scholarly journals Autoimmune Alleles at the Major Histocompatibility Locus Modify Melanoma Susceptibility

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Talwar ◽  
David Laub ◽  
Meghana Pagadala ◽  
Andrea Castro ◽  
McKenna Lewis ◽  
...  

Autoimmunity and cancer represent two different aspects of immune dysfunction. Autoimmunity is characterized by breakdowns in immune self-tolerance, while impaired immune surveillance can allow for tumorigenesis. The class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I), which displays derivatives of the cellular peptidome for immune surveillance by CD8+ T cells, serves as a common genetic link between these conditions. As melanoma-specific CD8+ T-cells have been shown to target melanocyte-specific peptide antigens more often than melanoma-specific antigens, we investigated whether vitiligo and psoriasis predisposing MHC-I alleles conferred a melanoma protective effect. In individuals with cutaneous melanoma from both The Cancer Genome Atlas (N = 451) and an independent validation cohort (N = 586), MHC-I autoimmune allele carriers are significantly associated with a later age of melanoma diagnosis. MHC-I autoimmune allele contributions to melanoma risk are not captured by current polygenic risk scores (PRS) and incorporation of autoimmune MHC allele presence can improve relative risk stratification. Mechanisms of autoimmune protection were neither associated with improved melanoma-driver mutation association nor improved gene-level conserved antigen presentation relative to common alleles (population frequency > 1%). However, autoimmune alleles showed a marked affinity relative to common alleles for particular windows of melanocyte conserved antigens suggesting a potential relationship between antigen processing, binding, and cell-surface presentation. Overall, this study presents evidence that MHC-I autoimmune risk alleles modulate melanoma risk currently unaccounted for by current PRS.

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e000692
Author(s):  
Katja Stifter ◽  
Jana Krieger ◽  
Leonie Ruths ◽  
Johann Gout ◽  
Medhanie Mulaw ◽  
...  

BackgroundMany cancer cells express a major histocompatibility complex class I low/ programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 positive (MHC-Ilo/PD-L1+) cell surface profile. For immunotherapy, there is, thus, an urgent need to restore presentation competence of cancer cells with defects in MHC-I processing/presentation combined with immune interventions that tackle the tumor-initiated PD-L1/PD-1 signaling axis. Using pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells (PDACCs) as a model, we here explored if (and how) expression/processing of tumor antigens via transporters associated with antigen processing (TAP) affects priming of CD8 T cells in PD-1/PD-L1-competent/-deficient mice.MethodsWe generated tumor antigen-expressing vectors, immunized TAP-competent/-deficient mice and determined de novo primed CD8 T-cell frequencies by flow cytometry. Similarly, we explored the antigenicity and PD-L1/PD-1 sensitivity of PDACCs versus interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-treated PDACCs in PD-1/PD-L1-competent/deficient mice. The IFN-γ-induced effects on gene and cell surface expression profiles were determined by microarrays and flow cytometry.ResultsWe identified two antigens (cripto-1 and an endogenous leukemia virus-derived gp70) that were expressed in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) of PDACCs and induced CD8 T-cell responses either independent (Cripto-1:Kb/Cr16-24) or dependent (gp70:Kb/p15E) on TAP by DNA immunization. IFN-γ-treatment of PDACCs in vitro upregulated MHC-I- and TAP- but also PD-L1-expression. Mechanistically, PD-L1/PD-1 signaling was superior to the reconstitution of MHC-I presentation competence, as subcutaneously transplanted IFN-γ-treated PDACCs developed tumors in C57BL/6J and PD-L1-/- but not in PD-1-/- mice. Using PDACCs, irradiated at day 3 post-IFN-γ-treatment or PD-L1 knockout PDACCs as vaccines, we could selectively bypass upregulation of PD-L1, preferentially induce TAP-dependent gp70:Kb/p15E-specific CD8 T cells associated with a weakened PD-1+ exhaustion phenotype and reject consecutively injected tumor transplants in C57BL/6J mice.ConclusionsThe IFN-γ-treatment protocol is attractive for cell-based immunotherapies, because it restores TAP-dependent antigen processing in cancer cells, facilitates priming of TAP-dependent effector CD8 T-cell responses without additional check point inhibitors and could be combined with genetic vaccines that complement priming of TAP-independent CD8 T cells.


Author(s):  
Koen A. Marijt ◽  
Lisa Griffioen ◽  
Laura Blijleven ◽  
Sjoerd. H. van der Burg ◽  
Thorbald van Hall

AbstractCancer cells frequently display defects in their antigen-processing pathway and thereby evade CD8 T cell immunity. We described a novel category of cancer antigens, named TEIPP, that emerge on cancers with functional loss of the peptide pump TAP. TEIPPs are non-mutated neoantigens despite their ‘self’ origin by virtue of their absence on normal tissues. Here, we describe the development of a synthetic long peptide (SLP) vaccine for the most immunogenic TEIPP antigen identified thus far, derived from the TAP-independent LRPAP1 signal sequence. LRPAP121–30-specific CD8 T cells were present in blood of all tested healthy donors as well as patients with non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma. SLPs with natural flanking, however, failed to be cross-presented by monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Since the C-terminus of LRPAP121–30 is an unconventional and weakly binding serine (S), we investigated if replacement of this anchor would result in efficient cross-presentation. Exchange into a valine (V) resulted in higher HLA-A2 binding affinity and enhanced T cell stimulation. Importantly, CD8 T cells isolated using the V-variant were able to bind tetramers with the natural S-variant and respond to TAP-deficient cancer cells. A functional screen with an array of N-terminal and C-terminal extended SLPs pointed at the 24-mer V-SLP, elongated at the N-terminus, as most optimal vaccine candidate. This SLP was efficiently cross-presented and consistently induced a strong polyclonal LRPAP121–30-specific CD8 T cells from the endogenous T cell repertoire. Thus, we designed a TEIPP SLP vaccine from the LRPAP1 signal sequence ready for validation in clinical trials.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A161-A161
Author(s):  
Diana DeLucia ◽  
Tiffany Pariva ◽  
Roland Strong ◽  
Owen Witte ◽  
John Lee

BackgroundIn advanced prostate cancer (PCa), progression to castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) is inevitable and novel therapies for CRPC are needed. Adoptive transfer of T cells targeting tumor antigens is a promising approach in the cancer field. Unfortunately, identifying antigens expressed exclusively in prostate tumor cells has been challenging. Since the prostate is not an essential organ, we alternatively selected prostate-restricted epithelial antigens (PREAs) expressed in both malignant and normal prostate tissue for transgenic T cell studies.MethodsRNA-seq data sets identifying genes enriched in PCa were cross-referenced with the NIH Genotype-Expression database to identify PREAs. Using a novel molecular immunology approach, select PREAs and major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules were co-expressed in HEK293F cells, from which MHC–peptide complexes were efficiently isolated. Peptides were eluted and sequenced by mass spectrometry. Peptide–MHC binding was validated with a T2 stabilization assay and peptide immunodominance was determined using an interferon-γ (IFN-γ) ELISpot assay following stimulation of healthy HLA-A2+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with peptide pools. Following peptide stimulation, CD8+ T cells with peptide-specific T cell receptors (TCR) were enriched by peptide–MHC-I dextramer labeling and fluorescence activated cell sorting for single cell TCR α/β chain sequencing.ResultsWe identified 11 A2+ peptides (8 previously unpublished) from prostatic acid phosphatase (ACPP), solute carrier family 45 member 3 (SLC45A3), and NK3 homeobox 1 (NKX3.1) that bound to HLA-A2 with varying affinities. Extended culture stimulation of PBMC with peptide pools from each PREA, compared to the standard overnight culture, revealed a greater number of IFN-γ producing cells overall and a greater breadth of response across all the peptides. Antigen specific CD8+ T cells were detectable at low frequencies in both male and female healthy PBMC for 7 of the 11 peptides. Dextramer-sorted antigen-specific cells were used for single-cell paired TCR αβ sequencing and transgenic T cell development.ConclusionsThrough this work we identified HLA-A2-presented antigenic peptides from the PREAs ACPP, SLC45A3, and NKX3.1 that can induce the expansion of IFN-γ producing CD8+ T cells. Through peptide–MHC-I dextramer labeling, we isolated PREA-specific CD8+ T cells and characterized TCR αβ sequences with potential anti-tumor functionality. Our results highlight a rapid and directed platform for the development of MHC-I-restricted transgenic CD8+ T cells targeting lineage-specific proteins expressed in prostate epithelia for adoptive therapy of advanced PCa.


2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (9) ◽  
pp. 2642-2651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maha Ayyoub ◽  
Marco Migliaccio ◽  
Philippe Guillaume ◽  
Danielle Liénard ◽  
Jean-Charles Cerottini ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome S. Harms ◽  
Mike Khan ◽  
Cherisse Hall ◽  
Gary A. Splitter ◽  
E. Jane Homan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBrucella spp are intracellular pathogenic bacteria remarkable in their ability to escape immune surveillance and therefore inflict a state of chronic disease within the host. To enable further immune response studies, Brucella were engineered to express the well characterized chicken ovalbumin (OVA). Surprisingly, we found that CD8 T cells bearing T cell receptors (TCR) nominally specific for the OVA peptide SIINFEKL (OT-1) reacted to parental Brucella-infected targets as well as OVA-expressing Brucella variants in cytotoxicity assays. Furthermore, splenocytes from Brucella immunized mice produced IFN-γ and exhibited cytotoxicity in response to SIINFEKL-pulsed target cells. To determine if the SIINFEKL-reactive OT-1 TCR could be cross-reacting to Brucella peptides, we searched the Brucella proteome using an algorithm to generate a list of near-neighbor nonamer peptides that would bind to H2Kb. Selecting five Brucella peptide candidates, along with controls, we verified that several of these peptides mimicked SIINFEKL resulting in T cell activation through the “SIINFEKL-specific” TCR. Activation was dependent on peptide concentration as well as sequence. Our results underscore the complexity and ubiquity of cross-reactivity in T cell recognition. This cross-reactivity may enable microbes such as Brucella to escape immune surveillance by presenting peptides similar to the host, and may also lead to the activation of autoreactive T cells.


2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (S2) ◽  
pp. 616-617
Author(s):  
D. Ellefson ◽  
D. Parker ◽  
F. Heffron

Intracellular bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium secrete proteins into the host cell after infection. These proteins alter the normal structural and metabolic machinery of the host cell and benefit the bacterium by facilitating replication and avoidance of host immune surveillance. Since the host cytoplasmic localization of these proteins infers access to the class-I MHC antigen processing and presentation machinery of the host cell, we collectively refer to these proteins as Class- I Accessible Proteins (CAPs).The design of vaccines for new and emerging bacterial pathogens is often constrained by the selection of appropriate and specific antigens. While vaccine design is being greatly aided by whole genome analysis of bacterial pathogens, it has been of limited use in the assignment of function and host subcellular localization of a large percentage of bacterial proteins. in addition, analysis of the bacteria/host interaction is further complicated by the complex lifestyle of the pathogen.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ameet A. Chimote ◽  
Vaibhavkumar S. Gawali ◽  
Hannah S. Newton ◽  
Trisha M. Wise-Draper ◽  
Laura Conforti

Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 91 (10) ◽  
pp. 3566-3573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Søren Skov ◽  
Mette Nielsen ◽  
Søren Bregenholt ◽  
Niels Ødum ◽  
Mogens H. Claesson

Abstract Activation of Janus tyrosine kinases (Jak) and Signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stat) after ligation of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) was explored in Jurkat T cells. Cross-linking of MHC-I mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of Tyk2, but not Jak1, Jak2, and Jak3. In addition, the transcription factor Stat-3 was tyrosine phosphorylated in the cytoplasma and subsequently translocated to the cell nucleus. Data obtained by electrophoretic mobility shift assay suggested that the activated Stat-3 protein associates with the human serum-inducible element (hSIE) DNA-probe derived from the interferon-γ activated site (GAS) in the c-fos promoter, a common DNA sequence for Stat protein binding. An association between hSIE and Stat-3 after MHC-I ligation was directly demonstrated by precipitating Stat-3 from nuclear extracts with biotinylated hSIE probe and avidin-coupled agarose. To investigate the function of the activated Stat-3, Jurkat T cells were transiently transfected with a Stat-3 isoform lacking the transactivating domain. This dominant-negative acting Stat-3 isoform significantly inhibited apoptosis induced by ligation of MHC-I. In conclusion, our data suggest the involvement of the Jak/Stat signal pathway in MHC-I–induced signal transduction in T cells.


2009 ◽  
Vol 207 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cláudia C. Oliveira ◽  
Peter A. van Veelen ◽  
Bianca Querido ◽  
Arnoud de Ru ◽  
Marjolein Sluijter ◽  
...  

The nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Qa-1b accommodates monomorphic leader peptides and functions as a ligand for germ line receptors CD94/NKG2, which are expressed by natural killer cells and CD8+ T cells. We here describe that the conserved peptides are replaced by a novel peptide repertoire of surprising diversity as a result of impairments in the antigen-processing pathway. This novel peptide repertoire represents immunogenic neoantigens for CD8+ T cells, as we found that these Qa-1b–restricted T cells dominantly participated in the response to tumors with processing deficiencies. A surprisingly wide spectrum of target cells, irrespective of transformation status, MHC background, or type of processing deficiency, was recognized by this T cell subset, complying with the conserved nature of Qa-1b. Target cell recognition depended on T cell receptor and Qa-1b interaction, and immunization with identified peptide epitopes demonstrated in vivo priming of CD8+ T cells. Our data reveal that Qa-1b, and most likely its human homologue human leukocyte antigen-E, is important for the defense against processing-deficient cells by displacing the monomorphic leader peptides, which relieves the inhibition through CD94/NKG2A on lymphocytes, and by presenting a novel repertoire of immunogenic peptides, which recruits a subset of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells.


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