 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
We have developed a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) against the six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate-1 (STEAP1), which is expressed in prostate cancer, Ewing sarcoma, and other malignancies. In the present study, we investigated the effect of substituting costimulatory domains and spacers in this STEAP1 CAR. We cloned four CAR constructs with either CD28 or 4-1BB costimulatory domains, combined with a CD8a-spacer (sp) or a mutated IgG-spacer. The CAR T-cells were evaluated in short- and long-term in vitro T-cell assays, measuring cytokine production, tumor cell killing, and CAR T-cell expansion and phenotype. A xenograft mouse model of prostate cancer was used for in vivo comparison. All four CAR constructs conferred CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with STEAP1-specific functionality. A CD8sp_41BBz construct and an IgGsp_CD28z construct were selected for a more extensive comparison. The IgGsp_CD28z CAR gave stronger cytokine responses and killing in overnight caspase assays. However, the 41BB-containing CAR mediated more killing (IncuCyte) over one week. Upon six repeated stimulations, the CD8sp_41BBz CAR T cells showed superior expansion and lower expression of exhaustion markers (PD1, LAG3, TIGIT, TIM3, and CD25). In vivo, both the CAR T variants had comparable anti-tumor activity, but persisting CAR T-cells in tumors were only detected for the 41BBz variant. In conclusion, the CD8sp_41BBz STEAP1 CAR T cells had superior expansion and survival in vitro and in vivo, compared to the IgGsp_CD28z counterpart, and a less exhausted phenotype upon repeated antigen exposure. Such persistence may be important for clinical efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixin Jin
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway; (Y.J.); (C.D.); (I.P.); (A.S.); (C.B.)
| | - Claire Dunn
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway; (Y.J.); (C.D.); (I.P.); (A.S.); (C.B.)
| | - Irene Persiconi
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway; (Y.J.); (C.D.); (I.P.); (A.S.); (C.B.)
| | - Adam Sike
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway; (Y.J.); (C.D.); (I.P.); (A.S.); (C.B.)
| | - Gjertrud Skorstad
- Department of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Carole Beck
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway; (Y.J.); (C.D.); (I.P.); (A.S.); (C.B.)
| | - Jon Amund Kyte
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway; (Y.J.); (C.D.); (I.P.); (A.S.); (C.B.)
- Department of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, 0130 Oslo, Norway
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Kina E, Laverdure JP, Durette C, Lanoix J, Courcelles M, Zhao Q, Apavaloaei A, Larouche JD, Hardy MP, Vincent K, Gendron P, Hesnard L, Thériault C, Ruiz Cuevas MV, Ehx G, Thibault P, Perreault C. Breast cancer immunopeptidomes contain numerous shared tumor antigens. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e166740. [PMID: 37906288 PMCID: PMC10760959 DOI: 10.1172/jci166740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (HR+) is immunologically cold and has not benefited from advances in immunotherapy. In contrast, subsets of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) display high leukocytic infiltration and respond to checkpoint blockade. CD8+ T cells, the main effectors of anticancer responses, recognize MHC I-associated peptides (MAPs). Our work aimed to characterize the repertoire of MAPs presented by HR+ and TNBC tumors. Using mass spectrometry, we identified 57,094 unique MAPs in 26 primary breast cancer samples. MAP source genes highly overlapped between both subtypes. We identified 25 tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) mainly deriving from aberrantly expressed regions. TSAs were most frequently identified in TNBC samples and were more shared among The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database TNBC than HR+ samples. In the TNBC cohort, the predicted number of TSAs positively correlated with leukocytic infiltration and overall survival, supporting their immunogenicity in vivo. We detected 49 tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), some of which derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts. Functional expansion of specific T cell assays confirmed the in vitro immunogenicity of several TSAs and TAAs. Our study identified attractive targets for cancer immunotherapy in both breast cancer subtypes. The higher prevalence of TSAs in TNBC tumors provides a rationale for their responsiveness to checkpoint blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eralda Kina
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
- Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | | | - Joël Lanoix
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
| | | | - Qingchuan Zhao
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
- Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Anca Apavaloaei
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
- Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jean-David Larouche
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
- Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Leslie Hesnard
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
| | | | - Maria Virginia Ruiz Cuevas
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
- Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Grégory Ehx
- Laboratory of Hematology, GIGA-I3, University of Liege and CHU of Liège, Liege, Belgium
| | - Pierre Thibault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
- Department of Chemistry, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Claude Perreault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and
- Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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Zhou F, Wang M, Wang Z, Li W, Lu X. Screening of novel tumor-associated antigens for lung adenocarcinoma mRNA vaccine development based on pyroptosis phenotype genes. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:28. [PMID: 38166691 PMCID: PMC10763439 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11757-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to identify new pyroptosis-associated tumor antigens for use in mRNA vaccines and the screening of sensitive LUAD populations suitable for vaccination. The association between tumor immune infiltrating cell abundance and potential tumor antigens was investigated and visualized using the analysis modules of gene expression, clinical outcomes, and somatic copy number variation. In addition, the pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) were clustered, the relative pyroptosis subtypes (PSs) and gene modules were identified, and the prognostic value of the PSs was examined. The expression of key PRGs in two lung adenocarcinoma cell lines was verified by RT-qPCR. Four tumor pyroptosis-associated antigens, CARD8, NAIP, NLRP1, and NLRP3, were screened as potential candidates for LUAD mRNA vaccine development. In the construction of consensus clusters for PRGs, two PSs, PS1 and PS2, were classified, in which patients with PS1 LUAD had a better prognosis. In contrast, patients with PS2 LUAD may have better responsiveness to mRNA vaccine treatment. The key PRGs can be regarded as biomarkers to predict the LUAD prognosis and identify patients suitable for mRNA vaccines. The RT-qPCR results showed that the expression levels of CSMD3, LRP1B, MUC16 and TTN were significantly increased in the two lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, while the expression levels of CARD8, TP53 and ZFHX4 were significantly reduced. The antigens CARD8, NAIP, NLRP1, and NLRP3, which are associated with tumor pyroptosis, could be candidate molecules for LUAD mRNA vaccine development. Patients with PS2 LUAD may be suitable candidates for mRNA vaccine treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Zhou
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Chest Hospital of Tianjin University, 261 Taierzhuang South Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Meng Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Chest Hospital of Tianjin University, 261 Taierzhuang South Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Zheng Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Chest Hospital of Tianjin University, 261 Taierzhuang South Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Chest Hospital of Tianjin University, 261 Taierzhuang South Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin, 300222, China
| | - Xike Lu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tianjin Chest Hospital of Tianjin University, 261 Taierzhuang South Road, Jinnan District, Tianjin, 300222, China.
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34
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Faghfuri E. Recent advances in personalized cancer immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors, T cells and vaccines. Per Med 2024; 21:45-57. [PMID: 38088165 DOI: 10.2217/pme-2023-0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The results of genomic and molecular profiling of cancer patients can be effectively applied to immunotherapy agents, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, to select the most appropriate treatment. In addition, accurate prediction of neoantigens facilitates the development of individualized cancer vaccines and T-cell therapy. This review summarizes the biomarker(s) predicting responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors and focuses on current strategies to identify and isolate neoantigen-reactive T cells as well as the clinical development of neoantigen-based therapeutics. The results suggest that maximal T-cell stimulation and expansion can be achieved with combination therapies that enhance antigen-presenting cells' function and optimal T-cell priming in lymph nodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elnaz Faghfuri
- Digestive Disease Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, 5613658115, Iran
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35
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Mastutik G, Rahniayu A, Marhana IA, Amin M, Ruslan SEN, Trianto HF. Expression of MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 in the Forceps Biopsy and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Specimens from Patients with the Central Lung Tumor. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev 2024; 25:159-167. [PMID: 38285780 PMCID: PMC10911746 DOI: 10.31557/apjcp.2024.25.1.159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective was to evaluate the expression of the MAGE A subtypes family in the central lung tumor patients from the forceps biopsy (FB) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens and to analyze its association with the histopathological examination. METHODS An observational study was conducted on 32 FB and 43 BAL specimens from patients with central lung tumors. All samples were assessed for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) expression by reverse transcription (RT) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and samples showing a positive result were examined for MAGE A subtypes family expression by nested-RT PCR. RESULT The MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 genes were highly expressed in the FB and BAL specimens from patients with central lung tumors. The MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 gene and MAGE A1 to MAGE A6 gene were expressed in 60/75 (80%) and 16/75 (21.3 %), respectively. MAGE A8, MAGE A9, and MAGE A10 were the most commonly expressed. In FB specimens diagnosed without malignant cells, MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 and MAGE A1 to MAGE A6 were positive in 16/18 (88.9 %) and 1/18 (5.6 %), respectively. In all BAL specimens were diagnosed with no malignant cells, but MAGE A1 to MAGE A10 and MAGE A1 to MAGE A6 showed positive results in 36/43 (83.7%) and 9/43 (20.9%) %), respectively. There was a significant association between MAGE A1 to MAGE A6 expression with histopathological diagnosis. CONCLUSION The MAGE A subtype family genes are highly expressed in central lung tumor patients from FB and BAL specimens, even in specimens that were diagnosed with no malignant cells. All BAL specimens were diagnosed as no malignant cells, but expression of the MAGE A subfamily genes was found in more than 80% of the specimens. These observations suggest that combining histopathological and molecular examination could improve the diagnosis of lung malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gondo Mastutik
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.
| | - Alphania Rahniayu
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.
| | - Isnin Anang Marhana
- Department of Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.
| | - Mochamad Amin
- Institute of Tropical Disease, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.
| | | | - Heru Fajar Trianto
- Department of Anatomic Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tanjungpura, Pontianak, Indonesia.
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36
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Julve M, Kennedy O, Frampton AE, Bagwan I, Lythgoe MP. Gene of the month: cancer testis antigen gene 1b (NY-ESO-1). J Clin Pathol 2023; 77:1-7. [PMID: 37857483 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2023-209053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Cancer testis antigen gene 1B (CTAG1B) and its associated gene product; New York oesophageal squamous carcinoma 1 (NY-ESO-1), represent a unique and promising target for cancer immunotherapy. As a member of the cancer testis antigen family (CTA), the protein's restricted expression pattern and ability to elicit spontaneous humoural and cellular immune responses has resulted in a plethora of novel modalities and approaches attempting to harness its immunotherapeutic anti-cancer potential. Here, we discuss the structure and function of CTAG1B/NY-ESO-1 in both health and disease, immunohistochemical detection, as well as the most promising advances in the development of associated anti-cancer therapies. From cancer vaccines to engineered cellular therapy approaches, a multitude of immunotherapies targeting CTA's are coming to the forefront of oncology. Although the efficacy of such approaches have yet to provide convincing evidence of durable response, early phase clinical trial data has resulted in some exciting findings which will have significant potential to act as a platform for future practice changing technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Julve
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Kennedy
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Adam Enver Frampton
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Section of Oncology, Deptartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, FHMS, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Izhar Bagwan
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal Surrey Hospital, Guildford, UK
| | - Mark P Lythgoe
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Shah RK, Cygan E, Kozlik T, Colina A, Zamora AE. Utilizing immunogenomic approaches to prioritize targetable neoantigens for personalized cancer immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1301100. [PMID: 38149253 PMCID: PMC10749952 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1301100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Advancements in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics algorithms have expanded our ability to identify tumor-specific somatic mutation-derived antigens (neoantigens). While recent studies have shown neoantigens to be compelling targets for cancer immunotherapy due to their foreign nature and high immunogenicity, the need for increasingly accurate and cost-effective approaches to rapidly identify neoantigens remains a challenging task, but essential for successful cancer immunotherapy. Currently, gene expression analysis and algorithms for variant calling can be used to generate lists of mutational profiles across patients, but more care is needed to curate these lists and prioritize the candidate neoantigens most capable of inducing an immune response. A growing amount of evidence suggests that only a handful of somatic mutations predicted by mutational profiling approaches act as immunogenic neoantigens. Hence, unbiased screening of all candidate neoantigens predicted by Whole Genome Sequencing/Whole Exome Sequencing may be necessary to more comprehensively access the full spectrum of immunogenic neoepitopes. Once putative cancer neoantigens are identified, one of the largest bottlenecks in translating these neoantigens into actionable targets for cell-based therapies is identifying the cognate T cell receptors (TCRs) capable of recognizing these neoantigens. While many TCR-directed screening and validation assays have utilized bulk samples in the past, there has been a recent surge in the number of single-cell assays that provide a more granular understanding of the factors governing TCR-pMHC interactions. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of existing strategies to identify candidate neoantigens using genomics-based approaches and methods for assessing neoantigen immunogenicity. Additionally, applications, prospects, and limitations of some of the current single-cell technologies will be discussed. Finally, we will briefly summarize some of the recent models that have been used to predict TCR antigen specificity and analyze the TCR receptor repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi K. Shah
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Erin Cygan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Tanya Kozlik
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Alfredo Colina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Anthony E. Zamora
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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38
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McShan AC, Flores-Solis D, Sun Y, Garfinkle SE, Toor JS, Young MC, Sgourakis NG. Conformational plasticity of RAS Q61 family of neoepitopes results in distinct features for targeted recognition. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8204. [PMID: 38081856 PMCID: PMC10713829 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43654-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The conformational landscapes of peptide/human leucocyte antigen (pHLA) protein complexes encompassing tumor neoantigens provide a rationale for target selection towards autologous T cell, vaccine, and antibody-based therapeutic modalities. Here, using complementary biophysical and computational methods, we characterize recurrent RAS55-64 Q61 neoepitopes presented by the common HLA-A*01:01 allotype. We integrate sparse NMR restraints with Rosetta docking to determine the solution structure of NRASQ61K/HLA-A*01:01, which enables modeling of other common RAS55-64 neoepitopes. Hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry experiments alongside molecular dynamics simulations reveal differences in solvent accessibility and conformational plasticity across a panel of common Q61 neoepitopes that are relevant for recognition by immunoreceptors. Finally, we predict binding and provide structural models of NRASQ61K antigens spanning the entire HLA allelic landscape, together with in vitro validation for HLA-A*01:191, HLA-B*15:01, and HLA-C*08:02. Our work provides a basis to delineate the solution surface features and immunogenicity of clinically relevant neoepitope/HLA targets for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C McShan
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Dr NW, Atlanta, GA, 30318, USA
| | - David Flores-Solis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Von-Siebold Straße 3A, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Yi Sun
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Samuel E Garfinkle
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Jugmohit S Toor
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
- Immunology Research Program, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Michael C Young
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Nikolaos G Sgourakis
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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Gonzalez-Salinas F, Herrera-Gamboa J, Rojo R, Trevino V. Heterozygous Knockout of ARID4B Using CRISPR/Cas9 Attenuates Some Aggressive Phenotypes in a Breast Cancer Cell Line. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2184. [PMID: 38137006 PMCID: PMC10743217 DOI: 10.3390/genes14122184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women around the world. Over time, many genes and mutations that are associated with the development of this disease have been identified. However, the specific role of many genes has not yet been fully elucidated. Higher ARID4B expression has been identified as a risk factor for diverse cancer types. Silencing experiments also showed that ARID4B is associated with developing cancer-associated characteristics. However, no transcriptomic studies have shown the overall cellular effect of loss of function in breast cancer in humans. This study addresses the impact of loss-of-function mutations in breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we generated mutations that caused heterozygous truncated proteins, isolating three monoclonal lines carrying insertions and deletions in ARID4B. We observed reduced proliferation and migration in in vitro experiments. In addition, from RNA-seq assays, a differential expression analysis shows known and novel deregulated cancer-associate pathways in mutated cells supporting the impact of ARID4B. For example, we found the AKT-PI3K pathway to be altered at the transcript level but through different genes than those reported for ARID4B. Our transcriptomic results also suggest new insights into the role of ARID4B in aggressiveness by the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and TGF-β pathways and in metabolism through cholesterol and mevalonate pathways. We also performed exome sequencing to show that no off-target effects were apparent. In conclusion, the ARID4B gene is associated with some aggressive phenotypes in breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Gonzalez-Salinas
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Ave. Morones Prieto 3000, Monterrey 64710, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (F.G.-S.); (J.H.-G.); (R.R.)
| | - Jessica Herrera-Gamboa
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Ave. Morones Prieto 3000, Monterrey 64710, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (F.G.-S.); (J.H.-G.); (R.R.)
- Instituto de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon, San Nicolas de los Garza 66455, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
| | - Rocio Rojo
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Ave. Morones Prieto 3000, Monterrey 64710, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (F.G.-S.); (J.H.-G.); (R.R.)
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Mexico City 14380, Mexico
| | - Victor Trevino
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Ave. Morones Prieto 3000, Monterrey 64710, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; (F.G.-S.); (J.H.-G.); (R.R.)
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, The Institute for Obesity Research, Eugenio Garza Sada Avenue 2501, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, oriGen Project, Eugenio Garza Sada Avenue 2501, Monterrey 64849, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
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40
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O'Brien H, Salm M, Morton L, Szukszto M, O'Farrell F, Boulton C, Becker PD, Samuels Y, Swanton C, Mansour MR, Reker Hadrup S, Quezada SA. Breaking the performance ceiling for neoantigen immunogenicity prediction. Nat Cancer 2023; 4:1618-1621. [PMID: 38102360 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-023-00675-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Max Salm
- Achilles Therapeutics Ltd, London, UK.
| | | | - Maciej Szukszto
- Cancer Immunology Unit, Research Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Charlotte Boulton
- Cancer Immunology Unit, Research Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | | | | | - Marc R Mansour
- Cancer Immunology Unit, Research Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Sergio A Quezada
- Achilles Therapeutics Ltd, London, UK.
- Cancer Immunology Unit, Research Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK.
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41
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Imanishi M, Inoue T, Fukushima K, Yamashita R, Nakayama R, Nojima M, Kondo K, Gomi Y, Tsunematsu H, Goto K, Miyamoto L, Funamoto M, Denda M, Ishizawa K, Otaka A, Fujino H, Ikeda Y, Tsuchiya K. CA9 and PRELID2; hypoxia-responsive potential therapeutic targets for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma as per bioinformatics analyses. J Pharmacol Sci 2023; 153:232-242. [PMID: 37973221 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphs.2023.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A strong hypoxic environment has been observed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells, which contributes to drug resistance, tumor progression, and metastasis. Therefore, we performed bioinformatics analyses to investigate potential targets for the treatment of PDAC. To identify potential genes as effective PDAC treatment targets, we selected all genes whose expression level was related to worse overall survival (OS) in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and selected only the genes that matched with the genes upregulated due to hypoxia in pancreatic cancer cells in the dataset obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Although the extracted 107 hypoxia-responsive genes included the genes that were slightly enriched in angiogenic factors, TCGA data analysis revealed that the expression level of endothelial cell (EC) markers did not affect OS. Finally, we selected CA9 and PRELID2 as potential targets for PDAC treatment and elucidated that a CA9 inhibitor, U-104, suppressed pancreatic cancer cell growth more effectively than 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and PRELID2 siRNA treatment suppressed the cell growth stronger than CA9 siRNA treatment. Thus, we elucidated that specific inhibition of PRELID2 as well as CA9, extracted via exhaustive bioinformatic analyses of clinical datasets, could be a more effective strategy for PDAC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaki Imanishi
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan.
| | - Takahisa Inoue
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan; Department of Pharmacy, Tokushima University Hospital, Japan
| | - Keijo Fukushima
- Department of Pharmacology for Life Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan.
| | - Ryosuke Yamashita
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Ryo Nakayama
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Masataka Nojima
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Kosuke Kondo
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Gomi
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Honoka Tsunematsu
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Kohei Goto
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Licht Miyamoto
- Laboratory of Pharmacology and Food Science, Department of Nutrition and Life Science, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Kanagawa Institute of Technology, Japan
| | - Masafumi Funamoto
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Masaya Denda
- Department of Bioorganic Synthetic Chemistry, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Keisuke Ishizawa
- Department of Pharmacy, Tokushima University Hospital, Japan; Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan; Clinical Research Center for Developmental Therapeutics, Tokushima University Hospital, Japan
| | - Akira Otaka
- Department of Bioorganic Synthetic Chemistry, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Hiromichi Fujino
- Department of Pharmacology for Life Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Ikeda
- Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
| | - Koichiro Tsuchiya
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Japan
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Wang Y, Xu J, Lan T, Zhou C, Liu P. The loss of neoantigens is an important reason for immune escape in multiple myeloma patients with high intratumor heterogeneity. Cancer Med 2023; 12:21651-21665. [PMID: 37965778 PMCID: PMC10757111 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) is an important factor for clinical outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). High ITH has been proven to be a key reason for tumor immune escape and treatment resistance. Neoantigens are thought to be associated with ITH, but the specific correlation and functional basis for this remains unclear. METHODS We study this question through the whole-exome sequencing (WES) data from 43 high ITH newly diagnosed MM patients in our center. Mutant allele tumor heterogeneity (MATH) was conducted to quantify ITH. The cutoff value for high intratumor heterogeneity was determined by comparing MATH of different kinds of tumors. NeoPredPipe was performed to predict neoantigens and binding affinity. RESULTS Compared to other tumors, MM has a relatively low tumor mutation burden but a high ITH. Patients with high MATH had significantly shorter progression-free survival times than those with low MATH (p = 0.001). In high ITH samples, there is a decrease in strong-binding neoantigens (p = 0.019). The loss of strong-binding neoantigens is a key factor for insensitivity to therapy (p = 0.015). Loss of heterozygosity in HLA was not observed. In addition, patients with fewer neoantigens loss had higher rates of disease remission (p = 0.047). CD8 + T cells (p = 0.012) and NK cells (p = 0.011) decreased significantly in patients with high neoantigens loss rate. A prediction model based on neoantigens was built to evaluate the strength of immune escape. CONCLUSION The loss of strong-binding neoantigens explains why tumors with high ITH have a higher degree of immune escape and may be feasible for deciding the clinical treatment of MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- Department of Hematology, Zhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Jiadai Xu
- Department of Hematology, Zhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Tianwei Lan
- Department of Hematology, Zhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Chi Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Zhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Peng Liu
- Department of Hematology, Zhongshan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
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43
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Gelmi MC, Gezgin G, van der Velden PA, Luyten GPM, Luk SJ, Heemskerk MHM, Jager MJ. PRAME Expression: A Target for Cancer Immunotherapy and a Prognostic Factor in Uveal Melanoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2023; 64:36. [PMID: 38149971 PMCID: PMC10755595 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.64.15.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Uveal melanoma (UM) is a rare disease with a high mortality, and new therapeutic options are being investigated. Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma (PRAME) is a cancer testis antigen, expressed in the testis, but also in cancers, including uveal melanoma. PRAME is considered a target for immune therapy in several cancers, and PRAME-specific T cell clones have been shown to kill UM cells. Methods We studied the literature on PRAME expression in hematological and solid malignancies, including UM, and its role as a target for immunotherapy. The distribution of tumor features was compared between PRAME-high and PRAME-low UM in a 64-patient cohort from the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort of 80 cases and differential gene expression analysis was performed in the LUMC cohort. Results PRAME is expressed in many malignancies, it is frequently associated with a negative prognosis, and can be the target of T cell receptor (TCR)-transduced T cells, a promising treatment option with high avidity and safety. In UM, PRAME is expressed in 26% to 45% of cases and is correlated with a worse prognosis. In the LUMC and the TCGA cohorts, high PRAME expression was associated with larger diameter, higher Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage, more frequent gain of chromosome 8q, and an inflammatory phenotype. Conclusions We confirm that PRAME is associated with poor prognosis in UM and has a strong connection with extra copies of 8q. We show that PRAME-specific immunotherapy in an adjuvant setting is promising in treatment of malignancies, including UM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chiara Gelmi
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gulçin Gezgin
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Sietse J. Luk
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Martine J. Jager
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Su S, Chen F, Xu M, Liu B, Wang L. Recent advances in neoantigen vaccines for treating non-small cell lung cancer. Thorac Cancer 2023; 14:3361-3368. [PMID: 37905603 PMCID: PMC10693939 DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.15126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The breakthrough of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade therapy has changed the clinical treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the past few years. The success of PD-1 blockade therapy has been attributed to high tumor mutation burden and high immunogenicity of lung cancer cells. To further improve the efficacy of NSCLC immunotherapy and overcome the resistance of lung cancer cells to immune checkpoint blockade, new approaches that enhance the active immune response, such as neoantigen vaccines and cellular-based therapies, are urgently required. Neoantigens are considered ideal targets for cancer immunotherapy because of their high immunogenicity and specificity. In this mini review, we first discuss the current advances in neoantigen vaccines for treating cancers and then review the results of preclinical studies and early-phase human clinical trials of neoantigen-based therapies for NSCLC. Finally, we focus on the identification of neoantigens in patients with NSCLC and review the candidate mutations reported by recent studies and our investigations. The review concludes that, in addition to immune checkpoint blockade, approaches targeting neoantigens are promising for improving the efficacy of NSCLC immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu Su
- The Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University and Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Fungjun Chen
- The Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University and Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Mingyuan Xu
- The Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University and Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Baorui Liu
- The Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University and Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
| | - Lifeng Wang
- The Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University and Clinical Cancer Institute of Nanjing UniversityNanjingChina
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45
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Lamas NJ, Lassalle S, Martel A, Nahon-Estève S, Macocco A, Zahaf K, Lalvee S, Fayada J, Lespinet-Fabre V, Bordone O, Pedeutour F, Baillif S, Hofman P. Characterisation of the protein expression of the emerging immunotherapy targets VISTA, LAG-3 and PRAME in primary uveal melanoma: insights from a southern French patient cohort. Pathology 2023; 55:929-944. [PMID: 37863710 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2023.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular tumour in adults, with dismal prognosis once metastases develop, since therapeutic options for the metastatic disease are ineffective. Over the past decade, novel cancer therapies based on immunotherapy have changed the landscape of treatment of different forms of cancer leading to many hopes of improvement in patient overall survival (OS). VISTA, LAG-3 and PRAME are novel promising targets of immunotherapy that have recently gained attention in different solid tumours, but whose relevance in UM remained to be comprehensively evaluated until now. Here, we studied the protein expression of VISTA, LAG-3 and PRAME using immunohistochemistry in representative whole tissue sections from primary UM cases in a cohort of 30 patients from a single centre (Nice University Hospital, Nice, France). The expression of each of these markers was correlated with different clinical and pathological parameters, including onset of metastases and OS. We demonstrated the protein expression of VISTA and LAG-3 in small lymphocytes infiltrating the tumour, while no expression of the proteins was detected in UM cells. For PRAME, nuclear expression was observed in UM cells, but no expression in tumour infiltrating immune cells was identified. Increased levels of VISTA expression in tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were associated with nuclear BAP1 expression and better prognosis. Higher levels of LAG-3 in TILs were associated with higher levels of CD8-positive TILs. PRAME nuclear positivity in melanoma cells was associated with epithelioid cell dominant (>90%) UM histological subtype, higher mitotic numbers and a higher percentage of chromosome 8q gain. This study proposes VISTA as a novel relevant immune checkpoint molecule in primary UM and contributes to confirm LAG-3 and PRAME as potentially important immunotherapy targets in the treatment of UM patients, helping to expand the number of immunotherapy candidate molecules that are relevant to modulate in this aggressive cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Jorge Lamas
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France; Anatomic Pathology Service, Pathology Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Santo António (CHUdSA), Porto, Largo Professor Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal; Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal; ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, University of Minho, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Sandra Lassalle
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France; IRCAN Team 4, Inserm U1081/CNRS 7284, Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer Antoine Lacassagne, Nice, France; FHU OncoAge, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Arnaud Martel
- Université Côte d'Azur, Department of Ophthalmology, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Sacha Nahon-Estève
- Université Côte d'Azur, Department of Ophthalmology, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Adam Macocco
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Katia Zahaf
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Salome Lalvee
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Julien Fayada
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Virginie Lespinet-Fabre
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France; IRCAN Team 4, Inserm U1081/CNRS 7284, Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer Antoine Lacassagne, Nice, France; FHU OncoAge, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Olivier Bordone
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France; IRCAN Team 4, Inserm U1081/CNRS 7284, Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer Antoine Lacassagne, Nice, France; FHU OncoAge, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Florence Pedeutour
- Laboratory of Solid Tumour Genetics, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
| | - Stéphanie Baillif
- Université Côte d'Azur, Department of Ophthalmology, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France
| | - Paul Hofman
- Université Côte d'Azur, Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Biobank BB-0033-00025, Pasteur Hospital, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France; IRCAN Team 4, Inserm U1081/CNRS 7284, Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer Antoine Lacassagne, Nice, France; FHU OncoAge, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France.
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Panya A, Thepmalee C, Sawasdee N, Saengmuang S, Luangwattananun P, Yenchitsomanus PT. Enhancing cholangiocarcinoma immunotherapy with adoptive T cells targeting HLA-restricted neoantigen peptides derived from driver gene mutations. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 168:115827. [PMID: 37939617 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Precision immunotherapy, driven by genomic and bioinformatic advancements, has emerged as a promising and viable approach to combat cancer. Targeting neoantigens offers the advantage of specific immune responses with minimal off-tumor toxicity. In this study, we investigated the potential of adoptive T cells activated by HLA-restricted neoantigen peptides from driver gene mutations for treating cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a highly aggressive cancer with poor prognosis and high mortality rates. Through whole exome sequencing of CCA cell lines, KKU-213A and KKU-100, we identified mutations in common driver genes and predicted corresponding HLA-restricted peptides. Peptides from KRAS, RNF43, and TP53 mutations exhibited strong binding affinity to HLA-A11, as validated through molecular docking and T2-cell binding assays. Dendritic cells (DCs) from healthy donors expressing HLA-A* 11:01, pulsed with individual or pooled peptides, showed comparable levels of costimulatory molecules (CD11c, CD40, CD86, and HLA-DR) to conventional DCs but higher expression of maturation markers, CD80 and CD86. Autologous HLA-A* 11:01-restricted T cells, activated by peptide-pulsed DCs, effectively lysed KKU-213A (HLA-A*11:01) cells, outperforming conventional tumor lysate-pulsed DCs. This effect was specific to HLA-A* 11:01-restricted T cells and not observed in KKU-100 (HLA-A*33:03) cells. Moreover, HLA-A* 11:01-restricted T cells exhibited elevated levels of IFN-gamma, granulysin, and granzyme B, indicating their potent anti-tumor capabilities. These findings underscore the specificity and efficiency of HLA-A* 11:01-restricted T cells targeting KRAS, RNF43, TP53 mutated CCA cells, and offer valuable insights for developing immunotherapeutic strategies and therapeutic peptide-vaccines for CCA treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aussara Panya
- Cell Engineering for Cancer Therapy Research Group, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Chutamas Thepmalee
- Division of Biochemistry, School of Medical Sciences, University of Phayao, Phayao 56000, Thailand
| | - Nunghathai Sawasdee
- Siriraj Center of Research Excellence for Cancer Immunotherapy (SiCORE-CIT), Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Division of Molecular Medicine, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Sasithorn Saengmuang
- Master of Science Program in Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
| | - Piriya Luangwattananun
- Siriraj Center of Research Excellence for Cancer Immunotherapy (SiCORE-CIT), Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Division of Molecular Medicine, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Pa-Thai Yenchitsomanus
- Siriraj Center of Research Excellence for Cancer Immunotherapy (SiCORE-CIT), Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; Division of Molecular Medicine, Research Department, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
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Treitschke S, Weidele K, Varadarajan AR, Feliciello G, Warfsmann J, Vorbeck S, Polzer B, Botteron C, Hoffmann M, Dechand V, Mederer T, Weber F, Werner-Klein M, Robold T, Hofmann HS, Werno C, Klein CA. Ex vivo expansion of lung cancer-derived disseminated cancer cells from lymph nodes identifies cells associated with metastatic progression. Int J Cancer 2023; 153:1854-1867. [PMID: 37555668 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
The cellular basis of the apparent aggressiveness in lung cancer is poorly understood but likely associated with functional or molecular features of disseminated cancer cells (DCCs). DCCs from epithelial cancers are mostly detected by antibodies directed against histogenetic markers such as cytokeratin or EpCAM. It has been argued that marker-negative metastatic founder cells might escape detection. We therefore used ex vivo sphere formation for functional detection of candidate metastasis founders. We generated cell suspensions from 199 LN samples of 131 lung cancer patients and placed them into non-adherent cell culture. Sphere formation was associated with detection of DCCs using EpCAM immunocytology and with significantly poorer prognosis. The prognostic impact of sphere formation was strongly associated with high numbers of EpCAM-positive DCCs and aberrant genotypes of expanded spheres. We also noted sphere formation in patients with no evidence of lymphatic spread, however such spheres showed infrequent expression of signature genes associated with spheres from EpCAM-positive samples and displayed neither typical lung cancer mutations (KRAS, TP53, ERBB1) nor copy number variations, but might be linked to disease progression >5 years post curative surgery. We conclude that EpCAM identifies relevant disease-driving DCCs, that such cells can be expanded for model generation and that further research is needed to clarify the functional and prognostic role of rare EpCAM-negative sphere forming cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffi Treitschke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Weidele
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Adithi Ravikumar Varadarajan
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Giancarlo Feliciello
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jens Warfsmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sybille Vorbeck
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Bernhard Polzer
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Catherine Botteron
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Martin Hoffmann
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Vadim Dechand
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Mederer
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Florian Weber
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
- Institute for Pathology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Melanie Werner-Klein
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Robold
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Stefan Hofmann
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christian Werno
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christoph A Klein
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Division of Personalized Tumor Therapy, Regensburg, Germany
- Experimental Medicine and Therapy Research, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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48
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Müller M, Huber F, Arnaud M, Kraemer AI, Altimiras ER, Michaux J, Taillandier-Coindard M, Chiffelle J, Murgues B, Gehret T, Auger A, Stevenson BJ, Coukos G, Harari A, Bassani-Sternberg M. Machine learning methods and harmonized datasets improve immunogenic neoantigen prediction. Immunity 2023; 56:2650-2663.e6. [PMID: 37816353 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
The accurate selection of neoantigens that bind to class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and are recognized by autologous T cells is a crucial step in many cancer immunotherapy pipelines. We reprocessed whole-exome sequencing and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from 120 cancer patients from two external large-scale neoantigen immunogenicity screening assays combined with an in-house dataset of 11 patients and identified 46,017 somatic single-nucleotide variant mutations and 1,781,445 neo-peptides, of which 212 mutations and 178 neo-peptides were immunogenic. Beyond features commonly used for neoantigen prioritization, factors such as the location of neo-peptides within protein HLA presentation hotspots, binding promiscuity, and the role of the mutated gene in oncogenicity were predictive for immunogenicity. The classifiers accurately predicted neoantigen immunogenicity across datasets and improved their ranking by up to 30%. Besides insights into machine learning methods for neoantigen ranking, we have provided homogenized datasets valuable for developing and benchmarking companion algorithms for neoantigen-based immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Müller
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Bâtiment Amphipôle, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Florian Huber
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marion Arnaud
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anne I Kraemer
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emma Ricart Altimiras
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Justine Michaux
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marie Taillandier-Coindard
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Johanna Chiffelle
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Baptiste Murgues
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Talita Gehret
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aymeric Auger
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Brian J Stevenson
- Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Bâtiment Amphipôle, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - George Coukos
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Center of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Harari
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Center of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michal Bassani-Sternberg
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Agora Center Bugnon 25A, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland; Agora Cancer Research Centre, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Center of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Oncology, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV), Rue du Bugnon 46, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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49
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Wu M, Zhou S. Harnessing tumor immunogenomics: Tumor neoantigens in ovarian cancer and beyond. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2023; 1878:189017. [PMID: 37935309 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.189017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is a major cause of death among gynecological cancers due to its highly aggressive nature. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising avenue for ovarian cancer treatment, offering targeted approaches with reduced off-target effects. With the advent of next-generation sequencing, it has become possible to identify genomic alterations that can serve as potential targets for immunotherapy. Furthermore, immunogenomics research has revealed the importance of genetic alterations in shaping the cancer immune responses. However, the heterogeneity of immunogenicity and the low tumor mutation burden pose challenges for neoantigen-based immunotherapies. Further research is needed to identify neoantigen-specific tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and establish guidelines for patient inclusion criteria in TIL-based therapy. The study of neoantigens and their implications in ovarian cancer immunotherapy holds great promise, and efforts focused on personalized treatment strategies, refined neoantigen selection, and optimized therapeutic combinations will contribute to improving patient outcomes in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengrui Wu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, PR China
| | - Shengtao Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Second Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, PR China.
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50
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Schäfer RA, Guo Q, Yang R. ScanNeo2: a comprehensive workflow for neoantigen detection and immunogenicity prediction from diverse genomic and transcriptomic alterations. Bioinformatics 2023; 39:btad659. [PMID: 37882750 PMCID: PMC10629934 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btad659] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Neoantigens, tumor-specific protein fragments, are invaluable in cancer immunotherapy due to their ability to serve as targets for the immune system. Computational prediction of these neoantigens from sequencing data often requires multiple algorithms and sophisticated workflows, which are currently restricted to specific types of variants, such as single-nucleotide variants or insertions/deletions. Nevertheless, other sources of neoantigens are often overlooked. RESULTS We introduce ScanNeo2 an improved and fully automated bioinformatics pipeline designed for high-throughput neoantigen prediction from raw sequencing data. Unlike its predecessor, ScanNeo2 integrates multiple sources of somatic variants, including canonical- and exitron-splicing, gene fusion events, and various somatic variants. Our benchmark results demonstrate that ScanNeo2 accurately identifies neoantigens, providing a comprehensive and more efficient solution for neoantigen prediction. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION ScanNeo2 is freely available at https://github.com/ylab-hi/ScanNeo2/ and is accompanied by instruction and application data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Schäfer
- Department of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Qingxiang Guo
- Department of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
| | - Rendong Yang
- Department of Urology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States
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