Transcriptional Dynamics of NRF2 Overexpression and KEAP1-NRF2 Inhibitors in Human Cell Line and Primary Lung Cells.

Oxidative stress in the human lung is caused by both internal (e.g., inflammation) and external stressors (smoking, pollution, and infection) to drive pathology in a number of lung diseases. Cellular damage caused by oxidative damage is reversed by several pathways, one of which is the antioxidant response. This response is regulated by the transcriptional factor NRF2, which has the ability to regulate the transcription of more than 250 genes. In disease, this balance is overwhelmed, and the cells are unable to return to homeostasis. Several pharmacological approaches aim to improve the antioxidant capacity by inhibiting the interaction of NRF2 with its key cytosolic inhibitor, KEAP1. Here, we evaluate an alternative approach by overexpressing NRF2 from chemically modified RNAs (cmRNAs). Our results demonstrate successful expression of functional NRF2 protein in human cell lines and primary cells. We establish a kinetic transcriptomic profile to compare antioxidant response gene expression after treatment of primary human bronchial epithelial cells with either KEAP1 inhibitors or cmRNAs. The key gene signature is then applied to primary human lung fibroblasts and alveolar macrophages to uncover transcriptional preferences in each cell system. This study provides a foundation for the understanding of NRF2 dynamics in the human lung and provides initial evidence of alternative ways for pharmacological interference.

Early diagnostic BioMARKers in exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: protocol of the exploratory, prospective, longitudinal, single-centre, observational MARKED study.

INTRODUCTION: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) play a pivotal role in the burden and progressive course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As such, disease management is predominantly based on the prevention of these episodes of acute worsening of respiratory symptoms. However, to date, personalised prediction and early and accurate diagnosis of AECOPD remain unsuccessful. Therefore, the current study was designed to explore which frequently measured biomarkers can predict an AECOPD and/or respiratory infection in patients with COPD. Moreover, the study aims to increase our understanding of the heterogeneity of AECOPD as well as the role of microbial composition and hostmicrobiome interactions to elucidate new disease biology in COPD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The 'Early diagnostic BioMARKers in Exacerbations of COPD' study is an exploratory, prospective, longitudinal, single-centre, observational study with 8-week follow-up enrolling up to 150 patients with COPD admitted to inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation at Ciro (Horn, the Netherlands). Respiratory symptoms, vitals, spirometry and nasopharyngeal, venous blood, spontaneous sputum and stool samples will be frequently collected for exploratory biomarker analysis, longitudinal characterisation of AECOPD (ie, clinical, functional and microbial) and to identify host-microbiome interactions. Genomic sequencing will be performed to identify mutations associated with increased risk of AECOPD and microbial infections. Predictors of time-to-first AECOPD will be modelled using Cox proportional hazards' regression. Multiomic analyses will provide a novel integration tool to generate predictive models and testable hypotheses about disease causation and predictors of disease progression. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol was approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committees United (MEC-U), Nieuwegein, the Netherlands (NL71364.100.19). TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05315674.

Non-heme iron overload impairs monocyte to macrophage differentiation via mitochondrial oxidative stress.

Iron is a key element for systemic oxygen delivery and cellular energy metabolism. Thus regulation of systemic and local iron metabolism is key for maintaining energy homeostasis. Significant changes in iron levels due to malnutrition or hemorrhage, have been associated with several diseases such as hemochromatosis, liver cirrhosis and COPD. Macrophages are key cells in regulating iron levels in tissues as they sequester excess iron. How iron overload affects macrophage differentiation and function remains a subject of debate. Here we used an in vitro model of monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation to study the effect of iron overload on macrophage function. We found that providing excess iron as soluble ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) rather than as heme-iron complexes derived from stressed red blood cells (sRBC) interferes with macrophage differentiation and phagocytosis. Impaired macrophage differentiation coincided with increased expression of oxidative stress-related genes. Addition of FAC also led to increased levels of cellular and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and interfered with mitochondrial function and ATP generation. The effects of iron overload were reproduced by the mitochondrial ROS-inducer rotenone while treatment with the ROS-scavenger N-Acetylcysteine partially reversed FAC-induced effects. Finally, we found that iron-induced oxidative stress interfered with upregulation of M-CSFR and MAFB, two crucial determinants of macrophage differentiation and function. In summary, our findings suggest that high levels of non-heme iron interfere with macrophage differentiation by inducing mitochondrial oxidative stress. These findings might be important to consider in the context of diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) where both iron overload and defective macrophage function have been suggested to play a role in disease pathogenesis.

Allergic sensitization impairs lung resident memory CD8 T-cell response and virus clearance.

BACKGROUND: Patients with asthma often suffer from frequent respiratory viral infections and reduced virus clearance. Lung resident memory T cells provide rapid protection against viral reinfections. OBJECTIVE: Because the development of resident memory T cells relies on the lung microenvironment, we investigated the impact of allergen sensitization on the development of virus-specific lung resident memory T cells and viral clearance. METHODS: Mice were sensitized with house dust mite extract followed by priming with X47 and a subsequent secondary influenza infection. Antiviral memory T-cell response and protection to viral infection was assessed before and after secondary influenza infection, respectively. Gene set variation analysis was performed on data sets from the U-BIOPRED asthma cohort using an IFN-γ-induced epithelial cell signature and a tissue resident memory T-cell signature. RESULTS: Viral loads were higher in lungs of sensitized compared with nonsensitized mice after secondary infection, indicating reduced virus clearance. X47 priming induced fewer antiviral lung resident memory CD8 T cells and resulted in lower pulmonary IFN-γ levels in the lungs of sensitized as compared with nonsensitized mice. Using data from the U-BIOPRED cohort, we found that patients with enrichment of epithelial IFN-γ-induced genes in nasal brushings and bronchial biopsies were also enriched in resident memory T-cell-associated genes, had more epithelial CD8 T cells, and reported significantly fewer exacerbations. CONCLUSIONS: The allergen-sensitized lung microenvironment interferes with the formation of antiviral resident memory CD8 T cells in lungs and virus clearance. Defective antiviral memory response might contribute to increased susceptibility of patients with asthma to viral exacerbations.

Secretome screening reveals immunomodulating functions of IFNα-7, PAP and GDF-7 on regulatory T-cells.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the key cells regulating peripheral autoreactive T lymphocytes. Tregs exert their function by suppressing effector T cells. Tregs have been shown to play essential roles in the control of a variety of physiological and pathological immune responses. However, Tregs are unstable and can lose the expression of FOXP3 and suppressive functions as a consequence of outer stimuli. Available literature suggests that secreted proteins regulate Treg functional states, such as differentiation, proliferation and suppressive function. Identification of secreted proteins that affect Treg cell function are highly interesting for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes in either hyperactive or immunosuppressed populations. Here, we report a phenotypic screening of a human secretome library in human Treg cells utilising a high throughput flow cytometry technology. Screening a library of 575 secreted proteins allowed us to identify proteins stabilising or destabilising the Treg phenotype as suggested by changes in expression of Treg marker proteins FOXP3 and/or CTLA4. Four proteins including GDF-7, IL-10, PAP and IFNα-7 were identified as positive regulators that increased FOXP3 and/or CTLA4 expression. PAP is a phosphatase. A catalytic-dead version of the protein did not induce an increase in FOXP3 expression. Ten interferon proteins were identified as negative regulators that reduced the expression of both CTLA4 and FOXP3, without affecting cell viability. A transcriptomics analysis supported the differential effect on Tregs of IFNα-7 versus other IFNα proteins, indicating differences in JAK/STAT signaling. A conformational model experiment confirmed a tenfold reduction in IFNAR-mediated ISG transcription for IFNα-7 compared to IFNα-10. This further strengthened the theory of a shift in downstream messaging upon external stimulation. As a summary, we have identified four positive regulators of FOXP3 and/or CTLA4 expression. Further exploration of these Treg modulators and their method of action has the potential to aid the discovery of novel therapies for both autoimmune and infectious diseases as well as for cancer.

Unmet needs in the management of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are episodes of acute worsening of respiratory symptoms that require additional therapy. These events play a pivotal role in the natural course of the disease and are associated with a progressive decline in lung function, reduced health status, a low physical activity level, tremendous health care costs, and increased mortality. Although most exacerbations have an infectious origin, the underlying mechanisms are heterogeneous and specific predictors of their occurrence in individual patients are currently unknown. Accurate prediction and early diagnosis of exacerbations is essential to develop novel targets for prevention and personalized treatments to reduce the impact of these events. Several potential biomarkers have previously been studied, these however lack specificity, accuracy and do not add value to the available clinical predictors. At present, microbial composition and host-microbiome interactions in the lung are increasingly recognized for their role in affecting the susceptibility to exacerbations, and may steer towards a novel direction in the management of COPD exacerbations. This narrative review describes the current challenges and unmet needs in the management of acute exacerbations of COPD. Exacerbation triggers, biological clusters, current treatment strategies, and their limitations, previously studied biomarkers and prediction tools, the lung microbiome and its role in COPD exacerbations as well as future directions are discussed.

Soluble and Exosome-Bound α-Galactosylceramide Mediate Preferential Proliferation of Educated NK Cells with Increased Anti-Tumor Capacity.

Natural killer (NK) cells can kill target cells via the recognition of stress molecules and down-regulation of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I). Some NK cells are educated to recognize and kill cells that have lost their MHC-I expression, e.g., tumor or virus-infected cells. A desired property of cancer immunotherapy is, therefore, to activate educated NK cells during anti-tumor responses in vivo. We here analyze NK cell responses to α-galactosylceramide (αGC), a potent activator of invariant NKT (iNKT) cells, or to exosomes loaded with αGC. In mouse strains which express different MHC-I alleles using an extended NK cell flow cytometry panel, we show that αGC induces a biased NK cell proliferation of educated NK cells. Importantly, iNKT cell-induced activation of NK cells selectively increased in vivo missing self-responses, leading to more effective rejection of tumor cells. Exosomes from antigen-presenting cells are attractive anti-cancer therapy tools as they may induce both innate and adaptive immune responses, thereby addressing the hurdle of tumor heterogeneity. Adding αGC to antigen-loaded dendritic-cell-derived exosomes also led to an increase in missing self-responses in addition to boosted T and B cell responses. This study manifests αGC as an attractive adjuvant in cancer immunotherapy, as it increases the functional capacity of educated NK cells and enhances the innate, missing self-based antitumor response.

Cytokine-regulated Th17 plasticity in human health and diseases.

Upon activation, naïve CD4+ T helper (Th) cells differentiate into distinct Th effector cell lineages depending on the local cytokine environment. However, these polarized Th cells can also adapt their function and phenotype depending on the changing cytokine environment, demonstrating functional plasticity. Here, Th17 cells, which play a critical role in host protection from extracellular pathogens and in autoimmune disorders, are of particular interest. While being able to shift phenotype within their lineage, Th17 cells can also acquire characteristics of Th1, Th2, T follicular helper (Tfh) or regulatory T cells. Th17 cell identity is determined by a spectrum of extracellular signals, including cytokines, which are critical orchestrators of cellular immune responses. Cytokine induces changes in epigenetic, transcriptional, translational and metabolomic parameters. How these signals are integrated to determine Th17 plasticity is not well defined, yet this is a crucial point of investigation as it represents a potential target to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The goal of this review was to discuss how cytokines regulate intracellular networks, focusing on the regulation of lineage-specific transcription factors, chromatin remodelling and metabolism, to control human Th17 cell plasticity. We discuss the importance of Th17 plasticity in autoimmunity and cancer and present current strategies and challenges in targeting pathogenic Th17 cells with cytokine-based approaches, considering human genetic variants associated with altered Th17 differentiation. Finally, we discuss how modulating Th17 plasticity rather than targeting the Th17 lineage as a whole might preserve its essential immune function while purging its adverse effects.

A MALT1 inhibitor suppresses human myeloid DC, effector T-cell and B-cell responses and retains Th1/regulatory T-cell homeostasis.

The paracaspase mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma translocation protein-1 (MALT1) regulates nuclear-factor-kappa-B (NF-κB) activation downstream of surface receptors with immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs), such as the B-cell or T-cell receptor and has thus emerged as a therapeutic target for autoimmune diseases. However, recent reports demonstrate the development of lethal autoimmune inflammation due to the excessive production of interferon gamma (IFN-É£) and defective differentiation of regulatory T-cells in genetically modified mice deficient in MALT1 paracaspase activity. To address this issue, we explored the effects of pharmacological MALT1 inhibition on the balance between T-effector and regulatory T-cells. Here we demonstrate that allosteric inhibition of MALT1 suppressed Th1, Th17 and Th1/Th17 effector responses, and inhibited T-cell dependent B-cell proliferation and antibody production. Allosteric MALT1 inhibition did not interfere with the suppressive function of human T-regulatory cells, although it impaired de novo differentiation of regulatory T-cells from naïve T-cells. Treatment with an allosteric MALT1 inhibitor alleviated the cytokine storm, including IFN-É£, in a mouse model of acute T-cell activation, and long-term treatment did not lead to an increase in IFN-É£ producing CD4 cells or tissue inflammation. Together, our data demonstrate that the effects of allosteric inhibition of MALT1 differ from those seen in mice with proteolytically inactive MALT1, and thus we believe that MALT1 is a viable target for B and T-cell driven autoimmune diseases.

Human Lung Conventional Dendritic Cells Orchestrate Lymphoid Neogenesis during Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Rationale: Emerging evidence supports a crucial role for tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progression. However, mechanisms of immune cell activation leading to TLOs in COPD remain to be defined.Objectives: To examine the role of lung dendritic cells (DCs) in T follicular helper (Tfh)-cell induction, a T-cell subset critically implicated in lymphoid organ formation, in COPD.Methods: Myeloid cell heterogeneity and phenotype were studied in an unbiased manner via single-cell RNA sequencing on HLA-DR+ cells sorted from human lungs. We measured the in vitro capability of control and COPD lung DC subsets, sorted using a fluorescence-activated cell sorter, to polarize IL-21+CXCL13+ (IL-21-positive and C-X-C chemokine ligand type 13-positive) Tfh-like cells. In situ imaging analysis was performed on Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage IV COPD lungs with TLOs.Measurements and Main Results: Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis revealed a high degree of heterogeneity among human lung myeloid cells. Among these, conventional dendritic type 2 cells (cDC2s) showed increased induction of IL-21+CXCL13+ Tfh-like cells. Importantly, the capacity to induce IL-21+ Tfh-like cells was higher in cDC2s from patients with COPD than in those from control patients. Increased Tfh-cell induction by COPD cDC2s correlated with increased presence of Tfh-like cells in COPD lungs as compared with those in control lungs, and cDC2s colocalized with Tfh-like cells in TLOs of COPD lungs. Mechanistically, cDC2s exhibited a unique migratory signature and (transcriptional) expression of several pathways and genes related to DC-induced Tfh-cell priming. Importantly, blocking the costimulatory OX40L (OX40 ligand)-OX40 axis reduced Tfh-cell induction by control lung cDC2s.Conclusions: In COPD lungs, we found lung EBI2+ (Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 2-positive) OX-40L-expressing cDC2s that induced IL-21+ Tfh-like cells, suggesting an involvement of these cells in TLO formation.

Critical role for TRIM28 and HP1ß/γ in the epigenetic control of T cell metabolic reprograming and effector differentiation.

Naive CD4+ T lymphocytes differentiate into different effector types, including helper and regulatory cells (Th and Treg, respectively). Heritable gene expression programs that define these effector types are established during differentiation, but little is known about the epigenetic mechanisms that install and maintain these programs. Here, we use mice defective for different components of heterochromatin-dependent gene silencing to investigate the epigenetic control of CD4+ T cell plasticity. We show that, upon T cell receptor (TCR) engagement, naive and regulatory T cells defective for TRIM28 (an epigenetic adaptor for histone binding modules) or for heterochromatin protein 1 ß and γ isoforms (HP1ß/γ, 2 histone-binding factors involved in gene silencing) fail to effectively signal through the PI3K-AKT-mTOR axis and switch to glycolysis. While differentiation of naive TRIM28-/- T cells into cytokine-producing effector T cells is impaired, resulting in reduced induction of autoimmune colitis, TRIM28-/- regulatory T cells also fail to expand in vivo and to suppress autoimmunity effectively. Using a combination of transcriptome and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) analyses for H3K9me3, H3K9Ac, and RNA polymerase II, we show that reduced effector differentiation correlates with impaired transcriptional silencing at distal regulatory regions of a defined set of Treg-associated genes, including, for example, NRP1 or Snai3. We conclude that TRIM28 and HP1ß/γ control metabolic reprograming through epigenetic silencing of a defined set of Treg-characteristic genes, thus allowing effective T cell expansion and differentiation into helper and regulatory phenotypes.

Author Correction: Extracellular nanovesicles released from the commensal yeast Malassezia sympodialis are enriched in allergens and interact with cells in human skin.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

A Phenotypic Screening Approach Using Human Treg Cells Identified Regulators of Forkhead Box p3 Expression.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells, expressing the transcription factor forkhead box p3 (FOXP3), are the key cells regulating peripheral autoreactive T lymphocytes by suppressing effector T cells. FOXP3+ Treg cells play essential roles controlling immune responses in autoimmune diseases and cancer. Several clinical approaches (e.g., polyclonal expansion of Treg cells with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 coated beads in the presence of drugs) are under evaluation. However, expression of FOXP3, recognized as the master regulator of Treg cells, in induced Treg cells have been shown to be instable, and molecular targets involved in regulating FOXP3 expression and Treg cell function have not been well-defined. Thus, new targets directly regulating FOXP3 expression and the expression of its downstream genes (e.g., cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4)) have the potential to stabilize the Treg cell phenotype and function. This report describes the development of an automated medium-throughput 384-well plate flow cytometry phenotypic assay meauring the protein expression of FOXP3 and CTLA4 in human Treg cells. Screening a library of 4213 structurally diverse compounds allowed us to identify a variety of compounds regulating FOXP3 and CTLA4 expression. Further evaluation of these and related small molecules, followed by confirmation using siRNA-mediated gene knockdown, revealed three targets: euchromatic histone-lysine N-methyltransferase (EHMT2) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 alpha/beta (GSK3α/ß) as potent positive regulators of FOXP3 expression, and bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) inhibitors as negative regulators of FOXP3 and CTLA4 expression. These targets have potential implications for establishing novel therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

Extracellular nanovesicles released from the commensal yeast Malassezia sympodialis are enriched in allergens and interact with cells in human skin.

Malassezia sympodialis is a dominant commensal fungi in the human skin mycobiome but is also associated with common skin disorders including atopic eczema (AE). M. sympodialis releases extracellular vesicles, designated MalaEx, which are carriers of small RNAs and allergens, and they can induce inflammatory cytokine responses. Here we explored how MalaEx are involved in host-microbe interactions by comparing protein content of MalaEx with that of the parental yeast cells, and by investigating interactions of MalaEx with cells in the skin. Cryo-electron tomography revealed a heterogeneous population of MalaEx. iTRAQ based quantitative proteomics identified in total 2439 proteins in all replicates of which 110 were enriched in MalaEx compared to the yeast cells. Among the MalaEx enriched proteins were two of the M. sympodialis allergens, Mala s 1 and s 7. Functional experiments indicated an active binding and internalization of MalaEx into human keratinocytes and monocytes, and MalaEx were found in close proximity of the nuclei using super-resolution fluorescence 3D-SIM imaging. Our results provides new insights into host-microbe interactions, supporting that MalaEx may have a role in the sensitization and maintenance of inflammation in AE by containing enriched amounts of allergens and with their ability to interact with skin cells.

Intrinsic antiproliferative activity of the innate sensor STING in T lymphocytes.

Activation of the cyclic dinucleotide sensor stimulator of interferon (IFN) genes (STING) is critical for IFN and inflammatory gene expression during innate immune responses. However, the role of STING in adaptive immunity is still unknown. In this study, we show that STING activation reduces the proliferation of T lymphocytes. This activity was independent of TBK1 and IRF3 recruitment and of type I IFN but required a distinct C-terminal domain of STING that activates NF-κB. Inhibition of cell proliferation by STING required its relocalization to the Golgi apparatus and caused mitotic errors. T lymphocytes from patients carrying constitutive active mutations in TMEM173 encoding STING showed impaired proliferation and reduced numbers of memory cells. Endogenous STING inhibited proliferation of mouse T lymphocytes. Therefore, STING, a critical innate sensor, also functions intrinsically in cells of the adaptive immune system to inhibit proliferation.

Toll-like Receptor 4 Engagement on Dendritic Cells Restrains Phago-Lysosome Fusion and Promotes Cross-Presentation of Antigens.

The initiation of cytotoxic immune responses by dendritic cells (DCs) requires the presentation of antigenic peptides derived from phagocytosed microbes and infected or dead cells to CD8(+) T cells, a process called cross-presentation. Antigen cross-presentation by non-activated DCs, however, is not sufficient for the effective induction of immune responses. Additionally, DCs need to be activated through innate receptors, like Toll-like receptors (TLRs). During DC maturation, cross-presentation efficiency is first upregulated and then turned off. Here we show that during this transient phase of enhanced cross-presentation, phago-lysosome fusion was blocked by the topological re-organization of lysosomes into perinuclear clusters. LPS-induced lysosomal clustering, inhibition of phago-lysosome fusion and enhanced cross-presentation, all required expression of the GTPase Rab34. We conclude that TLR4 engagement induces a Rab34-dependent re-organization of lysosomal distribution that delays antigen degradation to transiently enhance cross-presentation, thereby optimizing the priming of CD8(+) T cell responses against pathogens.

Harnessing the exosome-induced immune response for cancer immunotherapy.

In recent years exosomes have emerged as potent stimulators of immune responses and as agents for cancer therapy. Exosomes can carry a broad variety of immunostimulatory molecules depending on the cell of origin and in vitro culture conditions. Dendritic cell-derived exosomes (dexosomes) have been shown to carry NK cell activating ligands and can be loaded with antigen to activate invariant NKT cells and to induce antigen-specific T and B cell responses. Dexosomes have been investigated as therapeutic agents against cancer in two phase I clinical trials, with a phase II clinical trial currently ongoing. Dexosomes were well tolerated but therapeutic success and immune activation were limited. Several reports suggest that multiple factors need to be considered in order to improve exosomal immunogenicity for cancer immunotherapy. These include antigen-loading strategies, exosome composition and exosomal trafficking in vivo. Hence, a better understanding of how to engineer and deliver exosomes to specific cells is crucial to generate strong immune responses and to improve the immunotherapeutic potential of exosomes.

Potentiating antitumor immunity with αGC-loaded exosomes.

Anticancer immunotherapy is a promising treatment modality since it bears the potential of being highly specific, but effective clinical applications are still under development. We have recently described an exosome-based strategy for co-delivery of α-galactosylceramide and a tumor-associated antigen that synergistically potentiates tumor-specific adaptive immune responses while preventing the anergy of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. We propose that the next generation of exosome-based immunotherapies should involve iNKT-cell ligands to induce a broad, amplified and sustainable antitumor immune response.

Cancer immunotherapy with exosomes requires B-cell activation.

Exosomes derived from dendritic cells (dexosomes) induce potent antitumor immune responses in mice. We have shown that the efficacy of dexosome-elicited antitumor immunity relies on the presence of both T- and B-cell dexosome-associated epitopes. Hence, the inclusion of B-cell epitopes in anticancer vaccines is crucial for the success of this immunotherapeutic intervention.

Synergistic induction of adaptive antitumor immunity by codelivery of antigen with α-galactosylceramide on exosomes.

Exosomes and the invariant NKT (iNKT) immune cell ligand α-galactosylceramide (αGC) may offer novel tools for cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we investigated whether exosomes loaded with αGC can activate iNKT cells and potentiate a cancer-specific adaptive immune response. αGC loaded exosomes readily activated iNKT cells both in vitro and in vivo. Exosomes loaded with αGC plus the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) induced potent NK and γδ T-cell innate immune responses, and they also synergistically amplified T- and B-cell responses that were OVA specific. In contrast to soluble αGC, which anergizes iNKT cells, we found that αGC/OVA-loaded exosomes did not induce iNKT cell anergy but were more potent than soluble αGC + OVA in inducing adaptive immune responses. In an OVA-expressing mouse model of melanoma, treatment of tumor-bearing mice with αGC/OVA-loaded exosomes decreased tumor growth, increased antigen-specific CD8(+) T-cell tumor infiltration, and increased median survival, relative to control mice immunized with soluble αGC + OVA alone. Notably, an additional injection of αGC/OVA-loaded exosomes further augmented the treatment effects. Our findings show that exosomes loaded with protein antigen and αGC will activate adaptive immunity in the absence of triggering iNKT-cell anergy, supporting their application in the design of a broad variety of cancer immunotherapy trials.