Activation and degranulation of CAR-T cells using engineered antigen-presenting cell surfaces

PLoS One. 2020 Sep 25;15(9):e0238819. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238819. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Adoptive cell transfer of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cells showed promising results in patients with B cell malignancies. However, the detailed mechanism of CAR-T cell interaction with the target tumor cells is still not well understood. This work provides a systematic method for analyzing the activation and degranulation of second-generation CAR-T cells utilizing antigen-presenting cell surfaces. Antigen-presenting cell surfaces composed of circular micropatterns of CAR-specific anti-idiotype antibodies have been developed to mimic the interaction of CAR-T cells with target tumor cells using micro-contact printing. The levels of activation and degranulation of fixed non-transduced T cells (NT), CD19.CAR-T cells, and GD2.CAR-T cells on the antigen-presenting cell surfaces were quantified and compared by measuring the intensity of the CD3ζ chain phosphorylation and the Lysosome-Associated Membrane Protein 1 (LAMP-1), respectively. The size and morphology of the cells were also measured. The intracellular Ca2+ flux of NT and CAR-T cells upon engagement with the antigen-presenting cell surface was reported. Results suggest that NT and CD19.CAR-T cells have comparable activation levels, while NT have higher degranulation levels than CD19.CAR-T cells and GD2.CAR-T cells. The findings show that antigen-presenting cell surfaces allow a quantitative analysis of the molecules involved in synapse formation in different CAR-T cells in a systematic, reproducible manner.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer / methods
  • Antigen-Presenting Cells / immunology
  • Antigens, CD19 / metabolism
  • Antigens, Surface / metabolism*
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell / immunology*
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell / therapy
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / metabolism*
  • Receptors, Chimeric Antigen / metabolism*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology

Substances

  • Antigens, CD19
  • Antigens, Surface
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
  • Receptors, Chimeric Antigen