experimental-melanoma-immunotherapy-model-using-tumor-vaccination

Experimental Melanoma Immunotherapy Model Using Tumor Vaccination with a Hematopoietic Cytokine

Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) is a hematopoietic cytokine that promotes the survival and differentiation of dendritic cells (DCs). It has been ...

La Jolla Institute for Immunology

SLAT (also known as DEF6) promotes T cell activation and differentiation by regulating NFAT-Ca(2+) signaling. However, its role in TCR-mediated inside-out signaling, which induces integrin activation and T cell adhesion, a central process in T cell immunity and inflammation, has not been explored. Here, we show that SLAT is crucial for TCR-induced adhesion to ICAM-1 and affinity maturation of LFA-1 in CD4(+) T cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that SLAT interacts, through its PH domain, with a key component of inside-out signaling, namely the active form of the small GTPase Rap1 (which has two isoforms, Rap1A and Rap1B). This interaction has been further shown to facilitate the interdependent recruitment of Rap1 and SLAT to the T cell immunological synapse upon TCR engagement. Furthermore, a SLAT mutant lacking its PH domain drastically inhibited LFA-1 activation and CD4(+) T cell adhesion. Finally, we established that a constitutively active form of Rap1, which is present at the plasma membrane, rescues the defective LFA-1 activation and ICAM-1 adhesion in SLAT-deficient (Def6(-/-)) T cells. These findings ascribe a new function to SLAT, and identify Rap1 as a target of SLAT function in TCR-mediated inside-out signaling.

SLAT promotes TCR-mediated, Rap1-dependent LFA-1 activation and adhesion through interaction of its PH domain with Rap1.

The protein kinase C (PKC) family, discovered in the late 1970s, is composed of at least 10 serine/threonine kinases, divided into three groups based on their molecular architecture and cofactor requirements. PKC enzymes have been conserved throughout evolution and are expressed in virtually all cell types; they represent critical signal transducers regulating cell activation, differentiation, proliferation, death, and effector functions. PKC family members play important roles in a diverse array of hematopoietic and immune responses. This review covers the discovery and history of this enzyme family, discusses the roles of PKC enzymes in the development and effector functions of major hematopoietic and immune cell types, and points out gaps in our knowledge, which should ignite interest and further exploration, ultimately leading to better understanding of this enzyme family and, above all, its role in the many facets of the immune system.

Protein Kinase C Enzymes in the Hematopoietic and Immune Systems.

Protein kinase C-θ (PKCθ) is an important component of proximal T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. We previously identified the amino-terminal C2 domain of PKCθ as a phosphotyrosine (pTyr)-binding domain. Using a mutant form of PKCθ that cannot bind pTyr (PKCθ), we showed that pTyr binding by PKCθ was required for TCR-induced T cell activation, proliferation, and T2 cell differentiation but not for T cell development. Using tandem mass spectrometry and coimmunoprecipitation, we identified the kinase ζ-associated protein kinase of 70 kDa (Zap70) as a binding partner of the PKCθ pTyr-binding pocket. Tyr of Zap70 directly bound to PKCθ, and the interdomain B residues Tyr and Tyr were indirectly required for binding to PKCθ, reflecting their role in promoting the open conformation of Zap70. PKCθ-expressing CD4 T cells displayed defects not only in known PKCθ-dependent signaling events, such as nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) activation and T2 cell differentiation, but also in full activation of Zap70 itself and in the activating phosphorylation of linker of activation of T cells (LAT) and phospholipase C-γ1 (PLCγ1), signaling proteins that are traditionally considered to be activated independently of PKC. These findings demonstrate that PKCθ plays an important role in a positive feedback regulatory loop that modulates TCR-proximal signaling and, moreover, provide a mechanistic explanation for earlier reports that documented an important role for PKCθ in T cell Ca signaling. This PKCθ-Zap70 interaction could potentially serve as a promising and highly selective immunosuppressive drug target in autoimmunity and organ transplantation.

Phosphotyrosine-dependent interaction between the kinases PKCθ and Zap70 promotes proximal TCR signaling.

pH-sensitive anti-CTLA4 antibodies: yes to efficacy, no to toxicity.

We reported that protein kinase C-η (PKCη) forms a novel (to our knowledge) signaling complex with the checkpoint inhibitory protein CTLA-4 in regulatory T cells (Tregs). This complex is required for the contact-dependent suppressive activity of Tregs, including suppression of antitumor immunity. However, the importance of PKCη in protective immunity mediated by T effector cells remains unclear. We used mice with germline or conditional Treg-specific deletion of , the PKCη-encoding gene, to explore CD8 T cell-dependent antiviral immunity using the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus Armstrong strain acute infection model as well as the in vitro activation of murine or human CD8 T cells. Five days following infection, germline   mice displayed enhanced viral clearance compared with control mice. Similarly,  Treg-specific conditional knockout mice also showed improved viral clearance and displayed enhanced expression of granzyme B and IFN-γ by both virus-specific and total CD8 T cells, demonstrating that enhanced viral clearance in germline   mice is caused by PKCη deficiency in Tregs and the resulting functional defect of   Tregs. In addition, purified   mouse CD8 T cells as well as  knockdown human CD8 T cells displayed intact, or even enhanced, T cell activation in vitro as measured by proliferation and expression of granzyme B and IFN-γ. Thus, global PKCη deletion does not impair overall CD8 T cell-mediated immunity, including antiviral immunity, implying that selective pharmacological PKCη inhibition could be safely used in vivo to inhibit undesired contact-dependent suppression by Tregs and, thus, enhance tumor-specific and, likely, virus-specific immunity.

Protein Kinase C-η Deficiency Does Not Impair Antiviral Immunity and CD8 T Cell Activation.

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the sole and selective gateway for nuclear transport, and its dysfunction has been associated with many diseases. The metazoan NPC subcomplex RanBP2, which consists of RanBP2 (Nup358), RanGAP1-SUMO1, and Ubc9, regulates the assembly and function of the NPC. The roles of immune signaling in regulation of NPC remain poorly understood. Here, we show that in human and murine T cells, following T-cell receptor (TCR stimulation, protein kinase C-θ (PKC-θ) directly phosphorylates RanGAP1 to facilitate RanBP2 subcomplex assembly and nuclear import and, thus, the nuclear translocation of AP-1 transcription factor. Mechanistically, TCR stimulation induces the translocation of activated PKC-θ to the NPC, where it interacts with and phosphorylates RanGAP1 on Ser and Ser. RanGAP1 phosphorylation increases its binding affinity for Ubc9, thereby promoting sumoylation of RanGAP1 and, finally, assembly of the RanBP2 subcomplex. Our findings reveal an unexpected role of PKC-θ as a direct regulator of nuclear import and uncover a phosphorylation-dependent sumoylation of RanGAP1, delineating a novel link between TCR signaling and assembly of the RanBP2 NPC subcomplex.

T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling promotes the assembly of RanBP2/RanGAP1-SUMO1/Ubc9 nuclear pore subcomplex via PKC-θ-mediated phosphorylation of RanGAP1.

The tyrosine phosphatase CD45 is a major gatekeeper for restraining T cell activation. Its exclusion from the immunological synapse (IS) is crucial for T cell receptor (TCR) signal transduction. Here, we use expansion super-resolution microscopy to reveal that CD45 is mostly pre-excluded from the tips of microvilli (MV) on primary T cells prior to antigen encounter. This pre-exclusion is diminished by depleting cholesterol or by engineering the transmembrane domain of CD45 to increase its membrane integration length, but is independent of the CD45 extracellular domain. We further show that brief MV-mediated contacts can induce Ca influx in mouse antigen-specific T cells engaged by antigen-pulsed antigen presenting cells (APC). We propose that the scarcity of CD45 phosphatase activity at the tips of MV enables or facilitates TCR triggering from brief T cell-APC contacts before formation of a stable IS, and that these MV-mediated contacts represent the earliest step in the initiation of a T cell adaptive immune response.

CD45 pre-exclusion from the tips of T cell microvilli prior to antigen recognition.

Our previous studies revealed a critical role of a novel CTLA4-protein kinase C-eta (PKCη) signaling axis in mediating the suppressive activity of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in antitumor immunity. These studies have employed adoptive transfer of germline PKCη-deficient ( ) Tregs into   mice prior to tumor implantation. Here, we extended these findings into a biologically and clinically more relevant context.

Article	Year
SLAT promotes TCR-mediated, Rap1-dependent LFA-1 activation and adhesion through interaction of its PH domain with Rap1. Journal of cell science\| PubMed ID: 26483383	2015
Protein Kinase C Enzymes in the Hematopoietic and Immune Systems. Annual review of immunology\| PubMed ID: 27168244	2016
Phosphotyrosine-dependent interaction between the kinases PKCθ and Zap70 promotes proximal TCR signaling. Science signaling\| PubMed ID: 30992398	2019
pH-sensitive anti-CTLA4 antibodies: yes to efficacy, no to toxicity. Cell research\| PubMed ID: 31300731	2019
Protein Kinase C-η Deficiency Does Not Impair Antiviral Immunity and CD8 T Cell Activation. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)\| PubMed ID: 32198145
T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling promotes the assembly of RanBP2/RanGAP1-SUMO1/Ubc9 nuclear pore subcomplex via PKC-θ-mediated phosphorylation of RanGAP1. eLife\| PubMed ID: 34110283	2021
CD45 pre-exclusion from the tips of T cell microvilli prior to antigen recognition. Nature communications\| PubMed ID: 34162836	2021
Leveraging the Treg-intrinsic CTLA4-PKCη signaling pathway for cancer immunotherapy. Journal for immunotherapy of cancer\| PubMed ID: 34588224

Amnon Altman

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