采用sPD-1协同4-1BBL进行肿瘤免疫基因治疗的研究

目的 探讨采用sPD-1协同4-1 BBL进行肿瘤免疫基因治疗的效果及相关的免疫学机制.方法 以不同剂量的H22肝癌细胞接种于BALB/c小鼠右后腿肌肉内,建立小鼠肿瘤模型;采用可溶性PD-1 （sPD-1）和4-1 BBL真核表达质粒体内转染进行基因治疗;观察接种不同剂量肿瘤细胞、不同治疗时间小鼠的成瘤率及肿瘤治疗效果;RT-PCR检测肿瘤微环境中免疫调控相关基因的表达;组织切片检测肿瘤细胞浸润肌肉组织的组织学变化;流式细胞仪检测脾脏细胞毒性T细胞（CTLs）的杀瘤效率.结果 转染4-1 BBL/sPD-1基因治疗后,接种低剂量（1 × 104个/ml） H22肿瘤细胞的小鼠肿瘤生长完全受到抑制;接种高剂量（1×105个/ml） H22肿瘤细胞的小鼠肿瘤也受到显著抑制.通过延长基因治疗,荷瘤小鼠的成瘤率随着治疗时间的延长逐渐递减,至8周时成瘤率为0;基因治疗不仅促进IFN-γ和IL-2基因表达上调,而且也使TGF-p、IL-10的表达下调;瘤组织中CD8＋ T淋巴细胞数量增多和脾淋巴细胞的杀瘤效率显著增加.结论 利用体内存在的少量肿瘤可作为抗原刺激淋巴细胞的激活;基因治疗适用于对手术、化疗、放疗后体内残存的少量肿瘤细胞的清除;当体内存在大量肿瘤细胞时,适当延长基因治疗时间可获得较好的治疗效果.     

小鼠淋巴细胞抗原CTLA-4的胞外肽段表达及纯化

目的: 真核细胞表达小鼠淋巴细胞抗原CTLA-4胞外段肽,研究表达肽段与抗原呈递细胞B7分子结合后减轻小鼠淋巴细胞刺激后的增殖抑制,从而启动T淋巴细胞进一步增殖。方法:从小鼠脾脏淋巴细胞获得总RNA,通过逆转录PCR扩增出CTLA-4全长基因,克隆并测序。依据胞外段序列和真核表达载体pcDNA3.1序列,合成引物扩增胞外片段,两者经内切核酸酶处理、连接构建重组表达pcDNA3.1载体,重组质粒经测序验证后,采用lipofectamine 2000转染入小鼠肝癌细胞Hepa1-6,经G418筛选获得稳定表达细胞株。结果:获得小鼠CTLA-4胞外段真核表达载体和小鼠肝癌细胞Hepa1-6稳定表达转染细胞株,制备了CTLA-4胞外肽段,经His标签抗体和小鼠CTLA-4抗体Western blot检测表达蛋白带均呈阳性。结论:获得CTLA-4胞外段肽,为进一步研究该肽的作用打下基础。     

PD-L1表达及其调控在肿瘤治疗中作用的研究进展

程序性死亡蛋白1(programmed cell death 1, PD-1)及其配体PD-L1(programmed death 1 ligand 1)是重要的免疫检查点，二者相互作用可负性调节效应T细胞活化与增殖，也是肿瘤细胞逃避免疫监视的重要途径。阻断PD-1与PD-L1的结合，可以解除肿瘤细胞或抗原提呈细胞对T细胞的抑制，恢复其对肿瘤细胞的识别和杀伤能力。然而，PD-L1的表达受到复杂的调控且在不同的肿瘤中呈现出差异，其主要发生在遗传、转录和转录后水平。本综述介绍PD-L1表达的调控过程及其在肿瘤免疫治疗中的作用，结合这些调控机制实现对不同特征肿瘤进行精准免疫治疗是下一步研究的重点，在肿瘤治疗中具有重要意义。     

一种真核细胞分泌型重组融合蛋白rPC的构建、表达与纯化

抑制性免疫检查点PD-1或CTLA-4靶向治疗药物已用于肿瘤的临床治疗,但单一靶点药物会有耐药发生,联合使用同时封闭多个靶点可提高疗效,因此拟构建一个可封闭多个靶点的新型重组蛋白。首先设计并合成了一个由人类PD-1和CTLA-4两个受体的胞外功能域组成并且C端带6×His标签的分泌型重组融合蛋白rPC编码序列,插入真核细胞表达载体pLVX-IRES-ZsGreen1,稳定转染HEK293细胞,收集细胞培养上清,以亲和方法纯化重组蛋白rPC,通过实时荧光定量PCR检测多个人类肿瘤细胞系中PD-1配体PD-L1、PD-L2和CTLA-4配体CD80、CD86的表达,以选择相对高表达的细胞,利用细胞免疫荧光染色方法检验rPC与肿瘤细胞的结合能力,并用CCK-8法检测rPC是否对肿瘤细胞的生长有影响。结果表明,重组融合蛋白rPC可由稳定转染表达载体的HEK293细胞表达并分泌,纯化后的rPC可以与PD-1和CTLA-4配体表达相对较高的肺癌细胞NCI-H226结合,并且rPC处理对其生长并无直接影响,与预期一致。成功获得的重组融合蛋白rPC可用于进一步的体内外功能研究,也为今后研发新型多靶点肿瘤免疫治疗蛋白药物打下了坚实的基础。     

PD-1/PD-L1抗体在肿瘤临床治疗中的应用

PD-1是主要表达在活化T细胞上的免疫抑制性受体,与表达在肿瘤细胞表面的配体PD-L1结合,通过降低T细胞的免疫应答,使肿瘤免疫逃逸。靶向PD-1/PD-L1这一信号通路的单克隆抗体类药物的研发是当前抗肿瘤治疗领域的研究热点。目前,已有多项临床研究提示,PD-1及PD-L1抗体药物治疗肿瘤的疗效显著且不良反应较小,有望改善部分晚期肿瘤患者的预后。     

免疫检查点蛋白质PD-1的信号转导通路与肿瘤免疫治疗

程序性死亡受体-1(programmed death-1,PD-1)是B7-CD28(B7 family-cluster of differentiation28)家族最新发现的成员,其在肿瘤免疫逃逸和免疫耐受中发挥着重要的作用。PD-1作为抑制性受体,在T细胞的信号转导中发挥着关键性作用,能够通过阻断与PD-1/程序性死亡受体-1配体-1(programmed death-1 ligand-1,PD-L1)信号通路,能够促进T淋巴细胞的增殖和分化,从而激活抗肿瘤免疫反应。而作为PD-1配体的PD-L2,除了在肿瘤免疫中发挥作用外,还在哮喘、过敏性反应等方面起着重要作用。该文就PD-1、PD-Ls与PD-1/PD-Ls信号通路以及PD-1抗体在肿瘤免疫治疗中的应用作一综述。     

程序性死亡配体PD-L1在肿瘤中调控机制的研究进展

肿瘤新发病例逐年增长，严重影响居民身体健康并带来了沉重的医疗负担。肿瘤免疫治疗近年来异军突起，目前肿瘤免疫治疗的主要思路是通过抑制剂或对应抗体来干扰PD-1/PD-L1轴，从而解除对T细胞免疫状态的抑制，发挥杀伤肿瘤细胞的功能，因此以PD-1/PD-L1为靶点的免疫调节对抗肿瘤有重要意义。PD-L1通常在各种恶性肿瘤中表达上调，最新证据表明存在多种潜在机制或信号通路调控PD-L1表达，基于此开发特异的小分子抑制剂在抑制关键致癌信号通路的同时，还能抑制PD-L1表达，从而实现免疫检查点抑制剂联合靶向药物疗法的突破，发挥协同抗肿瘤效应。本文就癌症中PD-L1在基因突变、表观遗传修饰、转录和翻译后修饰水平的调控机制展开论述，为进一步开展联合靶向疗法提供理论基础。     

PD-1/PD-L1信号通路及相关抗体在宫颈癌免疫治疗中的应用

程序性死亡蛋白1(PD-1)是T细胞上主要存在的一种抑制性受体,其与程序性死亡配体1(PD-L1)相互作用,可抑制T细胞增殖、活化和细胞因子的分泌。在肿瘤进展中,PD-1/PD-L1信号通路能够抑制T细胞的免疫反应而促进肿瘤免疫逃逸的发生。PD-1及PD-L1作为一种免疫应答的关键调控蛋白,与宫颈癌的发生发展及预后密切相关,PD-1及PD-L1抗体的深入研究将为治疗宫颈癌提供新的分子靶标。本文就PD-1/PD-L1生物学结构功能、在肿瘤的发生发展中的作用及其抗体在宫颈癌免疫治疗中的应用前景作一简要综述。     

一种经microRNA敲低PD-1的新型慢病毒载体在CAR-T细胞中的应用

本研究将microRNA插入EF1α启动子的内含子中,构建携带沉默PD-1基因的miRNA的新型慢病毒载体,并将其应用于CAR-T细胞。通过流式细胞术检测慢病毒载体转导效率和PD-1沉默效率;Westernblotting检测PD-1蛋白表达差异;荧光定量PCR检测microRNA相对表达情况;荧光素酶生物发光法和流式细胞术检测CAR-T细胞的能力。结果显示与U6转录microRNA的载体相比较,将microRNA插入到EF1-α内含子中的病毒载体转导效率更显著,对PD-1的敲低效率均达90%以上,且Westernblotting结果验证了PD-1的敲低效果。另外通过荧光定量PCR,可显示出转导该新型慢病毒载体的Jurkat细胞内microRNA的相对表达量。荧光素酶生物发光法证实了CAR-T细胞针对靶细胞的特异杀伤性,流式细胞术结果表明沉默PD-1的CAR-T细胞相较于正常CAR-T细胞显示出更强的特异性杀伤能力。本研究成功构建了经microRNA敲低PD-1的新型慢病毒载体并验证了其转导效率的优越性,以及基于此载体表达的microRNA可高效地沉默PD-1;且应用此载体的CAR-T细胞能发挥更强的杀伤活性,从而为后续该CAR-T细胞治疗表达PD-L1的肿瘤奠定基础。     

PVAX-MAGE-1基因疫苗延缓小鼠肝癌细胞H22腹水瘤和实体瘤的生长

为观察重组基因疫苗PVAX-MAGE-1的抑瘤效应,构建黑色素瘤抗原-1(melanoma antigen-1,MAGE-1)真核基因表达载体--PVAX-MAGE-1.以重组质粒免疫C57BL/6小鼠后,ELISA法检测表明,与对照鼠(PVAX-1和生理盐水注射小鼠)比较,免疫小鼠脾淋巴细胞上清液中的细胞因子IL-2和IFN-γ明显升高(P0.05);淋巴细胞-肿瘤细胞混合培养证明,免疫小鼠外周血CD8+T细胞对靶细胞的特异性杀伤作用明显增强(P0.05).体内实验证明,PVAX-MAGE-1免疫C57BL/6小鼠,可显著延缓移植性H22腹水瘤及实体瘤在小鼠体内的生长.实验结果提示,重组基因疫苗PVAX-MAGE-1有明显的延缓肿瘤生长的作用,其抑瘤作用与提高T淋巴细胞IL和IFN表达,增强对肿瘤杀伤作用直接相关.     

Blocking programmed death-1 ligand-PD-1 interactions by local gene therapy results in enhancement of antitumor effect of secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine

The negative signal provided by interactions of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and its ligands, costimulatory molecules PD-L1 (also B7-H1) and PD-L2 (also B7-DC), is involved in the mechanisms of tumor immune evasion. In this study, we found that this negative signal was also involved in immune evasion in tumor immunotherapy. When we used different doses of a constructed eukaryotic expression plasmid, pSLC, which expresses functional murine secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC, CCL21), to treat BALB/c mice inoculated with H22 murine hepatoma cells, the inhibitory effect was enhanced along with the increase of pSLC dosage. Unexpectedly, however, the best complete inhibition rate of tumor was reached when pSLC was used at the dosage of 50 microg but not 100 or 200 microg. RT-PCR and real-time PCR revealed that both PD-L1 and PD-L2 genes were expressed in tumor and vicinal muscle tissues of tumor-bearing mice and the expression level was significantly increased if a higher dosage of pSLC was administered. We then constructed a eukaryotic expression plasmid (pPD-1A) that expresses the extracellular domain of murine PD-1 (sPD-1). sPD-1 could bind PD-1 ligands, block PD-Ls-PD-1 interactions, and enhance the cytotoxicity of tumor-specific CTL. Local gene transfer by injection of pPD-1A mediated antitumor effect and improved SLC-mediated antitumor immunity. The combined gene therapy with SLC plus sPD-1 did not induce remarkable autoimmune manifestations. Our findings provide a potent method of improving the antitumor effects of SLC and possibly other immunotherapeutic methods by local blockade of negative costimulatory molecules.     

pVAX1 plasmid vector-mediated gene transfer of soluble TRAIL suppresses human hepatocellular carcinoma growth in nude mice

The extracellular domain of the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) may function as a soluble cytokine to selectively kill various cancer cells without toxicity to most normal cells. We used a high-biosafety plasmid pVAX1 as a vector and constructed a recombinant plasmid expressing the extracellular domain (95-281 aa) of human TRAIL fused with signal peptides of human IgGgamma, designated as pVAX-sT. Transduction of human BEL7402 liver cancer cells with pVAX-sT led to high levels of sTRAIL protein in the cell culture media and induced apoptosis. The therapeutic potential of pVAX-sT was then evaluated in the BEL7402 transplanted naked mouse model. Subsequent intratumoral administration of naked pVAX-sT resulted in the expression of soluble TRAIL in the sera and the tumor site, as well as effective suppression of tumor growth, with no toxicity to liver. In conclusion, the successful inhibition of liver cancer growth and the absence of detectable toxicity suggest that pVAX-sT could be useful in the gene therapy of liver cancer.     

Targeted disruption of the PD78 gene (traF) reduces pheromone-inducible conjugal transfer of the bacteriocin plasmid pPD1 in Enterococcus faecalis

Abstract Bacterial sex pheromone, cPD1, induces sexual aggregation of Enterococcus faecalis harboring the bacteriocin plasmid, pPD1, and enables pPD1 to transfer at high frequency in a liquid culture. PD78 is a cPD1-inducible cell surface protein encoded by pPD1. The PD78 gene, traF , was disrupted by homologous recombination between pPD1 and an artificial vector having a deletion in the middle portion of traF . The disruption of traF did not affect the cPD1-inducible aggregation but reduced the transfer frequency of pPD1 to 2% of the wild-type level.     

DIgR1, a novel membrane receptor of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily, is preferentially expressed by antigen-presenting cells

A novel membrane receptor of immunoglobulin gene superfamily (IgSF) has been identified from mouse dendritic cells (DC) and designated as DC-derived Ig-like receptor 1 (DIgR1). It encodes a 228-amino-acid (aa) residue polypeptide with a 21-aa signal peptide, a 20-aa transmembrane region, a 189-aa extracellular region, and a 19 aa intracellular region. Its extracellular region contains a single V domain of Ig. So it is a novel type I transmembrane glycoprotein of IgSF. DIgR1 shows significant homologies to human CMRF-35 antigens and polymeric immunoglobulin receptors (pIgR). The mRNA expression of DIgR1 was highly abundant in mouse spleen. The preferential expression of DIgR1 mRNA is observed in the known antigen-presenting cells (APC) including DC, monocytes/macrophages, and B lymphocytes. A 40 kDa of protein in NIH/3T3 cells transfected with the DIgR1 cDNA was detected by Western blot analysis using anti-DIgR1 polyclonal antibodies. The expression of DIgR1 protein on DC is not regulated by LPS stimulation. Further study should be conducted to investigate what were biological functions of DIgR1 in the immunobiology of APC.     

Cloning, E. coli overexpression, purification and binding properties of TraA and TraC, two proteins involved in the pheromone-dependent conjugation process in enterococci

The bacteriocin encoding plasmid pPD1 from Enterococcus faecalis is involved in a mating response to the sex pheromone cPD1 produced by recipient bacterial cells devoid of pPD1. Previous studies showed that cPD1 is internalized into donor cells in a process in which TraC plays the role of cell surface pheromone receptor. Inside the recipient cells, the pheromone binds to the plasmid-encoded cytoplasmic protein TraA, able to recognize specific DNA sequences and to modulate the conjugation process. To avoid self-induction of the conjugation process, donor cells produce the inhibitor iPD1, which competes with cPD1. This study was designed to produce recombinant TraA and TraC in a functionally active state and to evaluate their main functional properties. We have isolated the sequences encoding TraA and TraC from the plasmid pPD1 and cloned them in suitable expression vectors. The two recombinant proteins were successfully obtained in a soluble form using Escherichia coli as expression host and a T7 inducible expression system. TraC and TraA were purified to homogeneity by three or two chromatographic steps, respectively, leading to a final yield up to 4 mg/l of cell culture for TraC and up to 10 mg/l of cell culture for TraA. The ability of TraA and TraC to bind the specific pheromone and inhibitor peptides has been assessed by means of ESI-mass spectrometry. Moreover, the ability of recombinant TraA to bind DNA has been demonstrated by means of electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Overall these results are consistent with the heterologously expressed TraC and TraA being functionally active.     

Amino acid sequence of pheromone-inducible surface protein in Enterococcus faecalis, that is encoded on the conjugative plasmid pPD1

The major pheromone-inducible protein, PD78, believed to contribute to bacterial conjugation, was purified from Enterococcus (formerly Streptococcus) faecalis cells containing the plasmid pPD1. A cloned EcoRI-BglII 3.6-kbp fragment of the plasmid pAM351(pPdl::Tn916) contained an open reading frame corresponding to 467 amino acid residues representing PD78. In a central region of the deduced protein, there is a repeated sequence of X-X-Pro that is repeated 15 times. This is analogous to the Gln-Gln-Pro repeat in the C-terminal region of TraD product encoded on the R100 plasmid in Escherichia coli.     

RANKL increases migration of human lung cancer cells through intercellular adhesion molecule-1 up-regulation

Invasion of distant tissues by tumor cells is the primary cause of therapeutic failure in the treatment of malignant lung cancer cells. Receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) and its receptor, RANK, play a key role in osteoclastogenesis and tumor metastasis. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, also called CD54), a member of the immunoglobulin supergene family, is an inducible surface glycoprotein that mediates adhesion-dependent cell-to-cell interactions. The effects of RANKL on cell migration and ICAM-1 expression in human lung cancer cells are largely unknown. We found that RANKL directed the migration and increased ICAM-1 expression in human lung cancer (A549) cells. Pretreatment of A549 cells with the MAPK kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD98059 or U0126 inhibited RANKL-mediated migration and ICAM-1 expression. Stimulation of cells with RANKL increased the phosphorylation of MEK and extracellular signal-regulating kinase (ERK). In addition, an NF-κB inhibitor (PDTC) and IκB protease inhibitor (TPCK) also inhibited RANKL-mediated cell migration and ICAM-1 up-regulation. Taken together, these results suggest that the RANKL and RANK interaction acts through MEK/ERK, which in turn activates NF-κB, resulting in the activation of ICAM-1 and contributing to the migration of human lung cancer cells.     

Ig light chain receptor editing in anergic B cells

Receptor editing in the bone marrow (BM) serves to modify the Ag receptor specificity of immature self-reactive B cells, while anergy functionally silences self-reactive clones. Here, we demonstrate that anergic B cells in hen egg lysozyme Ig (HEL-Ig)/soluble HEL double transgenic mice show evidence of having undergone receptor editing in vivo, as demonstrated by the presence of elevated levels of endogenous kappa light chain rearrangements in the BM and spleen. In an in vitro IL-7-driven BM culture system, HEL-Ig BM B cells grown in the presence of soluble HEL down-regulated surface IgM expression and also showed induction of new endogenous kappa light chain rearrangements. Using a panel of soluble protein ligands with reduced affinity for the HEL-Ig receptor, the editing response was shown to correlate in a dose-dependent fashion with the strength of signaling through the B cell receptor. The finding that the level of B cell receptor cross-linking sufficient to induce anergy in B cells is also capable of engaging the machinery required for receptor editing suggests an intimate relationship between these two mechanisms in maintaining B cell tolerance.     

A novel system for convenient detection of low-affinity receptor-ligand interactions: chelator-lipid liposomes engrafted with recombinant CD4 bind to cells expressing MHC class II

The interactions of cell surface receptors with their ligands, crucial for initiating many immunological responses, are often stabilized by receptor dimerization/oligomerization, and by multimeric interactions between receptors on one cell with their ligands or cognate receptors on the apposing cell. Current techniques for studying receptor-ligand interactions, however, do not always allow receptors to move laterally to enable dimerization/ oligomerization, or to interact multimerically with ligands on cell surfaces. For these reasons detection of low- affinity receptor-ligand interactions has been difficult. Utilizing a novel chelator-lipid, nitrilotriacetic acid di-tetradecylamine (NTA-DTDA), we have developed a convenient liposome system for directly detecting low-affinity receptor-ligand interactions. Our studies using recombinant soluble forms of murine CD40 and B7.1, and murine and human CD4, each possessing a hexhistidine tag, showed that these proteins can be anchored or 'engrafted' directly onto fluorescently labelled liposomes via a metal-chelating linkage with NTA-DTDA, permitting them to undergo dimerization/oligomerization and multimeric binding with ligands on cells. Fluorescence- activated cell sorter (FACS) analyses demonstrated that while there is little if any binding of soluble forms of murine CD40 and B7.1, and murine and human CD4 to cells, engrafted liposomes bind specifically to cells expressing the appropriate cognate receptor, often giving a fluorescence 4-6-fold above control cells. Such liposomes could detect directly the low-affinity interaction of murine CD40 and B7.1 with CD154- and CD28-expressing cells, respectively, and the interaction of CD4 with MHC Class II, which has hitherto defied direct detection except through mutational analysis and mAb blocking studies.