scholarly journals MEK inhibition enhances oncolytic virus immunotherapy through increased tumor cell killing and T cell activation

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (471) ◽  
pp. eaau0417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Praveen K. Bommareddy ◽  
Salvatore Aspromonte ◽  
Andrew Zloza ◽  
Samuel D. Rabkin ◽  
Howard L. Kaufman

Melanoma is an aggressive cutaneous malignancy, but advances over the past decade have resulted in multiple new therapeutic options, including molecularly targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and oncolytic virus therapy. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is a herpes simplex type 1 oncolytic virus, and trametinib is a MEK inhibitor approved for treatment of melanoma. Therapeutic responses with T-VEC are often limited, and BRAF/MEK inhibition is complicated by drug resistance. We observed that the combination of T-VEC and trametinib resulted in enhanced melanoma cell death in vitro. Further, combination treatment resulted in delayed tumor growth and improved survival in mouse models. Tumor regression was dependent on activated CD8+ T cells and Batf3+ dendritic cells. We also observed antigen spreading and induction of an inflammatory gene signature, including increased expression of PD-L1. Triple therapy with the combination of T-VEC, MEK inhibition, and anti–PD-1 antibody further augmented responses. These data support clinical development of combination oncolytic viruses, MEK inhibitors, and checkpoint blockade in patients with melanoma.

2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (6) ◽  
pp. L1221-L1230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Garn ◽  
Anke Friedetzky ◽  
Andrea Kirchner ◽  
Ruth Jäger ◽  
Diethard Gemsa

In chronic silicosis, mechanisms leading to lymphocyte activation are still poorly understood, although it is well known that not only the lung but also the draining lymph nodes are affected. In the present study, we investigated T-cell activation by analysis of cytokine expression in the enlarged thoracic lymph nodes of rats 2 mo after an 8-day silica aerosol exposure. In the case of helper T cell (Th) type 1 cytokines, we found a significant increase in interferon (IFN)-γ mRNA expression, whereas interleukin (IL)-2 expression remained unchanged. In contrast, gene transcription for the Th2-type cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 was diminished. In addition, with use of an in vitro lymphocyte-macrophage coculture system, an enhanced IFN-γ and a reduced IL-10 release were shown with cells from silicotic animals. With regard to IFN-γ-inducing cytokines, we observed enhanced IL-12 mRNA levels in vivo, whereas IL-18 gene expression was slightly decreased. These data indicate that a persistent shift toward an IFN-γ-dominated type 1 (Th1/cytotoxic T cell type 1) T-cell reaction pattern occurred within the thoracic lymph nodes of silicotic animals. Thus a mutual activation of lymphocytes and macrophages may maintain the chronic inflammatory changes that characterize silicosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiali Hu ◽  
Cuiyu Chen ◽  
Ruitao Lu ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
...  

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are considered a promising therapeutic alternative for cancer. However, despite the development of novel OVs with improved efficacy and tumor selectivity, their limited efficacy as monotherapeutic agents remains a significant challenge. This study extended our previously observed combination effects of propranolol, a nonselective β-blocker, and the T1012G oncolytic virus into colorectal cancer models. A cell viability assay showed that cotreatment could induce synergistic killing effects on human and murine colorectal cell lines. Moreover, cotreatment caused sustained tumor regression compared with T1012G monotherapy or propranolol monotherapy in human HCT116 and murine MC38 tumor models. The propranolol activity was not via a direct effect on viral replication in vitro or in vivo. Western blotting showed that cotreatment significantly enhanced the expression of cleaved caspase-3 in HCT116 and MC38 cells compared with the propranolol or T1012G alone. In addition, propranolol or T1012G treatment induced a 35.06% ± 0.53% or 35.49% ± 2.68% reduction in VEGF secretion in HUVECs (p < 0.01/p < 0.01). Cotreatment further inhibited VEGF secretion compared with the monotherapies (compared with propranolol treatment: 75.06% ± 1.50% decrease, compared with T1012G treatment: 74.91% ± 0.68%; p<0.001, p < 0.001). Consistent with the in vitro results, in vivo data showed that cotreatment could reduce Ki67 and enhance cleaved caspase 3 and CD31 expression in human HCT116 and murine MC38 xenografts. In summary, β-blockers could improve the therapeutic potential of OVs by enhancing oncolytic virus-mediated killing of colorectal cancer cells and colorectal tumors.


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 2824-2824 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Gaudet ◽  
Jennifer F Nemeth ◽  
Ronan McDaid ◽  
Yingzhe Li ◽  
Benjamin Harman ◽  
...  

Abstract AML is a cancer of the myeloid lineage that is characterized by the accumulation of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood. Existing therapies do not lead to cures, partially due to their inability to eliminate residual leukemic stem cells (LSCs) in the bone marrow. T-cell redirection has been shown to be an effective method of treatment for hematologic malignancies (eg, blinatumomab) and represents an attractive approach to treat AML. CD123 (α-chain of the interleukin-3 receptor) has been shown to be expressed on the surface of AML blasts and LSCs. To eradicate CD123+ cells, we developed a bispecific antibody (JNJ-63709178) using the Genmab DuoBody® technology that can bind both CD123 on tumor cells and CD3 on T cells. JNJ-63709178 is a humanized IgG4 bispecific antibody with silenced Fc function. This antibody is able to recruit T cells to CD123-expressing tumor cells and induce the killing of these tumor cells in vitro (MOLM-13, OCI-AML5 and KG-1; EC50 = 0.51-0.91 nM). In contrast, this antibody does not kill CD123- cell lines, demonstrating the specificity of cytotoxicity. Consistently, the degree of cell killing correlated with the level of T-cell activation (CD69 and CD25) and cytokine release (TGF-β and TNF-α). Control bispecific antibodies containing a null arm (viral epitope) paired with a CD123 arm (CD123xnull) or a CD3 arm (nullxCD3) did not induce cytotoxicity or T-cell activation in the assays tested. JNJ-63709178 had no effect on T-cell activation when incubated with T cells alone. In AML murine xenograft models, JNJ-63709178 was able to suppress tumor growth and induce tumor regression (MOLM-13 and KG-1, respectively) in the presence of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or T cells. Tumor regression correlated with the infiltration of T cells in the tumor and the expression of T-cell activation markers such as CD25, PD1 and TIM3. Furthermore, this antibody was able to induce the killing of primary CD123+ cancer cells from the blood of patients with AML without the need to supplement with fresh T cells (EC50 = 0.83 nM). These results indicate that JNJ-63709178 can potently and specifically kill CD123+ cancer cells in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo. Pharmacokinetic studies in cynomolgus monkeys support twice weekly dosing for human studies. JNJ-63709178 is currently being investigated in a Phase 1 clinical trial in relapsed and refractory AML (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02715011). Disclosures Gaudet: Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: Stock options, Patents & Royalties: pending, not yet issued. Nemeth:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock, Patents & Royalties: patent pending. McDaid:Janssen Pharmaceuticals Research and Development: Employment. Li:Janssen: Employment. Harman:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Millar:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock options. Teplyakov:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Wheeler:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Luo:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Tam:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stocks, Research Funding. Wu:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Chen:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Rudnick:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Chu:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Hughes:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Luistro:Janssen: Employment. Chin:Janssen: Employment. Babich:Janssen: Employment. Kalota:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock. Singh:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock options. Salvati:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock options, Patents & Royalties: patent. Elsayed:Janssen: Employment, Other: stock options. Attar:Janssen: Employment.


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 4168-4168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Laura Sun ◽  
Peiyin Wang ◽  
Robyn Clark ◽  
Maria Hristopoulos ◽  
Diego Ellerman ◽  
...  

Abstract The anti-CD20/CD3 T-cell recruiting bispecific antibody (CD20-TDB) is a full-length, fully humanized IgG1 molecule currently under clinical investigation in B-cell malignancies. Previously we have shown that CD20-TDB is highly active in killing CD20-expressing B cells, including primary patient leukemia and lymphoma cells both in vitro and in vivo (Sun et.al. STM 2015). The current standard therapy in B-cell malignancies often contains anti-CD20 based monoclonal antibody and various chemo reagents such as the R-CHOP regimen in Non-Hodgkin's' Lymphoma. Previously we have shown that CD20-TDB can be potentially combined with rituximab as very low level of antigen expression or antigen receptor occupancy is needed for CD20-TDB activity. As many chemo reagents have non-targeted, anti-proliferative activity or immune suppressive activity such as glucocorticoids, it's conceivable that they could potentially interfere with T-cell activation and the subsequent T-cell proliferation and therefore negatively affect CD20-TDB activity. In addition, as a T-cell recruiting bispecific reagent, cell killing activity of CD20-TDB is dependent on T-cell activation which can be subject to negative regulation posed by checkpoint molecules such as PD-1/PD-L1. Here in an effort to better understand the clinical applicability and to improve upon single-agent activity of CD20-TDB, we evaluated the combinability of CD20-TDB with standard-of-care chemo reagents as well as potential synergy of CD20-TDB with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in vitro and in vivo. B-cell killing activity of CD20-TDB was not significantly impacted by high concentration of chemo reagents including cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine, and dexamethasone individually in vitro. In vivo in human CD20/CD3 double transgenic mice, no apparent inhibitory effect on CD20-TDB activity in T-cell activation and B-cell depletion was observed with cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone either individually or in combination. In vitro, PD-1 and PD-L1 expression appeared to be upregulated on T-cells and B-cells respectively upon CD20-TDB treatment, though the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 didn't appear to inhibit the B-cell killing activity of CD20-TDB significantly. The in vivo anti-tumor activity of the combination of CD20-TDB and anti-PD-L1, as well as CD20-TDB and anti-PD-1, was evaluated in an A20-human CD20 syngeneic mouse lymphoma model. In the A20-human CD20 mouse B-lymphoma tumor model, where the target B lymphoma cells uniformly express high level of PD-L1, single-agent CD20-TDB did not significantly inhibit tumor growth. Treatment with single-agent anti-PD-L1 inhibited tumor growth and resulted in three partial responses (tumor regression of more than 50% but less than 100% of the starting tumor volume) out of nine treated animals. The combination of CD20-TDB and anti-PD-L1 resulted in substantially greater tumor growth inhibition compared to either agent alone and resulted in tumor regression in the majority of the nine animals tested, achieving eight partial responses and one complete response (100% tumor regression, no measurable tumor). Similar results were observed with the combination of CD20-TDB and anti-PD-1. Together, these results suggest that CD20-TDB can have broad clinical applicability, either combining with chemo reagents to enable flexible treatment strategies to incorporate CD20-TDB into current standard of therapy for B cell malignancies or with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-L1/PD-1 to improve upon single-agent efficacy. Disclosures Sun: Genentech Inc.: Employment. Wang:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Clark:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Hristopoulos:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Ellerman:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Mathieu:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Chu:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Wang:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Totpal:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Ebens:NGM: Employment. Polson:Genentech Inc.: Employment. Gould:Genentech Inc.: Employment.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan W. Lo ◽  
Maria Vila de Mucha ◽  
Luke B. Roberts ◽  
Natividad Garrido-Mesa ◽  
Arnulf Hertweck ◽  
...  

AbstractT-bet is the lineage-specifying transcription factor for CD4+ T helper type 1 (TH1) cells. T-bet has also been found in other CD4+ T cell subsets, including TH17 cells and TREG, where it modulates their functional characteristics. However, we lack information on when and where T-bet is expressed during T cell differentiation and how this impacts T cell function. To address this, we traced the ontogeny of T-bet-expressing cells using a fluorescent fate-mapping mouse line. We demonstrate that T-bet is expressed in a subset of CD4+ T cells with naïve cell surface markers and that this novel cell population is phenotypically and functionally distinct from conventional naïve CD4+ T cells. These cells are also distinct from previously described populations of memory phenotype and stem cell-like T cells. Naïve-like T-bet-experienced cells are polarised to the TH1 lineage, predisposed to produce IFNγ upon cell activation, and resist repolarisation to other lineages in vitro and in vivo. These results demonstrate that lineage-specifying factors can function to polarise T cells in the absence of canonical markers of T cell activation and that this has an impact on the subsequent T helper response.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (7) ◽  
pp. 1970-1978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladia Monsurrò ◽  
Ena Wang ◽  
Yoshisha Yamano ◽  
Stephen A. Migueles ◽  
Monica C. Panelli ◽  
...  

Abstract In a human melanoma model of tumor antigen (TA)–based immunization, we tested the functional status of TA-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. A “quiescent” phenotype lacking direct ex vivo cytotoxic and proliferative potential was identified that was further characterized by comparing its transcriptional profile to that of TA-specific T cells sensitized in vitro by exposure to the same TA and the T-cell growth factor interleukin 2 (IL-2). Quiescent circulating tumor-specific CD8+ T cells were deficient in expression of genes associated with T-cell activation, proliferation, and effector function. This quiescent status may explain the observed lack of correlation between the presence of circulating immunization-induced lymphocytes and tumor regression. In addition, the activation of TA-specific T cells by in vitro antigen recall and IL-2 suggests that a complete effector phenotype might be reinstated in vivo to fulfill the potential of anticancer vaccine protocols.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e002096
Author(s):  
Simon Gebremeskel ◽  
Adam Nelson ◽  
Brynn Walker ◽  
Tora Oliphant ◽  
Lynnea Lobert ◽  
...  

BackgroundOncolytic viruses reduce tumor burden in animal models and have generated promising results in clinical trials. However, it is likely that oncolytic viruses will be more effective when used in combination with other therapies. Current therapeutic approaches, including chemotherapeutics, come with dose-limiting toxicities. Another option is to combine oncolytic viruses with immunotherapeutic approaches.MethodsUsing experimental models of metastatic 4T1 breast cancer and ID8 ovarian peritoneal carcinomatosis, we examined natural killer T (NKT) cell-based immunotherapy in combination with recombinant oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) or reovirus. 4T1 mammary carcinoma cells or ID8 ovarian cancer cells were injected into syngeneic mice. Tumor-bearing mice were treated with VSV or reovirus followed by activation of NKT cells via the intravenous administration of autologous dendritic cells loaded with the glycolipid antigen α-galactosylceramide. The effects of VSV and reovirus on immunogenic cell death (ICD), cell viability and immunogenicity were tested in vitro.ResultsVSV or reovirus treatments followed by NKT cell activation mediated greater survival in the ID8 model than individual therapies. The regimen was less effective when the treatment order was reversed, delivering virus treatments after NKT cell activation. In the 4T1 model, VSV combined with NKT cell activation increased overall survival and decreased metastatic burden better than individual treatments. In contrast, reovirus was not effective on its own or in combination with NKT cell activation. In vitro, VSV killed a panel of tumor lines better than reovirus. VSV infection also elicited greater increases in mRNA transcripts for proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and antigen presentation machinery compared with reovirus. Oncolytic VSV also induced the key hallmarks of ICD (calreticulin mobilization, plus release of ATP and HMGB1), while reovirus only mobilized calreticulin.ConclusionTaken together, these results demonstrate that oncolytic VSV and NKT cell immunotherapy can be effectively combined to decrease tumor burden in models of metastatic breast and ovarian cancers. Oncolytic VSV and reovirus induced differential responses in our models which may relate to differences in virus activity or tumor susceptibility.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5394
Author(s):  
Tomas Lidak ◽  
Nikol Baloghova ◽  
Vladimir Korinek ◽  
Radislav Sedlacek ◽  
Jana Balounova ◽  
...  

Multisubunit cullin-RING ubiquitin ligase 4 (CRL4)-DCAF12 recognizes the C-terminal degron containing acidic amino acid residues. However, its physiological roles and substrates are largely unknown. Purification of CRL4-DCAF12 complexes revealed a wide range of potential substrates, including MOV10, an “ancient” RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) complex RNA helicase. We show that DCAF12 controls the MOV10 protein level via its C-terminal motif in a proteasome- and CRL-dependent manner. Next, we generated Dcaf12 knockout mice and demonstrated that the DCAF12-mediated degradation of MOV10 is conserved in mice and humans. Detailed analysis of Dcaf12-deficient mice revealed that their testes produce fewer mature sperms, phenotype accompanied by elevated MOV10 and imbalance in meiotic markers SCP3 and γ-H2AX. Additionally, the percentages of splenic CD4+ T and natural killer T (NKT) cell populations were significantly altered. In vitro, activated Dcaf12-deficient T cells displayed inappropriately stabilized MOV10 and increased levels of activated caspases. In summary, we identified MOV10 as a novel substrate of CRL4-DCAF12 and demonstrated the biological relevance of the DCAF12-MOV10 pathway in spermatogenesis and T cell activation.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3818
Author(s):  
Maud Plantinga ◽  
Denise A. M. H. van den Beemt ◽  
Ester Dünnebach ◽  
Stefan Nierkens

Induction of long-lasting immunity by dendritic cells (DCs) makes them attractive candidates for anti-tumor vaccination. Although DC vaccinations are generally considered safe, clinical responses remain inconsistent in clinical trials. This initiated studies to identify subsets of DCs with superior capabilities to induce effective and memory anti-tumor responses. The use of primary DCs has been suggested to overcome the functional limitations of ex vivo monocyte-derived DCs (moDC). The ontogeny of primary DCs has recently been revised by the introduction of DC3, which phenotypically resembles conventional (c)DC2 as well as moDC. Previously, we developed a protocol to generate cDC2s from cord blood (CB)-derived stem cells via a CD115-expressing precursor. Here, we performed index sorting and single-cell RNA-sequencing to define the heterogeneity of in vitro developed DC precursors and identified CD14+CD115+ expressing cells that develop into CD1c++DCs and the remainder cells brought about CD123+DCs, as well as assessed their potency. The maturation status and T-cell activation potential were assessed using flow cytometry. CD123+DCs were specifically prone to take up antigens but only modestly activated T-cells. In contrast, CD1c++ are highly mature and specialized in both naïve as well as antigen-experienced T-cell activation. These findings show in vitro functional diversity between cord blood stem cell-derived CD123+DC and CD1c++DCs and may advance the efficiency of DC-based vaccines.


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