Project description:Immune evasion is an important hallmark of cancer ensured by diverse strategies, including immunosuppression and downregulation of antigen presentation. Here, to restore immunogenicity of cancer cells, we employed the minimal gene regulatory network of highly immunogenic type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1) to reprogram cancer cells into professional antigen presenting cells (APCs). We showed that enforced expression of PU.1, IRF8 and BATF3 (PIB) was sufficient to induce cDC1 phenotype in 33 cell lines derived from human and mouse hematological and solid tumors. PIB gradually modified the cancer cell transcriptional and epigenetic program imposing global antigen presentation and cDC1 gene signatures within 9 days. cDC1 reprogramming restored the expression of antigen presentation complexes as well as co-stimulatory molecules at the cell surface, leading to the presentation of endogenous antigens on MHC-I, and to CD8+ T cell mediated killing. Functionally, tumor- APCs acquired the ability to uptake and process exogenous proteins and dead cells, secreted inflammatory cytokines and cross-presented antigens to naïve CD8+ T cells. Importantly, tumor-APCs were efficiently generated at the single cell level from primary cancer cells of 7 solid tumors that presented antigens to memory and naïve T-cells, as well as to activated patient-specific intra-tumoral lymphocytes. Alongside antigen presentation, tumor-APCs harboring TP53, KRAS and PTEN mutations showed impaired tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Finally, using in vivo mouse models of melanoma, we showed that intra-tumoral injection of tumor-APCs promoted lymphoid infiltration, delayed tumor growth and increased survival. The anti-tumor immunity elicited by tumor-APCs was synergistic with immune checkpoint inhibitors enabling tumor eradication. Our approach combines cDC1’s antigen processing and presenting abilities with endogenous generation of tumor antigens and serves as a platform for the development of novel immunotherapies based on endowed antigen presentation in cancer cells.
Project description:We inflicted TBI to wildetype (wt) mice in order to establish whether the anti-inflammatory agent cyclophosphamide can be used therapeutically. Cyclophosphamide was found to regulate distinct inflammatory cells such as activated microglia separate from invading phagocytes and dendritic cells. Cyclophosphamide postinjury selectively reduces antigen-presenting dendritic cells. Findings show feasibility of drug development to interfere with brain inflammation.
Project description:P25 is the major T cell epitope for Ag85B and enables them to induce P25-specific CD4+ Th1 cells. We used microarrays to examine the gene expression of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) stimulated with P25 and P25-specific CD4+ T cells. Splenic APCs from WT mice were cultured with P25 or medium in the presence of P25 TCR CD4+ T cells. After overnight culture, these APCs were enriched and total RNA was prepared using RNeasy (QIAGEN) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Mixed total RNA from three independent experiments was used for microarray analysis.
Project description:Cross-presentation of exogenous antigens in HLA-class I molecules by professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) is crucial for CD8+ T cell function. Recent murine studies show that several non-professional APCs, including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) also possess this capacity. It is currently unknown whether human CAFs are able to cross-present exogenous antigen, which molecular pathways are involved in this process and how this ultimately affects tumor-specific CD8+ T cell function. Here we show that human colorectal cancer (CRC)-derived CAFs display an enhanced capacity to cross-present neoantigen-derived synthetic long peptides (SLPs) when compared to normal colonic fibroblasts. Importantly, cross-presentation of antigens required the lysosomal protease Cathepsin S. Cathepsin S expression by CAFs was detected in situ in human CRC tissue, was upregulated in ex vivo cultured CRC-derived CAFs and showed increased expression in normal fibroblasts after exposure to CRC-conditioned medium. Cognate interaction between CD8+ T cells and cross-presenting CAFs suppressed T cell function, reflected by decreased cytotoxicity, reduced activation (CD25, CD137) and increased exhaustion (TIM3) marker expression. Our data indicate that CAFs may directly suppress tumor-specific T cell function in an antigen-dependent fashion in human CRC.
Project description:We employed PeptiCHIP Immunopeptidomics to profile tumor associated antigens (TAA) actively targeted by tumor specific T cells by exploiting the trogocytosis effect, whereby antigen presenting cells (APCs) nibble portions of the cognate T cell containing the TCR. The antigen presenting cells were then processed by Immunoaffinity purification by peptiCHIP to identify the relevant HLA-I peptides by LCMS on the Bruker Tims TOF Pro instrument.
Project description:The intestinal immune system must concomitantly tolerate food and commensals and protect against pathogens. Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) orchestrate these immune responses by presenting luminal antigens to CD4+ T cells and inducing their differentiation into regulatory (pTreg) or inflammatory (Th) subsets. Here, we used LIPSTIC to identify APCs that presented dietary antigens under tolerizing and inflammatory conditions. We show that helminth infections disrupted tolerance proportionally to the reduction in ratio between tolerogenic, including migratory cDC1s and Rorγt+ APCs, and inflammatory APCs, represented primarily by cDC2 subsets. However, the inflammatory subset of cDC2s expanded by helminth infection did not present dietary antigens, thus avoiding diet-specific TH2 cell differentiation. Our data uncover cellular mechanisms by which tolerance to food is induced and can be disrupted by infection.
Project description:Decreased antigen presentation contributes to the ability of cancer cells to evade the immune system. We used the minimal gene regulatory network of type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1) to reprogram cancer cells into professional antigen- presenting cells (tumor-APCs). Enforced expression of the transcription factors PU.1, IRF8, and BATF3 (PIB) was sufficient to induce cDC1 phenotype in 36 cell lines derived from human and mouse hematological and solid tumors. Within 9 days of reprogramming, tumor-APCs acquired transcriptional and epigenetic programs associated with cDC1 cells. Reprogramming restored the expression of antigen presentation complexes and costimulatory molecules on the surface of tumor cells, allowing the presentation of endogenous tumor antigens on MHC-I, and facilitating targeted killing by CD8+ T cells. Functionally, tumor-APCs engulfed and processed proteins and dead cells, secreted inflammatory cytokines, and cross- presented antigens to naïve CD8+ T cells. Human primary tumor cells could also be reprogrammed to increase their capability to present antigen and to activate patient-specific tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. In addition to acquiring improved antigen presentation, tumor-APCs had impaired tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Injection of in vitro generated melanoma-derived tumor-APCs into subcutaneous melanoma tumors delayed tumor growth and increased survival in mice. Antitumor immunity elicited by tumor-APCs was synergistic with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Our approach serves as a platform for the development of immunotherapies that endow cancer cells with the capability to process and present endogenous tumor antigens.