Mechanisms of antigen escape from BCMA- or GPRC5D-targeted immunotherapies in multiple myeloma.
Nat Med 2023;
29:2295-2306. [PMID:
37653344 PMCID:
PMC10504087 DOI:
10.1038/s41591-023-02491-5]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) target loss is considered to be a rare event that mediates multiple myeloma (MM) resistance to anti-BCMA chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) or bispecific T cell engager (TCE) therapies. Emerging data report that downregulation of G-protein-coupled receptor family C group 5 member D (GPRC5D) protein often occurs at relapse after anti-GPRC5D CAR T therapy. To examine the tumor-intrinsic factors that promote MM antigen escape, we performed combined bulk and single-cell whole-genome sequencing and copy number variation analysis of 30 patients treated with anti-BCMA and/or anti-GPRC5D CAR T/TCE therapy. In two cases, MM relapse post-TCE/CAR T therapy was driven by BCMA-negative clones harboring focal biallelic deletions at the TNFRSF17 locus at relapse or by selective expansion of pre-existing subclones with biallelic TNFRSF17 loss. In another five cases of relapse, newly detected, nontruncating, missense mutations or in-frame deletions in the extracellular domain of BCMA negated the efficacies of anti-BCMA TCE therapies, despite detectable surface BCMA protein expression. In the present study, we also report four cases of MM relapse with biallelic mutations of GPRC5D after anti-GPRC5D TCE therapy, including two cases with convergent evolution where multiple subclones lost GPRC5D through somatic events. Immunoselection of BCMA- or GPRC5D-negative or mutant clones is an important tumor-intrinsic driver of relapse post-targeted therapies. Mutational events on BCMA confer distinct sensitivities toward different anti-BCMA therapies, underscoring the importance of considering the tumor antigen landscape for optimal design and selection of targeted immunotherapies in MM.
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