Human NK cells maintain licensing status and are subject to killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) and KIR-ligand inhibition following ex vivo expansion.

Infusion of allogeneic NK cells is a potential immunotherapy for both hematopoietic malignancies and solid tumors. Interactions between killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) on human NK cells and KIR-ligands on tumor cells influence the magnitude of NK function. To obtain sufficient numbers of activated NK cells for infusion, one potent method uses cells from the K562 human erythroleukemia line that have been transfected to express activating 41BB ligand (41BBL) and membrane-bound interleukin 15 (mbIL15). The functional importance of KIRs on ex vivo expanded NK cells has not been studied in detail. We found that after a 12-day co-culture with K562-mbIL15-41BBL cells, expanded NK cells maintained inhibition specificity and prior in vivo licensing status determined by KIR/KIR-ligand interactions. Addition of an anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab) induced NK-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and augmented killing of CD20+ target cells. However, partial inhibition induced by KIR/KIR-ligand interactions persisted. Finally, we found that extended co-cultures of NK cells with stimulatory cells transduced to express various KIR-ligands modified both the inhibitory and activating KIR repertoires of the expanded NK cell product. These studies demonstrate that the licensing interactions known to occur during NK ontogeny also influence NK cell function following NK expansion ex vivo with HLA-null stimulatory cells.

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) and KIR-ligand genotype do not correlate with clinical outcome of renal cell carcinoma patients receiving high-dose IL2.

NK cells play a role in many cancer immunotherapies. NK cell activity is tightly regulated by killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) and KIR-ligand interactions. Inhibitory KIR-ligands have been identified as HLA molecules, while activating KIR-ligands are largely unknown. Individuals that have not inherited the corresponding KIR-ligand for at least one inhibitory KIR gene are termed the "KIR-ligand missing" genotype, and they are thought to have a subset of NK cells that express inhibitory KIRs for which the corresponding KIR-ligand is missing on autologous tissue, and thus will not be inhibited through KIR-ligand recognition. In some settings where an anticancer immunotherapeutic effect is likely mediated by NK cells, individuals with a KIR-ligand missing genotype have shown improved clinical outcome compared to individuals with an "all KIR-ligands present" genotype. In addition, patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants for leukemia may do better if their donor has more activating KIR genes (i.e., KIR haplotype-B). In a recent multi-institution clinical trial of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma receiving high-dose IL2 (HD-IL2), 25 % of patients showed a complete or partial tumor response to this therapy. We genotyped KIR and KIR-ligand genes for these patients (n = 107) and tested whether KIR/KIR-ligand genotypes correlated with patient clinical outcomes. In these analyses, we did not find any significant association of KIR/KIR-ligand genotype (either KIR-ligand missing or the presence of KIR haplotype-B) with patient outcome in response to the HD-IL2 therapy.

FCGR Polymorphisms Influence Response to IL2 in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Fc-gamma receptors (FCGRs) are expressed on immune cells, bind to antibodies, and trigger antibody-induced cell-mediated antitumor responses when tumor-reactive antibodies are present. The affinity of the FCGR/antibody interaction is variable and dependent upon FCGR polymorphisms. Prior studies of patients with cancer treated with immunotherapy indicate that FCGR polymorphisms can influence antitumor response for certain immunotherapies that act via therapeutically administered mAbs or via endogenous tumor-reactive antibodies induced from tumor antigen vaccines. The previously published "SELECT" trial of high-dose aldesleukin (HD-IL2) for metastatic renal cell carcinoma resulted in an objective response rate of 25%. We evaluated the patients in this SELECT trial to determine whether higher-affinity FCGR polymorphisms are associated with outcome.Experimental Design: SNPs in FCGR2A, FCGR3A, and FCGR2C were analyzed, individually and in combination, for associations between genotype and clinical outcome.Results: When higher-affinity genotypes for FCGR2A, FCGR3A, and FCGR2C were considered together, they were associated with significantly increased tumor shrinkage and prolonged survival in response to HD-IL2.Conclusions: Although associations of higher-affinity FCGR genotype with clinical outcome have been demonstrated with mAb therapy and with idiotype vaccines, to our knowledge, this is the first study to show associations of FCGR genotypes with outcome following HD-IL2 treatment. We hypothesize that endogenous antitumor antibodies may engage immune cells through their FCGRs, and HD-IL2 may enhance antibody-induced tumor destruction, or antibody-enhanced tumor antigen presentation, via augmented activation of innate or adaptive immune responses; this FCGR-mediated immune activity would be augmented through immunologically favorable FCGRs. Clin Cancer Res; 23(9); 2159-68. ©2016 AACR.

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Copy Number Variability of the FCGRs Expressed on NK Cells.

Natural killer (NK) cells are one of the main effector immune cells involved in antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Upon recognition of cell-bound IgG antibodies, which occurs through Fc gamma receptors (FCGRs) expressed on the cell surface of NK cells, NK cells become activated and lyse target tumor or infected cells. The FCGRs, FCGR3A and FCGR2C, expressed on the surface of NK cells have single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that result in differential activity of NK cells. In addition to SNP genetic variation within each of these genes, the FCGRs are subject to copy number variation (CNV), which leads to variable protein expression levels on the cell surface. Studies have found that FCGR genotype for FCGR3A and FCGR2C is associated with variation in the response to immunotherapy.Due to high sequence homology within FCGR3 and FCGR2 families, there are difficulties associated with genotyping these specific receptors related to cross-amplification of non-targeted FCGRs. To improve specificity for both FCGR3A and FCGR2C, Rnase-H (RH) primers were designed to amplify specifically FCGR3A (while not co-amplifying FCGR3B) and FCGR2C (while not co-amplifying FCGR2B). In addition, fluorescently labeled locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes provide additional precision for determination of the SNPs within both FCGR3A and FCGR2C. For CNV determination, separate fluorescently labeled probes for FCGR3A, and for FCGR2C, can be used with the same RH primers for each gene. These probes can be combined in the same well with control primers/probe for a known diploid gene and used to calculate the copy number of both FCGR3A and FCGR2C. Here we provide new detailed methodology that allows for the specific amplification of these FCGRs in a single PCR reaction, allowing for genotyping of both the SNPs and CNVs using real-time PCR.