Key Points• Exosomal NKp30-ligand BAG6 is crucial for detection of tumor cells by NK cells in vitro and in vivo.• Soluble plasma factors including BAG6 suppress NK cell cytotoxicity and promote evasion of CLL cells from NK cell anti-tumor activity.Natural killer (NK) cells are a major component of the anti-tumor immune response. NK cell dysfunctions have been reported in various hematologic malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here we investigated the role of tumor cellreleased soluble and exosomal ligands for NK cell receptors that modulate NK cell activity. Soluble CLL plasma factors suppressed NK cell cytotoxicity and downregulated the surface receptors CD16 and CD56 on NK cells of healthy donors. The inhibition of NK cell cytotoxicity was attributed to the soluble ligand BAG6/BAT3 that engages the activating receptor NKp30 expressed on NK cells. Soluble BAG6 was detectable in the plasma of CLL patients, with the highest levels at the advanced disease stages. In contrast, NK cells were activated when BAG6 was presented on the surface of exosomes. The latter form was induced in non-CLL cells by cellular stress via an nSmase2-dependent pathway. Such cells were eliminated by lymphocytes in a xenograft tumor model in vivo. Here, exosomal BAG6 was essential for tumor cell killing because BAG6-deficient cells evaded immune detection. Taken together, the findings show that the dysregulated balance of exosomal vs soluble BAG6 expression may cause immune evasion of CLL cells. (Blood. 2013;121(18):3658-3665) IntroductionChronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients suffer from severe immune defects resulting in increased susceptibility to infections and failure to generate an anti-tumor immune response. 1 Natural killer (NK) cells, lymphocytes of the innate immune system, are considered to be a major component of the immunosurveillance in leukemia. [2][3][4] However, little is known about the functionality of NK cells and their role in tumor immune escape in CLL.NK cells are tightly regulated by inhibitory or activating "missing self" and "induced self" signals sensed via cell surface receptors. 5 The best examined activating receptors are the Fc receptor CD16, NKG2D, and the natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs) NKp30, NKp44, and NKp46. Known ligands for NKG2D are the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-related molecules MICA/B and the UL16-binding proteins (ULBP1, ULBP2, ULBP3, ULBP4, ULBP5, and ULBP6) that are induced upon cellular stress on target cells. 6,7 Only a few ligands for the NCRs have been identified to date. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Surprisingly, among novel ligands for NKp30 (BAG6 [BAT3], 10 B7-H6 11 ), NKp44 (proliferating cell nuclear antigen 12 ) and NKp46 (vimentin 13,14 ), only B7-H6 is a surface membrane ligand. BAG6, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and vimentin are proteins without any classical transmembrane domain and are known to exert divergent intracellular functions, including protein sorting and transport, proliferation, and apoptosis. It is still ...

Natural killer (NK) cells represent a key component of the innate immune system against cancer. Nevertheless, malignant diseases arise in immunocompetent individuals despite tumor immunosurveillance. Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is characterized by CD30+ tumor cells and a massive infiltration of immune effector cells in affected lymph nodes. The latter obviously fail to eliminate the malignant cell population. Here, we tested for functional NK cell defects in HL and suggest an improvement of NK function by therapeutic means. We demonstrate that peripheral NK cells (pNK) from patients with HL fail to eliminate HL cell lines in ex vivo killing assays. Impaired NK cell function correlated with elevated serum levels of soluble ligands for NK cell receptors NKp30 (BAG6/BAT3) and NKG2D (MICA), factors known to constrict NK cell function. In vitro, NK cell cytotoxicity could be restored by an NKG2D/NKp30-independent bispecific antibody construct (CD30xCD16A). It artificially links the tumor receptor CD30 with the cytotoxicity NK cell receptor CD16A. Moreover, we observed that NK cells from patients treated with this construct were generally activated and displayed a restored cytotoxicity against HL target cells. These data suggest that reversible suppression of NK cell activity contributes to immune evasion in HL and can be antagonized therapeutically.

NKG2D, an activating receptor expressed on NK cells and T cells, is critically involved in tumor immunosurveillance. In this study, we explored the potential therapeutic utility of the NKG2D ligand ULBP2 for the treatment of colon carcinoma. To this end we designed a fusion protein consisting of human ULBP2 and an antibody-derived single chain targeting the tumor carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The bispecific recombinant fusion protein re-directed NK cells towards malignant cells by binding to both, tumor cells and NK cells, and triggered NK cell-mediated target cell killing in vitro. Moreover, tumor growth was significantly delayed in a syngeneic colon carcinoma mouse model in response to immunoligand treatment. The anti-tumor activity could be attributed to the stimulation of immune cells with an elevated expression of the activation marker CD69 on NK, T and NKT cells and the infiltration of CD451 immune cells into the solid tumor. In summary, it was demonstrated that immunoligands provide specific tumor targeting by NK cells and exert anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo. This technology represents a novel immunotherapeutic strategy for solid tumors with the potential to be further developed for clinical applications.Colorectal cancer is fatal in advanced stages of the disease. Curative treatment options are commonly reserved for tumors not yet metastasized or with resectable metastasis. Colorectal cancer is susceptible to chemotherapy from the onset, but due to therapeutic pressure cancer cells usually become resistant to the standard therapies. In addition, the standard therapies are frequently associated with severe side effects. Thus, there is a high demand for targeted therapies. Most recently developed antibody-based immunotherapies including cetuximab, bevacizumab and the fully human antibody panitumumab have not only added new impulses to colorectal cancer therapy, but essentially improved clinical outcome. 1 They have shown to overcome resistance to conventional chemotherapy and have clearly demonstrated that colorectal carcinoma is accessible to antibody therapy.The potential of immune modulation as well as the role of antibody therapy to enhance a cell-based immunotherapy is currently evaluated. 2-4 Increasing attention has been drawn onto NK cells, which are part of the innate immune system and can attack malignant cells without prior antigen stimulation. 5,6 Numerous ways of tumor cell recognition by NK cells have been described. NK cell cytotoxicity against tumors can be triggered by cells lacking expression of self-recognized MHC class I molecules. This mechanism has been referred to as the "missing-self"-hypothesis and is controlled through a group of inhibitory receptors on the NK cell surface. 7 In addition, an anti-tumor immune response can be induced by the upregulation of ligands for triggering NK cell receptors on the surface of tumor cells. 8 This mechanism has been referred to as "induced-self" and provokes an effective immune response even in the presence of inhibitory signalling....

Adoptive transfer of T regulatory cells (Treg) has been successfully exploited in the context of graft-versus-host disease, transplantation, and autoimmune disease. For the majority of applications, clinical administration of Treg requires laborious ex vivo expansion and typically involves open handling for culture feeds and repetitive sampling. Here we show results from our approach to translate manual Treg manufacturing to the fully closed automated CliniMACS Prodigy® system reducing contamination risk, hands-on time, and quality variation from human intervention. Polyclonal Treg were isolated from total nucleated cells obtained through leukapheresis of healthy donors by CD8+ cell depletion and subsequent CD25high enrichment. Treg were expanded with the CliniMACS Prodigy® device using clinical-grade cell culture medium, rapamycin, IL-2, and αCD3/αCD28 beads for 13–14 days. We successfully integrated expansion bead removal and final formulation into the automated procedure, finalizing the process with a ready to use product for bedside transfusion. Automated Treg expansion was conducted in parallel to an established manual manufacturing process using G-Rex cell culture flasks. We could prove similar expansion kinetics leading to a cell yield of up to 2.12 × 109 cells with the CliniMACS Prodigy® and comparable product phenotype of >90% CD4+CD25highCD127lowFOXP3+ cells that had similar in vitro immunosuppressive function. Efficiency of expansion bead depletion was comparable to the CliniMACS® Plus system and the final ready-to-infuse product had phenotype stability and high vitality after overnight storage. We anticipate this newly developed closed system expansion approach to be a starting point for the development of enhanced throughput clinical scale Treg manufacture, and for safe automated generation of antigen-specific Treg grafted with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR Treg).

BackgroundThe human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) encoded BAT3/BAG6 recently attracted interest as a regulator of protein targeting and degradation, a function that could be exerted in the cytosol and in the nucleus. The BAT3 gene was described to consist of 25 exons. Diversity of transcripts can be generated by alternative RNA splicing, which may control subcellular distribution of BAT3.Methodology/Principal FindingsBy cDNA sequencing we identified a novel alternatively spliced sequence of the BAT3 gene located between exons 11 and 12, which was designated as exon 11B. Using PCR and colony hybridization we identified six cDNA variants, which were produced by RNA splicing of BAT3 exons 5, 11B and 24. In four examined cell types the content of BAT3 splice variants was examined. Most of the cDNA clones from monocyte-derived dendritic cells contain exon 11B, whereas this sequence was almost absent in the B lymphoma Raji. Exon 5 was detected in most and exon 24 in approximately half of the cDNA clones. The subcellular distribution of endogenous BAT3 largely correlates with a cell type specific splicing pattern. In cells transfected with BAT3 variants, full-length and Δ24 BAT3 displayed nearly exclusive nuclear staining, whereas variants deleted of exon 11B showed substantial cytosolic expression. We show here that BAT3 is mainly expressed in the cytosol of Raji cells, while other cell types displayed both cytosolic and nuclear staining. Export of BAT3 from the nucleus to the cytosol is inhibited by treatment with leptomycin B, indicating that the Crm1 pathway is involved. Nuclear expression of BAT3 containing exon 11B suggests that this sequence plays a role for nuclear retention of the protein.Conclusions/SignificanceCell type-specific subcellular expression of BAT3 suggests distinct functions in the cytosol and in the nucleus. Differential expression of BAT3 variants may reconcile the multiple roles described for BAT3.