技术资料

Despite showing success in treating melanoma and haematological malignancies,adoptive cell therapy (ACT) has generated only limited effects in solid tumors. This is,in part,due to a lack of specific antigen targets,poor trafficking/infiltration and immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. In this study,we combined ACT with oncolytic virus vaccines (OVV) to drive expansion and tumor infiltration of transferred antigen-specific T cells,and demonstrated that the combination is highly potent for the eradication of established solid tumors. Consistent with other successful immunotherapies,this approach elicited severe autoimmune consequence when the antigen targeted was a self-protein. However,modulation of IFN$\alpha$/$\beta$ signaling,either by functional blockade or rational choice of an OVV backbone,ameliorated autoimmune side effects without compromising antitumor efficacy. Our study uncovers a pathogenic role for IFN$\alpha$/$\beta$ in facilitating autoimmune toxicity during cancer immunotherapy and offers a safe and powerful combinatorial regimen with immediate translational applications. View Publication

CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene editing of patient-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) ex vivo followed by autologous transplantation of the edited HSPCs back to the patient can provide a potential cure for monogenic blood disorders such as $\beta$-hemoglobinopathies. One challenge for this strategy is efficient delivery of the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex,consisting of purified Cas9 protein and guide RNA,into HSPCs. Because $\beta$-hemoglobinopathies are most prevalent in developing countries,it is desirable to have a reliable,efficient,easy-to-use and cost effective delivery method. With this goal in mind,we developed TRansmembrane Internalization Assisted by Membrane Filtration (TRIAMF),a new method to quickly and effectively deliver RNPs into HSPCs by passing a RNP and cell mixture through a filter membrane. We achieved robust gene editing in HSPCs using TRIAMF and demonstrated that the multilineage colony forming capacities and the competence for engraftment in immunocompromised mice of HSPCs were preserved post TRIAMF treatment. TRIAMF is a custom designed system using inexpensive components and has the capacity to process HSPCs at clinical scale. View Publication

Preventing the immune escape of tumor cells by blocking inhibitory checkpoints,such as the interaction between programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor,is a powerful anticancer approach. However,many patients do not respond to checkpoint blockade. Tumor PD-L1 expression is a potential efficacy biomarker,but the complex mechanisms underlying its regulation are not completely understood. Here,we show that the eukaryotic translation initiation complex,eIF4F,which binds the 5' cap of mRNAs,regulates the surface expression of interferon-$\gamma$-induced PD-L1 on cancer cells by regulating translation of the mRNA encoding the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) transcription factor. eIF4F complex formation correlates with response to immunotherapy in human melanoma. Pharmacological inhibition of eIF4A,the RNA helicase component of eIF4F,elicits powerful antitumor immune-mediated effects via PD-L1 downregulation. Thus,eIF4A inhibitors,in development as anticancer drugs,may also act as cancer immunotherapies. View Publication

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 2 (Ido2) is a recently identified catalytic enzyme in the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway that is expressed primarily in monocytes and dendritic cells. To elucidate the biological role of Ido2 in immune function,we introduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin shock to Ido2 knockout (Ido2 KO) mice,which led to higher mortality than that in the wild type (WT) mice. LPS-treated Ido2 KO mice had increased production of inflammatory cytokines (including interleukin-6; IL-6) in serum and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (stat3) phosphorylation in the spleen. Moreover,the peritoneal macrophages of LPS-treated Ido2 KO mice produced more cytokines than did the WT mice. By contrast,the overexpression of Ido2 in the murine macrophage cell line (RAW) suppressed cytokine production and decreased stat3 expression. Finally,RAW cells overexpressing Ido2 did not alter nuclear factor $\kappa$B (NF-$\kappa$B) or stat1 expression,but IL-6 and stat3 expression decreased relative to the control cell line. These results reveal that Ido2 modulates IL-6/stat3 signalling and is induced by LPS,providing novel options for the treatment of immune disorders. View Publication

Effective humoral immunity requires class switch recombination (CSR) catalyzed by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). In response to T cell-dependent (TD) Ags,CSR can be induced by CD40 signaling in B cells. TNFR-associated factors 2 and 3 (TRAF2/TRAF3) function as adaptors of the CD40 signaling pathway. B cell-intrinsic TRAF2 or TRAF3 (B-TRAF2 or B-TRAF3) knockout mice were previously reported to have indistinguishable phenotypes in gene expression,B cell survival and development,and enlarged peripheral lymphoid organs. However,it remains unknown whether deficiency of B-TRAF2 or B-TRAF3 differentially affects TD humoral immune responses and CD40-induced CSR. In this article,we show that B-TRAF2 is essential for optimal isotype switching induced by in vivo TD Ag immunization or by engaging CD40 in vitro. Our data clarify the controversial role of B-TRAF3 and confirm its dispensability in CD40-induced CSR. Mechanistically,CD40-induced AID expression was markedly impaired by B-TRAF2,but not B-TRAF3,deficiency. Moreover,B-TRAF2 deficiency causes defective activation of the NF-$\kappa$B1 complex in a CD40-autonomous manner,and restoring CD40-induced NF-$\kappa$B1 activation in TRAF2-deficient B cells rescues AID expression and CSR. We conclude that TRAF2 is essential but TRAF3 is dispensable for TD humoral immunity and CD40-induced CSR. Our studies provide significant biological bases for optimizing treatment of B cell-associated immune disorders by targeting CD40 signaling. View Publication

Background: B cells play an important role in the development and maintenance of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although IL-10-producing B cells represent a major subset of regulatory B cells (Bregs) able to suppress autoimmune and inflammatory responses,recent reports showed that B cell-mediated immune suppression may also occur independent of IL-10. For instance,B cells can modulate T cell immune responses through the expression of regulatory molecules such as PD-L1. So far,PD-L1-expressing B cells have not been analyzed in RA patients. Objective: To analyze the frequency of PD-L1-expressing B cells in the peripheral blood of RA patients compared to healthy controls (HC) matched for sex and age,their function on T cell response and their changes in response to therapy. Methods: Fresh peripheral blood B cells from RA patients and HC were characterized by flow cytometry and their functionality assessed in a co-culture system with autologous T cells. Results: The frequencies of CD19+PD-L1+ B cells,CD24hiCD38-PD-L1+ and CD24hiCD38hiPD-L1+ B cells were significantly lower in untreated RA patients than in HC. In a follow-up study,the frequencies of PD-L1+ B cells (CD19+PD-L1+ B cells,CD24hiCD38-PD-L1+ and CD24hiCD38hiPD-L1+ B cells) increased significantly after treatment in good responder patients,although the frequency of total CD24hiCD38hi B cells decreased. CD19+ B cells from untreated RA patients and HC upregulated PD-L1 expression similarly upon stimulation with CpG plus IL-2 and were able to suppress,in vitro,CD8+ T cell proliferation and cytokine production in a PD-L1-dependent manner. Conclusions: Our results show that PD-L1+ B cells exhibiting T cell suppressive capacity are significantly decreased in untreated RA patients but increase in response to successful treatment. PD-L1 expression on B cells from RA patients can be modulated in vitro and PD-L1+ B cells could thus provide new perspectives for future treatment strategies. View Publication

Human mucosal tissues and skin contain two distinct types of dendritic cell (DC) subsets,epidermal Langerhans cells (LCs) and dermal DCs,which can be distinguished by the expression of C-type lectin receptors,Langerin and DC-SIGN,respectively. Although peripheral blood monocytes differentiate into these distinct subsets,monocyte-derived LCs (moLCs) induced by coculture with GM-CSF,IL-4,and TGF-$\beta$1 coexpress both Langerin and DC-SIGN,suggesting that the environmental cues remain unclear. In this study,we show that LC differentiation is TGF-$\beta$1 dependent and that cofactors such as IL-4 and TNF-$\alpha$ promote TGF-$\beta$1-dependent LC differentiation into Langerin+DC-SIGN- moLCs but continuous exposure to IL-4 blocks differentiation. Steroids such as dexamethasone greatly enhanced TNF-$\alpha$-induced moLC differentiation and blocked DC-SIGN expression. Consistent with primary LCs,dexamethasone-treated moLCs express CD1a,whereas monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs) express CD1b,CD1c,and CD1d. moDCs but not moLCs produced inflammatory cytokines after stimulation with CD1b and CD1d ligands mycolic acid and $\alpha$-galactosylceramide,respectively. Strikingly,CD1a triggering with squalene on moLCs but not moDCs induced strong IL-22-producing CD4+ helper T cell responses. As IL-22 is an important cytokine in the maintenance of skin homeostasis,these data suggest that CD1a on LCs is involved in maintaining the immune barrier in the skin. View Publication

Capturing where and how multipotency is lost is crucial to understand how blood formation is controlled. Blood lineage specification is currently thought to occur downstream of multipotent haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Here we show that,in human,the first lineage restriction events occur within the CD19-CD34+CD38-CD45RA-CD49f+CD90+ (49f+) HSC compartment to generate myelo-lymphoid committed cells with no erythroid differentiation capacity. At single-cell resolution,we observe a continuous but polarised organisation of the 49f+ compartment,where transcriptional programmes and lineage potential progressively change along a gradient of opposing cell surface expression of CLEC9A and CD34. CLEC9AhiCD34lo cells contain long-term repopulating multipotent HSCs with slow quiescence exit kinetics,whereas CLEC9AloCD34hi cells are restricted to myelo-lymphoid differentiation and display infrequent but durable repopulation capacity. We thus propose that human HSCs gradually transition to a discrete lymphoid-primed state,distinct from lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors,representing the earliest entry point into lymphoid commitment. View Publication

Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) are characterized by their unique capacities of self-renewal and multi-differentiation potential. This second property makes them able to adapt their differentiation profile depending on the local environment they reach. Taking advantage of an animal model of peritonitis,induced by injection of the TLR-2 ligand,zymosan,we sought to study the relationship between bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (BM-HSPCs) and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) regarding their emergence and differentiation at the site of inflammation. Our results demonstrate that the strength of the inflammatory signals affects the capacity of BM-derived HSPCs to migrate and give rise in situ to ILCs. Both low- and high-dose of zymosan injections trigger the appearance of mature ILCs in the peritoneal cavity where the inflammation occurs. Herein,we show that only in low-dose injected mice,the recovered ILCs are dependent on an in situ differentiation of BM-derived HSPCs and/or ILC2 precursors (ILC2P) wherein high-dose,the stronger inflammatory environment seems to be able to induce the emergence of ILCs independently of BM-derived HSPCs. We suggest that a relationship between HSPCs and ILCs seems to be affected by the strength of the inflammatory stimuli opening new perspectives in the manipulation of these early hematopoietic cells. View Publication

As the sole target of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) to HIV,the envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer is the focus of vaccination strategies designed to elicit protective bnAbs in humans. Because HIV Env is densely glycosylated with 75-90 N-glycans per trimer,most bnAbs use or accommodate them in their binding epitope,making the glycosylation of recombinant Env a key aspect of HIV vaccine design. Upon analysis of three HIV strains,we here find that site-specific glycosylation of Env from infectious virus closely matches Envs from corresponding recombinant membrane-bound trimers. However,viral Envs differ significantly from recombinant soluble,cleaved (SOSIP) Env trimers,strongly impacting antigenicity. These results provide a benchmark for virus Env glycosylation needed for the design of soluble Env trimers as part of an overall HIV vaccine strategy. View Publication

Cytokine responses from monocytes and macrophages exposed to bacteria are of particular importance in innate immunity. Focusing on the impact of the immunoregulatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-27 on control of innate immune system responses,we examined human immune responses to bacterial products and bacterial infection by E. coli and S. typhimurium. Since the effect of IL-27 treatment in human myeloid cells infected with bacteria is understudied,we treated human monocytes and macrophages with IL-27 and either LPS,flagellin,or bacteria,to investigate the effect on inflammatory signaling and cytokine responses. We determined that simultaneous stimulation with IL-27 and LPS derived from E. coli or S. typhimurium resulted in enhanced IL-12p40,TNF-$\alpha$,and IL-6 expression compared to that by LPS alone. To elucidate if IL-27 manipulated the cellular response to infection with bacteria,we infected IL-27 treated human macrophages with S. typhimurium. While IL-27 did not affect susceptibility to S. typhimurium infection or S. typhimurium-induced cell death,IL-27 significantly enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production in infected cells. Taken together,we highlight a role for IL-27 in modulating innate immune responses to bacterial infection. View Publication

Neutrophils are short-lived cells that play important roles in both health and disease. Neutrophils and monocytes originate from the granulocyte monocyte progenitor (GMP) in bone marrow; however,unipotent neutrophil progenitors are not well defined. Here,we use cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF) and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) methodologies to identify a committed unipotent early-stage neutrophil progenitor (NeP) in adult mouse bone marrow. Importantly,we found a similar unipotent NeP (hNeP) in human bone marrow. Both NeP and hNeP generate only neutrophils. NeP and hNeP both significantly increase tumor growth when transferred into murine cancer models,including a humanized mouse model. hNeP are present in the blood of treatment-naive melanoma patients but not of healthy subjects. hNeP can be readily identified by flow cytometry and could be used as a biomarker for early cancer discovery. Understanding the biology of hNeP should allow the development of new therapeutic targets for neutrophil-related diseases,including cancer. View Publication