Endogenous HLA-DQ8αβ programs superantigens (SEG/SEI) to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long-term melanoma survival

Background As the most powerful T cell agonists known, superantigens (SAgs) have enormous potential for cancer immunotherapy. Their development has languished due to high incidence (60%–80%) of seroreactive neutralizing antibodies in humans and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα)-mediated cardiopulmonary...

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Main Authors: David Bradley, Peter Knopick, David Terman, Nathan Riha, Travis Alvine, Riley Larson, Cedric Badiou, Gerard Lina, John Ballantyne
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2020-10-01
Series:Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
Online Access:https://jitc.bmj.com/content/8/2/e001493.full
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author David Bradley
Peter Knopick
David Terman
Nathan Riha
Travis Alvine
Riley Larson
Cedric Badiou
Gerard Lina
John Ballantyne
author_facet David Bradley
Peter Knopick
David Terman
Nathan Riha
Travis Alvine
Riley Larson
Cedric Badiou
Gerard Lina
John Ballantyne
author_sort David Bradley
collection DOAJ
description Background As the most powerful T cell agonists known, superantigens (SAgs) have enormous potential for cancer immunotherapy. Their development has languished due to high incidence (60%–80%) of seroreactive neutralizing antibodies in humans and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα)-mediated cardiopulmonary toxicity. Such toxicity has narrowed their therapeutic index while neutralizing antibodies have nullified their therapeutic effects.Methods Female HLA-DQ8 (DQA*0301/DQB*0302) tg mice expressing the human major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) HLA-DQ8 allele on a high proportion of PBL, spleen and lymph node cells were used. In the established tumor model, staphylococcal enterotoxin G and staphylococcal enterotoxin I (SEG/ SEI) (50 µg each) were injected on days 6 and 9 following tumor inoculation. Lymphoid, myeloid cells and tumor cell digests from tumor tissue were assayed using flow cytometry or quantitated using a cytometric bead array. Tumor density, necrotic and viable areas were quantitated using the ImageJ software.Results In a discovery-driven effort to address these problems we introduce a heretofore unrecognized binary complex comprizing SEG/SEI SAgs linked to the endogenous human MHCII HLA-DQ8 allele in humanized mice. By contrast to staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) deployed previously in clinical trials, SEG and SEI does not exhibit neutralizing antibodies in humans or TNFα-mediated toxicity in humanized HLA-DQ8 mice. In the latter model wherein SAg behavior is known to be ‘human-like’, SEG/SEI induced a powerful tumoricidal response and long-term survival against established melanoma in 82% of mice. Other SAgs deployed in the same model displayed toxic shock. Initially, HLA-DQ8 mediated melanoma antigen priming, after which SEG/SEI unleashed a broad CD4+ and CD8+ antitumor network marked by expansion of melanoma reactive T cells and interferon-γ (IFNy) in the tumor microenvironment (TME). SEG/SEI further initiated chemotactic recruitment of tumor reactive T cells to the TME converting the tumor from ‘cold’ to a ‘hot’. Long-term survivors displayed remarkable resistance to parental tumor rechallenge along with the appearance of tumor specific memory and tumor reactive T memory cells.Conclusions Collectively, these findings show for the first time that the SEG/SEI-(HLA-DQ8) empowers priming, expansion and recruitment of a population of tumor reactive T cells culminating in tumor specific memory and long-term survival devoid of toxicity. These properties distinguish SEG/SEI from other SAgs used previously in human tumor immunotherapy. Consolidation of these principles within the SEG/SEI-(HLA-DQ8) complex constitutes a conceptually new therapeutic weapon with compelling translational potential.
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spelling doaj-art-a991d0877fbe4eb8b4ef7addaad370892024-11-10T17:40:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupJournal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer2051-14262020-10-018210.1136/jitc-2020-001493Endogenous HLA-DQ8αβ programs superantigens (SEG/SEI) to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long-term melanoma survivalDavid Bradley0Peter Knopick1David Terman2Nathan Riha3Travis Alvine4Riley Larson5Cedric Badiou6Gerard Lina7John Ballantyne8Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK1 Biomedical Sciences, Universtiy of North Dakota School of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA1 Biomedical Sciences, Universtiy of North Dakota School of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA1 Biomedical Sciences, Universtiy of North Dakota School of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA1 Biomedical Sciences, Universtiy of North Dakota School of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA1 Biomedical Sciences, Universtiy of North Dakota School of Medicine, Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA2 University of Lyon, Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France3 University of Lyon 1 University Institute of Tecnology Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France4 Aldevron LLC, Fargo, North Dakota, USABackground As the most powerful T cell agonists known, superantigens (SAgs) have enormous potential for cancer immunotherapy. Their development has languished due to high incidence (60%–80%) of seroreactive neutralizing antibodies in humans and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα)-mediated cardiopulmonary toxicity. Such toxicity has narrowed their therapeutic index while neutralizing antibodies have nullified their therapeutic effects.Methods Female HLA-DQ8 (DQA*0301/DQB*0302) tg mice expressing the human major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) HLA-DQ8 allele on a high proportion of PBL, spleen and lymph node cells were used. In the established tumor model, staphylococcal enterotoxin G and staphylococcal enterotoxin I (SEG/ SEI) (50 µg each) were injected on days 6 and 9 following tumor inoculation. Lymphoid, myeloid cells and tumor cell digests from tumor tissue were assayed using flow cytometry or quantitated using a cytometric bead array. Tumor density, necrotic and viable areas were quantitated using the ImageJ software.Results In a discovery-driven effort to address these problems we introduce a heretofore unrecognized binary complex comprizing SEG/SEI SAgs linked to the endogenous human MHCII HLA-DQ8 allele in humanized mice. By contrast to staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) and staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) deployed previously in clinical trials, SEG and SEI does not exhibit neutralizing antibodies in humans or TNFα-mediated toxicity in humanized HLA-DQ8 mice. In the latter model wherein SAg behavior is known to be ‘human-like’, SEG/SEI induced a powerful tumoricidal response and long-term survival against established melanoma in 82% of mice. Other SAgs deployed in the same model displayed toxic shock. Initially, HLA-DQ8 mediated melanoma antigen priming, after which SEG/SEI unleashed a broad CD4+ and CD8+ antitumor network marked by expansion of melanoma reactive T cells and interferon-γ (IFNy) in the tumor microenvironment (TME). SEG/SEI further initiated chemotactic recruitment of tumor reactive T cells to the TME converting the tumor from ‘cold’ to a ‘hot’. Long-term survivors displayed remarkable resistance to parental tumor rechallenge along with the appearance of tumor specific memory and tumor reactive T memory cells.Conclusions Collectively, these findings show for the first time that the SEG/SEI-(HLA-DQ8) empowers priming, expansion and recruitment of a population of tumor reactive T cells culminating in tumor specific memory and long-term survival devoid of toxicity. These properties distinguish SEG/SEI from other SAgs used previously in human tumor immunotherapy. Consolidation of these principles within the SEG/SEI-(HLA-DQ8) complex constitutes a conceptually new therapeutic weapon with compelling translational potential.https://jitc.bmj.com/content/8/2/e001493.full
spellingShingle David Bradley
Peter Knopick
David Terman
Nathan Riha
Travis Alvine
Riley Larson
Cedric Badiou
Gerard Lina
John Ballantyne
Endogenous HLA-DQ8αβ programs superantigens (SEG/SEI) to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long-term melanoma survival
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
title Endogenous HLA-DQ8αβ programs superantigens (SEG/SEI) to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long-term melanoma survival
title_full Endogenous HLA-DQ8αβ programs superantigens (SEG/SEI) to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long-term melanoma survival
title_fullStr Endogenous HLA-DQ8αβ programs superantigens (SEG/SEI) to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long-term melanoma survival
title_full_unstemmed Endogenous HLA-DQ8αβ programs superantigens (SEG/SEI) to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long-term melanoma survival
title_short Endogenous HLA-DQ8αβ programs superantigens (SEG/SEI) to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long-term melanoma survival
title_sort endogenous hla dq8αβ programs superantigens seg sei to silence toxicity and unleash a tumoricidal network with long term melanoma survival
url https://jitc.bmj.com/content/8/2/e001493.full
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