Identification of tyrosinase-related protein 2 as a tumor rejection antigen for the B16 melanoma.

Recently, major advances have been made in the identification of antigens from human melanoma which are recognized by T cells. In spite of this, little is known about the optimal ways to use these antigens to treat patients with cancer. Progress in this area is likely to require accurate preclinical animal models, but the availability of such models has lagged behind developments in human tumor immunology. Whereas many of the identified human melanoma antigens are normal tissue differentiation proteins, analogous murine tumor antigens have not yet been identified. In this paper we identify a normal tissue differentiation antigen, tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP-2), expressed by the murine B16 melanoma which was found by screening a cDNA library from B16 with tumor-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). A peptide conforming to the predicted MHC class I H2-Kb binding motif, TRP-2181-188, was identified as the major reactive epitope within TRP-2 recognized by these anti-B16 CTLs. By site-directed mutagenesis, it was shown that alteration of this epitope eliminated recognition of TRP-2. It was further demonstrated that a CTL line raised from splenocytes by repeated stimulation in vitro with this peptide could recognize B16 tumor and was therapeutic against 3-d-old established pulmonary metastases. The use of TRP-2 in a preclinical model of tumor immunotherapy may be helpful in suggesting optimal vaccination strategies for cancer therapy in patients.

A mutated beta-catenin gene encodes a melanoma-specific antigen recognized by tumor infiltrating lymphocytes.

A number of antigens recognized by tumor-reactive T cells have recently been identified. The antigens identified in mouse model systems appear, with one exception, to represent the products of mutated genes. In contrast, most of the antigens recognized by human tumor-reactive T cells reported to date appear to represent the products of non-mutated genes. Here we report the isolation of a cDNA clone encoding beta-catenin, which was shown to be recognized by the tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) 1290, a HLA-A24 restricted melanoma-specific CTL line from patient 888. The cDNA clone, which was isolated from the autologous melanoma cDNA library, differed by a single base pair from the published beta-catenin sequence, resulting in a change from a serine to a phenylalanine residue at position 37. Normal tissues from this patient did not express the altered sequence, nor did 12 allogeneic melanomas, indicating that this represented a unique mutation in this patient's melanoma. A peptide corresponding to the sequence between amino acids 29 and 37 of the mutant gene product was identified as the T cell epitope recognized by TIL 1290. The observation that HLA-A24 binding peptides contain an aromatic or hydrophobic residue at position 9 suggested that the change at position 37 may have generated a peptide (SYLDSGIHF) which was capable of binding to HLA-A24, and a competitive binding assay confirmed this hypothesis. The beta-catenin protein has been shown previously to be involved in cell adhesion mediated through the cadherin family of cell surface adhesion molecules. The high frequency of mutations found in members of cellular adhesion complexes in a variety of cancers suggests that these molecules may play a role in development of the malignant phenotype.

Stabilization of beta-catenin by genetic defects in melanoma cell lines.

Signal transduction by beta-catenin involves its posttranslational stabilization and downstream coupling to the Lef and Tcf transcription factors. Abnormally high amounts of beta-catenin were detected in 7 of 26 human melanoma cell lines. Unusual messenger RNA splicing and missense mutations in the beta-catenin gene (CTNNB1) that result in stabilization of the protein were identified in six of the lines, and the adenomatous polyposis coli tumor suppressor protein (APC) was altered or missing in two others. In the APC-deficient cells, ectopic expression of wild-type APC eliminated the excess beta-catenin. Cells with stabilized beta-catenin contained a constitutive beta-catenin-Lef-1 complex. Thus, genetic defects that result in up-regulation of beta-catenin may play a role in melanoma progression.

Use of an in vitro immunoselected tumor line to identify shared melanoma antigens recognized by HLA-A*0201-restricted T cells.

An immunoselected melanoma cell line that had lost expression of the dominant melanoma antigens MART-1 and gp100 was generated in an attempt to identify previously unknown tumor antigens. After repeated stimulation with the autologous immunoselected tumor line, a number of HLA-A*0201-restricted T-cell clones were established from the peripheral blood of a single melanoma patient. One T-cell clone (C-22) recognized 14 of 16 HLA-A2+ melanoma cell lines, as well as HLA-A2+ melanocytes but recognized neither HLA-A2+ fibroblasts nor autologous B cells. Screening of an autologous cDNA library resulted in the isolation of a transcript identical to an entry in the expressed sequence tag database. Northern blot analysis revealed that this gene was expressed in most melanoma cell lines and melanocytes but not in normal tissues. The peptide epitope (AMF-GREFCYA) recognized by clone C-22 was identified based on studies of the recognition of truncated cDNAs and the use of the consensus HLAA*0201 binding motif. A second T-cell clone (C-29) was found to recognize a new tyrosinase-related protein 2 epitope (455-463; YAIDLPVSV) in an HLA-A*0201-restricted manner. Together, these results provide additional targets that can be used for the development of immunotherapeutic protocols in HLA-A2+ melanoma patients and demonstrate the utility of immunoselected tumor lines for the identification of new melanoma antigens.

Recognition of tyrosinase by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from a patient responding to immunotherapy.

The observation that allogeneic melanoma cells matched for particular HLA class I alleles stimulate T-cells isolated from patients suggests that widely shared antigens exist on these tumors. A transient expression system was developed for screening a melanoma complementary DNA library using the highly transfectable human kidney cell line 293. Using this system, large numbers of complementary DNA clones can be rapidly screened for the expression of antigens which stimulate T-cells. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from patient 888, which recognized melanoma in the context of HLA-A24, were used to screen a complementary DNA library made from the autologous melanoma. Our results demonstrate that these tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes recognize tyrosinase, a gene previously shown to be recognized by T-cells only in the context of HLA-A2. These data demonstrate that a single antigen can be recognized in the context of two different class I HLA alleles. In addition, this study suggests that recognition of tyrosinase by antigen-specific T-cells may be involved in tumor rejection.

Nuclear beta-catenin displays GSK-3beta- and APC-independent proteasome sensitivity in melanoma cells.

Colon carcinoma and melanoma cells containing either a deletion of the adenomatous polyposis coli tumor suppressor protein (APC) or mutation of the site in beta-catenin phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) display elevated levels of detergent-soluble beta-catenin due to insensitivity of the cytosolic protein to proteasome-dependent degradation. In this study, we have examined the effect of beta-catenin mutation (S37F) or APC loss on the proteasome sensitivity of additional subcellular beta-catenin pools in melanoma cells. In contrast to detergent-soluble beta-catenin, the detergent-insoluble protein remains proteasome-sensitive irrespective of S37F mutation or APC status. This insoluble component appears associated primarily with nuclear cytoskeletal elements. In addition, DNase I treatment solubilized a portion of detergent-insoluble beta-catenin, suggesting that this fraction also contains chromatin-associated protein, and correlating with a proteasome-sensitive elevation in beta-catenin-stimulated reporter activity. Since the detergent-insoluble nuclear component of beta-catenin displays GSK-3beta- and APC-independent proteasome sensitivity, distinct from the soluble nuclear and cytosolic pools of this protein, regulation of beta-catenin proteasome sensitivity and the contribution of this process to beta-catenin function may be more complex than previously appreciated.

Binuclear copper(II), cobalt(II) and nickel(II) complexes of N1-ethyl-N2-(pyridin-2-yl) hydrazine-1,2-bis(carbothioamide): structural, spectral, pH-metric and biological studies.

Binuclear Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes derived from N(1)-ethyl-N(2)-(pyridin-2-yl) hydrazine-1,2-bis(carbothioamide) (H(2)PET) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, spectral (IR, UV-vis, EI mass, ESR and (1)HNMR) and magnetic measurements. The isolated complexes assigned the general formula, [M(HPET)(H(2)O)(n)Cl](2)·xH(2)O where M=Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II), n=2, 1, 0 and x=0, 0.5 and 0, respectively. IR data revealed that the ligand behaves as monobasic tridentate through (CN)(py), (C-S) and new azomethine, (NC)(∗) groups in the Co(II) complex but in Cu(II) complex, the ligand coordinate via both (CS) groups, one of them in thiol form as well as the new azomethine group. In Ni(II) complex, H(2)PET acts as NSNS monobasic tetradente via (CN)(py), (C-S), (CS) and the new azomethine, (NC)(∗) groups. An octahedral geometry is proposed for all complexes. pH- metric titration was carried out in 50% dioxane-water mixture at 298, 308 and 318 °K, respectively and the dissociation constant of the ligand as well as the stability constants of its complexes were evaluated. Also the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for the different thermal decomposition steps of the complexes were determined by Coats-Redfern and Horowitz-Metzger methods. Moreover, the anti-oxidant, anti-hemolytic, and cytotoxic activities of the compounds have been tested.

Genetic control of the immune response to staphylococcal nuclease. XI. Effects of in vivo administration of anti-idiotypic antibodies.

The effects of prior treatment with heterologous anti-idiotypic antibodies on the response to staphylococcal nuclease (Nase) have been examined. Previous studies have shown that 100% of A/J mice treated with Nase in completes Freund's adjuvant produce anti-Nase antibodies possessing a characteristic idiotype (Id). Mice treated with anti-Id antibodies followed by Nase produced levels of Id equal to or greater than those of control animals treated with Nase alone. The appearance of Id in treated mice preceded the appearance of anti-Nase activity, and animals treated with anti-Id alone produced high levels of Id without detectable anti-Nase activity. Id expression in such animals could be detected using anti-Id reagents produced in several different species suggesting that it represented true idiotope expression rather than unrelated molecules reactive only with the anti-Id reagent used for initial treatment. Isolation of the nonantigen-binding Id-bearing molecules (Id') showed them to be immunoglobulins bearing the same idiotopes as do anti-Nase antibodies. However, quantitative comparisons of Id levels vs. amount of Id or Id'-bearing immunoglobulin suggested that the nonantigen-binding immunoglobulins bore fewer idiotopes per molecule than did anti-Nase antibodies. Evidence was also obtained for the production of some nonantigen-binding Id-bearing molecules during the normal immune response Nase. These findings are therefore consistent with the existence of a network of Id-anti-Id interactions in the immune response to Nase.

Class II genes of miniature swine. I. Class II gene characterization by RFLP and by isolation from a genomic library.

Class II genes of miniature swine have been characterized by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and by analysis of a series of clones isolated from a lymphocyte genomic library. For RFLP analysis, DNA samples from three independent major histocompatibility complex homozygous lines and three intra-MHC recombinant lines were digested with a variety of restriction enzymes and analyzed in Southern blots using human cDNA probes for DP, DQ, DR, and DZ alpha genes, and DP, DQ, DR, and DO beta genes. One, or at most two, unique fragments were detected by hybridization with each of the human alpha probes tested. In contrast, multiple bands (five to six for most enzymes examined) were detected by each of the human beta probes tested, the majority of which were found to cross-react with at least three of these probes under conditions of moderate stringency. Genomic DNA from the SLAc haplotype was cloned into an EMBL-3 bacteriophage vector, and the corresponding genomic library was screened with each of these human cDNA probes. The class II genes thereby isolated from this library showed characteristics consistent with those anticipated from the RFLP analysis. Thus, unique alpha genes were obtained which showed no evidence of cross-hybridization, while beta genes showed extensive cross-hybridization and were frequently detected in the library by more than one human beta gene probe. These data are consistent with early evolutionary divergence of alpha genes, prior to mammalian speciation, and with continuing evolution of beta genes, with possible shared usage of these genes by different alpha loci. The data also imply that alpha genes can readily be assigned to loci homologous to their human counterparts, but that beta genes will require further mapping and/or sequence analysis to confirm assignments.

Evidence for the absence of I-E/C antigen expression on the cell surface in mice of the H-2b or H-2s haplotypes.

Mouse Ia antigens encoded by I-E/C subregions of the H-2b and H-2s haplotypes have not previously been detected with alloantisera. We have therefore examined the reactivity of xenoantisera, which could potentially detect nonpolymorphic determinants of these antigens, by using a sequential immunoprecipitation analysis of internally labeled glycoproteins from spleen lymphocytes of H-2b and H-2s haplotypes. The first xenoanti-serum, BN rat anti-B10 (H-2b) mouse, contained anti-Ia reactivity but precipitated only I-A antigens from both H-2b preparations and from preparations of another haplotype (H-2a) that is known to express I-E/C alloantigens. The second xenoantiserum, goat anti-Ia, was raised against soluble Ia antigens of H-2d haplotype. This serum lysed lymphocytes of all H-2 haplotypes tested and precipitated both I-A and I-E/C antigens from H-2d antigen preparations. However, when b or s haplotype antigens were examined, this antiserum precipitated only I-A antigens. These observations favor the hypothesis that I-E/C antigens are not expressed in these haplotypes. This hypothesis offers a possible explanation for the broad interspecies cross-reactions of anti-I-E/C alloantisera raised in either H-2b or H-2s haplotypes and may have implications for studies of two-gene control of immune responses.

Melanoma-Reactive CD8+ T cells recognize a novel tumor antigen expressed in a wide variety of tumor types.

An autologous melanoma cell line selected for loss of expression of the immunodominant MART-1 and gp100 antigens was initially used to carry out a mixed lymphocyte tumor culture (MLTC) in a patient who expressed the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-AI and HLA-A2 class I major histocompatibility complex alleles. Ten clones identified from this MLTC seemed to recognize melanoma in an HLA-A1-restricted manner but failed to recognize a panel of previously described melanoma antigens. The screening of an autologous melanoma cDNA library with one HLA-Al-restricted melanoma-reactive T-cell clone resulted in the isolation of a cDNA clone called AIM-2 (antigen isolated from immunoselected melanoma-2). The AIM-2 transcript seemed to have retained an intronic sequence based on its alignment with genomic sequences as well as expressed sequence tags. This transcript was not readily detected after Northern blot analysis of melanoma mRNA, indicating that only low levels of this product may be expressed in tumor cells. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis, however, demonstrated a correlation between T-cell recognition and expression in HLA-A1-expressing tumor cell lines. A peptide that was encoded within a short open reading frame of 23 amino acids and conformed to the HLA-A1 binding motif RSDSGQQARY was found to represent the T-cell epitope. The AIM-2-reactive T-cell clone recognized a number of neuroectodermal tumors as well as breast, ovarian, and colon carcinomas that expressed HLA-A1, indicating that this represents a widely expressed tumor antigen. Thus, AIM-2 may represent a potential target for the development of vaccines in patients bearing tumors of a variety of histologies.

Class II genes of miniature swine. II. Molecular identification and characterization of B (beta) genes from the SLAc haplotype.

Genomic clones corresponding to class II beta genes of the SLAc haplotype of miniature swine have been isolated and characterized. These genes have been grouped into seven non-overlapping clusters on the basis of restriction mapping. Ordering of exons within each cluster was accomplished by hybridization of Southern blots of restriction fragments with exon-specific probes. The two clusters (clusters 2 and 3) encoding the DRB and DQB genes were identified on the basis of hybridization with locus-specific 3' untranslated cDNA probes. Cluster 4 contained exons of both DOB and DQB genes, the basis for which remains to be determined. The remaining four clusters (1, 5, 6, 7) were identified as containing DP, DR, and DO coding sequences, respectively, on the basis of sequence analysis. The porcine class II region appears very similar to that of man in number and nature of the class II genes identified and in the intron/exon organization of corresponding genes.

The intronic region of an incompletely spliced gp100 gene transcript encodes an epitope recognized by melanoma-reactive tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Recent studies have characterized a number of the Ags that are recognized by melanoma-reactive T cells. Although the majority of tumor Ags appear to represent nonmutated gene products, a variety of epitopes have been shown to arise from either mutated or alternatively processed transcripts. Here, we report that the screening of a cDNA library with a HLA-A24-restricted melanoma-reactive T cell cloid derived from tumor infiltrating lymphocytes resulted in the isolation of a variant of the gp100 gene that had retained the entire fourth intron of this gene, termed gp100-in4. The gp100-in4 transcript could be detected by reverse transcriptase-PCR but could not be detected in Northern blots conducted with melanoma RNA, indicating that it represents a relatively rare transcript. Read-through of this transcript into the region corresponding to the fourth intron gave rise to an additional 35 amino acids not found in the normal gp100 glycoprotein, and a peptide within this region conforming to the HLA-A24 consensus motif (VYFFLPDHL) was shown to be recognized by the T cell cloid. The sequence of the intron was identical with that of a previously isolated genomic gp100 clone, and T cells that recognized the gp100-in4 gene product were found to recognize HLA-A24-matched allogeneic melanoma cell lines and melanocytes, demonstrating that this represents a nonmutated epitope. These results further extend the types of Ags that can be recognized by melanoma-reactive T cells to aberrant transcripts of melanosomal genes.

Identification of a tyrosinase epitope recognized by HLA-A24-restricted, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

A number of Ags recognized by class I-restricted, melanoma-specific T cells have recently been identified. In this report we demonstrated that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) from melanoma patient 1413 recognize a tumor Ag, tyrosinase, in the context of HLA-A24. This Ag had previously been shown to be recognized by an HLA-A24-restricted TIL, TIL 888, as well as HLA-A2-restricted, melanoma-specific T cells isolated from two additional patients. The peptide epitope recognized by TIL 1413 was then identified through the use of sequential deletions of the tyrosinase cDNA, as well as through prediction of HLA-A24 binding peptides based on a previously identified motif. Two peptides, a 9-amino acid peptide (AFLPWHRLF) and an overlapping 10-amino acid peptide (AFLPWHRLFL) containing an additional leucine at the carboxyl terminus, were both recognized by TIL 1413. Anti-peptide-specific CTL could be induced by repeated stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes from melanoma patient 1413, and this CTL line specifically recognized both HLA-A24+ B cell lines pulsed with the peptide and HLA-A24+ tyrosinase+ melanoma cells. This peptide thus represents a reagent that may be used to generate melanoma-specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapy, as well as in peptide vaccines for HLA-A24+ melanoma patients.

Cloning of a new gene encoding an antigen recognized by melanoma-specific HLA-A24-restricted tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

The role of tumor-specific T cells in mediating the regression of metastatic melanoma has been suggested by the clinical response of patients to treatment with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). A number of Ags recognized by class I-restricted melanoma-specific T cells have recently been isolated, raising the hope that this will lead to the development of improved therapies. In this study, we report the cloning of a tumor Ag recognized by T cells from melanoma patient 888. Previously, we reported that TIL 888, grown from the tumor of this patient, recognized tyrosinase in an HLA-A24-restricted fashion. This line, when infused into the autologous patient, resulted in complete regression of multiple metastases. Three years later, a second TIL line, TIL 1290, was isolated from a recurrent pelvic tumor. Infusion of a mixture of TIL 888 and TIL 1290 cell lines into the patient resulted in complete regression of a residual abdominal mass and the patient remains disease-free 2 yr later. The TIL 1290 cell line, which recognized melanoma in an HLA-A24-restricted manner, failed to recognize tyrosinase. TIL 1290 was then used to screen an 888 melanoma cDNA library, and an Ag was isolated that did not correspond to any found in sequence databases. This gene, termed p15, was found to be expressed in a variety of normal tissues, and a peptide epitope recognized by TIL 1290 was found to represent the product of an nonmutated gene. Screening of additional cDNA pools resulted in the isolation of a second clone which stimulated TIL 1290. This clone also appeared to represent a transcript of the p15 gene, indicating that this gene may encode the predominant Ag recognized by TIL 1290.

Targeted cytokine production.

It has been well established that bispecific antibodies containing anti-T-cell receptor MAbs crosslinked to anti-tumor MAbs induce T cells to lyse tumor cells, as measured in a 51Cr-release assay. Such lysis requires direct attachment between target and cytotoxic cells and most probably involves the exocytosis of cytolytic substances into the cell:cell interface. In addition, targeted T cells mediate a second activity, the secretion into the medium of factors that can block the growth of bound tumor cells and unbound bystander cells. In order to test how targeted effector cells mediate anti-tumor effects in vivo, we are currently developing a totally syngeneic murine system in which murine T cells are targeted against mouse mammary tumors. The system allows us to treat both primary tumors and tumor transplants, using a mammary-tumor-virus antigen as the entity that is specifically recognized on the tumor cells.

Inhibition of the catalytic properties of Staphylococcus aureus nuclease by monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies (Mab) specific for Staphylococcus aureus nuclease (nuclease) were examined for their capacity to inhibit the enzyme-mediated cleavage of DNA. Within a panel of 22 anti-nuclease Mab produced by hybridoma cell lines derived from SJL/J, A/J or BALB/c mice, only five were capable of modifying nuclease activity. Of the five, only one protected DNA from enzymatic degradation whereas the others reduced the rate of the enzymatic reaction. When mixed together, partially inactivating Mabs were frequently more efficient inhibitors than when used individually. It was shown by competitive binding assay that nuclease could be bound simultaneously to more than one Mab. Mixtures of five inactivating Mabs were able to completely block the nuclease activity. Although the actual mechanism for Mab nuclease inactivation is not known, the present data are consistent with simple steric hindrance for the formation of the DNA-nuclease complex by bulky Mab molecules bound to epitopes close to, but distinct from, nuclease catalytic sites. A mathematical model for Mab binding and inactivation of nuclease, taking into account multiple binding events for one or two Mabs interacting with nuclease, was used to derive affinities and maximum reductions of the enzymatic rate (details on the derivation of the equations and on the hypotheses of the model are given in an appendix). This analysis showed that the observed cooperative effects were dependent on the formation of multi-molecular complexes in which nuclease is bound simultaneously to two (or more) different Mabs. It also shows that the formation of cyclic complexes, if allowed, might result in very high apparent affinities. Since in screening of hybridoma fusions, the probability of finding such pairs of monoclonal antibodies would be low, this phenomenon may explain the fact that no Mab, or mixture of Mabs, matched the polyclonal antisera in capacity to block nuclease enzymatic activity.