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Ito Y, Inoue S, Nakashima T, Zhang H, Li Y, Kasuya H, Matsukawa T, Wu Z, Yoshikawa T, Kataoka M, Ishikawa T, Kagoya Y. Epigenetic profiles guide improved CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout in human T cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:141-153. [PMID: 37985205 PMCID: PMC10783505 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic modification of specific genes is emerging as a useful tool to enhance the functions of antitumor T cells in adoptive immunotherapy. Current advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technology enable gene knockout during in vitro preparation of infused T-cell products through transient transfection of a Cas9-guide RNA (gRNA) ribonucleoprotein complex. However, selecting optimal gRNAs remains a major challenge for efficient gene ablation. Although multiple in silico tools to predict the targeting efficiency have been developed, their performance has not been validated in cultured human T cells. Here, we explored a strategy to select optimal gRNAs using our pooled data on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene knockout in human T cells. The currently available prediction tools alone were insufficient to accurately predict the indel percentage in T cells. We used data on the epigenetic profiles of cultured T cells obtained from transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq). Combining the epigenetic information with sequence-based prediction tools significantly improved the gene-editing efficiency. We further demonstrate that epigenetically closed regions can be targeted by designing two gRNAs in adjacent regions. Finally, we demonstrate that the gene-editing efficiency of unstimulated T cells can be enhanced through pretreatment with IL-7. These findings enable more efficient gene editing in human T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Ito
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Satoshi Inoue
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takahiro Nakashima
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Haosong Zhang
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Division of Cellular Oncology, Department of Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yang Li
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Division of Cellular Oncology, Department of Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hitomi Kasuya
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Matsukawa
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Zhiwen Wu
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Yoshikawa
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Mirei Kataoka
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Ishikawa
- Department of Extended Intelligence for Medicine, The Ishii-Ishibashi Laboratory, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Advanced Data Science Project, RIKEN Information R&D and Strategy Headquarters, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan
- Collective Intelligence Research Laboratory, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuki Kagoya
- Division of Tumor Immunology, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Immune Response, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Division of Cellular Oncology, Department of Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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Ishihara H, Nishikawa D, Muraoka D, Masago K, Beppu S, Terada H, Matsushita H, Hanai N. Changes in serum DAMPs and cytokines/chemokines during near-infrared photoimmunotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer. Cancer Med 2023; 13:e6863. [PMID: 38131639 PMCID: PMC10807567 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6863] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) for head and neck cancer is a recently developed therapy. However, there is limited data on patients receiving NIR-PIT in real clinical settings. METHODS Seven NIR-PIT sessions were administered to five patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Serum damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) (HMGB1 and Hsp70 levels), and cytokine and chemokine production, were compared before and after NIR-PIT. RESULTS The serum concentration of HMGB1 increased after NIR-PIT (p = 0.031, Wilcoxon test) in all patients except one who did not achieve a clinical response. Chemokines MIP-1α (CCL3) and MIP-1β (CCL4) increased significantly 1-3 days after treatment (CCL3, p = 0.0036; CCL4, p = 0.0016, Wilcoxon test). A low pre-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was associated with a better response to therapy and survival. CONCLUSIONS The release of DAMPs, and cytokine/chemokine production, were detected in the patients' peripheral blood. The baseline NLR may predict patient outcomes in response to NIR-PIT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromasa Ishihara
- Division of Translational OncoimmunologyAichi Cancer Center Research InstituteNagoyaJapan
| | - Daisuke Nishikawa
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryAichi Cancer Center HospitalNagoyaJapan
| | - Daisuke Muraoka
- Division of Translational OncoimmunologyAichi Cancer Center Research InstituteNagoyaJapan
| | - Katsuhiro Masago
- Department of Pathology and Molecular DiagnosticsAichi Cancer Center HospitalNagoyaJapan
| | - Shintaro Beppu
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryAichi Cancer Center HospitalNagoyaJapan
| | - Hoshino Terada
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryAichi Cancer Center HospitalNagoyaJapan
| | - Hirokazu Matsushita
- Division of Translational OncoimmunologyAichi Cancer Center Research InstituteNagoyaJapan
- Division of Cancer ImmunogenomicsNagoya University Graduate School of MedicineNagoyaJapan
| | - Nobuhiro Hanai
- Department of Head and Neck SurgeryAichi Cancer Center HospitalNagoyaJapan
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Komuro H, Shinohara S, Fukushima Y, Demachi-Okamura A, Muraoka D, Masago K, Matsui T, Sugita Y, Takahashi Y, Nishida R, Takashima C, Ohki T, Shigematsu Y, Watanabe F, Adachi K, Fukuyama T, Hamana H, Kishi H, Miura D, Tanaka Y, Onoue K, Onoguchi K, Yamashita Y, Stratford R, Clancy T, Yamaguchi R, Kuroda H, Doi K, Iwata H, Matsushita H. Single-cell sequencing on CD8 + TILs revealed the nature of exhausted T cells recognizing neoantigen and cancer/testis antigen in non-small cell lung cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e007180. [PMID: 37544663 PMCID: PMC10407349 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-007180] [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: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND CD8+tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are often observed in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). However, the characteristics of CD8+ TILs, especially T-cell populations specific for tumor antigens, remain poorly understood. METHODS High throughput single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing were performed on CD8+ TILs from three surgically-resected lung cancer specimens. Dimensional reduction for clustering was performed using Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection. CD8+ TIL TCR specific for the cancer/testis antigen KK-LC-1 and for predicted neoantigens were investigated. Differentially-expressed gene analysis, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and single sample GSEA was performed to characterize antigen-specific T cells. RESULTS A total of 6998 CD8+ T cells was analyzed, divided into 10 clusters according to their gene expression profile. An exhausted T-cell (exhausted T (Tex)) cluster characterized by the expression of ENTPD1 (CD39), TOX, PDCD1 (PD1), HAVCR2 (TIM3) and other genes, and by T-cell oligoclonality, was identified. The Tex TCR repertoire (Tex-TCRs) contained nine different TCR clonotypes recognizing five tumor antigens including a KK-LC-1 antigen and four neoantigens. By re-clustering the tumor antigen-specific T cells (n=140), it could be seen that the individual T-cell clonotypes were present on cells at different stages of differentiation and functional states even within the same Tex cluster. Stimulating these T cells with predicted cognate peptide indicated that TCR signal strength and subsequent T-cell proliferation and cytokine production was variable but always higher for neoantigens than KK-LC-1. CONCLUSIONS Our approach focusing on T cells with an exhausted phenotype among CD8+ TILs may facilitate the identification of tumor antigens and clarify the nature of the antigen-specific T cells to specify the promising immunotherapeutic targets in patients with NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyasu Komuro
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Shuichi Shinohara
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yasunori Fukushima
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Ayako Demachi-Okamura
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Daisuke Muraoka
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Masago
- Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takuya Matsui
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yusuke Sugita
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yusuke Takahashi
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Reina Nishida
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Chieko Takashima
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takashi Ohki
- Department of Respiratory Surgery, Ichinomiya Nishi Hospital, Ichinomiya, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Shigematsu
- Department of Respiratory Surgery, Ichinomiya Nishi Hospital, Ichinomiya, Japan
| | - Fumiaki Watanabe
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Mie Chuo Medical Center, Tsu, Japan
| | | | - Takashi Fukuyama
- Division of Biomedical Research, Kitasato University Medical Center, Kitamoto, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Hamana
- Department of Immunology, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kishi
- Department of Immunology, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Daiki Miura
- Drug Development Division, NEC Corporation, Minato-ku, Japan
| | - Yuki Tanaka
- Drug Development Division, NEC Corporation, Minato-ku, Japan
| | - Kousuke Onoue
- Drug Development Division, NEC Corporation, Minato-ku, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Trevor Clancy
- NEC OncoImmunity AS, Oslo Cancer Cluster, Oslo, Norway
| | - Rui Yamaguchi
- Division of Cancer Systems Biology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Division of Cancer Informatics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Kuroda
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Doi
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Hisashi Iwata
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Gifu University School of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Matsushita
- Division of Translational Oncoimmunology, Aichi Cancer Center Research Institute, Nagoya, Japan
- Division of Cancer Immunogenomics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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