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BackgroundCancer is the leading cause of death among older adults. Although the integration of immunotherapy has revolutionized the therapeutic landscape of cancer,the complex interactions between age and immunotherapy efficacy remain incompletely defined. Here,we aimed to elucidate the relationship between aging and immunotherapy resistance.MethodsFlow cytometry was performed to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). In vivo T cell proliferation,cytotoxicity and migration assays were performed to evaluate the antitumor capacity of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in mice. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to investigate the expression of IFN-γ-associated gene and natural killer (NK)-associated chemokine. Adoptive NK cell transfer was adopted to evaluate the effects of NK cells from young mice in overcoming the immunotherapy resistance of aged mice.ResultsWe found that elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) aged ≥ 75 years exhibited poorer progression-free survival (PFS),overall survival (OS) and a lower clinical response rate after immunotherapy. Mechanistically,we showed that the infiltration of NK cells was significantly reduced in aged mice compared to younger mice. Furthermore,the aged NK cells could also suppress the activation of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells by inhibiting the recruitment and activation of CD103+ dendritic cells (DCs). Adoptive transfer of NK cells from young mice to aged mice promoted TME remodeling,and reversed immunotherapy resistance.ConclusionOur findings revealed the decreased sensitivity of elderly patients to immunotherapy,as well as in aged mice. This may be attributed to the reduction of NK cells in aged mice,which inhibits CD103+ DCs recruitment and its CD86 expression and ultimately leads to immunotherapy resistance.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40164-024-00511-9. View Publication

An imbalance between suppressor and effector immune responses may preclude cure in chronic parasitic diseases. In the case of Trypanosoma cruzi infection,specialized regulatory Foxp3+ T (Treg) cells suppress protective type-1 effector responses. Herein,we investigated the kinetics and underlying mechanisms behind the regulation of protective parasite-specific CD8+ T cell immunity during acute T. cruzi infection. Using the DEREG mouse model,we found that Treg cells play a role during the initial stages after T. cruzi infection,restraining the magnitude of CD8+ T cell responses and parasite control. Early Treg cell depletion increased the frequencies of polyfunctional short-lived,effector T cell subsets,without affecting memory precursor cell formation or the expression of activation,exhaustion and functional markers. In addition,Treg cell depletion during early infection minimally affected the antigen-presenting cell response but it boosted CD4+ T cell responses before the development of anti-parasite effector CD8+ T cell immunity. Crucially,the absence of CD39 expression on Treg cells significantly bolstered effector parasite-specific CD8+ T cell responses,preventing increased parasite replication in T. cruzi infected mice adoptively transferred with Treg cells. Our work underscores the crucial role of Treg cells in regulating protective anti-parasite immunity and provides evidence that CD39 expression by Treg cells represents a key immunomodulatory mechanism in this infection model. Author summaryChagas disease,caused by Trypanosoma cruzi,can result in severe health complications. While the exact mechanisms underlying the disease’s pathogenesis remain incompletely understood,the host’s inflammatory immune response is believed to play a critical role. To shed light on disease mechanisms and potential treatments,we investigated the impact of regulatory T (Treg) cells on the development of effector immune responses against T. cruzi. Our findings reveal that Treg cells dampen parasite-specific CD8+ T cells,a crucial arm of the immune response in counteracting the parasite. Notably,this regulatory influence occurs primarily during the early stages of T. cruzi infection. Furthermore,we observed that while Treg cells have minimal effects on antigen-presenting cells,they modulate the magnitude and phenotype of conventional CD4+ T cells. Importantly,we identified CD39,a molecule involved in the purinergic pathway,as essential for the suppressive functions of Treg cells during T. cruzi infection. Our findings enhance the understanding of the regulatory response during the acute phase of T. cruzi infection and may have implications for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. View Publication

Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) recognizes bacterial,viral and self DNA and play an important role in immunity and inflammation. However,the role of TLR9 in obesity is less well-studied. Here,we generate B-cell-specific Tlr9-deficient (Tlr9fl/fl/Cd19Cre+/-,KO) B6 mice and model obesity using a high-fat diet. Compared with control mice,B-cell-specific-Tlr9-deficient mice exhibited increased fat tissue inflammation,weight gain,and impaired glucose and insulin tolerance. Furthermore,the frequencies of IL-10-producing-B cells and marginal zone B cells were reduced,and those of follicular and germinal center B cells were increased. This was associated with increased frequencies of IFNγ-producing-T cells and increased follicular helper cells. In addition,gut microbiota from the KO mice induced a pro-inflammatory state leading to immunological and metabolic dysregulation when transferred to germ-free mice. Using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing,we identify altered gut microbial communities including reduced Lachnospiraceae,which may play a role in altered metabolism in KO mice. We identify an important network involving Tlr9,Irf4 and Il-10 interconnecting metabolic homeostasis,with the function of B and T cells,and gut microbiota in obesity. Although the function of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in immunity and inflammation is well-established,its role in obesity is less well-studied. In this study,the authors demonstrate that TLR9 deficiency in B cells is associated with obesity in mice and results in altered frequencies of T and B lymphocyte subsets and gut microbiome dysbiosis. View Publication

The antitumor efficacy of adoptively transferred T cells is limited by their poor persistence,in part due to exhaustion,but the underlying mechanisms and potential interventions remain underexplored. Here,we show that targeting histone demethylase LSD1 by chemical inhibitors reshapes the epigenome of in vitro activated and expanded CD8+ T cells,and potentiates their antitumor efficacy. Upon T cell receptor activation and IL-2 signaling,a timely and transient inhibition of LSD1 suffices to improve the memory phenotype of mouse CD8+ T cells,associated with a better ability to produce multiple cytokines,resist exhaustion,and persist in both antigen-dependent and -independent manners after adoptive transfer. Consequently,OT1 cells primed with LSD1 inhibitors demonstrate an enhanced antitumor effect in OVA-expressing solid tumor models implanted in female mice,both as a standalone treatment and in combination with PD-1 blockade. Moreover,priming with LSD1 inhibitors promotes polyfunctionality of human CD8+ T cells,and increases the persistence and antitumor efficacy of human CD19-CAR T cells in both leukemia and solid tumor models. Thus,pharmacological inhibition of LSD1 could be exploited to improve adoptive T cell therapy. Phenotypic changes in exhausted T cells are linked to chromatin remodeling. Here the authors show that pharmacological inhibition of the H3K4me1/2 demethylase LSD1 promotes the persistence and enhances the therapeutic activity of adoptively transferred T cells for cancer therapy. View Publication

AbstractChronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cell survival and growth is fueled by the induction of B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling within the tumor microenvironment (TME) driving activation of NFκB signaling and the unfolded protein response (UPR). Malignant cells have higher basal levels of UPR posing a unique therapeutic window to combat CLL cell growth using pharmacologic agents that induce accumulation of misfolded proteins. Frontline CLL therapeutics that directly target BCR signaling such as Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors (e.g.,ibrutinib) have enhanced patient survival. However,resistance mechanisms wherein tumor cells bypass BTK inhibition through acquired BTK mutations,and/or activation of alternative survival mechanisms have rendered ibrutinib ineffective,imposing the need for novel therapeutics. We evaluated SpiD3,a novel spirocyclic dimer,in CLL cell lines,patient-derived CLL samples,ibrutinib-resistant CLL cells,and in the Eµ-TCL1 mouse model. Our integrated multi-omics and functional analyses revealed BCR signaling,NFκB signaling,and endoplasmic reticulum stress among the top pathways modulated by SpiD3. This was accompanied by marked upregulation of the UPR and inhibition of global protein synthesis in CLL cell lines and patient-derived CLL cells. In ibrutinib-resistant CLL cells,SpiD3 retained its antileukemic effects,mirrored in reduced activation of key proliferative pathways (e.g.,PRAS,ERK,MYC). Translationally,we observed reduced tumor burden in SpiD3-treated Eµ-TCL1 mice. Our findings reveal that SpiD3 exploits critical vulnerabilities in CLL cells including NFκB signaling and the UPR,culminating in profound antitumor properties independent of TME stimuli.Significance:SpiD3 demonstrates cytotoxicity in CLL partially through inhibition of NFκB signaling independent of tumor-supportive stimuli. By inducing the accumulation of unfolded proteins,SpiD3 activates the UPR and hinders protein synthesis in CLL cells. Overall,SpiD3 exploits critical CLL vulnerabilities (i.e.,the NFκB pathway and UPR) highlighting its use in drug-resistant CLL. View Publication

Human brain organoids are emerging as translationally relevant models for the study of human brain health and disease. However,it remains to be shown whether human-specific protein processing is conserved in human brain organoids. Herein,we demonstrate that cell fate and composition of unguided brain organoids are dictated by culture conditions during embryoid body formation,and that culture conditions at this stage can be optimized to result in the presence of glia-associated proteins and neural network activity as early as three-months in vitro. Under these optimized conditions,unguided brain organoids generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from male–female siblings are similar in growth rate,size,and total protein content,and exhibit minimal batch-to-batch variability in cell composition and metabolism. A comparison of neuronal,microglial,and macroglial (astrocyte and oligodendrocyte) markers reveals that profiles in these brain organoids are more similar to autopsied human cortical and cerebellar profiles than to those in mouse cortical samples,providing the first demonstration that human-specific protein processing is largely conserved in unguided brain organoids. Thus,our organoid protocol provides four major cell types that appear to process proteins in a manner very similar to the human brain,and they do so in half the time required by other protocols. This unique copy of the human brain and basic characteristics lay the foundation for future studies aiming to investigate human brain-specific protein patterning (e.g.,isoforms,splice variants) as well as modulate glial and neuronal processes in an in situ-like environment. View Publication

IntroductionThe effector function of T cells is regulated via immune checkpoints,activating or inhibiting the immune response. The BTLA-HVEM complex,the inhibitory immune checkpoint,may act as one of the tumor immune escape mechanisms. Therefore,interfering with the binding of these proteins can prove beneficial in cancer treatment. Our study focused on peptides interacting with HVEM at the same place as BTLA,thus disrupting the BTLA-HVEM interaction. These peptides’ structure and amino acid sequences are based on the gD protein,the ligand of HVEM. Here,we investigated their immunomodulatory potential in melanoma patients.MethodsFlow cytometry analyses of activation,proliferation,and apoptosis of T cells from patients were performed. Additionally,we evaluated changes within the T cell memory compartment.ResultsThe most promising compound – Pep(2),increased the percentages of activated T cells and promoted their proliferation. Additionally,this peptide affected the proliferation rate and apoptosis of melanoma cell line in co-culture with T cells.DiscussionWe conclude that the examined peptide may act as a booster for the immune system. Moreover,the adjuvant and activating properties of the gD-derived peptide could be used in a combinatory therapy with currently used ICI-based treatment. Our studies also demonstrate that even slight differences in the amino acid sequence of peptides and any changes in the position of the disulfide bond can strongly affect the immunomodulatory properties of compounds. View Publication

AbstractEncouraged by the observations of significant B7-H3 protein overexpression in many human solid tumors compared to healthy tissues,we directed our focus towards targeting B7-H3 using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. We utilized a nanobody as the B7-H3–targeting domain in our CAR construct to circumvent the stability issues associated with single-chain variable fragment–based domains. In efforts to expand patient access to CAR T-cell therapy,we engineered our nanobody-based CAR into human Epstein-Barr virus–specific T cells (EBVST),offering a readily available off-the-shelf treatment. B7H3.CAR-armored EBVSTs demonstrated potent in vitro and in vivo activities against multiple B7-H3–positive human tumor cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models. Murine T cells expressing a murine equivalent of our B7H3.CAR exhibited no life-threatening toxicities in immunocompetent mice bearing syngeneic tumors. Further in vitro evaluation revealed that while human T,B,and natural killer cells were unaffected by B7H3.CAR EBVSTs,monocytes were targeted because of upregulation of B7-H3. Such targeting of myeloid cells,which are key mediators of cytokine release syndrome (CRS),contributed to a low incidence of CRS in humanized mice after B7H3.CAR EBVST treatment. Notably,we showed that B7H3.CAR EBVSTs can target B7-H3–expressing myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC),thereby mitigating MDSC-driven immune suppression. In summary,our data demonstrate that our nanobody-based B7H3.CAR EBVSTs are effective as an off-the-shelf therapy for B7-H3–positive solid tumors. These cells also offer an avenue to modulate the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment,highlighting their promising clinical potential in targeting solid tumors.Significance:Clinical application of EBVSTs armored with B7-H3–targeting CARs offer an attractive solution to translate off-the-shelf CAR T cells as therapy for solid tumors. View Publication

Given the marginal penetration of most drugs across the blood-brain barrier,the efficacy of various agents remains limited for glioblastoma (GBM). Here we employ low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) and intravenously administered microbubbles (MB) to open the blood-brain barrier and increase the concentration of liposomal doxorubicin and PD-1 blocking antibodies (aPD-1). We report results on a cohort of 4 GBM patients and preclinical models treated with this approach. LIPU/MB increases the concentration of doxorubicin by 2-fold and 3.9-fold in the human and murine brains two days after sonication,respectively. Similarly,LIPU/MB-mediated blood-brain barrier disruption leads to a 6-fold and a 2-fold increase in aPD-1 concentrations in murine brains and peritumoral brain regions from GBM patients treated with pembrolizumab,respectively. Doxorubicin and aPD-1 delivered with LIPU/MB upregulate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II in tumor cells. Increased brain concentrations of doxorubicin achieved by LIPU/MB elicit IFN-γ and MHC class I expression in microglia and macrophages. Doxorubicin and aPD-1 delivered with LIPU/MB results in the long-term survival of most glioma-bearing mice,which rely on myeloid cells and lymphocytes for their efficacy. Overall,this translational study supports the utility of LIPU/MB to potentiate the antitumoral activities of doxorubicin and aPD-1 for GBM. Ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier opening has been exploited to improve drug delivery in the brain. Here the authors show that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound in combination with intravenous injection of microbubbles enhances the delivery of doxorubicin and anti-PD1 in gliomas,improving anti-tumor immune responses. View Publication

Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) interact with trans regulators to orchestrate gene expression,but how transcriptional regulation is coordinated in multi-gene loci has not been experimentally defined. We sought to characterize the CREs controlling dynamic expression of the adjacent costimulatory genes CD28,CTLA4 and ICOS,encoding regulators of T cell-mediated immunity. Tiling CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) screens in primary human T cells,both conventional and regulatory subsets,uncovered gene-,cell subset- and stimulation-specific CREs. Integration with CRISPR knockout screens and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq) profiling identified trans regulators influencing chromatin states at specific CRISPRi-responsive elements to control costimulatory gene expression. We then discovered a critical CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) boundary that reinforces CRE interaction with CTLA4 while also preventing promiscuous activation of CD28. By systematically mapping CREs and associated trans regulators directly in primary human T cell subsets,this work overcomes longstanding experimental limitations to decode context-dependent gene regulatory programs in a complex,multi-gene locus critical to immune homeostasis. Functional characterization of the regulatory landscape of the adjacent costimulatory genes CD28,CTLA4 and ICOS in primary human T cell subsets identifies context-dependent programs controlling this locus critical for immune homeostasis. View Publication

Hypoimmune gene edited human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are a promising platform for developing reparative cellular therapies that evade immune rejection. Existing first-generation hypoimmune strategies have used CRISPR/Cas9 editing to modulate genes associated with adaptive (e.g.,T cell) immune responses,but have largely not addressed the innate immune cells (e.g.,monocytes,neutrophils) that mediate inflammation and rejection processes occurring early after graft transplantation. We identified the adhesion molecule ICAM-1 as a novel hypoimmune target that plays multiple critical roles in both adaptive and innate immune responses post-transplantation. In a series of studies,we found that ICAM-1 blocking or knock-out (KO) in hPSC-derived cardiovascular therapies imparted significantly diminished binding of multiple immune cell types. ICAM-1 KO resulted in diminished T cell proliferation responses in vitro and in longer in vivo retention/protection of KO grafts following immune cell encounter in NeoThy humanized mice. The ICAM-1 KO edit was also introduced into existing first-generation hypoimmune hPSCs and prevented immune cell binding,thereby enhancing the overall hypoimmune capacity of the cells. This novel hypoimmune editing strategy has the potential to improve the long-term efficacy and safety profiles of regenerative therapies for cardiovascular pathologies and a number of other diseases. Graphical Abstract ICAM-1 Knock-out in Transendothelial Migration and at the Immune Synapse. Abbreviations: PSC-EC - pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells; KO – knock-out; dSMAC – distal supramolecular activation complex; pSMAC – peripheral supramolecular activation complex; cSMAC – central supramolecular activation complex. View Publication

AbstractObjectiveUnique metabolic requirements accompany the development and functional fates of immune cells. How cellular metabolism is important in natural killer (NK) cells and their memory‐like differentiation in bacterial infections remains elusive.MethodsHere,we utilise our established NK cell memory assay to investigate the metabolic requirement for memory‐like NK cell formation and function in response to the Gram‐negative intracellular bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei (BP),the causative agent of melioidosis.ResultsWe demonstrate that CD160+ memory‐like NK cells upon BP stimulation upregulate glucose and amino acid transporters in a cohort of recovered melioidosis patients which is maintained at least 3‐month post‐hospital admission. Using an in vitro assay,human BP‐specific CD160+ memory‐like NK cells show metabolic priming including increased expression of glucose and amino acid transporters with elevated glucose uptake,increased mTOR activation and mitochondrial membrane potential upon BP re‐stimulation. Antigen‐specific and cytokine‐induced IFN‐γ production of this memory‐like NK cell subset are highly dependent on oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) with some dependency on glycolysis,whereas the formation of CD160+ memory‐like NK cells in vitro is dependent on fatty acid oxidation and OXPHOS and further increased by metformin.ConclusionThis study reveals the link between metabolism and cellular function of memory‐like NK cells,which can be exploited for vaccine design and for monitoring protection against Gram‐negative bacterial infection. This study reveals the link between metabolism and cellular function of memory‐like NK cells in melioidosis. We demonstrate that CD160+ memory‐like NK cells upon Burkholderia pseudomallei (BP) stimulation upregulate glucose and amino acid transporters in a cohort of recovered melioidosis patients. Using an in vitro assay,human BP‐specific CD160+ memory‐like NK cells show metabolic priming including increased expression of glucose and amino acid transporters with elevated glucose uptake,increased mTOR activation and mitochondrial membrane potential upon BP re‐stimulation. View Publication