Anti-tumor mAbs are the most widely used and characterized cancer immunotherapy. Despite having a significant impact on some malignancies, most cancer patients respond poorly or develop resistance to this therapy. A known mechanism of action of these therapeutic mAbs is antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), a key effector function of human NK cells. CD16A on human NK cells has an exclusive role in binding to tumor-bound IgG antibodies. Though CD16A is a potent activating receptor, it is also a low affinity IgG Fc receptor (FcγR) that undergoes a rapid downregulation in expression by a proteolytic process involving ADAM17 upon NK cell activation. These regulatory processes are likely to limit the efficacy of tumor-targeting therapeutic mAbs in the tumor environment. We sought to enhance NK cell binding to anti-tumor mAbs by engineering these cells with a recombinant FcγR consisting of the extracellular region of CD64, the highest affinity FcγR expressed by leukocytes, and the transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions of CD16A. This novel recombinant FcγR (CD64/16A) was expressed in the human NK cell line NK92 and in induced pluripotent stem cells from which primary NK cells were derived. CD64/16A lacked the ADAM17 cleavage region in CD16A and it was not rapidly downregulated in expression following NK cell activation during ADCC. CD64/16A on NK cells facilitated conjugation to antibody-treated tumor cells, ADCC, and cytokine production, demonstrating functional activity by its two components. Unlike NK cells expressing CD16A, CD64/16A captured soluble therapeutic mAbs and the modified NK cells mediated tumor cell killing. Hence, CD64/16A could potentially be used as a docking platform on engineered NK cells for therapeutic mAbs and IgG Fc chimeric proteins, allowing for switchable targeting elements and a novel cancer cellular therapy.

Hepatic steatosis is a strong risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet little is known about the molecular pathology associated with this factor. In this study, we performed a forward genetic screen using Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon insertional mutagenesis in mice treated to induce hepatic steatosis, and compared the results to human HCC data. In humans, we determined that steatosis increased the proportion of female HCC patients, a pattern also reflected in mice. Our genetic screen identified 203 candidate steatosis-associated HCC genes, many of which are altered in human HCC and are members of established HCC-driving signaling pathways. The protein kinase A/cyclic AMP signaling pathway was altered frequently in mouse and human steatosis-associated HCC. We found that activated PKA expression drove steatosis-specific liver tumorigenesis in a mouse model. Another candidate HCC driver, the N-acetyltransferase NAT10, which we found to be overexpressed in human steatosis-associated HCC and associated with decreased survival in human HCC, also drove liver tumorigenesis in a steatotic mouse model. This study identifies genes and pathways promoting HCC that may represent novel targets for prevention and treatment in the context of hepatic steatosis, an area of rapidly growing clinical significance.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has been largely resistant to immunotherapy. Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes that detect and kill transformed cells without prior sensitization, and their infiltration into prostate tumors corresponds with an increased overall survival among patients with mCRPC. We sought to harness this knowledge to develop an approach to NK-cell based immunotherapy for mCRPC. We engineered an NK cell line (NK-92MI) to express CD64, the sole human high-affinity IgG Fcγ receptor (FcγR1), and bound these cells with antibodies to provide interchangeable tumor-targeting elements. NK-92MICD64 cells were evaluated for cell-activation mechanisms and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). A combination of mAbs was used to target the prostate tumor antigen tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 (TROP2) and the cancer-associated fibroblast marker fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP). We found that CD64, which is normally expressed by myeloid cells and associates with the adaptor molecule FcRγ, can be expressed by NK-92MI cells and mediate ADCC through an association with CD3ζ. Cytotoxicity from the combination approach was two-fold higher compared to treatment with NK-92MICD64 cells and either mAb alone, and seven-fold higher than NK-92MICD64 cells alone at an effector–target cell ratio of 20:1. The cytotoxic effect was lost when using isotype control antibodies, indicating a selective targeting mechanism. The combination approach demonstrated efficacy in vivo as well and significantly reduced tumor growth compared with the saline control. This combination therapy presents a potential approach for treating mCRPC and could improve immunotherapy response.

Sepsis is the culmination of hyperinflammation and immune suppression in response to severe infection. Neutrophils are critical early responders to bacterial infection but can become highly dysfunctional during sepsis and other inflammatory disorders. The transmembrane protease ADAM17 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17) is expressed by leukocytes and most other cells and has many substrates that regulate inflammation. We have reported that conditional knockout mice lacking ADAM17 in all leukocytes had a survival advantage during sepsis, which was associated with improved neutrophil effector functions. These and other findings indicate aberrant ADAM17 activity during sepsis. For this study, we evaluated for the first time the effects of an ADAM17 function blocking monoclonal antibody (mAb) on the pathogenesis of polymicrobial sepsis. Mice treated with the ADAM17 mAb MEDI3622 prior to sepsis induction exhibited significantly decreased mortality. When the ADAM17 mAb was combined with antibiotic administration, sepsis survival was markedly enhanced compared to either intervention alone, which was associated with a significant reduction in plasma levels of various inflammation-related factors. MEDI3622 and antibiotic administration after sepsis induction also significantly improved survival. Our results indicate that the combination of blocking ADAM17 as an immune modulator and appropriate antibiotics may provide a new therapeutic avenue for sepsis treatment.

Human natural killer (NK) cells can target tumor cells in an antigen-specific manner by the recognition of cell bound antibodies. This process induces antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and is exclusively mediated by the low affinity IgG Fc receptor CD16A (FcγRIIIA). Exploiting ADCC by NK cells is a major area of emphasis for advancing cancer immunotherapies. CD64 (FcγRI) is the only high affinity IgG FcR and it binds to the same IgG isotypes as CD16A, but it is not expressed by human NK cells. We have generated engineered human NK cells expressing recombinant CD64 with the goal of increasing their ADCC potency. Preclinical testing of this approach is essential for establishing efficacy and safety of the engineered NK cells. The dog provides particular advantages as a model, which includes spontaneous development of cancer in the setting of an intact and outbred immune system. To advance this immunotherapy model, we cloned canine CD16A and CD64 and generated specific mAbs. We report here for the first time the expression patterns of these FcγRs on dog peripheral blood leukocytes. CD64 was expressed by neutrophils and monocytes, but not lymphocytes, while canine CD16A was expressed at high levels by a subset of monocytes and lymphocytes. These expression patterns are similar to that of human leukocytes. Based on phenotypic characteristics, the CD16A+ lymphocytes consisted of T cells (CD3+ CD8+ CD5dim α/β TCR+) and NK cells (CD3− CD5− CD94+), but not B cells. Interestingly, the majority of canine CD16A+ lymphocytes were from the T cell population. Like human CD16A, canine CD16A was downregulated by a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) upon leukocyte activation, revealing a conserved means of regulation. We also directly demonstrate that both canine CD16A and CD64 can induce ADCC when expressed in the NK cell line NK-92. These findings pave the way to engineering canine NK cells or T cells with high affinity recombinant canine CD64 to maximize ADCC and to test their safety and efficacy to benefit both humans and dogs.