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A platform for parallel TCR cloning and testing enables anti-neoantigen tumor immunotherapy
Alexander M. Rowe, Smriti Chaurasia, Wenzhong Wei, Laura García-Diéguez, Katherine Tempro, Johnathon G. Schiebel, Christy Smolak, Alexander Muralles, Daniel Wikenheiser, Kevin Quann, Collin Pirner, Kentin Codispot, Mark J. Shlomchik, Warren D. Shlomchik
Alexander M. Rowe, Smriti Chaurasia, Wenzhong Wei, Laura García-Diéguez, Katherine Tempro, Johnathon G. Schiebel, Christy Smolak, Alexander Muralles, Daniel Wikenheiser, Kevin Quann, Collin Pirner, Kentin Codispot, Mark J. Shlomchik, Warren D. Shlomchik
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Research Article Immunology Oncology

A platform for parallel TCR cloning and testing enables anti-neoantigen tumor immunotherapy

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Abstract

Tumor-infiltrating CD8 cells recognize neoantigens created by tumor-specific mutations. Nonetheless, even after checkpoint inhibitor therapy, most patients’ tumors progress. A deeper understanding of antitumor responses could facilitate development of better therapies. To enable such studies, we applied TCXpress, a high throughput platform that clones fully expressible TCRs from single cells into retroviral or lentiviral vectors without sequencing or gene synthesis, to study TCRs from CD8 cells infiltrating mouse MC38 tumors. We expressed cloned TCRs in reporter cells and interrogated TCR specificity by coculturing them with B6WT3 cells transduced with tandem minigenes encoding predicted neoantigens. We isolated TCRs reactive against epitopes from mutant Rpl18, Adpgk, Psmd2, and Zc3h7b along with self-reactive TCRs that recognized normal B6 and MC38 cells. Importantly, we successfully treated MC38-bearing mice with T cells transduced with anti-Rpl18 TCRs. These results establish a system that could be used to study many types of T cell responses and validate a therapeutic approach that could be tested in the clinic.

Authors

Alexander M. Rowe, Smriti Chaurasia, Wenzhong Wei, Laura García-Diéguez, Katherine Tempro, Johnathon G. Schiebel, Christy Smolak, Alexander Muralles, Daniel Wikenheiser, Kevin Quann, Collin Pirner, Kentin Codispot, Mark J. Shlomchik, Warren D. Shlomchik

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Figure 4

Treatment of B16-TMG melanoma with TCX 1.0 and TCX 2.0 products.

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Treatment of B16-TMG melanoma with TCX 1.0 and TCX 2.0 products.
(A) Tre...
(A) Treatment schema. B6 CD90.2 mice were injected intradermally with B16-TMG cells on day –13. On day 0, mice with tumors greater than 2 mm received total-body irradiation and CD90.1 TCX 1.0, TCX 2.0, or negative control cells, followed on day 1 with anti-CD40. Tumor size was followed and measured; mice were euthanized by day 18. (B and C) Both TCX 1.0 and TCX 2.0 cells reduced tumor volume (B) and weight (C). (D) Waterfall plots of change in tumor size from 3 independent experiments combined; mice that died prior to the end of the experiments were censured (see Supplemental Figure 8A). (E and F) TCX 2.0 CD8 cells were more numerous than TCX 1.0 and control cells in spleen (E), whereas there were similar numbers of each recovered from tumor, both greater than control cells (F). (G) More transferred TCX 1.0, TCX 2.0, and control cells were found in the draining LNs (DLNs) than in nondraining cervical lymph nodes (CLNs). (H–J) DexOVA MFIs of TCX 1.0 and 2.0 cells were similar in the spleen and DLNs but were greater in tumor-resident TCX 2.0 cells (top panels representative staining; lower panels MFIs from individual mice). (K and L) The dexOVA MFIs were higher among dexOVA+ TCX intratumor TCX2.0 cells (K) perhaps due to higher TCRβ expression (L). (M and N) A greater percentage of TCX1.0 cells were TOX+ in spleen and tumor (M), whereas a greater fraction of TCX 2.0 cells were CD127+ in spleen and DLN (N). Data in B and C are from 1 of 3 experiments with similar results. Differences between groups in B were calculated by determining the AUC of tumor volume versus posttreatment day data for each mouse at the end of the experiment and comparing the groups by ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. P values in C were calculated using a Mann-Whitney rank-sum test. Data in D–N are combined from 3 independent experiments, and groups were compared using a Fisher’s exact test. Significance of cell numbers or MFIs in E–N were determined with Mann-Whitney rank-sum tests.

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