HDAC6 inhibition releases HR23B to activate proteasomes, expand the tumor immunopeptidome and amplify T-cell antimyeloma activity

Cancer Res Commun. 2024 May 15. doi: 10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-23-0528. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Proteasomes degrade intracellular proteins to generate antigenic peptides that are recognized by the adaptive immune system and promote anticancer immunity. However, tumors subvert the antigen presentation machinery to escape immunosurveillance. We hypothesized that proteasome activation could concomitantly increase antigen abundance and diversity in multiple myeloma (MM) cells. High-throughput screens revealed that histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitors activated proteasomes to unmask neoantigens and amplify the tumor-specific antigenic landscape. Treatment of patient CD138+ cells with HDAC6 inhibitors significantly promoted the anti-myeloma activity of autologous CD8+ T-cells. Pharmacologic blockade and genetic ablation of the HDAC6 ubiquitin-binding domain released HR23B, which shuttles ubiquitinylated cargo to proteasomes, while silencing HDAC6 or HR23B in MM cells abolished the effect of HDAC6 inhibitors on proteasomes, antigen presentation and T-cell cytotoxicity. Taken together, our results demonstrate the paradigm-shifting translational impact of proteasome activators to expand the myeloma immunopeptidome and have revealed novel, actionable antigenic targets for T-cell-directed immunotherapy.