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Inhibition of cytosolic DNA sensing represents a strategy that tumor cells use for immune evasion,but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here we have shown that CD47-signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) axis dictates the fate of ingested DNA in DCs for immune evasion. Although macrophages were more potent in uptaking tumor DNA,increase of DNA sensing by blocking the interaction of SIRPα with CD47 preferentially occurred in dendritic cells (DCs) but not in macrophages. Mechanistically,CD47 blockade enabled the activation of NADPH oxidase NOX2 in DCs,which in turn inhibited phagosomal acidification and reduced the degradation of tumor mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in DCs. mtDNA was recognized by cyclic-GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) in the DC cytosol,contributing to type I interferon (IFN) production and antitumor adaptive immunity. Thus,our findings have demonstrated how tumor cells inhibit innate sensing in DCs and suggested that the CD47-SIRPα axis is critical for DC-driven antitumor immunity. View Publication

A key determinant of the therapeutic potency of adoptive T-cell transfer is the extent to which infused cells can persist and expand in vivo. Ex vivo propagated virus-specific and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-redirected antitumor CD8 effector T cells derived from CD45RA(-) CD62L(+) central memory (TCM) precursors engraft long-term and reconstitute functional memory after adoptive transfer. Here,we describe a clinical scale,closed system,immunomagnetic selection method to isolate CD8(+) T(CM) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). This method uses the CliniMACS device to first deplete CD14(+),CD45RA(+),and CD4(+) cells from PBMC,and then to positively select CD62L(+) cells. The average purity and yield of CD8(+) CD45RA(-) CD62L TCM obtained in full-scale qualification runs were 70% and 0.4% (of input PBMC),respectively. These CD8(+) T(CM) are responsive to anti-CD3/CD28 bead stimulation,and can be efficiently transduced with CAR encoding lentiviral vectors,and undergo sustained expansion in interleukin (IL)-2/IL-15 over 3-6 weeks. The resulting CD8(+) T(CM)-derived effectors are polyclonal,retain expression of CD62L and CD28,exhibit CAR-redirected antitumor effector function,and are capable of huIL-15-dependent in vivo homeostatic engraftment after transfer to immunodeficient NOD/Scid IL-2RgCnull mice. Adoptive therapy using purified T(CM) cells is now the subject of a Food and Drug Administration-authorized clinical trial for the treatment of CD19(+) B-cell malignancies,and 3 clinical cell products expressing a CD19-specific CAR for IND 14645 have already been successfully generated from lymphoma patients using this manufacturing platform. View Publication

Redirecting T cells to attack cancer using engineered chimeric receptors provides powerful new therapeutic capabilities. However,the effectiveness of therapeutic T cells is constrained by the endogenous T cell response: certain facets of natural response programs can be toxic,whereas other responses,such as the ability to overcome tumor immunosuppression,are absent. Thus,the efficacy and safety of therapeutic cells could be improved if we could custom sculpt immune cell responses. Synthetic Notch (synNotch) receptors induce transcriptional activation in response to recognition of user-specified antigens. We show that synNotch receptors can be used to sculpt custom response programs in primary T cells: they can drive a la carte cytokine secretion profiles,biased T cell differentiation,and local delivery of non-native therapeutic payloads,such as antibodies,in response to antigen. SynNotch T cells can thus be used as a general platform to recognize and remodel local microenvironments associated with diverse diseases. View Publication

Chronic viruses and cancers thwart immune responses in humans by inducing T cell dysfunction. Using a murine chronic virus that models human infections,we investigated the function of the adhesion molecule,P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1),that is upregulated on responding T cells. PSGL-1-deficient mice cleared the virus due to increased intrinsic survival of multifunctional effector T cells that had downregulated PD-1 as well as other inhibitory receptors. Notably,this response resulted in CD4(+)-T-cell-dependent immunopathology. Mechanistically,PSGL-1 ligation on exhausted CD8(+) T cells inhibited T cell receptor (TCR) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) signaling and upregulated PD-1,leading to diminished survival with TCR stimulation. In models of melanoma cancer in which T cell dysfunction occurs,PSGL-1 deficiency led to PD-1 downregulation,improved T cell responses,and tumor control. Thus,PSGL-1 plays a fundamental role in balancing viral control and immunopathology and also functions to regulate T cell responses in the tumor microenvironment. View Publication

Class I HLA molecules mark infected cells for immune targeting by presenting pathogen-encoded peptides on the cell surface. Characterization of viral peptides unique to infected cells is important for understanding CD8(+) T cell responses and for the development of T cell-based immunotherapies. Having previously reported a series of West Nile virus (WNV) epitopes that are naturally presented by HLA-A*02:01,in this study we generated TCR mimic (TCRm) mAbs to three of these peptide/HLA complexes-the immunodominant SVG9 (E protein),the subdominant SLF9 (NS4B protein),and the immunorecessive YTM9 (NS3 protein)-and used these TCRm mAbs to stain WNV-infected cell lines and primary APCs. TCRm staining of WNV-infected cells demonstrated that the immunorecessive YTM9 appeared several hours earlier and at 5- to 10-fold greater density than the more immunogenic SLF9 and SVG9 ligands,respectively. Moreover,staining following inhibition of the TAP demonstrated that all three viral ligands were presented in a TAP-dependent manner despite originating from different cellular compartments. To our knowledge,this study represents the first use of TCRm mAbs to define the kinetics and magnitude of HLA presentation for a series of epitopes encoded by one virus,and the results depict a pattern whereby individual epitopes differ considerably in abundance and availability. The observations that immunodominant ligands can be found at lower levels and at later time points after infection suggest that a reevaluation of the factors that combine to shape T cell reactivity may be warranted. View Publication

T cell development requires a period of postthymic maturation. Why this is the case has remained a mystery,particularly given the rigors of intrathymic developmental checkpoints,successfully traversed by only ∼5% of thymocytes. We now show that the first few weeks of T cell residence in the lymphoid periphery define a period of heightened susceptibility to tolerance induction to tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs),the outcome of which depends on the context in which recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) encounter antigen. After encounter with TRAs in the absence of inflammation,RTEs exhibited defects in proliferation,diminished cytokine production,elevated expression of anergy-associated genes,and diminished diabetogenicity. These properties were mirrored in vitro by enhanced RTE susceptibility to regulatory T cell-mediated suppression. In the presence of inflammation,RTEs and mature T cells were,in contrast,equally capable of inducing diabetes,proliferating,and producing cytokines. Thus,recirculating RTEs encounter TRAs during a transitional developmental stage that facilitates tolerance induction,but inflammation converts antigen-exposed,tolerance-prone RTEs into competent effector cells. View Publication

Effector T cells and fibroblasts are major components in the tumor microenvironment. The means through which these cellular interactions affect chemoresistance is unclear. Here,we show that fibroblasts diminish nuclear accumulation of platinum in ovarian cancer cells,resulting in resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. We demonstrate that glutathione and cysteine released by fibroblasts contribute to this resistance. CD8(+) T cells abolish the resistance by altering glutathione and cystine metabolism in fibroblasts. CD8(+) T-cell-derived interferon (IFN)γ controls fibroblast glutathione and cysteine through upregulation of gamma-glutamyltransferases and transcriptional repression of system xc(-) cystine and glutamate antiporter via the JAK/STAT1 pathway. The presence of stromal fibroblasts and CD8(+) T cells is negatively and positively associated with ovarian cancer patient survival,respectively. Thus,our work uncovers a mode of action for effector T cells: they abrogate stromal-mediated chemoresistance. Capitalizing upon the interplay between chemotherapy and immunotherapy holds high potential for cancer treatment. View Publication

Suppression of the cytotoxic T cell (CTL) immune response has been proposed as one mechanism for immune evasion in cancer. In this study,we have explored the underlying basis for CTL suppression in the context of B cell malignancies. We document that human B cells have an intrinsic ability to resist killing by freshly isolated cytotoxic T cells (CTLs),but are susceptible to lysis by IL-2 activated CTL blasts and CTLs isolated from immunotherapy-treated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Impaired killing was associated with the formation of dysfunctional non-lytic immune synapses characterized by the presence of defective linker for activation of T cells (LAT) signaling and non-polarized release of the lytic granules transported by ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 8 (Arl8). We propose that non-lytic degranulation of CTLs are a key regulatory mechanism of evasion through which B cells may interfere with the formation of functional immune synapses by CTLs. View Publication

B cell dysregulation in aging is thought to mostly occur in conventional B2 cells without affecting innate B1 cells. Elderly humans and mice also accumulate 4-1BBL(+)MHC class-I(Hi)CD86(Hi)B cells of unknown origin. In this article,we report that these cells,termed 4BL cells,are activated murine and possibly human B1a cells. The activation is mediated by aging human monocytes and murine peritoneal macrophages. They induce expression and activation of 4-1BBL and IFN-γR1 on B1a cells to subsequently upregulate membrane TNF-α and CD86. As a result,activated B1a/4BL cells induce expression of granzyme B in CD8(+)T cells by targeting TNFR2 via membrane TNF-α and providing costimulation with CD86. Thus,for the first time,to our knowledge,these results indicate that aging affects the function of B1a cells. Upon aging,these cells lose their tumor-supporting activity and become inducers of potentially antitumor and autoimmune CD8(+)T cells. View Publication

CD8(+) T cells have a central role in antitumour immunity,but their activity is suppressed in the tumour microenvironment. Reactivating the cytotoxicity of CD8(+) T cells is of great clinical interest in cancer immunotherapy. Here we report a new mechanism by which the antitumour response of mouse CD8(+) T cells can be potentiated by modulating cholesterol metabolism. Inhibiting cholesterol esterification in T cells by genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of ACAT1,a key cholesterol esterification enzyme,led to potentiated effector function and enhanced proliferation of CD8(+) but not CD4(+) T cells. This is due to the increase in the plasma membrane cholesterol level of CD8(+) T cells,which causes enhanced T-cell receptor clustering and signalling as well as more efficient formation of the immunological synapse. ACAT1-deficient CD8(+) T cells were better than wild-type CD8(+) T cells at controlling melanoma growth and metastasis in mice. We used the ACAT inhibitor avasimibe,which was previously tested in clinical trials for treating atherosclerosis and showed a good human safety profile,to treat melanoma in mice and observed a good antitumour effect. A combined therapy of avasimibe plus an anti-PD-1 antibody showed better efficacy than monotherapies in controlling tumour progression. ACAT1,an established target for atherosclerosis,is therefore also a potential target for cancer immunotherapy. View Publication

Developing vaccine strategies to generate high numbers of Ag-specific CD8 T cells may be necessary for protection against recalcitrant pathogens. Heterologous prime-boost-boost immunization has been shown to result in large quantities of functional memory CD8 T cells with protective capacities and long-term stability. Completing the serial immunization steps for heterologous prime-boost-boost can be lengthy,leaving the host vulnerable for an extensive period of time during the vaccination process. We show in this study that shortening the intervals between boosting events to 2 wk results in high numbers of functional and protective Ag-specific CD8 T cells. This protection is comparable to that achieved with long-term boosting intervals. Short-boosted Ag-specific CD8 T cells display a canonical memory T cell signature associated with long-lived memory and have identical proliferative potential to long-boosted T cells Both populations robustly respond to antigenic re-exposure. Despite this,short-boosted Ag-specific CD8 T cells continue to contract gradually over time,which correlates to metabolic differences between short- and long-boosted CD8 T cells at early memory time points. Our studies indicate that shortening the interval between boosts can yield abundant,functional Ag-specific CD8 T cells that are poised for immediate protection; however,this is at the expense of forming stable long-term memory. View Publication

Immunotherapy treatments for cancer are becoming increasingly successful,however to further improve our understanding of the T-cell recognition involved in effective responses and to encourage moves towards the development of personalised treatments for leukaemia immunotherapy,precise antigenic targets in individual patients have been identified. Cellular arrays using peptide-MHC (pMHC) tetramers allow the simultaneous detection of different antigen specific T-cell populations naturally circulating in patients and normal donors. We have developed the pMHC array to detect CD8+ T-cell populations in leukaemia patients that recognise epitopes within viral antigens (cytomegalovirus (CMV) and influenza (Flu)) and leukaemia antigens (including Per Arnt Sim domain 1 (PASD1),MelanA,Wilms' Tumour (WT1) and tyrosinase). We show that the pMHC array is at least as sensitive as flow cytometry and has the potential to rapidly identify more than 40 specific T-cell populations in a small sample of T-cells (0.8-1.4 x 10(6)). Fourteen of the twenty-six acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients analysed had T cells that recognised tumour antigen epitopes,and eight of these recognised PASD1 epitopes. Other tumour epitopes recognised were MelanA (n = 3),tyrosinase (n = 3) and WT1(126-134) (n = 1). One of the seven acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) patients analysed had T cells that recognised the MUC1(950-958) epitope. In the future the pMHC array may be used provide point of care T-cell analyses,predict patient response to conventional therapy and direct personalised immunotherapy for patients. View Publication