Eosinophils are important mediators of mucosal tissue homeostasis, anti-helminth responses, and allergy. Lung eosinophilia has previously been linked to aberrant Type 2-skewed T cell responses to ...respiratory viral infection and may also be a consequence of vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease (VAERD), particularly in the case of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the formalin-inactivated RSV vaccine. We previously reported a dose-dependent recruitment of eosinophils to the lungs of mice vaccinated with alum-adjuvanted trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) following a sublethal, vaccine-matched H1N1 (A/New Caledonia/20/1999; NC99) influenza challenge. Given the differential role of eosinophil subset on immune function, we conducted the investigations herein to phenotype the lung eosinophils observed in our model of influenza breakthrough infection. Here, we demonstrate that eosinophil influx into the lungs of vaccinated mice is adjuvant- and sex-independent, and only present after vaccine-matched sublethal influenza challenge but not in mock-challenged mice. Furthermore, vaccinated and challenged mice had a compositional shift towards more inflammatory eosinophils (iEos) compared to resident eosinophils (rEos), resembling the shift observed in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized allergic control mice, however without any evidence of enhanced morbidity or aberrant inflammation in lung cytokine/chemokine signatures. Furthermore, we saw a lung eosinophil influx in the context of a vaccine-mismatched challenge. Additional layers of heterogeneity in the eosinophil compartment were observed via unsupervised clustering analysis of flow cytometry data. Our collective findings are a starting point for more in-depth phenotypic and functional characterization of lung eosinophil subsets in the context of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity.
Abstract
Despite being a vaccine-preventable disease, seasonal influenza is responsible for thousands of hospitalizations and deaths yearly. Currently licensed quadrivalent inactivated influenza ...virus vaccines (QIV) aim to induce neutralizing antibodies but are poor inducers of T-cell responses, which could be potentially overcome with adjuvants. We evaluated adjuvant skewing of host-immune responses after vaccination and its persistence after infection. Hereto, we compared two squalene-based adjuvants (AddaVax, and AddaS03) and IMDQ-PC, a lymph node-draining TLR7/8 agonist. All adjuvants resulted in enhanced antibody titers and protection against challenge with H1N1 influenza virus. Lung cytokine/chemokine profiling at 5 days post-infection showed that AddaVax results in higher levels of type 2 immunity-stimulating cytokines IL-4, -5, and -13 in the lungs, which is also reflected by a higher IgG1:IgG2a ratio. Meanwhile, IMDQ-PC showed higher serological IgG2a titers after vaccination and higher levels of IFNγ in the lungs after challenge. To investigate the role of the myeloid compartment in adjuvant skewing of host responses, we examined adjuvant-mediated skewing of bone-derived macrophages in-vitro using Arginase I and iNOS as M2 or M1 markers, respectively. We also pre-licensed macrophages with IL-4 and IFNγ to evaluate adjuvant-intrinsic skewing effects. Licensing was required to induce M1 or M2 phenotypes by squalene-based adjuvants, whereas IMDQ-PC skewed towards M1 phenotype irrespective of licensing. Correlating with the observed type I immune host response, IMDQ-PC induced iNOS more robustly with IFNγ than the other adjuvants. And, AddaS03 induced the highest levels of Arginase I in the IL-4 group.
This study was also partly funded by CRIPT (Center for Research on Inuenza Pathogenesis and Transmission), a NIH NIAID funded Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR, contract number 75N93021C00014), by the NIAID funded SEM-CIVIC consortium to improve inuenza vaccines (contract number 75N93019C00051), to AG-S. By NIH/NIAID HHSN272201400008C (L.C.), and NIH/NIAID R21AI151229 and R01AI160706 (M.S.). B.G.D.G. acknowledges funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant N 817938).
Abstract
Eosinophils are critical cells in Type 2 immune responses and mucosal tissue homeostasis. Historically, lung eosinophilia has been linked to aberrant Th2 responses in response to inhaled ...allergens or as a consequence of vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease in viral infection. In some animal models of respiratory viral infection, lung eosinophilia has been observed in the absence of overt pathology. Here, we interrogated the phenotype and function of eosinophil subsets recruited to the lung after a sublethal, vaccine-matched intranasal challenge, modeling breakthrough infection. We observed an enrichment for eosinophils in the lungs of TIV-vaccinated mice post-challenge that were phenotypically similar to that of OVA-sensitized allergic mice, but with a marked absence of strong inflammatory cytokine signatures, detectable viral titers, and enhanced morbidity. Moreover, we did not observe an influx of eosinophils in the lungs of challenged unvaccinated mice, which were unable to control viral replication and had strong pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles. This suggests that vaccine-matched viral infection of the respiratory mucosa after priming with antigen in the periphery can result in lung eosinophilia that is neither pathological nor disease-enhancing, but correlates more so with clearance during a breakthrough infection. We longitudinally discerned the differential cellular kinetics of lung eosinophils and the lung microenvironment after breakthrough influenza infection or OVA sensitization across multiple parameters, including pathology. We are further analyzing the eosinophil compartment via RNA-seq, imaging, and spectral flow cytometry for in-depth characterization of this phenomenon.
Supported by NIH Public Health Service Institutional Research T32 Training Award (AI07647) and Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR) contract (75N93021C00014-0-9999-1).
Abstract
Tumor-Specific Immuno-Gene (T-SIGn) cancer gene therapy vectors, which are based on the oncolytic adenovirus enadenotucirev, carry a gene cassette encoding combinations of human transgenes ...under control of the virus major late promoter (MLP) which restricts expression to tumor cells. These vectors can be dosed intravenously for delivery to tumors and selective expression of therapeutic proteins locally within the tumor microenvironment. Because these viruses only infect human tumor cells, in vivo studies are limited to human tumor xenografts in immunodeficient mice. Recently, we have optimized a 3D microfluidic system for evaluating response to immunotherapies using patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroids (PDOTS). PDOTS contain stromal as well as autologous myeloid and lymphoid cell populations and respond to PD-1 blockade in short-term ex vivo culture. As an alternative preclinical approach for evaluating activity and mechanistic underpinnings of T-SIGn viruses expressing human immunomodulatory transgenes, we have been developing the PDOTS ex vivo culture model. Here we report on the visualization of oncolytic virus uptake, replication in tumor cells and activation of T cells with a T-SIGn virus encoding an EpCAM-targeted bispecific T-cell activator (NG-611) within NSCLC PDOTS. Surgical NSCLC cases from St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, collected under an IRB approved protocol, were processed in PDOTS and assessed for EpCAM expression and number of T cells. Five different samples were treated with NG-611 (mixed with a GFP expressing vector) at concentrations ranging from 2x109 to 2x106 vp/mL final volume of culture. Virus infection was shown after 3 and 5 days of culture by dose-dependent expression of GFP reporter transgene driven by a CMV promoter, and virus replication in tumor cells was confirmed by using GFP expressed under the virus MLP promoter. Upregulation of IFNγ and Granzyme B in culture media indicated a strong activation of T-cells via expression of the bispecific T-cell activator. Cytotoxic T-cell activation also led to dose-dependent cell killing in NSCLC spheroids as shown by life/death analysis.
Having established this proof of concept for functionality of T-SIGn viruses in PDOTS, ongoing studies are evaluating the immunomodulatory activities of a series of T-SIGn viruses expressing human IL-12 with or without other cytokine/chemokines.
Citation Format: Moataz Noureddine, Katy West, Elizabeth Isaacson, Sylvia Alarcon, Christopher S. Lathan, John Wain, David A. Barbie, Cloud P. Paweletz, Elena Ivanova, Brian R. Champion. A T-SIGn cancer gene therapy virus expressing an EpCAM-targeted bispecific T-cell activator stimulates T-cells and induces tumor cell death in patient-derived organotypic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) spheroids ex vivo abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1710.
Resistance to oncogene-targeted therapies involves discrete drug-tolerant persister cells, originally discovered through in vitro assays. Whether a similar phenomenon limits efficacy of programmed ...cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade is poorly understood. Here, we performed dynamic single-cell RNA-Seq of murine organotypic tumor spheroids undergoing PD-1 blockade, identifying a discrete subpopulation of immunotherapy persister cells (IPCs) that resisted CD8+ T cell-mediated killing. These cells expressed Snai1 and stem cell antigen 1 (Sca-1) and exhibited hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal features characteristic of a stem cell-like state. IPCs were expanded by IL-6 but were vulnerable to TNF-α-induced cytotoxicity, relying on baculoviral IAP repeat-containing protein 2 (Birc2) and Birc3 as survival factors. Combining PD-1 blockade with Birc2/3 antagonism in mice reduced IPCs and enhanced tumor cell killing in vivo, resulting in durable responsiveness that matched TNF cytotoxicity thresholds in vitro. Together, these data demonstrate the power of high-resolution functional ex vivo profiling to uncover fundamental mechanisms of immune escape from durable anti-PD-1 responses, while identifying IPCs as a cancer cell subpopulation targetable by specific therapeutic combinations.
Neuroblastoma is a malignancy of the developing sympathetic nervous system that accounts for 12% of childhood cancer deaths. Like many childhood cancers, neuroblastoma shows a relative paucity of ...somatic single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertions and deletions (indels) compared to adult cancers. Here, we assessed the contribution of somatic structural variation (SV) in neuroblastoma using a combination of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of tumor-normal pairs (
= 135) and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping of primary tumors (
= 914). Our study design allowed for orthogonal validation and replication across platforms. SV frequency, type, and localization varied significantly among high-risk tumors.
nonamplified high-risk tumors harbored an increased SV burden overall, including a significant excess of tandem duplication events across the genome. Genes disrupted by SV breakpoints were enriched in neuronal lineages and associated with phenotypes such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The postsynaptic adapter protein-coding gene,
, located on Chromosome 11q13, was disrupted by SVs in 14% of
nonamplified high-risk tumors based on WGS and 10% in the SNP array cohort. Expression of
was low across human-derived neuroblastoma cell lines and high-risk neuroblastoma tumors. Forced expression of
in neuroblastoma cells resulted in significant growth inhibition (
= 2.6 × 10
to 3.4 × 10
) and accelerated neuronal differentiation following treatment with all-
retinoic acid (
= 3.1 × 10
to 2.4 × 10
). These data further define the complex landscape of somatic structural variation in neuroblastoma and suggest that events leading to deregulation of neurodevelopmental processes, such as inactivation of
, are key mediators of tumorigenesis in this childhood cancer.
Background: In order to prevent the emergence and spread of future variants of concern of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), developing vaccines capable of stopping ...transmission is crucial. The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine NDV-HXP-S can be administered live intranasally (IN) and thus induce protective immunity in the upper respiratory tract. The vaccine is based on Newcastle disease virus (NDV) expressing a stabilised SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. NDV-HXP-S can be produced as influenza virus vaccine at low cost in embryonated chicken eggs. Methods: The NDV-HXP-S vaccine was genetically engineered to match the Omicron variants of concern (VOC) BA.1 and BA.5 and tested as an IN two or three dose vaccination regimen in female mice. Furthermore, female mice intramuscularly (IM) vaccinated with mRNA-lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) were IN boosted with NDV-HXP-S. Systemic humoral immunity, memory T cell responses in the lungs and spleens as well as immunoglobulin A (IgA) responses in distinct mucosal tissues were characterised. Findings: NDV-HXP-S Omicron variant vaccines elicited high mucosal IgA and serum IgG titers against respective SARS-CoV-2 VOC in female mice following IN administration and protected against challenge from matched variants. Additionally, antigen-specific memory B cells and local T cell responses in the lungs were induced. Host immunity against the NDV vector did not interfere with boosting. Intramuscular vaccination with mRNA-LNPs was enhanced by IN NDV-HXP-S boosting resulting in improvement of serum neutralization titers and induction of mucosal immunity. Interpretation: We demonstrate that NDV-HXP-S Omicron variant vaccines utilised for primary immunizations or boosting efficiently elicit humoral and cellular immunity. The described induction of systemic and mucosal immunity has the potential to reduce infection and transmission. Funding: This work was partially funded by the NIAID Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR) and by the NIAID Collaborative Vaccine Innovation Centers and by institutional funding from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. See under Acknowledgements for details.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
In order to prevent the emergence and spread of future variants of concern of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), developing vaccines capable of stopping transmission is ...crucial. The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine NDV-HXP-S can be administered live intranasally (IN) and thus induce protective immunity in the upper respiratory tract. The vaccine is based on Newcastle disease virus (NDV) expressing a stabilised SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. NDV-HXP-S can be produced as influenza virus vaccine at low cost in embryonated chicken eggs.
The NDV-HXP-S vaccine was genetically engineered to match the Omicron variants of concern (VOC) BA.1 and BA.5 and tested as an IN two or three dose vaccination regimen in female mice. Furthermore, female mice intramuscularly (IM) vaccinated with mRNA-lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) were IN boosted with NDV-HXP-S. Systemic humoral immunity, memory T cell responses in the lungs and spleens as well as immunoglobulin A (IgA) responses in distinct mucosal tissues were characterised.
NDV-HXP-S Omicron variant vaccines elicited high mucosal IgA and serum IgG titers against respective SARS-CoV-2 VOC in female mice following IN administration and protected against challenge from matched variants. Additionally, antigen-specific memory B cells and local T cell responses in the lungs were induced. Host immunity against the NDV vector did not interfere with boosting. Intramuscular vaccination with mRNA-LNPs was enhanced by IN NDV-HXP-S boosting resulting in improvement of serum neutralization titers and induction of mucosal immunity.
We demonstrate that NDV-HXP-S Omicron variant vaccines utilised for primary immunizations or boosting efficiently elicit humoral and cellular immunity. The described induction of systemic and mucosal immunity has the potential to reduce infection and transmission.
This work was partially funded by the NIAIDCenters of Excellence for Influenza Research and Response (CEIRR) and by the NIAID Collaborative Vaccine Innovation Centers and by institutional funding from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. See under Acknowledgements for details.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
BackgroundTo understand fundamental mechanisms of immune escape, we leveraged our functional ex vivo platform of murine derived organotypic tumor spheroids (DOTS)1 to determine if drug-tolerant ...persister cells analogous to oncogene targeted therapies limit efficacy of programmed death (PD)-1 blockade, and to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities to overcome anti-PD-1 (αPD-1) resistance.MethodsMurine syngeneic cancer models with well-characterized response to αPD-1 therapy were chosen: MC38 (sensitive) and CT26 (partially resistant). Bulk and single-cell (sc) RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) were performed on αPD-1 treated DOTS. In vitro culture studies were conducted with or without cytokines (100 ng/ml) or drugs (500 nM). In vivo studies in mice bearing MC38 or CT26 tumors evaluated the combinatorial strategy with PD-1 blockade. We further evaluated our findings in scRNA-seq of an αPD-1 refractory colorectal cancer (CRC) patient tumor.2ResultsBulk RNA-seq of αPD-1 treated DOTS revealed a mesenchymal resistant phenotype with upregulated TNF-α/NFκB signaling (figure 1). scRNA-seq further identified a discrete sub-population of immunotherapy persister cells (IPCs). These cells expressed a stem-like phenotype including downregulation of E2F targets indicative of quiescence, suppression of interferon-γ response genes, induction of hybrid epithelial-to-mesenchymal state, and active IL-6 signaling (figure 1). Ly6a/stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1) and Snai1 were found to be differentially upregulated in IPCs resistant to PD-1 blockade (not shown). Sca-1 positivity was confirmed in pre-existing tumor populations in vitro (figure 2). When enriched via sorting, these cells remained more persistently Sca-1+ at 96 hours in culture of CT26 compared to MC38 cells, related to increased autocrine IL-6 production by CT26 Sca-1+ cells. Indeed, IL-6 supplementation was capable of expanding Sca-1+ cells in culture (figure 2). Sca-1+ cells expressing ovalbumin peptide were refractory to OT-1 T cell mediated killing and failed to upregulate MHC class-1 antigen presentation (H-2Kb) in response to IL-6, in contrast to interferon-γ (not shown). Analysis of RNA-seq data further identified Birc2/3 as potential targets limiting TNF-mediated apoptosis of these cells (not shown). Notably, Birc2/3 antagonism depleted Sca-1+ IPCs in vitro and significantly potentiated the impact of PD-1 blockade in vivo in MC38, and less robustly in CT26 (figure 3). Evaluation in a microsatellite-instability high CRC patient identified a pre-existent IPC subpopulation within the αPD-1 refractory pre-treatment tumor, with high SNAI1 expression compared to CRC samples in TCGA (figure 4).Abstract 248 Figure 1Bulk and single-cell (sc) RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) of MDOTS identifies an anti-PD-1 (αPD-1) resistant subpopulation of persister cells. IgG= isotype controlFigure omitted. See PDFAbstract 248 Figure 2Pre-existent population of stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1)+ cells expands in response to interleukin-6 (IL-6), as characterized by flow cytometry evaluation in murine syngeneic cancer models at baseline and after purification by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). H = hoursFigure omitted. See PDFAbstract 248 Figure 3Combination of anti-PD-1 therapy with Birc2/3 antagonism increases tumor responses and improves survival. CR = complete responseFigure omitted. See PDFAbstract 248 Figure 4Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of a pre-treatment microsatellite-instability (MSI-H) colorectal cancer (CRC) patient tumor, refractory to anti-PD-1 (αPD-1) therapy, reveals presence of SNAI1-high immunotherapy persister cellsFigure omitted. See PDFConclusionsHigh-resolution functional ex vivo profiling identified Sca-1+/Snai1high stem-like ‘immunotherapy persister cells‘ and uncovered their anti-apoptotic dependencies targetable with Birc2/3 antagonism to augment αPD-1 efficacy.Ethics ApprovalThis study was approved by the Dana-Farber Animal Care and Use Committee and Novartis Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Informed written consent to participate in Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center institutional review board (IRB)-approved research protocols was obtained from the human subject. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor of this journal. The study was conducted per the WMA Declaration of Helsinki and IRB-approved protocols.ReferencesJenkins RW, Aref AR, Lizotte PH, Ivanova E, Stinson S, Zhou CW, et al. Ex Vivo Profiling of PD-1 Blockade using organotypic tumor spheroids. Cancer Discov. 2018;8(2):196–668 215.Gurjao C, Liu D, Hofree M, AlDubayan SH, Wakiro I, Su MJ, et al. intrinsic resistance to immune checkpoint blockade in a mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancer. Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(8):1230–6.
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