Tumor-Targeted Human T Cells Expressing CD28-Based Chimeric Antigen Receptors Circumvent CTLA-4 Inhibition

Adoptive T cell therapy represents a promising treatment for cancer. Human T cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) recognize and kill tumor cells in a MHC-unrestricted manner and persist in vivo when the CAR includes a CD28 costimulatory domain. However, the intensity of the CAR-mediated CD28 activation signal and its regulation by the CTLA-4 checkpoint are unknown. We investigated whether T cells expressing an anti-CD19, CD3 zeta and CD28-based CAR (19-28z) displayed the same proliferation and anti-tumor abilities than T cells expressing a CD3 zeta-based CAR (19z1) costimulated through the CD80/CD28, ligand/receptor pathway. Repeated in vitro antigen-specific stimulations indicated that 19-28z⁺ T cells secreted higher levels of Th1 cytokines and showed enhanced proliferation compared to those of 19z1⁺ or 19z1-CD80⁺ T cells. In an aggressive pre-B cell leukemia model, mice treated with 19-28z⁺ T cells had 10-fold reduced tumor progression compared to those treated with 19z1⁺ or 19z1-CD80⁺ T cells. shRNA-mediated CTLA-4 down-regulation in 19z1-CD80⁺ T cells significantly increased their in vivo expansion and anti-tumor properties, but had no effect in 19-28z⁺ T cells. Our results establish that CTLA-4 down-regulation may benefit human adoptive T cell therapy and demonstrate that CAR design can elude negative checkpoints to better sustain T cell function.     

Nuclear magnetic resonance structural studies and molecular modeling of duplex DNA containing normal and 4'-oxidized abasic sites

A 4'-oxidized abasic site (X) has been synthesized in a defined duplex DNA sequence, 5'-d(CCAAAGXACCGGG)-3'/3'-d(GGTTTCATGGCCC)-5' (1). Its structure has been determined by two-dimensional NMR methods, molecular modeling, and molecular dynamics simulations. 1 is globally B-form with the base (A) opposite X intrahelical and well-stacked. Only the alpha anomer of X is observed, and the abasic site deoxyribose is largely intrahelical. These results are compared with a normal abasic site (Y) in the same sequence context (2). Y is composed of a 60:40 mixture of alpha and beta anomers (2alpha and 2beta). In both 2alpha and 2beta, the base (A) opposite Y is intrahelical and well-stacked and the abasic site deoxyribose is predominantly extrahelical, consistent with the reported structures of the normal abasic site in a similar sequence context [Hoehn, S. T., Turner, C. J., and Stubbe, J. (2001) Nucleic Acids Res. 29, 3413-3423]. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the normal abasic site appears to be conformationally more flexible than the 4'-oxidized abasic site. The importance of the structure and flexibility of the abasic site in the recognition by the DNA repair enzyme Ape1 is discussed.     

Pharmacological analysis of CCK2 receptors up-regulated using engineered transcription factors

Designed zinc finger proteins (ZFPs) regulate expression of target genes when coupled to activator or repressor domains. Transfection of ZFPs into cell lines can create expression systems where the targeted endogenous gene is transcribed and the protein of interest can be investigated in its own cellular context. Here we describe the pharmacological investigation of an expression system generated using CCK2 receptor-selective ZFPs transfected into human embryonic kidney cells (HEKZFP system). The receptors expressed in this system, in response to ZFP expression, were functional in calcium mobilization studies and the potency of the agonists investigated was consistent with their action at CCK2 receptors (CCK-8S pA50 = 9.05+/-0.11, pentagastrin pA50 = 9.11+/-0.13). In addition, binding studies were conducted using [125I]-BH-CCK-8S as radioligand. The saturation binding analysis of this radioligand was consistent with a single population of high affinity CCK receptors (pK(D) = 10.24). Competition studies were also conducted using a number of previously well-characterized CCK-receptor selective ligands; JB93182, YF476, PD-134,308, SR27897, dexloxiglumide, L-365,260 and L-364,718. Overall, the estimated affinity values for these ligands were consistent with their interaction at CCK2 receptors. Therefore, CCK2 receptors up-regulated using zinc finger protein technology can provide an alternative to standard transfection techniques for the pharmacological analysis of compounds.     

Biomolecular simulations at constant pH

Like temperature and pressure, the solution pH is an important thermodynamic variable that is commonly varied in experiments and is used by cells to influence biochemical function. It is now becoming feasible to carry out practical molecular dynamics simulations that mimic the thermodynamics of such experiments, by allowing proton transfer between the system of interest and a hypothetical bath of protons at a given pH. These are demanding calculations, because the energetics of charge changes upon protonation or deprotonation must be accurately modeled, and because such simulations must sample both molecular configurations and the large number of protonation states that are possible for a molecule with many titrating sites.