Developing enhanced immunotherapy using NKG2A knockout human pluripotent stem cell-derived NK cells
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE241039 | GEO | 2024/10/18
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Background. Although several immunotherapies against glioblastoma (GBM) have been investigated for long time, only limited effective results are acquired. Therefore, we developed immunotherapy based on genome edited NK cells knocking out the checkpoint receptor, which would overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in GBM. Methods. We generated T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), an inhibitory receptor expressed on lymphocytes, knockout (KO) human primary NK cells using the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/ CRISPR-associated protein9 (Cas9), each single guide RNA targeting different genome sites on TIGIT coding exons. To detect anti-tumor activity of genome edited NK cells against GBM, we utilized 2D adherent model and spheroids derived from GBM cell lines, U87, T98G, LN18, and U251. Subsequently, we performed real time cell growth assays, flow cytometry based apoptosis assays, and ELISA for investigating anti-tumor activity. Result. We established TIGIT KO human primary NK cells using CRISPR/Cas9. Flow cytometry indicated effective knockout of TIGIT and unchanged expression of immune checkpoint receptors other than TIGIT. T7 endonuclease I mutation detection assays showed that RNPs disrupted the intended genome sites. Using real time cell growth assays, we revealed enhanced anti-tumor activity of genome edited NK cells against 2D adherent GBM cells. The genome edited NK cells also exhibits enhanced anti-tumor effect against GBM spheroids derived from GBM cell lines.Conclusion. Our founding suggests that immunotherapy based on TIGIT KO NK cells using CRISPR/Cas9 is a promising therapy against GBM.
2022-09-11 | GSE212941 | GEO
Project description:New targets that enhance anti-tumor immunity must be identified to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Here we show that loss of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase (ERAP) family proteins improves anti-tumor immunity and synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade. Mechanistically, we show that loss of ERAP inactivates the HLA-E/NKG2A checkpoint, which normally restrains tumor killing by both CD8+ T cells and NK cells. The inhibitory activity of HLA-E is dependent on its presentation of a restricted set of invariant epitopes which form the binding surface for the NKG2A/CD94 receptor complex. Using genetic screening, in vivo models, cell-based assays, and immunopeptidomics, we show that loss of ERAP activity prevents the processing of these invariant peptides and alters the presented peptidome of both HLA-E and classical MHC-I. HLA-E neo-peptides presented after ERAP deletion are unable to bind the NKG2A/CD94 receptor, rendering tumor cells highly susceptible to killing by NKG2A+ cytotoxic T and NK cells. Thus, loss of ERAP phenocopies the loss or inhibition of the HLA-E/NKG2A pathway and represents an attractive therapeutic approach to inhibit this critical checkpoint. More broadly, this work identifies ERAP1/2 as druggable intracellular enzymes that could be targeted using small molecules to inactivate a cell-surface inhibitory pathway and represents a novel approach to therapeutic modulation of immune responses.
2024-11-21 | PXD052031 | Pride
Project description:Checkpoint blockage has revolutionized cancer treatment. NKG2A is an inhibitory receptor expressed by cytotoxic lymphocytes, including NK cells. In contrast to other checkpoint inhibitory antibodies, anti-NKG2A antibodies have shown only limited success. Here, we designed a Cas9-based strategy to delete KLRC1 from human NK cells. Electroporation of KLRC1-targeting Cas9-RNP efficiently eliminated NKG2A expression from primary human NK cells. NKG2A-deficient NK cells showed normal proliferation, only minor transcriptional changes related to enhanced NK cell activation and maintained their phenotype and licensing status. Genetic deletion of NKG2A fully bypassed HLA-E inhibition and further enhanced NK cell activity against various tumor cell lines, thereby outperforming anti-NKG2A antibodies. In combination with antibody-coating of tumor cells to induce antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, genetic deletion of NKG2A independently promoted cytotoxicity. Thus, Cas9-mediated targeting of NKG2A is an effective way to target this important inhibitory checkpoint. This technique is easily amenable to adoptive cell therapy in the clinical setting, where NKG2A deletion will promote anti-tumor responses and may help NK cells to better infiltrate and persist in an inhibitory tumor microenvironment.
2021-09-01 | GSE178566 | GEO
Project description:A key mechanism of tumor resistance to immune cells is mediated by expression of peptide-loaded HLA-E in tumor cells, which suppresses natural killer (NK) cell activity via ligation of the NK inhibitory receptor CD94/NKG2A. To bypass HLA-E inhibition, we developed a way to generate highly functional NK cells lacking NKG2A. Constructs containing a single-chain variable fragment derived from an anti-NKG2A antibody were linked to endoplasmic reticulum-retention domains. After retroviral transduction in human peripheral blood NK cells, these NKG2A Protein Expression Blockers (PEBLs) abrogated NKG2A expression. The resulting NKG2Anull NK cells had higher cytotoxicity against HLA-E-expressing tumor cells.
2019-05-17 | GSE127081 | GEO
Project description:Tumor resistance to immune cells remains a major obstacle for successful treatment. NK cells are emerging tools for cancer therapy. However, due to differential and subset-specific expression of inhibitory NK cell receptors, often only subsets of NK cells exert reactivity against particular cancer types. Using a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knockout (KO) screen in melanoma, we revealed resistance factors against NK cell attack and evaluated their differential impact on NK cell subpopulations. We show that melanoma cells deficient in antigen-presenting machinery or the IFNγ signaling pathway displayed enhanced sensitivity to NK cell killing. Treatment with IFNγ induced melanoma cell resistance that depended on B2M required for both classical and non-classical MHC-I expression. HLA-E mediated melanoma cell resistance to NKG2A+ KIR-, and partially to NKG2A+ KIR+ NK cells. Treatment of NK cells with the NKG2A blocking monalizumab resulted in enhanced NK cell reactivity to similar extent as deletion of HLA-E in melanoma cells. The combination of monalizumab with lirilumab, blocking KIR2 receptors, together with DX9, an anti-KIR3DL1 mAb, was required to restore the response of all NK cells against IFNγ-pretreated tumor cells of different origins. Our data reveal insights into NK cell subset reactivity and strategies how to leverage their full anti-tumor potential.
2024-07-10 | GSE261626 | GEO
Project description:Tsao H, Anderson S, Finn KJ, Perera J, Pass LF, Schneider EM, Jiang A, Fetterman R, Chuong CL, Kozuma K, Stickler MM, Creixell M, Klaeger S, Phulphagar KM, Rachimi S, Verzani EK, Olsson N, Dubrot J, Pech MF, Silkworth W, Lane-Reticker SK, Allen PM, Ibrahim K, Knudsen NH, Cheng AY, Long AH, Ebrahimi-Nik H, Kim SY, Du PP, Iracheta-Vellve A, Robitschek EJ, Suermondt JSMT, Davis TGR, Wolfe CH, Atluri T, Olander KE, Rush JS, Sundberg TB, McAllister FE, Abelin JG, Firestone A, Stokoe D, Carr SA, Harding FA, Yates KB, Manguso RT. 2024
New targets that enhance anti-tumor immunity must be identified to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Here we show that loss of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase (ERAP) family proteins improves anti-tumor immunity and synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade. Mechanistically, we show that loss of ERAP inactivates the HLA-E/NKG2A checkpoint, which normally restrains tumor killing by both CD8+ T cells and NK cells. The inhibitory activity of HLA-E is dependent on its presentation of a restricted set of invariant epitopes which form the binding surface for the NKG2A/CD94 receptor complex. Using genetic screening, in vivo models, cell-based assays, and immunopeptidomics, we show that loss of ERAP activity prevents the processing of these invariant peptides and alters the presented peptidome of both HLA-E and classical MHC-I. HLA-E neo-peptides presented after ERAP deletion are unable to bind the NKG2A/CD94 receptor, rendering tumor cells highly susceptible to killing by NKG2A+ cytotoxic T and NK cells. Thus, loss of ERAP phenocopies the loss or inhibition of the HLA-E/NKG2A pathway and represents an attractive therapeutic approach to inhibit this critical checkpoint. More broadly, this work identifies ERAP1/2 as druggable intracellular enzymes that could be targeted using small molecules to inactivate a cell-surface inhibitory pathway and represents a novel approach to therapeutic modulation of immune responses.
2024-05-10 | MSV000094736 | MassIVE
Project description:GBM is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor with dismal prognosis. NK cells are large granular lymphocytes with natural cytotoxicity against tumor cells, and they should be established for the novel treatment against patients with GBM. We have previously reported highly activated and ex vivo-expanded NK cells derived from human peripheral blood, which is designated as Genuine-induced natural killer cell (GiNK), induced by our specific culture conditions exerted the cytotoxic effect on GBM cells via apoptosis. First, we comprehensively summarized the molecular characteristics, especially focusing on the expression of stem cell markers, extracellular matrix markers, chemokine, chemokine receptors, and the NK receptors’ ligands, of GBM spheroids compared with 2D adherent GBM cells by using microarray. In the spheroid derived from GBM cell lines, gene expression of stem cell markers, extracellular matrix markers, chemokine, chemokine receptor, NK cell inhibitory receptor’ ligand were up-regulated compared with 2D adherent GBM cells. A preclinical evaluation of the NK cells was performed by ex vivo 3D spheroid model derived from GBM cell lines. In 3D spheroid model, the NK cells accumulated and infiltrated around the spheroids and induced the GBM cell death. Flow cytometry-based apoptosis detection assay clearly showed that the NK cells induced the GBM cell death via apoptosis. Our findings could provide pivotal information for the NK cell based-immunotherapy to patients with GBM.
2021-08-19 | GSE182374 | GEO
Project description:GBM is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor with dismal prognosis. NK cells are large granular lymphocytes with natural cytotoxicity against tumor cells, and they should be established for the novel treatment against patients with GBM. We have previously reported highly activated and ex vivo-expanded NK cells derived from human peripheral blood, which is designated as Genuine-induced natural killer cell (GiNK), induced by our specific culture conditions exerted the cytotoxic effect on GBM cells via apoptosis. First, we comprehensively summarized the molecular characteristics, especially focusing on the expression of stem cell markers, extracellular matrix markers, chemokine, chemokine receptors, and the NK receptors’ ligands, of GBM spheroids compared with 2D adherent GBM cells by using microarray. In the spheroid derived from GBM cell lines, gene expression of stem cell markers, extracellular matrix markers, chemokine, chemokine receptor, NK cell inhibitory receptor’ ligand were up-regulated compared with 2D adherent GBM cells. A preclinical evaluation of the NK cells was performed by ex vivo 3D spheroid model derived from GBM cell lines. In 3D spheroid model, the NK cells accumulated and infiltrated around the spheroids and induced the GBM cell death. Flow cytometry-based apoptosis detection assay clearly showed that the NK cells induced the GBM cell death via apoptosis. Our findings could provide pivotal information for the NK cell based-immunotherapy to patients with GBM.
2021-08-19 | GSE182373 | GEO
Project description:NK cells, as a type of key immune cell, play essential roles in tumor cell immune escape and immunotherapy. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that the gut microbiota community affects the efficacy of anti-PD1 immunotherapy and that remodeling the gut microbiota structure is a promising strategy to enhance anti-PD1 immunotherapy responsiveness in advanced melanoma patients; however, the details of the mechanism remain elusive. In this study, we found that Eubacterium rectale (E. rectale) was significantly enriched in melanoma patients who responded to anti-PD1 immunotherapy and a high E. rectale abundance was related to longer survival in melanoma patients. Furthermore, administration of E. rectale remarkably improved the efficacy of anti-PD1 therapy and benefited the overall survival of tumor-bearing mice; moreover, application of E. rectale significantly recruited NK cells into the tumor microenvironment. Interestingly, conditioned medium isolated from an E. rectale culture system dramatically enhanced NK-cell function. Through GC-MS/ UHPLC-MS/MS-based metabolomic analysis, L-serine production was found to be significantly decreased in the E. rectale group; moreover, administration of an L-serine synthesis inhibitor dramatically increased NK-cell activation, which led to enhanced anti-PD1 immunotherapy effects. Mechanistically, supplementation with L-serine or application of the L-serine synthesis inhibitor affected NK-cell activation through Fos/Fosl. In summary, our findings reveal the role of bacteria-modulated serine metabolic signaling in NK-cell activation and provide a novel therapeutic strategy to improve the efficacy of anti-PD1 immunotherapy in melanoma.
2023-04-14 | GSE225920 | GEO
Project description:Immunotherapy has had a tremendous impact on cancer treatment in the past decade, with hitherto unseen responses at advanced and metastatic stages of the disease. However, the aggressive brain tumor glioblastoma (GBM) is highly immunosuppressive and remains largely refractory to current immunotherapeutic approaches. The cGAS-STING cytoplasmic double stranded DNA (dsDNA) sensing pathway has emerged as a next-generation immunotherapy target with potent local immune stimulatory properties. Here, we investigated the status of the STING pathway in GBM and the modulation of the brain tumor microenvironment (TME) with the STING agonist ADU-S100. Our data reveal the presence of STING in human GBM specimens, where it stains strongly in the tumor vasculature. We show that human GBM explants can respond to STING agonist treatment by secretion of inflammatory cytokines. In murine GBM models, we show a profound shift in the tumor immune landscape after STING agonist treatment, with massive infiltration of the tumor-bearing hemisphere with innate immune cells including inflammatory macrophages, neutrophils and NK populations. Treatment of established murine intracranial GL261 and CT-2A tumors by biodegradable ADU-S100-loaded intracranial implants demonstrated a significant increase in survival in both models and long-term survival with immune memory in GL261. Responses to treatment were abolished by NK cell depletion. This study reveals therapeutic potential and deep remodeling of the TME by STING activation in GBM and warrants the further examination of STING agonists alone or in combination with other immunotherapies such as cancer vaccines, CAR T cells, NK therapies or immune checkpoint blockade.
2022-06-28 | GSE206604 | GEO