Cells + CD2/CD16-Dependent Apoptosis of CD2 Induces CD16
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Alefacept, an Immunomodulatory Recombinant LFA-3/IgG1 Fusion Protein, Induces CD16 Signaling and CD2/CD16-Dependent Apoptosis of CD2 + This information is current as Cells of September 28, 2021. Antonio J. da Silva, Margot Brickelmaier, Gerard R. Majeau, Zhifang Li, Lihe Su, Yen-Ming Hsu and Paula S. Hochman J Immunol 2002; 168:4462-4471; ; doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.168.9.4462 Downloaded from http://www.jimmunol.org/content/168/9/4462 References This article cites 54 articles, 25 of which you can access for free at: http://www.jimmunol.org/ http://www.jimmunol.org/content/168/9/4462.full#ref-list-1 Why The JI? Submit online. • Rapid Reviews! 30 days* from submission to initial decision • No Triage! Every submission reviewed by practicing scientists by guest on September 28, 2021 • Fast Publication! 4 weeks from acceptance to publication *average Subscription Information about subscribing to The Journal of Immunology is online at: http://jimmunol.org/subscription Permissions Submit copyright permission requests at: http://www.aai.org/About/Publications/JI/copyright.html Email Alerts Receive free email-alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up at: http://jimmunol.org/alerts The Journal of Immunology is published twice each month by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc., 1451 Rockville Pike, Suite 650, Rockville, MD 20852 Copyright © 2002 by The American Association of Immunologists All rights reserved. Print ISSN: 0022-1767 Online ISSN: 1550-6606. Alefacept, an Immunomodulatory Recombinant LFA-3/IgG1 Fusion Protein, Induces CD16 Signaling and CD2/CD16-Dependent Apoptosis of CD2؉ Cells1 Antonio J. da Silva,2 Margot Brickelmaier, Gerard R. Majeau, Zhifang Li, Lihe Su, Yen-Ming Hsu, and Paula S. Hochman Alefacept, an immunomodulatory recombinant fusion protein composed of the first extracellular domain of LFA-3 fused to the human IgG1 hinge, CH2, and CH3 domains, has recently been shown in phase II and III clinical trials to safely reduce disease expression in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. Alefacept modulates the function of and selectively induces apoptosis of CD2؉ human memory-effector T cells in vivo. We have sought to gain further understanding of the mechanisms of action that influence the biological activity of alefacept and may contribute to its efficacy and patient responsiveness. Specifically evaluated is the ability Downloaded from of alefacept to activate intracellular signals mediated via CD2 and/or Fc␥RIII (CD16). Experimentation using isoforms of alefacept ␥ engineered to have amino acid substitutions in the IgG1 CH2 domain that impact Fc R binding indicate that alefacept mediates cognate interactions between cells expressing human CD2 and CD16 to activate cells, e.g., increase extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation, up-regulate cell surface expression of the activation marker CD25, and induce release of granzyme B. In the systems used, this signaling is shown to require binding to CD2 and CD16 and be mediated through CD16, but not CD2. Experimentation using human CD2-transgenic mice and isoforms of alefacept confirmed the requirement for Fc␥R binding for http://www.jimmunol.org/ detection of the pharmacological effects of alefacept in vivo. Thus alefacept acts as an effector molecule, mediating cognate ,interactions to activate Fc␥R؉ cells (e.g., NK cells) to induce apoptosis of sensitive CD2؉ target cells. The Journal of Immunology 2002, 168: 4462–4471. espite progress in the clinical development of mAbs and ment of indirect host effects, such as the release of inflammatory IgG fusion proteins as therapeutics, the mechanism(s) cytokines, immune regulation, Ag presentation, target cell death D contributing to their efficacy and patient responsiveness (e.g., complement-dependent cytotoxicity (necrosis) or Ab-depen- is still largely undefined (reviewed in Refs. 1 and 2). Although dent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (apoptosis)), endocytosis, and by guest on September 28, 2021 initial evaluations of Ig-based therapeutics focused on antagonism phagocytosis (4, 6). Moreover, engineering of IgG-based thera- or agonism of cellular processes mediated upon ligation of the peutics may address patient-specific factors, such as ligand or Fc targeted ligand, it is now apparent that the Fc regions of Ig-based receptor polymorphisms, which potentially may differ in control agents also may contribute to their biological activity (3, 4). Thus, and diseased populations and are likely to be reflected in thera- both regions may be engineered to enhance the therapeutics’ phar- peutic efficacy in vivo. This has been suggested for the therapeutic macokinetics and pharmacodynamics to maximize efficacy. More mAbs Herceptin and Rituxan (both from Genentech, South San specifically, chemical and genetic modifications can be made to Francisco, CA), specific for the signaling receptors c-erbB-2 and alter the specificity/affinity of binding: 1) to ligand on target cells CD20, respectively (10–12). Initially it was postulated that the (5) and 2) of the Ig Fc domains to complement, FcRn, and FcR therapeutic activities of these mAbs might derive solely from the (6–9). The three classes of differentially expressed IgG Fc recep- agonistic or antagonistic functions mediated upon binding of their tors are functionally of two types: the multimeric activation recep- complementarity-determining regions to their molecular target on ␥ ␥ tors Fc RI (CD64) and Fc RIII (CD16) comprised of both an cells. More recent data from experimental models suggest that the Fc-binding and a signaling subunit (the immunoreceptor tyrosine- molecular mechanism(s) underlying the biologic activities of Her- based activation motif), and a inhibitory receptor, monomeric ceptin and Rituxan (4) and alefacept, the CD2 receptor-specific Fc␥RII (CD32), containing an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based in- therapeutic LFA-3/IgG1 fusion protein (13, 14), may also reside hibitory motif (6). In this context rational design of the IgG Fc with IgG Fc-recruited host effector functions, including the acti- domains of therapeutics can thus select for or against the recruit- vation of apoptosis and Ig-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (e.g., ADCC). As such, clinical and experimental exploration of the rel- ative benefits of human Fc␥ isoforms of such therapeutic con- Biogen, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02142 structs that differ with regard to their ability to mediate effector Received for publication December 17, 2001. Accepted for publication February 27, 2002. functions are prescribed. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page Alefacept (human LFA-3/IgG1 fusion protein), previously re- charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance ferred to as LFA3TIP, is an immunomodulatory recombinant fu- with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. sion protein composed of the first extracellular domain of LFA-3 1 Alefacept (human LFA-3/IgG1 fusion protein) is currently being developed under fused to the human IgG1 hinge, C 2, and C 3 domains (13). the brand name AMEVIVE (Biogen, Cambridge, MA). H H LFA-3 (CD58) is the primary physiologic ligand for human CD2 2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Antonio J. da Silva, Biogen, Inc., 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142. E-mail address: antonio_ and is expressed on many cell types, including APCs (reviewed in [email protected] Ref. 15). In contrast, human CD2 has a more restricted distribution, Copyright © 2002 by The American Association of Immunologists 0022-1767/02/$02.00 The Journal of Immunology 4463 being detected primarily on T cells and NK cells (reviewed in Ref. cDNA was generated by RT-PCR from RNA extracted from the CD16ϩ 16), with elevated expression noted on activated or memory-effector Jurkat cells (26). Cotransfections were conducted by electroporation of the CD45ROϩ T cells (17–19). Engagement of CD2 on responder T or CD16 construct with a vector carrying the neomycin resistance gene (pGX- N28) for positive selection. Stable transfectants were isolated and ex- NK cells by LFA-3 on accessory cells costimulates immune responses panded by selection with geneticin (G418 sulfate). The cells were then potentially by improving the avidity of cellular interactions or by me- sorted by FACS to isolate populations observed to be phenotypically diating activating signals in the responder cells (15, 16). Indeed, anti- CD2ϪCD3ϩCD16ϩ or CD2ϩCD3ϩCD16Ϫ. The expressed recombinant CD2 mAbs and soluble forms of LFA-3, including LFA-3/IgG1 fu- CD16 is expected to form a heterodimeric receptor complex with the TCR -chain to allow for CD16-generated signaling cascades (6, 26). These cells sion proteins, have been shown to costimulate T cell activation and were transiently transfected with a reporter gene construct (NFAT-lucif- proliferation under certain experimental conditions (20, 21). Addition- erase; Clontech, Palo Alto, CA) and assayed as described below. ally, however, both alefacept and Abs specific for human CD2 and human LFA-3 have been shown to inhibit T cell activities in vitro and Fusion proteins in vivo (13, 14, 22). Recently, alefacept as a monotherapy has been Alefacept is composed of the first extracellular domain of LFA-3 fused to shown in phase II and III clinical trials to reduce disease expression the hinge, CH2 domain, and CH3 domain of human IgG1. Its construction, safely in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis (23) (M. Lebwohl, E. expression, and purification have been described previously (13). Con- Christophers, R. Langley, J.-P. Ortonne, J. Roberts, C. E. M. Griffiths, structs encoding fusion proteins identical with alefacept, but with muta- tions encoding amino acids substitutions at alefacept positions 106, 107, and the Alefacept Clinical Study Group, manuscript in preparation and 109, which correspond to amino acid positions 234, 235, and 237 and G. Krueger, K. Papp, D. Stough, K. Loven, W. Gulliver, C. Ellis, (according to European Union numbering) of the human IgG1 CH2 do- and the Alefacept Clinical Study Group, manuscript in preparation), main, or only at alefacept position 107 (amino acid 235 of human IgG1) consistent with reports that T cells are central to the underlying patho- were also prepared.