scholarly journals 563 ICT01, an anti-BTN3A mAb, and NL-201, an alpha-independent IL-2/IL-15 agonist, combine to elicit a potent anti-tumor response by synergistically stimulating Vg9Vd2 T cell activation and proliferation

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A592-A592
Author(s):  
Aude De Gassart ◽  
Patrick Brune ◽  
Maelle Mairesse ◽  
Sophie Agaugué ◽  
Ryan Swanson ◽  
...  

Backgroundγ9δ2 T-cells are attractive mediators of cancer immunotherapy due to their strong cytolytic and pro-inflammatory activities and the positive correlation between tumor infiltration and good prognosis [1,2]. ICT01, a novel anti-BTN3A mAb activating γ9δ2 T-cells, is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2a clinical study (NCT04243499)[3,4]. Previous studies have shown that IL-2 (Proleukin®) promotes γ9δ2 T-cells expansion following ICT01 stimulation, which may be clinically useful given that γ9δ2 T-cells are normally <5% of total T-cells [5]. However, the severe toxicity of IL-2 has limited its widespread use. NL-201 is a de novo alpha-independent IL-2/IL-15 agonist that preferentially stimulates CD8 T and NK cell proliferation at low concentrations, enabling a potentially wider therapeutic index than IL-2, and is being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical study (NCT04659629)[6,7]. Here, we explore the potential of ICT01 and NL-201 to synergistically stimulate the activation and proliferation of γ9δ2 T-cells.MethodsFlow cytometry was used to assess IL-2R signaling (pSTAT5), and γ9δ2 T-cell activation and expansion after in vitro culture of huPBMCs with ICT01, NL201 or the combination. Tumor cell killing activity was monitored upon co-culture of huPBMCs with tumor cell lines (Incucyte). In vivo pharmacology was performed in NCG mice engrafted with 20x106 huPBMCs and treated with ICT01 (1 mg/kg IV)±NL-201 (1, 3 or 10 µg/kg IV). Immune cells were phenotyped by flow cytometry in blood and organs collected at sacrifice (Day 16).ResultsNL-201 is ~100X more potent than IL-2 in triggering IL-2R signaling in γ9δ2 T-cells, without preferential activity on Tregs. NL-201 plus ICT01 induces synergistic expansion of γ9δ2 T-cells, approaching ~50% of T-cells after 8 days versus ~10% with single agents. In addition, the combination of NL-201 and ICT01 promotes γ9δ2 T-cell effector memory differentiation, in contrast to IL-2, which induces primarily central memory phenotype. Importantly, NL-201 enhances ICT01-mediated killing of cancer cells by γ9δ2 T-cells.In mice, a dose-dependent expansion of peripheral γ9δ2 T-cells from ~1–2% at baseline to up to 40% of T-cells was observed in the ICT01+NL-201 combination groups. Consistently, γ9δ2 T-cell number and frequency increase in spleen and lungs of the ICT01+NL-201 treated animals as compared to controls. Expanded γ9δ2 T-cells in the combination groups display an effector memory phenotype, confirming our in vitro results.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate the ability of the ICT01+NL-201 combination to synergistically trigger γ9δ2 T-cell activation, expansion and anti-tumor activity and support clinical evaluation of this combination as a novel therapeutic approach for cancer patients.ReferencesGentles, A. J. et al. The prognostic landscape of genes and infiltrating immune cells across human cancers. Nat Med 21, 938-945, doi:10.1038/nm.3909 (2015).Tosolini, M. et al. Assessment of tumor-infiltrating TCRVgamma9Vdelta2 gammadelta lymphocyte abundance by deconvolution of human cancers microarrays. Oncoimmunology 6, e1284723, doi:10.1080/2162402X.2017.1284723 (2017).Gassart, A. d. et al. 687 Enhancement of anti-tumor immunity by ICT01: a novel g9d2 T cell-activating antibody targeting butyrophilin-3A (BTN3A). Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 8, A412-A413, doi:10.1136/jitc-2020-SITC2020.0687 (2020).Marabelle, A. et al. 316 EVICTION Study: Preliminary results in solid tumor patients with ICT01, a first-in-class, gamma9 delta2 T cell activating antibody targeting butyrophilin-3A. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 8, A194-A195, doi:10.1136/jitc-2020-SITC2020.0316 (2020).Gassart, A. d. et al. 442 ICT01, an anti-BTN3A mAb that activates Vg9Vd2 T cells, plus interleukin-2: a potent and promising combination for cancer immunotherapy. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 8, A268-A269, doi:10.1136/jitc-2020-SITC2020.0442 (2020).Walkey, C., Swanson, R., Ulge, U., Silva Manzano, D. A. & Drachman, J. 576 NL-201, a de novo IL-2 and IL-15 agonist, demonstrates enhanced in vivo antitumor activity in combination with multiple cancer immunotherapies. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 8, A346-A346, doi:10.1136/jitc-2020-SITC2020.0576 (2020).Walkey, C. D. et al. Abstract 4518: Pre-clinical development of NL-201: A de novo α-independent IL-2/IL-15 agonist. Cancer Research 80, 4518–4518, doi:10.1158/1538-7445.Am2020-4518 (2020).Ethics ApprovalAll procedures involving animals described in this study have been reviewed and approved by the local ethic committee (CELEAG) and the French Ministry of Research.

2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (5) ◽  
pp. G1051-G1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Kanai ◽  
K. Tanimoto ◽  
Y. Nemoto ◽  
R. Fujii ◽  
S. Makita ◽  
...  

Naturally arising CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (TR) cells have been shown to prevent and cure murine T cell-mediated colitis. However, their exact mechanism of controlling colitogenic memory CD4+ T cells in in vivo systems excluding the initial process of naive T cell activation and differentiation has not been examined to date. Using the colitogenic effector memory (TEM) CD4+ cell-mediated colitis model induced by adoptive transfer of colitogenic CD4+CD44highCD62L− lamina propria (LP) T cells obtained from colitic CD4+CD45RBhigh T cell-transferred mice, we have shown in the present study that CD4+CD25+ TR cells are able not only to suppress the development of colitis, Th1 cytokine production, and the expansion of colitogenic LP CD4+ TEM cells but also to expand these cells by themselves extensively in vivo. An in vitro coculture assay revealed that CD4+CD25+ TR cells proliferated in the presence of IL-2-producing colitogenic LP CD4+ TEM cells at the early time point (48 h after culture), followed by the acquisition of suppressive activity at the late time point (96 h after culture). Collectively, these data suggest the distinct timing of the IL-2-dependent expansion of CD4+CD25+ TR cells and the their suppressive activity on colitogenic LP CD4+ TEM cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A663-A663
Author(s):  
Keegan Cooke ◽  
Juan Estrada ◽  
Jinghui Zhan ◽  
Jonathan Werner ◽  
Fei Lee ◽  
...  

BackgroundNeuroendocrine tumors (NET), including small cell lung cancer (SCLC), have poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. AMG 757 is an HLE BiTE® immune therapy designed to redirect T cell cytotoxicity to NET cells by binding to Delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) expressed on the tumor cell surface and CD3 on T cells.MethodsWe evaluated activity of AMG 757 in NET cells in vitro and in mouse models of neuroendocrine cancer in vivo. In vitro, co-cultures of NET cells and human T cells were treated with AMG 757 in a concentration range and T cell activation, cytokine production, and tumor cell killing were assessed. In vivo, AMG 757 antitumor efficacy was evaluated in xenograft NET and in orthotopic models designed to mimic primary and metastatic SCLC lesions. NSG mice bearing established NET were administered human T cells and then treated once weekly with AMG 757 or control HLE BiTE molecule; tumor growth inhibition was assessed. Pharmacodynamic effects of AMG 757 in tumors were also evaluated in SCLC models following a single administration of human T cells and AMG 757 or control HLE BiTE molecule.ResultsAMG 757 induced T cell activation, cytokine production, and potent T cell redirected killing of DLL3-expressing SCLC, neuroendocrine prostate cancer, and other DLL3-expressing NET cell lines in vitro. AMG 757-mediated redirected lysis was specific for DLL3-expressing cells. In patient-derived xenograft and orthotopic models of SCLC, single-dose AMG 757 effectively engaged human T cells administered systemically, leading to a significant increase in the number of human CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in primary and metastatic tumor lesions. Weekly administration of AMG 757 induced significant tumor growth inhibition of SCLC (figure 1) and other NET, including complete regression of established tumors and clearance of metastatic lesions. These findings warranted evaluation of AMG 757 (NCT03319940); the phase 1 study includes dose exploration (monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab) and dose expansion (monotherapy) in patients with SCLC (figure 2). A study of AMG 757 in patients with neuroendocrine prostate cancer is under development based on emerging data from the ongoing phase 1 study.Abstract 627 Figure 1AMG 757 Significantly reduced tumor growth in orthotopic SCLC mouse modelsAbstract 627 Figure 2AMG 757 Phase 1 study designConclusionsAMG 757 engages and activates T cells to kill DLL3-expressing SCLC and other NET cells in vitro and induces significant antitumor activity against established xenograft tumors in mouse models. These preclinical data support evaluation of AMG 757 in clinical studies of patients with NET.Ethics ApprovalAll in vivo work was conducted under IACUC-approved protocol #2009-00046.


2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels C. Lory ◽  
Mikolaj Nawrocki ◽  
Martina Corazza ◽  
Joanna Schmid ◽  
Valéa Schumacher ◽  
...  

Antigen recognition by the T-cell receptor induces a cytosolic Ca2+ signal that is crucial for T-cell function. The Ca2+ channel TRPM2 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 2) has been shown to facilitate influx of extracellular Ca2+ through the plasma membrane of T cells. Therefore, it was suggested that TRPM2 is involved in T-cell activation and differentiation. However, these results are largely derived from in vitro studies using T-cell lines and non-physiologic means of TRPM2 activation. Thus, the relevance of TRPM2-mediated Ca2+ signaling in T cells remains unclear. Here, we use TRPM2-deficient mice to investigate the function of TRPM2 in T-cell activation and differentiation. In response to TCR stimulation in vitro, Trpm2-/- and WT CD4+ and CD8+ T cells similarly upregulated the early activation markers NUR77, IRF4, and CD69. We also observed regular proliferation of Trpm2-/- CD8+ T cells and unimpaired differentiation of CD4+ T cells into Th1, Th17, and Treg cells under specific polarizing conditions. In vivo, Trpm2-/- and WT CD8+ T cells showed equal specific responses to Listeria monocytogenes after infection of WT and Trpm2-/- mice and after transfer of WT and Trpm2-/- CD8+ T cells into infected recipients. CD4+ T-cell responses were investigated in the model of anti-CD3 mAb-induced intestinal inflammation, which allows analysis of Th1, Th17, Treg, and Tr1-cell differentiation. Here again, we detected similar responses of WT and Trpm2-/- CD4+ T cells. In conclusion, our results argue against a major function of TRPM2 in T-cell activation and differentiation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Vernot ◽  
Ana María Perdomo-Arciniegas ◽  
Luis Alberto Pérez-Quintero ◽  
Diego Fernando Martínez

The Lck interacting protein Tip ofHerpesvirus saimiriis responsible for T-cell transformation bothin vitroandin vivo. Here we designed the chimeric peptide hTip-CSKH, comprising the Lck specific interacting motif CSKH of Tip and its hydrophobic transmembrane sequence (hTip), the latter as a vector targeting lipid rafts. We found that hTip-CSKH can induce a fivefold increase in proliferation of human andAotussp. T-cells. Costimulation with PMA did not enhance this proliferation rate, suggesting that hTip-CSKH is sufficient and independent of further PKC stimulation. We also found that human Lck phosphorylation was increased earlier after stimulation when T-cells were incubated previously with hTip-CSKH, supporting a strong signalling and proliferative effect of the chimeric peptide. Additionally, Lck downstream signalling was evident with hTip-CSKH but not with control peptides. Importantly, hTip-CSKH could be identified in heavy lipid rafts membrane fractions, a compartment where important T-cell signalling molecules (LAT, Ras, and Lck) are present during T-cell activation. Interestingly, hTip-CSKH was inhibitory to Jurkat cells, in total agreement with the different signalling pathways and activation requirements of this leukemic cell line. These results provide the basis for the development of new compounds capable of modulating therapeutic targets present in lipid rafts.


1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
JW Lindsey ◽  
RH Kerman ◽  
JS Wolinsky

Activated T cells are able to stimulate proliferation in resting T cells through an antigen non-specific mechanism. The in vivo usefulness of this T cell-T cell activation is unclear, but it may serve to amplify immune responses. T cell-T cell activation could be involved in the well-documented occurrence of multiple sclerosis (MS) exacerbations following viral infections. Excessive activation via this pathway could also be a factor in the etiology of MS. We tested the hypothesis that excessive T cell-T cell activation occurs in MS patients using in vitro proliferation assays comparing T cells from MS patients to T cells from controls. When tested as responder cells, T cells from MS patients proliferated slightly less after stimulation with previously activated cells than T cells from controls. When tested as stimulator cells, activated cells from MS patients stimulated slightly more non-specific proliferation than activated cells from controls. Neither of these differences were statistically significant We conclude that T cell proliferation in response to activated T cells is similar in MS and controls.


2018 ◽  
Vol 215 (4) ◽  
pp. 1101-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc-Werner Dobenecker ◽  
Joon Seok Park ◽  
Jonas Marcello ◽  
Michael T. McCabe ◽  
Richard Gregory ◽  
...  

Differentiation and activation of T cells require the activity of numerous histone lysine methyltransferases (HMT) that control the transcriptional T cell output. One of the most potent regulators of T cell differentiation is the HMT Ezh2. Ezh2 is a key enzymatic component of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which silences gene expression by histone H3 di/tri-methylation at lysine 27. Surprisingly, in many cell types, including T cells, Ezh2 is localized in both the nucleus and the cytosol. Here we show the presence of a nuclear-like PRC2 complex in T cell cytosol and demonstrate a role of cytosolic PRC2 in T cell antigen receptor (TCR)–mediated signaling. We show that short-term suppression of PRC2 precludes TCR-driven T cell activation in vitro. We also demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of PRC2 in vivo greatly attenuates the severe T cell–driven autoimmunity caused by regulatory T cell depletion. Our data reveal cytoplasmic PRC2 is one of the most potent regulators of T cell activation and point toward the therapeutic potential of PRC2 inhibitors for the treatment of T cell–driven autoimmune diseases.


1999 ◽  
Vol 190 (10) ◽  
pp. 1383-1392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin F. Bachmann ◽  
Marijke Barner ◽  
Manfred Kopf

It has been proposed that CD2, which is highly expressed on T cells, serves to enhance T cell–antigen presenting cell (APC) adhesion and costimulate T cell activation. Here we analyzed the role of CD2 using CD2-deficient mice crossed with transgenic mice expressing a T cell receptor specific for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)-derived peptide p33. We found that absence of CD2 on T cells shifted the p33-specific dose–response curve in vitro by a factor of 3–10. In comparison, stimulation of T cells in the absence of lymphocyte function–associated antigen (LFA)-1–intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 interaction shifted the dose–response curve by a factor of 10, whereas absence of both CD2–CD48 and LFA-1–ICAM-1 interactions shifted the response by a factor of ∼100. This indicates that CD2 and LFA-1 facilitate T cell activation additively. T cell activation at low antigen density was blocked at its very first steps, as T cell APC conjugate formation, TCR triggering, and Ca2+ fluxes were affected by the absence of CD2. In vivo, LCMV-specific, CD2-deficient T cells proliferated normally upon infection with live virus but responded in a reduced fashion upon cross-priming. Thus, CD2 sets quantitative thresholds and fine-tunes T cell activation both in vitro and in vivo.


1997 ◽  
Vol 185 (12) ◽  
pp. 2133-2141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ingulli ◽  
Anna Mondino ◽  
Alexander Khoruts ◽  
Marc K. Jenkins

Although lymphoid dendritic cells (DC) are thought to play an essential role in T cell activation, the initial physical interaction between antigen-bearing DC and antigen-specific T cells has never been directly observed in vivo under conditions where the specificity of the responding T cells for the relevant antigen could be unambiguously assessed. We used confocal microscopy to track the in vivo location of fluorescent dye-labeled DC and naive TCR transgenic CD4+ T cells specific for an OVA peptide–I-Ad complex after adoptive transfer into syngeneic recipients. DC that were not exposed to the OVA peptide, homed to the paracortical regions of the lymph nodes but did not interact with the OVA peptide-specific T cells. In contrast, the OVA peptide-specific T cells formed large clusters around paracortical DC that were pulsed in vitro with the OVA peptide before injection. Interactions were also observed between paracortical DC of the recipient and OVA peptide-specific T cells after administration of intact OVA. Injection of OVA peptide-pulsed DC caused the specific T cells to produce IL-2 in vivo, proliferate, and differentiate into effector cells capable of causing a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction. Surprisingly, by 48 h after injection, OVA peptide-pulsed, but not unpulsed DC disappeared from the lymph nodes of mice that contained the transferred TCR transgenic population. These results demonstrate that antigen-bearing DC directly interact with naive antigen-specific T cells within the T cell–rich regions of lymph nodes. This interaction results in T cell activation and disappearance of the DC.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 782-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Butler ◽  
Philip Friedlander ◽  
Mary Mooney ◽  
Linda Drury ◽  
Martha Metzler ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 782 The goal of cellular immunotherapy is to build long-lasting anti-tumor immunologic “memory” in patients and reject tumors for a lifetime. Previously, we and others demonstrated that IL-15 promotes the generation of T cells with a central memory (CM) phenotype which have the capacity to persist and establish effective anti-tumor memory in vivo. Furthermore, it has been shown that CD83 delivers a CD80-dependent T cell stimulatory signal that allows T cells to be long-lived. Based on these findings, we developed a system to generate large numbers of long-lived antigen-specific CD8+ T cells with a memory phenotype. This in vitro culture system utilizes IL-15 and a standardized, renewable artificial antigen presenting cell (aAPC) which was produced by transducing CD80, CD83, and HLA-A*0201 to the human cell line, K562. This aAPC can uniquely support the priming and prolonged expansion of large numbers of antigen-specific CD8+ CTL which display a central/effector memory (CM/EM) phenotype, possess potent effector function, and can be maintained in vitro for >1 year without any feeder cells or cloning. We hypothesized that adoptive transfer of these CTL with a CM/EM phenotype should result in anti-tumor memory in humans even without lymphodepletion or high dose IL-2. For our “first-in-human” clinical study, we chose the melanoma antigen MART1 as a target antigen, since MART1-specific HLA-A*0201+-restricted precursor CTL are detectable in some melanoma patients and can be immunophenotyped pre-infusion. Autologous CD8+ T cells were stimulated weekly with peptide-pulsed human cell-based aAPC and expanded with low dose IL-2 and IL-15. After three weeks, polyclonal MART1 CTL were reinfused without additional lymphodepletion, chemotherapy, IL-2, or vaccination. Eight study participants have enrolled and received a total of 15 MART1 CTL infusions (31% MART1 multimer positivity, median). All but one subject received two reinfusions where the 2nd graft was produced from CD8+ T cells harvested two weeks after the 1st reinfusion. To date, ≥2×109 CTL with potent effector function and a CM/EM phenotype were successfully generated for all subjects. No dose limiting toxicities were observed at either Dose Level 1 (2×108/m2) or Dose Level 2 (2×109/m2). Clinical activity was observed with a response by RECIST criteria in 1 subject, which was confirmed by a negative PET/CT 100 days following the last CTL infusion. In addition, 1 patient experienced a mixed response, 1 had stable disease, 3 had progression, and 2 are currently on active therapy. Multimer staining showed that, immediately post infusion, the percentage of CD8+ T cells specific for MART1 temporarily increased in all subjects, with the highest (6.5%) observed in subject #7. In 4 subjects, sustained increases in the frequency of MART1 specific T cells by more than two-fold (range 2.0-10x) for ≥21 days were observed despite the fact that no exogenous cytokines or vaccination was administered. Moreover, an increase of detectable MART1 specific T cells which display a CM phenotype was observed in all evaluable subjects and was observed for ≥35 days in 6 of 8 subjects. In subject #2, the conversion of MART1 CTL immunophenotype from a naïve to a mixture of naïve/memory phenotypes was observed for more than 6 months. We identified 10 individual MART1 T cell clonotypes from peripheral CD45RA- memory T cells on day 21. Clonotypic TCR Vbeta CDR3 analysis revealed that CTL grafts contained 7 out of 10 of these clonotypes. Furthermore, 6 clonotypes persisted in the peripheral CD45RA- memory fraction on days 39, 67 and/or 132. In Subject #3, who showed a mixed clinical response, 5 individual MART1 T cell clonotypes were isolated from lung metastases. 4 out of 5 clones were included in the CTL grafts. This finding supports the possibility that infused CTL can traffic and localize to sites of disease. Intriguingly, in both subjects, we were able to identify MART1 CTL clonotypes that were not detectable in the CTL grafts but possibly emerged after CTL infusion, indicating that adoptive transfer of MART1-specific CTL may provoke a de novo antitumor response. Taken together, these results suggest that CM/EM MART1 CTL generated ex vivo using our cell-based artificial APC in the presence of IL-15 may persist in vivo and induce de novo anti-tumor responses. Further enhancement of anti-tumor activity may be achieved through vaccination, cytokine administration, and/or removal of cytokine sinks and inhibitory factors following appropriate lymphodepletion. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


1998 ◽  
Vol 188 (12) ◽  
pp. 2335-2342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siquan Sun ◽  
Xiaohong Zhang ◽  
David F. Tough ◽  
Jonathan Sprent

Immunostimulatory DNA and oligodeoxynucleotides containing unmethylated CpG motifs (CpG DNA) are strongly stimulatory for B cells and antigen-presenting cells (APCs). We report here that, as manifested by CD69 and B7-2 upregulation, CpG DNA also induces partial activation of T cells, including naive-phenotype T cells, both in vivo and in vitro. Under in vitro conditions, CpG DNA caused activation of T cells in spleen cell suspensions but failed to stimulate highly purified T cells unless these cells were supplemented with APCs. Three lines of evidence suggested that APC-dependent stimulation of T cells by CpG DNA was mediated by type I interferons (IFN-I). First, T cell activation by CpG DNA was undetectable in IFN-IR−/− mice. Second, in contrast to normal T cells, the failure of purified IFN-IR−/− T cells to respond to CpG DNA could not be overcome by adding normal IFN-IR+ APCs. Third, IFN-I (but not IFN-γ) caused the same pattern of partial T cell activation as CpG DNA. Significantly, T cell activation by IFN-I was APC independent. Thus, CpG DNA appeared to stimulate T cells by inducing APCs to synthesize IFN-I, which then acted directly on T cells via IFN-IR. Functional studies suggested that activation of T cells by IFN-I was inhibitory. Thus, exposing normal (but not IFN-IR−/−) T cells to CpG DNA in vivo led to reduced T proliferative responses after TCR ligation in vitro.


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