Patent Grant
8252916
1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed herein is directed to methods for the design of epitope-encoding vectors, and epitope cluster regions, for use in compositions, including for example, pharmaceutical compositions capable of inducing an immune response in a subject to whom the compositions are administered. The invention is further directed to the vectors themselves. The epitope(s) expressed using such vectors can stimulate a cellular immune response against a target cell displaying the epitope(s).
2. Description of the Related Art
The immune system can be categorized into two discrete effector arms. The first is innate immunity, which involves numerous cellular components and soluble factors that respond to all infectious challenges. The other is the adaptive immune response, which is customized to respond specifically to precise epitopes from infectious agents. The adaptive immune response is further broken down into two effector arms known as the humoral and cellular immune systems. The humoral arm is centered on the production of antibodies by B-lymphocytes while the cellular arm involves the killer cell activity of cytotoxic T Lymphocytes.
Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTL) do not recognize epitopes on the infectious agents themselves. Rather, CTL detect fragments of antigens derived from infectious agents that are displayed on the surface of infected cells. As a result antigens are visible to CTL only after they have been processed by the infected cell and thus displayed on the surface of the cell.
The antigen processing and display system on the surface of cells has been well established. CTL recognize short peptide antigens, which are displayed on the surface in non-covalent association with class I major histocompatibility complex molecules (MHC). These class I peptides are in turn derived from the degradation of cytosolic proteins.
The invention disclosed herein relates to the identification of epitope cluster regions that are used to generate pharmaceutical compositions capable of inducing an immune response from a subject to whom the compositions have been administered. One embodiment of the disclosed invention relates to an epitope cluster, the cluster being derived from an antigen associated with a target, the cluster including or encoding at least two sequences having a known or predicted affinity for an MHC receptor peptide binding cleft, wherein the cluster is an incomplete fragment of the antigen.
In one aspect of the invention, the target is a neoplastic cell.
In another aspect of the invention, the MHC receptor may be a class I HLA receptor.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the cluster includes or encodes a polypeptide having a length, wherein the length is at least 10 amino acids. Advantageously, the length of the polypeptide may be less than about 75 amino acids.
In still another aspect of the invention, there is provided an antigen having a length, wherein the cluster consists of or encodes a polypeptide having a length, wherein the length of the polypeptide is less than about 80% of the length of the antigen. Preferably, the length of the polypeptide is less than about 50% of the length of the antigen. Most preferably, the length of the polypeptide is less than about 20% of the length of the antigen.
Embodiments of the invention particularly relate to epitope clusters identified in the tumor-associated antigen NY-ESO (SEQ ID NO: 11). One embodiment of the invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid containing a reading frame with a first sequence encoding one or more segments of NY-ESO, wherein the whole antigen is not encoded, wherein each segment contains an epitope cluster, and wherein each cluster contains at least two amino acid sequences with a known or predicted affinity for a same MHC receptor peptide binding cleft. In various aspects of the invention the epitope cluster can be amino acids 79-104, 86-171, 108-140, 108-174, 144-171, and 148-167 of NY-ESO. In other aspects the segments can consist of an epitope cluster; the first sequence can be a fragment of NY-ESO. The fragment can consist of a polypeptide having a length, wherein the length of the polypeptide is less than about 90, 80, 60, 50, 25, or 10% of the length of NY-ESO; and/or the fragment can consist essentially of an amino acid sequence beginning at amino acid 79, 86, 108, 144 and 148 and ending at amino acid 104, 140, 167, 171 and 174 of NY-ESO. Also, the NY-ESO fragment can consist essentially of, for example, amino acids 79-140, 79-167, 79-171, or 79-174; amino acids 86-140, 86-167, 86-171 or 86-174; also, amino acids 86-140, 86-167, 86-171 or 86-174; amino acids 108-167 or 108-171; amino acids 144-167 or 144-174; amino acids 148-171 or 148-174; amino acids 79-174; and/or amino acids 77-180. Embodiments relate to a reading frame operably linked to a promoter. Further embodiments of the invention include a second sequence encoding essentially a housekeeping epitope. In one aspect of this embodiment the first and second sequences constitute a single reading frame. In aspects of the invention the reading frame is operably linked to a promoter. Other embodiments of the invention include the polypeptides encoded by the nucleic acid embodiments of the invention and immunogenic compositions containing the nucleic acids or polypeptides of the invention.
Embodiments of the invention provide expression cassettes, for example, for use in vaccine vectors, which encode one or more embedded housekeeping epitopes, and methods for designing and testing such expression cassettes. Housekeeping epitopes can be liberated from the translation product of such cassettes through proteolytic processing by the immunoproteasome of professional antigen presenting cells (pAPC). In one embodiment of the invention, sequences flanking the housekeeping epitope(s) can be altered to promote cleavage by the immunoproteasome at the desired location(s). Housekeeping epitopes, their uses, and identification are described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/560,465 and 09/561,074 entitled EPITOPE SYNCHRONIZATION IN ANTIGEN PRESENTING CELLS, and METHOD OF EPITOPE DISCOVERY, respectively; both of which were filed on Apr. 28, 2000, and which are both incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Examples of housekeeping epitopes are disclosed in provisional U.S. patent applications entitled EPITOPE SEQUENCES, Nos. 60/282,211, filed on Apr. 6, 2001; 60/337,017, filed on Nov. 7, 2001; 60/363,210 filed Mar. 7, 2002; and 60/409,123, filed on Sep. 5, 2002; and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/117,937, filed on Apr. 4, 2002, which is also entitled EPITOPE SEQUENCES; which are all incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
In other embodiments of the invention, the housekeeping epitope(s) can be flanked by arbitrary sequences or by sequences incorporating residues known to be favored in immunoproteasome cleavage sites. As used herein the term “arbitrary sequences” refers to sequences chosen without reference to the native sequence context of the epitope, their ability to promote processing or immunological function. In further embodiments of the invention multiple epitopes can be arrayed head-to-tail. These arrays can be made up entirely of housekeeping epitopes. Likewise, the arrays can include alternating housekeeping and immune epitopes. Alternatively, the arrays can include housekeeping epitopes flanked by immune epitopes, whether complete or distally truncated. Further, the arrays can be of any other similar arrangement. There is no restriction on placing a housekeeping epitope at the terminal positions of the array. The vectors can additionally contain authentic protein coding sequences or segments thereof containing epitope clusters as a source of immune epitopes. The term “authentic” refers to natural protein sequences.
Epitope clusters and their uses are described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/561,571 entitled EPITOPE CLUSTERS, filed on Apr. 28, 2000; Ser. No. 10/005,905, entitled EPITOPE SYNCHRONIZATION IN ANTIGEN PRESENTING CELLS, filed on Nov. 7, 2001; and Ser. No. 10/026,066, filed on Dec. 7, 2001, also entitled EPITOPE SYNCHRONIZATION IN ANTIGEN PRESENTING CELLS; all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Embodiments of the invention can encompass screening the constructs to determine whether the housekeeping epitope is liberated. In constructs containing multiple housekeeping epitopes, embodiments can include screening to determine which epitopes are liberated. In a preferred embodiment, a vector containing an embedded epitope can be used to immunize HLA transgenic mice and the resultant CTL can be tested for their ability to recognize target cells presenting the mature epitope. In another embodiment, target cells expressing immunoproteasome can be transformed with the vector. The target cell may express immunoproteasome either constitutively, because of treatment with interferon (IFN), or through genetic manipulation, for example. CTL that recognize the mature epitope can be tested for their ability to recognize these target cells. In yet another embodiment, the embedded epitope can be prepared as a synthetic peptide. The synthetic peptide then can be subjected to digestion by an immunoproteasome preparation in vitro and the resultant fragments can be analyzed to determine the sites of cleavage. Such polypeptides, recombinant or synthetic, from which embedded epitopes can be successfully liberated, can also be incorporated into immunogenic compositions.
The invention disclosed herein relates to the identification of a polypeptide suitable for epitope liberation. One embodiment of the invention, relates to a method of identifying a polypeptide suitable for epitope liberation including, for example, the steps of identifying an epitope of interest; providing a substrate polypeptide sequence including the epitope, wherein the substrate polypeptide permits processing by a proteasome; contacting the substrate polypeptide with a composition including the proteasome, under conditions that support processing of the substrate polypeptide by the proteasome; and assaying for liberation of the epitope.
The epitope can be embedded in the substrate polypeptide, and in some aspects the substrate polypeptide can include more than one epitope, for example. Also, the epitope can be a housekeeping epitope.
In one aspect, the substrate polypeptide can be a synthetic peptide. Optionally, the substrate polypeptide can be included in a formulation promoting protein transfer. Alternatively, the substrate polypeptide can be a fusion protein. The fusion protein can further include a protein domain possessing protein transfer activity. Further, the contacting step can include immunization with the substrate polypeptide.
In another aspect, the substrate polypeptide can be encoded by a polynucleotide. The contacting step can include immunization with a vector including the polynucleotide, for example. The immunization can be carried out in an HLA-transgenic mouse or any other suitable animal, for example. Alternatively, the contacting step can include transforming a cell with a vector including the polynucleotide. In some embodiments the transformed cell can be a target cell that is targeted by CTL for purposes of assaying for proper liberation of epitope.
The proteasome processing can take place intracellularly, either in vitro or in vivo. Further, the proteasome processing can take place in a cell-free system.
The assaying step can include a technique selected from the group including, but not limited to, mass spectrometry, N-terminal pool sequencing, HPLC, and the like. Also, the assaying step can include a T cell target recognition assay. The T cell target recognition assay can be selected from the group including, but not limited to, a cytolytic activity assay, a chromium release assay, a cytokine assay, an ELISPOT assay, tetramer analysis, and the like.
In still another aspect, the amino acid sequence of the substrate polypeptide including the epitope can be arbitrary. Also, the substrate polypeptide in which the epitope is embedded can be derived from an authentic sequence of a target-associated antigen. Further, the substrate polypeptide in which the epitope is embedded can be conformed to a preferred immune proteasome cleavage site flanking sequence.
In another aspect, the substrate polypeptide can include an array of additional epitopes. Members of the array can be arranged head-to-tail, for example. The array can include more than one housekeeping epitope. The more than one housekeeping epitope can include copies of the same epitope. The array can include a housekeeping and an immune epitope, or alternating housekeeping and immune epitopes, for example. Also, the array can include a housekeeping epitope positioned between two immune epitopes in an epitope battery. The array can include multiple epitope batteries, so that there are two immune epitopes between each housekeeping epitope in the interior of the array. Optionally, at least one of the epitopes can be truncated distally to its junction with an adjacent epitope. The truncated epitopes can be immune epitopes, for example. The truncated epitopes can have lengths selected from the group including, but not limited to, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 amino acids, and the like.
In still another aspect, the substrate polypeptide can include an array of epitopes and epitope clusters. Members of the array can be arranged head-to-tail, for example.
In yet another aspect, the proteasome can be an immune proteasome.
Another embodiment of the disclosed invention relates to vectors including a housekeeping epitope expression cassette. The housekeeping epitope(s) can be derived from a target-associated antigen, and the housekeeping epitope can be liberatable, that is capable of liberation, from a translation product of the cassette by immunoproteasome processing.
In one aspect of the invention the expression cassette can encode an array of two or more epitopes or at least one epitope and at least one epitope cluster. The members of the array can be arranged head-to-tail, for example. Also, the members of the array can be arranged head-to-tail separated by spacing sequences, for example. Further, the array can include a plurality of housekeeping epitopes. The plurality of housekeeping epitopes can include more than one copy of the same epitope or single copies of distinct epitopes, for example. The array can include at least one housekeeping epitope and at least one immune epitope. Also, the array can include alternating housekeeping and immune epitopes. Further, the array includes a housekeeping epitope sandwiched between two immune epitopes so that there are two immune epitopes between each housekeeping epitope in the interior of the array. The immune epitopes can be truncated distally to their junction with the adjacent housekeeping epitope.
In another aspect, the expression cassette further encodes an authentic protein sequence, or segment thereof, including at least one immune epitope. Optionally, the segment can include at least one epitope cluster. The housekeeping epitope expression cassette and the authentic sequence including at least one immune epitope can be encoded in a single reading frame or transcribed as a single mRNA species, for example. Also, the housekeeping epitope expression cassette and the authentic sequence including at least one immune epitope may not be transcribed as a single mRNA species.
In yet another aspect, the vector can include a DNA molecule or an RNA molecule. The vector can encode, for example, SEQ ID NO. 4, SEQ ID NO. 17, SEQ ID NO. 20, SEQ ID NO. 26, SEQ ID NO. 27, SEQ ID NO. 29, SEQ ID NO. 33, and the like. Also, the vector can include SEQ ID NO. 9, SEQ ID NO. 19, SEQ ID NO. 21, SEQ ID NO. 30, SEQ ID NO. 34, and the like. Also, the vector can encode SEQ ID NO. 5 or SEQ ID NO. 18, for example.
In still another aspect, the target-associated antigen can be an antigen derived from or associated with a tumor or an intracellular parasite, and the intracellular parasite can be, for example, a virus, a bacterium, a protozoan, or the like.
Another embodiment of the invention relates to vectors including a housekeeping epitope identified according to any of the methods disclosed herein, claimed or otherwise. For example, embodiments can relate to vector encoding a substrate polypeptide that includes a housekeeping epitope by any of the methods described herein.
In one aspect, the housekeeping epitope can be liberated from the cassette translation product by immune proteasome processing.
Another embodiment of the disclosed invention relates to methods of activating a T cell. The methods can include, for example, the steps of contacting a vector including a housekeeping epitope expression cassette with an APC. The housekeeping epitope can be derived from a target-associated antigen, for example, and the housekeeping epitope can be liberatable from a translation product of the cassette by immunoproteasome processing. The methods can further include contacting the APC with a T cell. The contacting of the vector with the APC can occur in vitro or in vivo.
Another embodiment of the disclosed invention relates to a substrate polypeptide including a housekeeping epitope wherein the housekeeping epitope can be liberated by immunoproteasome processing in a pAPC.
Another embodiment of the disclosed invention relates to a method of activating a T cell comprising contacting a substrate polypeptide including a housekeeping epitope with an APC wherein the housekeeping epitope can be liberated by immunoproteasome processing and contacting the APC with a T cell.
Unless otherwise clear from the context of the use of a term herein, the following listed terms shall generally have the indicated meanings for purposes of this description.
PROFESSIONAL ANTIGEN-PRESENTING CELL (pAPC)—a cell that possesses T cell costimulatory molecules and is able to induce a T cell response. Well characterized pAPCs include dendritic cells, B cells, and macrophages.
PERIPHERAL CELL—a cell that is not a pAPC.
HOUSEKEEPING PROTEASOME—a proteasome normally active in peripheral cells, and generally not present or not strongly active in pAPCs.
IMMUNOPROTEASOME—a proteasome normally active in pAPCs; the immunoproteasome is also active in some peripheral cells in infected tissues or following exposure to interferon.
EPITOPE—a molecule or substance capable of stimulating an immune response. In preferred embodiments, epitopes according to this definition include but are not necessarily limited to a polypeptide and a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide is capable of stimulating an immune response. In other preferred embodiments, epitopes according to this definition include but are not necessarily limited to peptides presented on the surface of cells, the peptides being non-covalently bound to the binding cleft of class I MHC, such that they can interact with T cell receptors (TCR). Epitopes presented by class I MHC may be in immature or mature form. “Mature” refers to an MHC epitope in distinction to any precursor (“immature”) that may include or consist essentially of a housekeeping epitope, but also includes other sequences in a primary translation product that are removed by processing, including without limitation, alone or in any combination, proteasomal digestion, N-terminal trimming, or the action of exogenous enzymatic activities. Thus, a mature epitope may be provided embedded in a somewhat longer polypeptide, the immunological potential of which is due, at least in part, to the embedded epitope; or in its ultimate form that can bind in the MHC binding cleft to be recognized by TCR, respectively.
MHC EPITOPE—a polypeptide having a known or predicted binding affinity for a mammalian class I or class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule.
HOUSEKEEPING EPITOPE—In a preferred embodiment, a housekeeping epitope is defined as a polypeptide fragment that is an MHC epitope, and that is displayed on a cell in which housekeeping proteasomes are predominantly active. In another preferred embodiment, a housekeeping epitope is defined as a polypeptide containing a housekeeping epitope according to the foregoing definition, that is flanked by one to several additional amino acids. In another preferred embodiment, a housekeeping epitope is defined as a nucleic acid that encodes a housekeeping epitope according to the foregoing definitions. Exemplary housekeeping epitopes are provide in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/117,937, filed on Apr. 4, 2002; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/282,211, filed on Apr. 6, 2001; 60/337,017, filed on Nov. 7, 2001; 60/363,210 filed Mar. 7, 2002; and 60/409,123, filed on Sep. 5, 2002; all of which are entitled EPITOPE SEQUENCES, and all of which above were incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
IMMUNE EPITOPE—In a preferred embodiment, an immune epitope is defined as a polypeptide fragment that is an MHC epitope, and that is displayed on a cell in which immunoproteasomes are predominantly active. In another preferred embodiment, an immune epitope is defined as a polypeptide containing an immune epitope according to the foregoing definition, that is flanked by one to several additional amino acids. In another preferred embodiment, an immune epitope is defined as a polypeptide including an epitope cluster sequence, having at least two polypeptide sequences having a known or predicted affinity for a class I MHC. In yet another preferred embodiment, an immune epitope is defined as a nucleic acid that encodes an immune epitope according to any of the foregoing definitions.
TARGET CELL—a cell to be targeted by the vaccines and methods of the invention. Examples of target cells according to this definition include but are not necessarily limited to: a neoplastic cell and a cell harboring an intracellular parasite, such as, for example, a virus, a bacterium, or a protozoan. Target cells can also include cells that are targeted by CTL as a part of assays to determine or confirm proper epitope liberation and processing by a cell expressing immunoproteasome, to determine T cell specificity or immunogenicity for a desired epitope. Such cells may be transformed to express the substrate or liberation sequence, or the cells can simply be pulsed with peptide/epitope.
TARGET-ASSOCIATED ANTIGEN (TAA)—a protein or polypeptide present in a target cell.
TUMOR-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS (TuAA)—a TAA, wherein the target cell is a neoplastic cell.
HLA EPITOPE—a polypeptide having a known or predicted binding affinity for a human class I or class II HLA complex molecule.
ANTIBODY—a natural immunoglobulin (Ig), poly- or monoclonal, or any molecule composed in whole or in part of an Ig binding domain, whether derived biochemically or by use of recombinant DNA. Examples include inter alia, F(ab), single chain Fv, and Ig variable region-phage coat protein fusions.
ENCODE—an open-ended term such that a nucleic acid encoding a particular amino acid sequence can consist of codons specifying that (poly)peptide, but can also comprise additional sequences either translatable, or for the control of transcription, translation, or replication, or to facilitate manipulation of some host nucleic acid construct.
SUBSTANTIAL SIMILARITY—this term is used to refer to sequences that differ from a reference sequence in an inconsequential way as judged by examination of the sequence. Nucleic acid sequences encoding the same amino acid sequence are substantially similar despite differences in degenerate positions or modest differences in length or composition of any non-coding regions. Amino acid sequences differing only by conservative substitution or minor length variations are substantially similar. Additionally, amino acid sequences comprising housekeeping epitopes that differ in the number of N-terminal flanking residues, or immune epitopes and epitope clusters that differ in the number of flanking residues at either terminus, are substantially similar. Nucleic acids that encode substantially similar amino acid sequences are themselves also substantially similar.
FUNCTIONAL SIMILARITY—this term is used to refer to sequences that differ from a reference sequence in an inconsequential way as judged by examination of a biological or biochemical property, although the sequences may not be substantially similar. For example, two nucleic acids can be useful as hybridization probes for the same sequence but encode differing amino acid sequences. Two peptides that induce cross-reactive CTL responses are functionally similar even if they differ by non-conservative amino acid substitutions (and thus do not meet the substantial similarity definition). Pairs of antibodies, or TCRs, that recognize the same epitope can be functionally similar to each other despite whatever structural differences exist. In testing for functional similarity of immunogenicity one would generally immunize with the “altered” antigen and test the ability of the elicited response (Ab, CTL, cytokine production, etc.) to recognize the target antigen. Accordingly, two sequences may be designed to differ in certain respects while retaining the same function. Such designed sequence variants are among the embodiments of the present invention.
EXPRESSION CASSETTE—a polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide, operably linked to a promoter and other transcription and translation control elements, including but not limited to enhancers, termination codons, internal ribosome entry sites, and polyadenylation sites. The cassette can also include sequences that facilitate moving it from one host molecule to another.
EMBEDDED EPITOPE—an epitope contained within a longer polypeptide, also can include an epitope in which either the N-terminus or the C-terminus is embedded such that the epitope is not in an interior position.
MATURE EPITOPE—a peptide with no additional sequence beyond that present when the epitope is bound in the MHC peptide-binding cleft.
EPITOPE CLUSTER—a polypeptide, or a nucleic acid sequence encoding it, that is a segment of a native protein sequence comprising two or more known or predicted epitopes with binding affinity for a shared MHC restriction element, wherein the density of epitopes within the cluster is greater than the density of all known or predicted epitopes with binding affinity for the shared MHC restriction element within the complete protein sequence, and as disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/561,571 entitled EPITOPE CLUSTERS.
SUBSTRATE OR LIBERATION SEQUENCE—a designed or engineered sequence comprising or encoding a housekeeping epitope (according to the first of the definitions offered above) embedded in a larger sequence that provides a context allowing the housekeeping epitope to be liberated by immunoproteasomal processing, directly or in combination with N-terminal trimming or other processes.
Epitope Clusters
Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein provide epitope cluster regions (ECRs) for use in vaccines and in vaccine design and epitope discovery. Specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to identifying epitope clusters for use in generating immunologically active compositions directed against target cell populations, and for use in the discovery of discrete housekeeping epitopes and immune epitopes. In many cases, numerous putative class I MHC epitopes may exist in a single target-associated antigen (TAA). Such putative epitopes are often found in clusters (ECRs), MHC epitopes distributed at a relatively high density within certain regions in the amino acid sequence of the parent TAA. Since these ECRs include multiple putative epitopes with potential useful biological activity in inducing an immune response, they represent an excellent material for in vitro or in vivo analysis to identify particularly useful epitopes for vaccine design. And, since the epitope clusters can themselves be processed inside a cell to produce active MHC epitopes, the clusters can be used directly in vaccines, with one or more putative epitopes in the cluster actually being processed into an active MHC epitope.
The use of ECRs in vaccines offers important technological advances in the manufacture of recombinant vaccines, and further offers crucial advantages in safety over existing nucleic acid vaccines that encode whole protein sequences. Recombinant vaccines generally rely on expensive and technically challenging production of whole proteins in microbial fermentors. ECRs offer the option of using chemically synthesized polypeptides, greatly simplifying development and manufacture, and obviating a variety of safety concerns. Similarly, the ability to use nucleic acid sequences encoding ECRs, which are typically relatively short regions of an entire sequence, allows the use of synthetic oligonucleotide chemistry processes in the development and manipulation of nucleic acid based vaccines, rather than the more expensive, time consuming, and potentially difficult molecular biology procedures involved with using whole gene sequences.
Since an ECR is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that is relatively short compared to that which encodes the whole protein from which the ECR is found, this can greatly improve the safety of nucleic acid vaccines. An important issue in the field of nucleic acid vaccines is the fact that the extent of sequence homology of the vaccine with sequences in the animal to which it is administered determines the probability of integration of the vaccine sequence into the genome of the animal. A fundamental safety concern of nucleic acid vaccines is their potential to integrate into genomic sequences, which can cause deregulation of gene expression and tumor transformation. The Food and Drug Administration has advised that nucleic acid and recombinant vaccines should contain as little sequence homology with human sequences as possible. In the case of vaccines delivering tumor-associated antigens, it is inevitable that the vaccines contain nucleic acid sequences that are homologous to those which encode proteins that are expressed in the tumor cells of patients. It is, however, highly desirable to limit the extent of those sequences to that which is minimally essential to facilitate the expression of epitopes for inducing therapeutic immune responses. The use of ECRs thus offers the dual benefit of providing a minimal region of homology, while incorporating multiple epitopes that have potential therapeutic value.
Note that the following discussion sets forth the inventors' understanding of the operation of the invention. However, it is not intended that this discussion limit the patent to any particular theory of operation not set forth in the claims.
ECRs are Processed into MHC-Binding Epitopes in pAPCs
The immune system constantly surveys the body for the presence of foreign antigens, in part through the activity of pAPCs. The pAPCs endocytose matter found in the extracellular milieu, process that matter from a polypeptide form into shorter oligopeptides of about 3 to 23 amino acids in length, and display some of the resulting peptides to T cells via the MHC complex of the pAPCs. For example, a tumor cell upon lysis releases its cellular contents, including various proteins, into the extracellular milieu. Those released proteins can be endocytosed by pAPCs and processed into discrete peptides that are then displayed on the surface of the pAPCs via the MHC. By this mechanism, it is not the entire target protein that is presented on the surface of the pAPCs, but rather only one or more discrete fragments of that protein that are presented as MHC-binding epitopes. If a presented epitope is recognized by a T cell, that T cell is activated and an immune response results.
Similarly, the scavenger receptors on pAPC can take-up naked nucleic acid sequences or recombinant organisms containing target nucleic acid sequences. Uptake of the nucleic acid sequences into the pAPC subsequently results in the expression of the encoded products. As above, when an ECR can be processed into one or more useful epitopes, these products can be presented as MHC epitopes for recognition by T cells.
MHC-binding epitopes are often distributed unevenly throughout a protein sequence in clusters. Embodiments of the invention are directed to identifying epitope cluster regions (ECRs) in a particular region of a target protein. Candidate ECRs are likely to be natural substrates for various proteolytic enzymes and are likely to be processed into one or more epitopes for MHC display on the surface of an pAPC. In contrast to more traditional vaccines that deliver whole proteins or biological agents, ECRs can be administered as vaccines, resulting in a high probability that at least one epitope will be presented on MHC without requiring the use of a full length sequence.
The Use of ECRs in Identifying Discrete MHC-Binding Epitopes
Identifying putative MHC epitopes for use in vaccines often includes the use of available predictive algorithms that analyze the sequences of proteins or genes to predict binding affinity of peptide fragments for MHC. These algorithms rank putative epitopes according to predicted affinity or other characteristics associated with MHC binding. Exemplary algorithms for this kind of analysis include the Rammensee and NIH (Parker) algorithms. However, identifying epitopes that are naturally present on the surface of cells from among putative epitopes predicted using these algorithms has proven to be a difficult and laborious process. The use of ECRs in an epitope identification process can enormously simplify the task of identifying discrete MHC binding epitopes.
In a preferred embodiment, ECR polypeptides are synthesized on an automated peptide synthesizer and these ECRs are then subjected to in vitro digests using proteolytic enzymes involved in processing proteins for presentation of the epitopes. Mass spectrometry and/or analytical HPLC are then used to identify the digest products and in vitro MHC binding studies are used to assess the ability of these products to actually bind to MHC. Once epitopes contained in ECRs have been shown to bind MHC, they can be incorporated into vaccines or used as diagnostics, either as discrete epitopes or in the context of ECRs.
The use of an ECR (which because of its relatively short sequence can be produced through chemical synthesis) in this preferred embodiment is a significant improvement over what otherwise would require the use of whole protein. This is because whole proteins have to be produced using recombinant expression vector systems and/or complex purification procedures. The simplicity of using chemically synthesized ECRs enables the analysis and identification of large numbers of epitopes, while greatly reducing the time and expense of the process as compared to other currently used methods. The use of a defined ECR also greatly simplifies mass spectrum analysis of the digest, since the products of an ECR digest are a small fraction of the digest products of a whole protein.
In another embodiment, nucleic acid sequences encoding ECRs are used to express the polypeptides in cells or cell lines to assess which epitopes are presented on the surface. A variety of means can be used to detect the epitope on the surface. Preferred embodiments involve the lysis of the cells and affinity purification of the MHC, and subsequent elution and analysis of peptides from the MHC; or elution of epitopes from intact cells; (Falk, K. et al. Nature 351:290, 1991, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,565, respectively, both of which references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety). A sensitive method for analyzing peptides eluted in this way from the MHC employs capillary or nanocapillary HPLC ESI mass spectrometry and on-line sequencing.
Target-Associated Antigens that Contain ECRs
TAAs from which ECRs may be defined include those from TuAAs, including oncofetal, cancer-testis, deregulated genes, fusion genes from errant translocations, differentiation antigens, embryonic antigens, cell cycle proteins, mutated tumor suppressor genes, and overexpressed gene products, including oncogenes. In addition, ECRs may be derived from virus gene products, particularly those associated with viruses that cause chronic diseases or are oncogenic, such as the herpes viruses, human papilloma viruses, human immunodeficiency virus, and human T cell leukemia virus. Also ECRs may be derived from gene products of parasitic organisms, such as Trypanosoma, Leishmania, and other intracellular or parasitic organisms.
Some of these TuAA include α-fetoprotein, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), esophageal cancer derived NY-ESO-1, and SSX genes, SCP-1, PRAME, MART-1/MelanA (MART-1), gp100 (Pmel 17), tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2, MAGE-1, MAGE-2, MAGE-3, BAGE, GAGE-1, GAGE-2, p15; overexpressed oncogenes and mutated tumor-suppressor genes such as p53, Ras, HER-2/neu; unique tumor antigens resulting from chromosomal translocations such as BCR-ABL, E2A-PRL, H4-RET, IGH-IGK, MYL-RAR1 and viral antigens, EBNA1, EBNA2, HPV-E6, -E7; prostate specific antigen (PSA), prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), MAAT-1, GP-100, TSP-180, MAGE-4, MAGE-5, MAGE-6, RAGE, p185erbB-2, p185erbB-3, c-met, nm-23H1, TAG-72, CA 19-9, CA 72-4, CAM 17.1, NuMa, K-ras, β-Catenin, CDK4, Mum-1, p15, and p16.
Numerous other TAAs are also contemplated for both pathogens and tumors. In terms of TuAAs, a variety of methods are available and well known in the art to identify genes and gene products that are differentially expressed in neoplastic cells as compared to normal cells. Examples of these techniques include differential hybridization, including the use of microarrays; subtractive hybridization cloning; differential display, either at the level of mRNA or protein expression; EST sequencing; and SAGE (sequential analysis of gene expression). These nucleic acid techniques have been reviewed by Carulli, J. P. et al., J. Cellular Biochem Suppl. 30/31:286-296, 1998 (hereby incorporated by reference). Differential display of proteins involves, for example, comparison of two-dimensional poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis of cell lysates from tumor and normal tissue, location of protein spots unique or overexpressed in the tumor, recovery of the protein from the gel, and identification of the protein using traditional biochemical- or mass spectrometry-based sequencing. An additional technique for identification of TAAs is the Serex technique, discussed in Türeci, Ö., Sahin, U., and Pfreundschuh, M., “Serological analysis of human tumor antigens: molecular definition and implications”, Molecular Medicine Today, 3:342, 1997, and hereby incorporated by reference.
Use of these and other methods provides one of skill in the art the techniques necessary to identify genes and gene products contained within a target cell that may be used as potential candidate proteins for generating the epitopes of the invention disclosed. However, it is not necessary, in practicing the invention, to identify a novel TuAA or TAA. Rather, embodiments of the invention make it possible to identify ECRs from any relevant protein sequence, whether the sequence is already known or is new.
Protein Sequence Analysis to Identify Epitope Clusters
In preferred embodiments of the invention, identification of ECRs involves two main steps: (1) identifying good putative epitopes; and (2) defining the limits of any clusters in which these putative epitopes are located. There are various preferred embodiments of each of these two steps, and a selected embodiment for the first step can be freely combined with a selected embodiment for the second step. The methods and embodiments that are disclosed herein for each of these steps are merely exemplary, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Persons of skill in the art will appreciate the specific tools that can be applied to the analysis of a specific TAA, and such analysis can be conducted in numerous ways in accordance with the invention.
Preferred embodiments for identifying good putative epitopes include the use of any available predictive algorithm that analyzes the sequences of proteins or genes to predict binding affinity of peptide fragments for MHC, or to rank putative epitopes according to predicted affinity or other characteristics associated with MHC binding. As described above, available exemplary algorithms for this kind of analysis include the Rammensee and NIH (Parker) algorithms. Likewise, good putative epitopes can be identified by direct or indirect assays of MHC binding. To choose “good” putative epitopes, it is necessary to set a cutoff point in terms of the score reported by the prediction software or in terms of the assayed binding affinity. In some embodiments, such a cutoff is absolute. For example, the cutoff can be based on the measured or predicted half time of dissociation between an epitope and a selected MHC allele. In such cases, embodiments of the cutoff can be any half time of dissociation longer than, for example, 0.5 minutes; in a preferred embodiment longer than 2.5 minutes; in a more preferred embodiment longer than 5 minutes; and in a highly stringent embodiment can be longer than 10, or 20, or 25 minutes. In these embodiments, the good putative epitopes are those that are predicted or identified to have good MHC binding characteristics, defined as being on the desirable side of the designated cutoff point. Likewise, the cutoff can be based on the measured or predicted binding affinity between an epitope and a selected MHC allele. Additionally, the absolute cutoff can be simply a selected number of putative epitopes.
In other embodiments, the cutoff is relative. For example, a selected percentage of the total number of putative epitopes can be used to establish the cutoff for defining a candidate sequence as a good putative epitope. Again the properties for ranking the epitopes are derived from measured or predicted MHC binding; the property used for such a determination can be any that is relevant to or indicative of binding. In preferred embodiments, identification of good putative epitopes can combine multiple methods of ranking candidate sequences. In such embodiments, the good epitopes are typically those that either represent a consensus of the good epitopes based on different methods and parameters, or that are particularly highly ranked by at least one of the methods.
When several good putative epitopes have been identified, their positions relative to each other can be analyzed to determine the optimal clusters for use in vaccines or in vaccine design. This analysis is based on the density of a selected epitope characteristic within the sequence of the TAA. The regions with the highest density of the characteristic, or with a density above a certain selected cutoff, are designated as ECRs. Various embodiments of the invention employ different characteristics for the density analysis. For example, one preferred characteristic is simply the presence of any good putative epitope (as defined by any appropriate method). In this embodiment, all putative epitopes above the cutoff are treated equally in the density analysis, and the best clusters are those with the highest density of good putative epitopes per amino acid residue. In another embodiment, the preferred characteristic is based on the parameter(s) previously used to score or rank the putative epitopes. In this embodiment, a putative epitope with a score that is twice as high as another putative epitope is doubly weighted in the density analysis, relative to the other putative epitope. Still other embodiments take the score or rank into account, but on a diminished scale, such as, for example, by using the log or the square root of the score to give more weight to some putative epitopes than to others in the density analysis.
Depending on the length of the TAA to be analyzed, the number of possible candidate epitopes, the number of good putative epitopes, the variability of the scoring of the good putative epitopes, and other factors that become evident in any given analysis, the various embodiments of the invention can be used alone or in combination to identify those ECRs that are most useful for a given application. Iterative or parallel analyses employing multiple approaches can be beneficial in many cases. ECRs are tools for increased efficiency of identifying true MHC epitopes, and for efficient “packaging” of MHC epitopes into vaccines. Accordingly, any of the embodiments described herein, or other embodiments that are evident to those of skill in the art based on this disclosure, are useful in enhancing the efficiency of these efforts by using ECRs instead of using complete TAAs in vaccines and vaccine design.
Since many or most TAAs have regions with low density of predicted MHC epitopes, using ECRs provides a valuable methodology that avoids the inefficiencies of including regions of low epitope density in vaccines and in epitope identification protocols. Thus, useful ECRs can also be defined as any portion of a TAA that is not the whole TAA, wherein the portion has a higher density of putative epitopes than the whole TAA, or than any regions of the TAA that have a particularly low density of putative epitopes. In this aspect of the invention, therefore, an ECR can be any fragment of a TAA with elevated epitope density. In some embodiments, an ECR can include a region up to about 80% of the length of the TAA. In a preferred embodiment, an ECR can include a region up to about 50% of the length of the TAA. In a more preferred embodiment, an ECR can include a region up to about 30% of the length of the TAA. And in a most preferred embodiment, an ECR can include a region of between 5 and 15% of the length of the TAA.
In another aspect of the invention, the ECR can be defined in terms of its absolute length. Accordingly, by this definition, the minimal cluster for 9-mer epitopes includes 10 amino acid residues and has two overlapping 9-mers with 8 amino acids in common. In a preferred embodiment, the cluster is between about 15 and 75 amino acids in length. In a more preferred embodiment, the cluster is between about 20 and 60 amino acids in length. In a most preferred embodiment, the cluster is between about 30 and 40 amino acids in length.
In practice, as described above, ECR identification can employ a simple density function such as the number of epitopes divided by the number of amino acids spanned by the those epitopes. It is not necessarily required that the epitopes overlap, but the value for a single epitope is not significant. If only a single value for a percentage cutoff is used and an absolute cutoff in the epitope prediction is not used, it is possible to set a single threshold at this step to define a cluster. However, using both an absolute cutoff and carrying out the first step using different percentage cutoffs, can produce variations in the global density of candidate epitopes. Such variations can require further accounting or manipulation. For example, an overlap of 2 epitopes is more significant if only 3 candidate epitopes were considered, than if 30 candidates were considered for any particular length protein. To take this feature into consideration, the weight given to a particular cluster can further be divided by the fraction of possible peptides actually being considered, in order to increase the significance of the calculation. This scales the result to the average density of predicted epitopes in the parent protein.
Similarly, some embodiments base the scoring of good putative epitopes on the average number of peptides considered per amino acid in the protein. The resulting ratio represents the factor by which the density of predicted epitopes in the putative cluster differs from the average density in the protein. Accordingly, an ECR is defined in one embodiment as any region containing two or more predicted epitopes for which this ratio exceeds 2, that is, any region with twice the average density of epitopes. In other embodiments, the region is defined as an ECR if the ratio exceeds 1.5, 3, 4, or 5, or more.
Considering the average number of peptides per amino acid in a target protein to calculate the presence of an ECR highlights densely populated ECRs without regard to the score/affinity of the individual constituents. This is most appropriate for use of score-based cutoffs. However, an ECR with only a small number of highly ranked candidates can be of more biological significance than a cluster with several densely packed but lower ranking candidates, particularly if only a small percentage of the total number of candidate peptides were designated as good putative epitopes. Thus in some embodiments it is appropriate to take into consideration the scores of the individual peptides. This is most readily accomplished by substituting the sum of the scores of the peptides in the putative cluster for the number of peptides in the putative cluster in the calculation described above.
This sum of scores method is more sensitive to sparsely populated clusters containing high scoring epitopes. Because the wide range of scores (i.e. half times of dissociation) produced by the BIMAS-NIH/Parker algorithm can lead to a single high scoring peptide dwarfing the contribution of other potential epitopes, the log of the score rather than the score itself is preferably used in this procedure.
Various other calculations can be devised under one or another condition. Generally speaking, the epitope density function is constructed so that it is proportional to the number of predicted epitopes, their scores, their ranks, and the like, within the putative cluster, and inversely proportional to the number of amino acids or fraction of protein contained within that putative cluster. Alternatively, the function can be evaluated for a window of a selected number of contiguous amino acids. In either case the function is also evaluated for all predicted epitopes in the whole protein. If the ratio of values for the putative cluster (or window) and the whole protein is greater than, for example, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more, an ECR is defined.
Analysis of Target Gene Products For MHC Binding
Once a TAA has been identified, the protein sequence can be used to identify putative epitopes with known or predicted affinity to the MHC peptide binding cleft. Tests of peptide fragments can be conducted in vitro, or using the sequence can be computer analyzed to determine MHC receptor binding of the peptide fragments. In one embodiment of the invention, peptide fragments based on the amino acid sequence of the target protein are analyzed for their predicted ability to bind to the MHC peptide binding cleft. Examples of suitable computer algorithms for this purpose include that found at the world wide web page of Hans-Georg Rammensee, Jutta Bachmann, Niels Emmerich, Stefan Stevanovic: SYFPEITHI: An Internet Database for MHC Ligands and Peptide Motifs (access via hypertext transfer protocol: //134.2.96.221/scripts/hlaserver.dll/EpPredict.htm). Results obtained from this method are discussed in Rammensee, et al., “MHC Ligands and Peptide Motifs,” Landes Bioscience Austin, Tex., 224-227, 1997, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Another site of interest is found at hypertext transfer protocol: //bimas.dcrt.nih.gov/molbio/hla_bind, which also contains a suitable algorithm. The methods of this web site are discussed in Parker, et al., “Scheme for ranking potential HLA-A2 binding peptides based on independent binding of individual peptide side-chains,” J. Immunol. 152:163-175, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
As an alternative to predictive algorithms, a number of standard in vitro receptor binding affinity assays are available to identify peptides having an affinity for a particular allele of MHC. Accordingly, by the method of this aspect of the invention, the initial population of peptide fragments can be narrowed to include only putative epitopes having an actual or predicted affinity for the selected allele of MHC. Selected common alleles of MHC I, and their approximate frequencies, are reported in the tables below.
aGene frequency.
bStandard error.
aGene frequency.
bStandard error.
cThe observed gene count was zero.
aGene frequency.
bStandard error.
It has been observed that predicted epitopes often cluster at one or more particular regions within the amino acid sequence of a TAA. The identification of such ECRs offers a simple and practicable solution to the problem of designing effective vaccines for stimulating cellular immunity. For vaccines in which immune epitopes are desired, an ECR is directly useful as a vaccine. This is because the immune proteasomes of the pAPCs can correctly process the cluster, liberating one or more of the contained MHC-binding peptides, in the same way a cell having immune proteasomes activity processes and presents peptides derived from the complete TAA. The cluster is also a useful a starting material for identification of housekeeping epitopes produced by the housekeeping proteasomes active in peripheral cells.
Identification of housekeeping epitopes using ECRs as a starting material is described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/561,074 entitled “METHOD OF EPITOPE DISCOVERY,” filed Apr. 28, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Epitope synchronization technology and vaccines for use in connection with this invention are disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/560,465 entitled “EPITOPE SYNCHRONIZATION IN ANTIGEN PRESENTING CELLS,” filed Apr. 28, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Nucleic acid constructs useful as vaccines in accordance with the present invention are disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/561,572 entitled “EXPRESSION VECTORS ENCODING EPITOPES OF TARGET-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS,” filed Apr. 28, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Vector Design and Vectors
Degradation of cytosolic proteins takes place via the ubiquitin-dependent multi-catalytic multi-subunit protease system known as the proteasome. The proteasome degrades cytosolic proteins generating fragments that can then be translocated from the cytosol into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for loading onto class I MHC. Such protein fragments shall be referred to as class I peptides. The peptide loaded MHC are subsequently transported to the cell surface where they can be detected by CTL.
The multi-catalytic activity of the proteasome is the result of its multi-subunit structure. Subunits are expressed from different genes and assembled post-translationally into the proteasome complex. A key feature of the proteasome is its bimodal activity, which enables it to exert its protease, or cleavage function, with two discrete kinds of cleavage patterns. This bimodal action of the proteasome is extremely fundamental to understanding how CTL are targeted to recognize peripheral cells in the body and how this targeting requires synchronization between the immune system and the targeted cells.
The housekeeping proteasome is constitutively active in all peripheral cells and tissues of the body. The first mode of operation for the housekeeping proteasome is to degrade cellular protein, recycling it into amino acids. Proteasome function is therefore a necessary activity for cell life. As a corollary to its housekeeping protease activity, however, class I peptides generated by the housekeeping proteasome are presented on all of the peripheral cells of the body.
The proteasome's second mode of function is highly exclusive and occurs specifically in pAPCs or as a consequence of a cellular response to interferons (IFNs). In its second mode of activity the proteasome incorporates unique subunits, which replace the catalytic subunits of the constitutive housekeeping proteasome. This “modified” proteasome has been called the immunoproteasome, owing to its expression in pAPC and as a consequence of induction by IFN in body cells.
APC define the repertoire of CTL that recirculate through the body and are potentially active as killer cells. CTL are activated by interacting with class I peptide presented on the surface of a pAPC. Activated CTL are induced to proliferate and caused to recirculate through the body in search of diseased cells. This is why the CTL response in the body is defined specifically by the class I peptides produced by the pAPC. It is important to remember that pAPCs express the immunoproteasome, and that as a consequence of the bimodal activity of the proteasome, the cleavage pattern of proteins (and the resultant class I peptides produced) are different from those in peripheral body cells which express housekeeping proteasome. The differential proteasome activity in pAPC and peripheral body cells, therefore, is important to consider during natural infection and with therapeutic CTL vaccination strategies.
All cells of the body are capable of producing IFN in the event that they are infected by a pathogen such as a virus. IFN production in turn results in the expression of the immunoproteasome in the infected cell. Viral antigens are thereby processed by the immunoproteasome of the infected cell and the consequent peptides are displayed with class I MHC on the cell surface. At the same time, pAPC are sequestering virus antigens and are processing class I peptides with their immunoproteasome activity, which is normal for the pAPC cell type. The CTL response in the body is being stimulated specifically by the class I peptides produced by the pAPC. Fortunately, the infected cell is also producing class I peptides from the immunoproteasome, rather than the normal housekeeping proteasome. Thus, virus-related class I peptides are being produced that enable detection by the ensuing CTL response. The CTL immune response is induced by pAPC, which normally produce different class I peptides compared to peripheral body cells, owing to different proteasome activity. Therefore, during infection there is epitope synchronization between the infected cell and the immune system.
This is not the case with tumors and chronic viruses, which block the interferon system. For tumors there is no infection in the tumor cell to induce the immunoproteasome expression, and chronic virus infection either directly or indirectly blocks immunoproteasome expression. In both cases the diseased cell maintains its display of class I peptides derived from housekeeping proteasome activity and avoids effective surveillance by CTL.
In the case of therapeutic vaccination to eradicate tumors or chronic infections, the bimodal function of the proteasome and its differential activity in APC and peripheral cells of the body is significant. Upon vaccination with protein antigen, and before a CTL response can occur, the antigen must be acquired and processed into peptides that are subsequently presented on class I MHC on the pAPC surface. The activated CTL recirculate in search of cells with similar class I peptide on the surface. Cells with this peptide will be subjected to destruction by the cytolytic activity of the CTL. If the targeted diseased cell does not express the immunoproteasome, which is present in the pAPC, then the epitopes are not synchronized and CTL fail to find the desired peptide target on the surface of the diseased cell.
Preferably, therapeutic vaccine design takes into account the class I peptide that is actually present on the target tissue. That is, effective antigens used to stimulate CTL to attack diseased tissue are those that are naturally processed and presented on the surface of the diseased tissue. For tumors and chronic infection this generally means that the CTL epitopes are those that have been processed by the housekeeping proteasome. In order to generate an effective therapeutic vaccine, CTL epitopes are identified based on the knowledge that such epitopes are, in fact, produced by the housekeeping proteasome system. Once identified, these epitopes, embodied as peptides, can be used to successfully immunize or induce therapeutic CTL responses against housekeeping proteasome expressing target cells in the host.
However, in the case of DNA vaccines, there can be an additional consideration. The immunization with DNA requires that APCs take up the DNA and express the encoded proteins or peptides. It is possible to encode a discrete class I peptide on the DNA. By immunizing with this construct, APCs can be caused to express a housekeeping epitope, which is then displayed on class I MHC on the surface of the cell for stimulating an appropriate CTL response. Constructs for generation of proper termini of housekeeping epitopes have been described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/561,572 entitled EXPRESSION VECTORS ENCODING EPITOPES OF TARGET-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS, filed on Apr. 28, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Embodiments of the invention provide expression cassettes that encode one or more embedded housekeeping epitopes, and methods for designing and testing such expression cassettes. The expression cassettes and constructs can encode epitopes, including housekeeping epitopes, derived from antigens that are associated with targets. Housekeeping epitopes can be liberated from the translation product(s) of the cassettes. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, the housekeeping epitope(s) can be flanked by arbitrary sequences or by sequences incorporating residues known to be favored in immunoproteasome cleavage sites. In further embodiments of the invention multiple epitopes can be arrayed head-to-tail. In some embodiments, these arrays can be made up entirely of housekeeping epitopes. Likewise, the arrays can include alternating housekeeping and immune epitopes. Alternatively, the arrays can include housekeeping epitopes flanked by immune epitopes, whether complete or distally truncated. In some preferred embodiments, each housekeeping epitope can be flanked on either side by an immune epitope, such that an array of such arrangements has two immune epitopes between each housekeeping epitope. Further, the arrays can be of any other similar arrangement. There is no restriction on placing a housekeeping epitope at the terminal positions of the array. The vectors can additionally contain authentic protein coding sequences or segments thereof containing epitope clusters as a source of immune epitopes.
Several disclosures make reference to polyepitopes or string-of-bead arrays. See, for example, WO0119408A1, Mar. 22, 2001; WO9955730A2, Nov. 4, 1999; WO0040261A2, Jul. 13, 2000; WO9603144A1, Feb. 8, 1996; EP1181314A1, Feb. 27, 2002; WO0123577A3, April 5; U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,817, Jun. 13, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,381, Oct. 12, 1999; WO9741440A1, Nov. 6, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,066, Oct. 10, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,777, Dec. 21, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,091, Nov. 23, 1999; WO9840501A1, Sep. 17, 1998; WO9840500A1, Sep. 17, 1998; WO0118035A2, Mar. 15, 2001; WO02068654A2, Sep. 6, 2002; WO0189281A2, Nov. 29, 2001; WO0158478A, Aug. 16, 2001; EP1118860A1, Jul. 25, 2001; WO0111040A1, Feb. 15, 2001; WO0073438A1, Dec. 7, 2000; WO0071158A1, Nov. 30, 2000; WO0066727A1, Nov. 9, 2000; WO0052451A1, Sep. 8, 2000; WO0052157A1, Sep. 8, 2000; WO0029008A2, May 25, 2000; WO0006723A1, Feb. 10, 2000; all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Additional disclosures, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety, include Palmowski M J, et al—J Immunol 2002; 168(9):4391-8; Fang Z Y, et al—Virology 2001; 291(2):272-84; Firat H, et al—J Gene Med 2002; 4(1):38-45; Smith S G, et al—Clin Cancer Res 2001; 7(12):4253-61; Vonderheide R H, et al—Clin Cancer Res 2001; 7(11):3343-8; Firat H, et al—Eur J Immunol 2001; 31(10):3064-74; Le T T, et al—Vaccine 2001; 19(32):4669-75; Fayolle C, et al—J Virol 2001; 75(16):7330-8; Smith SG—Curr Opin Mol Ther 1999; 1(1):10-5; Firat H, et al—Eur J Immunol 1999; 29(10):3112-21; Mateo L, et al—J Immunol 1999; 163(7):4058-63; Heemskerk M H, et al—Cell Immunol 1999; 195(1):10-7; Woodberry T, et al—J Virol 1999; 73(7):5320-5; Hanke T, et al—Vaccine 1998; 16(4):426-35; Thomson S A, et al—J Immunol 1998; 160(4):1717-23; Toes R E, et al—Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1997; 94(26):14660-5; Thomson S A, et al—J Immunol 1996; 157(2):822-6; Thomson S A, et al—Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1995; 92(13):5845-9; Street M D, et al—Immunology 2002; 106(4):526-36; Hirano K, et al—Histochem Cell Biol 2002; 117(1):41-53; Ward S M, et al—Virus Genes 2001; 23(1):97-104; Liu W J, et al—Virology 2000; 273(2):374-82; Gariglio P, et al—Arch Med Res 1998; 29(4):279-84; Suhrbier A—Immunol Cell Biol 1997; 75(4):402-8; Fomsgaard A, et al—Vaccine 1999; 18(7-8):681-91; An L L, et al—J Virol 1997; 71(3):2292-302; Whitton J L, et al—J Virol 1993; 67(1):348-52; Ripalti A, et al—J Clin Microbiol 1994; 32(2):358-63; and Gilbert, S. C., et al., Nat. Biotech. 15:1280-1284, 1997.
One important feature that the disclosures in the preceding paragraph all share is their lack of appreciation for the desirability of regenerating housekeeping epitopes when the construct is expressed in a pAPC. This understanding was not apparent until the present invention. Embodiments of the invention include sequences, that when processed by an immune proteasome, liberate or generate a housekeeping epitope. Embodiments of the invention also can liberate or generate such epitopes in immunogenically effective amounts. Accordingly, while the preceding references contain disclosures relating to polyepitope arrays, none is enabling of the technology necessary to provide or select a polyepitope capable of liberating a housekeeping epitope by action of an immunoproteasome in a pAPC. In contrast, embodiments of the instant invention are based upon a recognition of the desirability of achieving this result. Accordingly, embodiments of the instant invention include any nucleic acid construct that encodes a polypeptide containing at least one housekeeping epitope provided in a context that promotes its generation via immunoproteasomal activity, whether the housekeeping epitope is embedded in a string-of-beads array or some other arrangement. Some embodiments of the invention include uses of one or more of the nucleic acid constructs or their products that are specifically disclosed in any one or more of the above-listed references. Such uses include, for example, screening a polyepitope for proper liberation context of a housekeeping epitope and/or an immune epitope, designing an effective immunogen capable of causing presentation of a housekeeping epitope and/or an immune epitope on a pAPC, immunizing a patient, and the like. Alternative embodiments include use of only a subset of such nucleic acid constructs or a single such construct, while specifically excluding one or more other such constructs, for any of the purposes disclosed herein. Some preferred embodiments employ these and/or other nucleic acid sequences encoding polyepitope arrays alone or in combination. For example, some embodiments exclude use of polyepitope arrays from one or more of the above-mentioned references. Other embodiments may exclude any combination or all of the polyepitope arrays from the above-mentioned references collectively. Some embodiments include viral and/or bacterial vectors encoding polyepitope arrays, while other embodiments specifically exclude such vectors. Such vectors can encode carrier proteins that may have some immunostimulatory effect. Some embodiments include such vectors with such immunostimulatory/immunopotentiating effects, as opposed to immunogenic effects, while in other embodiments such vectors may be included. Further, in some instances viral and bacterial vectors encode the desired epitope as a part of substantially complete proteins which are not associated with the target cell. Such vectors and products are included in some embodiments, while excluded from others. Some embodiments relate to repeated administration of vectors. In some of those embodiments, nonviral and nonbacterial vectors are included. Likewise, some embodiments include arrays that contain extra amino acids between epitopes, for example anywhere from 1-6 amino acids, or more, in some embodiments, while other embodiments specifically exclude such arrays.
Embodiments of the present invention also include methods, uses, therapies, and compositions directed to various types of targets. Such targets can include, for example, neoplastic cells such as those listed below, for example; and cells infected with any virus, bacterium, protozoan, fungus, or other agents, examples of which are listed below, in Tables 4-8, or which are disclosed in any of the references listed above. Alternative embodiments include the use of only a subset of such neoplastic cells and infected cells listed below, in Tables 4-8, or in any of the references disclosed herein, or a single one of the neoplastic cells or infected cells, while specifically excluding one or more other such neoplastic cells or infected cells, for any of the purposes disclosed herein. The following are examples of neoplastic cells that can be targeted: human sarcomas and carcinomas, e.g., fibrosarcoma, myxosarcoma, liposarcoma, chondrosarcoma, osteogenic sarcoma, chordoma, angiosarcoma, endotheliosarcoma, lymphangiosarcoma, lymphangioendotheliosarcoma, synovioma, mesothelioma, Ewing's tumor, leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, colon carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, sweat gland carcinoma, sebaceous gland carcinoma, papillary carcinoma, papillary adenocarcinomas, cystadenocarcinoma, medullary carcinoma, bronchogenic carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, hepatoma, bile duct carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, seminoma, embryonal carcinoma, Wilms' tumor, cervical cancer, testicular tumor, lung carcinoma, small cell lung carcinoma, bladder carcinoma, epithelial carcinoma, glioma, astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, craniopharyngioma, ependymoma, pinealoma, hemangioblastoma, acoustic neuroma, oligodendroglioma, meningioma, melanoma, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma; leukemias, e.g., acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myelocytic leukemia (myeloblastic, promyelocytic, myelomonocytic, monocytic and erythroleukemia); chronic leukemia (chronic myelocytic (granulocytic) leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia); and polycythemia vera, lymphoma (Hodgkin's disease and non Hodgkin's disease), multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, heavy chain disease, hepatocellular cancer, brain cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, and the like. Examples of infectious agents that infect the target cells can include the following: adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes simplex virus 1, herpes simplex virus 2, human herpesvirus 6, varicella-zoster virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis D virus, papilloma virus, parvovirus B19, polyomavirus BK, polyomavirus JC, hepatitis C virus, measles virus, rubella virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human T cell leukemia virus I, human T cell leukemia virus II, Chlamydia, Listeria, Salmonella, Legionella, Brucella, Coxiella, Rickettsia, Mycobacterium, Leishmania, Trypanasoma, Toxoplasma, Plasmodium, and the like. Exemplary infectious agents and neoplastic cells are also included in Tables 4-8 below.
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Additional embodiments of the invention include methods, uses, therapies, and compositions relating to a particular antigen, whether the antigen is derived from, for example, a target cell or an infective agent, such as those mentioned above. Some preferred embodiments employ the antigens listed herein, in Tables 4-8, or in the list below, alone, as subsets, or in any combination. For example, some embodiments exclude use of one or more of those antigens. Other embodiments may exclude any combination or all of those antigens. Several examples of such antigens include MelanA (MART-I), gp100 (Pmel 17), tyrosinase, TRP-1, TRP-2, MAGE-1, MAGE-3, BAGE, GAGE-1, GAGE-2, CEA, RAGE, NY-ESO, SCP-1, Hom/Mel-40, PRAME, p53, H-Ras, HER-2/neu, BCR-ABL, E2A-PRL, H4-RET, IGH-IGK, MYL-RAR, Epstein Barr virus antigens, EBNA, human papillomavirus (HPV) antigens E6 and E7, TSP-180, MAGE-4, MAGE-5, MAGE-6, p185erbB2, p180erbB-3, c-met, nm-23H1, PSA, TAG-72-4, CAM 17.1, NuMa, K-ras, β-Catenin, CDK4, Mum-1, p16, as well as any of those set forth in the above mentioned references. Other antigens are included in Tables 4-7 below.
Further embodiments include methods, uses, compositions, and therapies relating to epitopes, including, for example those epitopes listed in Tables 4-8. These epitopes can be useful to flank housekeeping epitopes in screening vectors, for example. Some embodiments include one or more epitopes from Tables 4-8, while other embodiments specifically exclude one or more of such epitopes or combinations thereof.
P. falciparum CSP 334-342
P. falciparum CSP 1-10
P. faciparum TRAP 3-11
P. faciparum TRAP 500-508
S. Lincolnensis ImrA
B. polymyxa, βcndoxylanase 149-157
E. coli methionine synthase 590-598
E. coli hypothetical protein 4-12
P. falciparum cp36 CSP
P. falciparurn cp39 CSP
P. Falciparum STARP 523-531
Table 6 sets forth additional antigens useful in the invention that are available from the Ludwig Cancer Institute. The Table refers to patents in which the identified antigens can be found and as such are incorporated herein by reference. TRA refers to the tumor-related antigen and the LUD No. refers to the Ludwig Institute number.
Yersinia
Yersinia
Yersinia
Yersinia
P.
falciparum
Rotavirus
P.
Falciparum
P.
Falciparum
L.
monocyto-
genes
Plasmodium
berghei
Plasmodium
yoelii
Vesicular
stomatitis
Sendai
Plasmodium
berghei
Plasmodium
yoelii
Adenovirus
Still further embodiments are directed to methods, uses, therapies and compositions related to epitopes with specificity for MHC, including, for example, those listed in Tables 9-13. Other embodiments include one or more of the MHCs listed in Tables 9-13, including combinations of the same, while other embodiments specifically exclude any one or more of the MHCs or combinations thereof. Tables 11-13 include frequencies for the listed HLA antigens.
aGene frequency.
bStandard error.
aGene frequency.
bStandard error.
cThe observed gene count was zero.
aGene frequency.
bStandard error.
It can be desirable to express housekeeping peptides in the context of a larger protein. Processing can be detected even when a small number of amino acids are present beyond the terminus of an epitope. Small peptide hormones are usually proteolytically processed from longer translation products, often in the size range of approximately 60-120 amino acids. This fact has led some to assume that this is the minimum size that can be efficiently translated. In some embodiments, the housekeeping peptide can be embedded in a translation product of at least about 60 amino acids, in others 70, 80, 90 amino acids, and in still others 100, 110 or 120 amino acids, for example. In other embodiments the housekeeping peptide can be embedded in a translation product of at least about 50, 30, or 15 amino acids.
Due to differential proteasomal processing, the immunoproteasome of the pAPC produces peptides that are different from those produced by the housekeeping proteasome in peripheral body cells. Thus, in expressing a housekeeping peptide in the context of a larger protein, it is preferably expressed in the pAPC in a context other than its full-length native sequence, because, as a housekeeping epitope, it is generally only efficiently processed from the native protein by the housekeeping proteasome, which is not active in the pAPC. In order to encode the housekeeping epitope in a DNA sequence encoding a larger polypeptide, it is useful to find flanking areas on either side of the sequence encoding the epitope that permit appropriate cleavage by the immunoproteasome in order to liberate that housekeeping epitope. Such a sequence promoting appropriate processing is referred to hereinafter as having substrate or liberation sequence function. Altering flanking amino acid residues at the N-terminus and C-terminus of the desired housekeeping epitope can facilitate appropriate cleavage and generation of the housekeeping epitope in the pAPC. Sequences embedding housekeeping epitopes can be designed de novo and screened to determine which can be successfully processed by immunoproteasomes to liberate housekeeping epitopes.
Alternatively, another strategy is very effective for identifying sequences allowing production of housekeeping epitopes in APC. A contiguous sequence of amino acids can be generated from head to tail arrangement of one or more housekeeping epitopes. A construct expressing this sequence is used to immunize an animal, and the resulting T cell response is evaluated to determine its specificity to one or more of the epitopes in the array. These immune responses indicate housekeeping epitopes that are processed in the pAPC effectively. The necessary flanking areas around this epitope are thereby defined. The use of flanking regions of about 4-6 amino acids on either side of the desired peptide can provide the necessary information to facilitate proteasome processing of the housekeeping epitope by the immunoproteasome. Therefore, a substrate or liberation sequence of approximately 16-22 amino acids can be inserted into, or fused to, any protein sequence effectively to result in that housekeeping epitope being produced in an APC. In some embodiments, a broader context of a substrate sequence can also influence processing. In such embodiments, comparisons of a liberaton sequence in a variety of contexts can be useful in further optimizing a particular substrate sequence. In alternate embodiments the whole head-to-tail array of epitopes, or just the epitopes immediately adjacent to the correctly processed housekeeping epitope can be similarly transferred from a test construct to a vaccine vector.
In a preferred embodiment, the housekeeping epitopes can be embedded between known immune epitopes, or segments of such, thereby providing an appropriate context for processing. The abutment of housekeeping and immune epitopes can generate the necessary context to enable the immunoproteasome to liberate the housekeeping epitope, or a larger fragment, preferably including a correct C-terminus. It can be useful to screen constructs to verify that the desired epitope is produced. The abutment of housekeeping epitopes can generate a site cleavable by the immunoproteasome. Some embodiments of the invention employ known epitopes to flank housekeeping epitopes in test substrates; in others, screening as described below is used, whether the flanking regions are arbitrary sequences or mutants of the natural flanking sequence, and whether or not knowledge of proteasomal cleavage preferences are used in designing the substrates.
Cleavage at the mature N-terminus of the epitope, while advantageous, is not required, since a variety of N-terminal trimming activities exist in the cell that can generate the mature N-terminus of the epitope subsequent to proteasomal processing. It is preferred that such N-terminal extension be less than about 25 amino acids in length and it is further preferred that the extension have few or no proline residues. Preferably, in screening, consideration is given not only to cleavage at the ends of the epitope (or at least at its C-terminus), but consideration also can be given to ensure limited cleavage within the epitope.
Shotgun approaches can be used in designing test substrates and can increase the efficiency of screening. In one embodiment multiple epitopes can be assembled one after the other, with individual epitopes possibly appearing more than once. The substrate can be screened to determine which epitopes can be produced. In the case where a particular epitope is of concern, a substrate can be designed in which it appears in multiple different contexts. When a single epitope appearing in more than one context is liberated from the substrate additional secondary test substrates, in which individual instances of the epitope are removed, disabled, or are unique, can be used to determine which are being liberated and truly confer substrate or liberation sequence function.
Several readily practicable screens exist. A preferred in vitro screen utilizes proteasomal digestion analysis, using purified immunoproteasomes, to determine if the desired housekeeping epitope can be liberated from a synthetic peptide embodying the sequence in question. The position of the cleavages obtained can be determined by techniques such as mass spectrometry, HPLC, and N-terminal pool sequencing; as described in greater detail in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/561,074, 09/560,465 and 10/117,937, and Provisional U.S. Patent Application Nos. 60/282,211, 60/337,017, and 60/363, 210, which were all cited and incorporated by reference above.
Alternatively, in vivo and cell-based screens such as immunization or target sensitization can be employed. For immunization a nucleic acid construct capable of expressing the sequence in question is used. Harvested CTL can be tested for their ability to recognize target cells presenting the housekeeping epitope in question. Such targets cells are most readily obtained by pulsing cells expressing the appropriate MHC molecule with synthetic peptide embodying the mature housekeeping epitope. Alternatively, immunization can be carried out using cells known to express housekeeping proteasome and the antigen from which the housekeeping epitope is derived, either endogenously or through genetic engineering. To use target sensitization as a screen, CTL, or preferably a CTL clone, that recognizes the housekeeping epitope can be used. In this case it is the target cell that expresses the embedded housekeeping epitope (instead of the pAPC during immunization) and it must express immunoproteasome. Generally, the cell or target cell can be transformed with an appropriate nucleic acid construct to confer expression of the embedded housekeeping epitope. Loading with a synthetic peptide embodying the embedded epitope using peptide loaded liposomes, or complexed with cationic lipid protein transfer reagents such as BIOPORTER™ (Gene Therapy Systems, San Diego, Calif.), represents an alternative.
Once sequences with substrate or liberation sequence function are identified they can be encoded in nucleic acid vectors, chemically synthesized, or produced recombinantly. In any of these forms they can be incorporated into immunogenic compositions. Such compositions can be used in vitro in vaccine development or in the generation or expansion of CTL to be used in adoptive immunotherapy. In vivo they can be used to induce, amplify or sustain and active immune response. The uptake of polypeptides for processing and presentation can be greatly enhanced by packaging with cationic lipid, the addition of a tract of cationic amino acids such as poly-L-lysine (Ryser, H. J. et al., J. Cell Physiol. 113:167-178, 1982; Shen, W. C. & Ryser, H. J., Proc. Natl. Aced. Sci. USA 75:1872-1876, 1978), the incorporation into branched structures with importation signals (Sheldon, K. et al., Proc. Natl. Aced. Sci. USA 92:2056-2060, 1995), or mixture with or fusion to polypeptides with protein transfer function including peptide carriers such as pep-1 (Morris, M. C., et al., Nat. Biotech. 19:1173-1176, 2001), the PreS2 translocation motif of hepatitis B virus surface antigen, VP22 of herpes viruses, and HIV-TAT protein (Oess, S. & Hildt, E., Gene Ther. 7:750-758, 2000; Ford, K. G., et al., Gene Ther. 8:1-4, 2001; Hung, C. F. et al., J. Virol. 76:2676-2682, 2002; Oliveira, S. C., et a; Hum. Gene Ther. 12:1353-1359, 2001; Normand, N. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 276:15042-15050, 2001; Schwartz, J. J. & Zhang, S., Curr. Opin. Mol. Ther. 2:162-167, 2000; Elliot G., 7 Hare, P. Cell 88:223-233, 1997), among other methodologies. Particularly for fusion proteins the immunogen can be produced in culture and the purified protein administered or, in the alternative, the nucleic acid vector can be administered so that the immunogen is produced and secreted by cells transformed in vivo. In either scenario the transport function of the fusion protein facilitates uptake by pAPC.
The following examples are intended for illustration purposes only, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way.
A recombinant DNA plasmid vaccine, pMA2M, which encodes one polypeptide with an HLA A2-specific CTL epitope ELAGIGILTV (SEQ ID NO. 1) from melan-A (26-35A27L), and a portion (amino acids 31-96) of melan-A (SEQ ID NO. 2) including the epitope clusters at amino acids 31-48 and 56-69, was constructed. These clusters were previously disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/561,571 entitled EPITOPE CLUSTERS incorporated by reference above. Flanking the defined melan-A CTL epitope are short amino acid sequences derived from human tyrosinase (SEQ ID NO. 3) to facilitate liberation of the melan-A housekeeping epitope by processing by the immunoproteasome. In addition, these amino acid sequences represent potential CTL epitopes themselves. The cDNA sequence for the polypeptide in the plasmid is under the control of promoter/enhancer sequence from cytomegalovirus (CMVp) (see
Substrate or Liberation Sequence
The amino acid sequence of the encoded polypeptide (94 amino acid residues in length) (SEQ ID NO. 4) containing a 28 amino acid substrate or liberation sequence at its N-terminus (SEQ ID NO. 5) is given below:
The first 9 amino acid residues are derived from tyrosinase1-9 (SEQ ID NO. 6), the next ten constitute melan-A (26-35A27L) (SEQ ID NO. 1), and amino acid residues 20 to 29 are derived from tyrosinase369-377 (SEQ ID NO. 7). These two tyrosinase nonamer sequences both represent potential HLA A2-specific CTL epitopes. Amino acid residues 10-19 constitute melan-A (26-35A27L) an analog of an HLA A2-specific CTL epitope from melan-A, EAAGIGILTV (SEQ ID NO. 8), with an elevated potency in inducing CTL responses during in vitro immunization of human PBMC and in vivo immunization in mice. The segment of melan-A constituting the rest of the polypeptide (amino acid residues 30 to 94) contain a number of predicted HLA A2-specific epitopes, including the epitope clusters cited above, and thus can be useful in generating a response to immune epitopes as described at length in the patent applications ‘Epitope Synchronization in Antigen Presenting Cells’ and ‘Epitope Clusters’ cited and incorporated by reference above. This region was also included to overcome any difficulties that can be associated with the expression of shorter sequences. A drawing of pMA2M is shown in
Plasmid Construction
A pair of long complementary oligonucleotides was synthesized which encoded the first 30 amino acid residues. In addition, upon annealing, these oligonucleotides generated the cohesive ends of Afl II at the 5′ end and that of EcoR I at the 3′ end. The melan A31-96 region was amplified with PCR using oligonucleotides carrying restriction sites for EcoR I at the 5′ end and Not I at the 3′ end. The PCR product was digested with EcoR I and Not I and ligated into the vector backbone, described in Example 1, that had been digested with Afl II and Not I, along with the annealed oligonucleotides encoding the amino terminal region in a three-fragment ligation. The entire coding sequence was verified by DNA sequencing. The sequence of the entire insert, from the Afl II site at the 5′ end to the Not I site at the 3′ end is disclosed as SEQ ID NO. 9. Nucleotides 12-293 encode the polypeptide.
Three vectors containing melan-A (26-35A27L) (SEQ ID NO. 1) as an embedded housekeeping epitope were tested for their ability to induce a CTL response to this epitope in HLA-A2 transgenic HHD mice (Pascolo et al. J. Exp. Med. 185:2043-2051, 1997). One of the vectors was pMA2M described above (called pVAXM3 in
Four groups of three HHD A2.1 mice were injected intranodally in surgically exposed inguinal lymph nodes with 25 μl of 1 mg/ml plasmid DNA in PBS on days 0, 3, and 6, each group receiving one of the three vectors or PBS alone. On day 14 the spleens were harvested and restimulated in vitro one time with 3-day LPS blasts pulsed with peptide (melan-A (26-35A27L) (SEQ ID NO. 1)). The in vitro cultures were supplemented with Rat T-Stim (Collaborative Biomedical Products) on the 3rd day and assayed for cytolytic activity on the 7th day using a standard 51Cr-release assay.
Six other epitope arrays were tested leading to the identification of a substrate/liberation sequence for the housekeeping epitope NY-ESO-1157-165 (SEQ ID NO. 12). The component epitopes of the arrays were:
The six arrays had the following arrangements of elements after starting with an initiator methionine:
These arrays were inserted into the same vector backbone described in the examples above. The plasmid vectors were used to immunize mice essentially as described in Example 2 and the resulting CTL were tested for their ability to specifically lyse target cells pulsed with the peptide NY-ESO-1157-165, corresponding to element B above. Both pVAX-PC-A and pVAX-BC-A were found to induce specific lytic activity. Comparing the contexts of the epitope (element B) in the various arrays, and particularly between pVAX-PC-A and pVAX-BC-A, between pVAX-PC-A and pVAX-PC-B, and between pVAX-BC-A and pVAX-BC-C, it was concluded that it was the first occurrence of the epitope in pVAX-PC-A and pVAX-BC-A that was being correctly processed and presented. In other words an initiator methionine followed by elements B-A constitute a substrate/liberation sequence for the presentation of element B. On this basis a new expression cassette for use as a vaccine was constructed encoding the following elements:
An initiator methionine,
Thus the construct encodes the amino acid sequence:
and MSLLMWITQCKASEKIFYV (SEQ ID NO. 18) constitutes the liberation or substrate sequence. A polynucleotide encoding SEQ ID NO. 17 (SEQ ID NO. 19: nucleotides 12-380) was inserted into the same plasmid backbone as used for pMA2M generating the plasmid pN157.
A construct similar to pN157 containing the whole epitope array from pVAX-PC-A was also made and designated pBPL. Thus the encoded amino acid sequence in pBPL is:
KASEKIFYV-SLLMWITQC-KASEKIFYV-KASEKIFYV-RCGA
SEQ ID NO. 21 is the polynucleotide encoding SEQ ID NO. 20 used in pBPL.
A portion of SEQ ID NO. 20, IKASEKIFYVSLLMWITQCKASEKIFYVK (SEQ ID NO. 22) was made as a synthetic peptide and subjected to in vitro proteasomal digestion analysis with human immunoproteasome, utilizing both mass spectrometry and N-terminal pool sequencing. The identification of a cleavage after the C residue indicates that this segment of the construct can function as a substrate or liberation sequence for NY-ESO-1157-165 (SEQ ID NO. 12) epitope (see
Screening of further epitope arrays led to the identification of constructs promoting the expression of the epitope SSX-241-49 (SEQ ID NO. 13). In addition to some of the array elements defined in Example 3, the following additional elements were also used:
A construct, denoted CTLA02, encoding an initiator methionine and the array F-A-G-D-C-F-G-A, was found to successfully immunize HLA-A2 transgenic mice to generate a CTL response recognizing the peptide SSX-241-49 (SEQ ID NO. 13).
As described above, it can be desirable to combine a sequence with substrate or liberation sequence function with one that can be processed into immune epitopes. Thus SSX-215-183 (SEQ ID NO. 25) was combined with all or part of the array as follows:
All of the constructs except CTLS3 were able to induce CTL recognizing the peptide SSX-241-49 (SEQ ID NO. 13). CTLS3 was the only one of these four constructs which did not include the second element A from CTLA02 suggesting that it was this second occurrence of the element that provided substrate or liberation sequence function. In CTLS2 and CTLS4 the A element is at the C-terminal end of the array, as in CTLA02. In CTLS1 the A element is immediately followed by the SSX-215-183 segment which begins with an alanine, a residue often found after proteasomal cleavage sites (Toes, R. E. M., et al., J. Exp. Med. 194:1-12, 2001). SEQ ID NO. 30 is the polynucleotide sequence encoding SEQ ID NO. 26 used in CTLS1, also called pCBP.
A portion of CTLS1 (SEQ ID NO. 26), encompassing array elements F-A-SSX-215-23 with the sequence RQIYVAAFTV-KASEKIFYV-AQIPEKIQK (SEQ ID NO. 31), was made as a synthetic peptide and subjected to in vitro proteasomal digestion analysis with human immunoproteasome, utilizing both mass spectrometry and N-terminal pool sequencing. The observation that the C-terminus of the SSX-241-49 epitope (SEQ ID NO. 13) was generated (see
Screening also revealed substrate or liberation sequence function for a tyrosinase epitope, Tyr207-215 (SEQ ID NO. 32), as part of an array consisting of the sequence [Tyr1-17-Tyr207-215]4, [MLLAVLYCLLWSFQTSA-FLPWHRLFL]4, (SEQ ID NO. 33). The same vector backbone described above was used to express this array. This array differs from those of the other examples in that the Tyr1-17 segment, which was included as a source of immune epitopes, is used as a repeated element of the array. This is in contrast with the pattern shown in the other examples where sequence included as a source of immune epitopes and/or length occurred a single time at the beginning or end of the array, the remainder of which was made up of individual epitopes or shorter sequences.
Plasmid Construction
The polynucleotide encoding SEQ ID NO. 33 was generated by assembly of annealed synthetic oligonucleotides. Four pairs of complementary oligonucleotides were synthesized which span the entire coding sequence with cohesive ends of the restriction sites of Afl II and EcoR I at either terminus. Each complementary pair of oligonucleotides were first annealed, the resultant DNA fragments were ligated stepwise, and the assembled DNA fragment was inserted into the same vector backbone described above pre-digested with Afl II/EcoR I. The construct was called CTLT2/pMEL and SEQ ID NO. 34 is the polynucleotide sequence used to encode SEQ ID NO. 33.
An MA2M melanoma vaccine with a sequence as described in Example 1 above, was formulated in 1% Benzyl alcohol, 1% ethyl alcohol, 0.5 mM EDTA, citrate-phosphate, pH 7.6. Aliquots of 200, 400, and 600 μg DNA/ml were prepared for loading into MINIMED 407C infusion pumps. The catheter of a SILHOUETTE infusion set was placed into an inguinal lymph node visualized by ultrasound imaging. The pump and infusion set assembly was originally designed for the delivery of insulin to diabetics. The usual 17 mm catheter was substituted with a 31 mm catheter for this application. The infusion set was kept patent for 4 days (approximately 96 hours) with an infusion rate of about 25 μl/hour resulting in a total infused volume of approximately 2.4 ml. Thus the total administered dose per infusion was approximately 500, and 1000 μg; and can be 1500 μg, respectively, for the three concentrations described above. Following an infusion, subjects were given a 10 day rest period before starting a subsequent infusion. Given the continued residency of plasmid DNA in the lymph node after administration and the usual kinetics of CTL response following disappearance of antigen, this schedule will be sufficient to maintain the immunologic CTL response.
SEQ ID NO. 22 is made as a synthetic peptide and packaged with a cationic lipid protein transfer reagent. The composition is infused directly into the inguinal lymph node (see example 7) at a rate of 200 to 600 μg of peptide per day for seven days, followed by seven days rest. An initial treatment of 3-8 cycles are conducted.
A fusion protein is made by adding SEQ ID NO. 34 to the 3′ end of a nucleotide sequence encoding herpes simplex virus 1 VP22 (SEQ ID NO. 42) in an appropriate mammalian expression vector; the vector used above is suitable. The vector is used to transform HEK 293 cells and 48 to 72 hours later the cells are pelleted, lysed and a soluble extract prepared. The fusion protein is purified by affinity chromatography using an anti-VP22 monoclonal antibody. The purified fusion protein is administered intranodally at a rate of 10 to 100 μg per day for seven days, followed by seven days rest. An initial treatment of 3-8 cycles are conducted.
The following examples, Examples 10-13, all concern the prediction of 9-mer epitopes presented by HLA-A2.1, although the procedure is equally applicable to any HLA type, or epitope length, for which a predictive algorithm or MHC binding assay is available.
This melanoma tumor-associated antigen (TuAA) is 118 amino acids in length. Of the 110 possible 9-mers, 16 are given a score ≧16 by the SYFPEITHI/Rammensee algorithm. (See Table 14). These represent 14.5% of the possible peptides and an average epitope density on the protein of 0.136 per amino acid. Twelve of these overlap, covering amino acids 22-49 of SEQ ID NO: 2 resulting in an epitope density for the cluster of 0.428, giving a ratio, as described above, of 3.15. Another two predicted epitopes overlap amino acids 56-69 of SEQ ID NO: 2, giving an epitope density for the cluster of 0.143, which is not appreciably different than the average, with a ratio of just 1.05. See
Restricting the analysis to the 9-mers predicted to have a half time of dissociation of ≧5 minutes by the BIMAS-NIH/Parker algorithm leaves only 5. (See Table 15). The average density of epitopes in the protein is now only 0.042 per amino acid. Three overlapping peptides cover amino acids 31-48 of SEQ ID NO: 2 and the other two cover 56-69 of SEQ ID: 2, as before, giving ratios of 3.93 and 3.40, respectively. (See Table 16).
This melanoma tumor-associated antigen (TuAA) is 188 amino acids in length. Of the 180 possible 9-mers, 11 are given a score ≧16 by the SYFPEITHI/Rammensee algorithm. These represent 6.1% of the possible peptides and an average epitope density on the protein of 0.059 amino acid. Three of these overlap, covering amino acids 99-114 of SEQ ID NO: 40 resulting in an epitope density for the cluster of 0.188, giving a ratio, as described above, of 3.18. There are also overlapping pairs of predicted epitopes at amino acids 16-28, 57-67, and 167-183 of SEQ ID NO: 40, giving ratios of 2.63, 3.11, and 2.01, respectively. There is an additional predicted epitope covering amino acids 5-28. Evaluating the region 5-28 SEQ ID NO: 40 containing three epitopes gives an epitope density of 0.125 and a ratio 2.14.
Restricting the analysis to the 9-mers predicted to have a half time of dissociation of ≧5 minutes by the BIMAS-NIH/Parker algorithm leaves only 6. The average density of epitopes in the protein is now only 0.032 per amino acid. Only a single pair overlap, at 167-180 of SEQ ID NO: 40, with a ratio of 4.48. However the top ranked peptide is close to another single predicted epitope if that region, amino acids 41-65 of SEQ ID NO: 40, is evaluated the ratio is 2.51, representing a substantial difference from the average. See
This tumor-associated antigen (TuAA) is 180 amino acids in length. Of the 172 possible 9-mers, 25 are given a score ≧16 by the SYFPEITHI/Rammensee algorithm. Like Melan-A above, these represent 14.5% of the possible peptides and an average epitope density on the protein of 0.136 per amino acid. However the distribution is quite different. Nearly half the protein is empty with just one predicted epitope in the first 78 amino acids. Unlike Melan-A where there was a very tight cluster of highly overlapping peptides, in NY-ESO the overlaps are smaller and extend over most of the rest of the protein. One set of 19 overlapping peptides covers amino acids 108-174 of SEQ ID NO: 11, resulting in a ratio of 2.04. Another 5 predicted epitopes cover 79-104 of SEQ ID NO: 11, for a ratio of just 1.38.
If instead one takes the approach of considering only the top 5% of predicted epitopes, in this case 9 peptides, one can examine whether good clusters are being obscured by peptides predicted to be less likely to bind to MHC. When just these predicted epitopes are considered we see that the region 108-140 of SEQ ID NO: 11 contains 6 overlapping peptides with a ratio of 3.64. There are also 2 nearby peptides in the region 148-167 of SEQ ID NO: 11 with a ratio of 2.00. Thus the large cluster 108-174 of SEQ ID NO: 11 can be broken into two smaller clusters covering much of the same sequence.
Restricting the analysis to the 9-mers predicted to have a half time of dissociation of ≧5 minutes by the BIMAS-NIH/Parker algorithm brings 14 peptides into consideration. The average density of epitopes in the protein is now 0.078 per amino acid. A single set of 10 overlapping peptides is observed, covering amino acids 144-171 of SEQ ID NO: 11, with a ratio of 4.59. All 14 peptides fall in the region 86-171 of SEQ ID NO: 11 which is still 2.09 times the average density of epitopes in the protein. While such a large cluster is larger than we consider ideal it still offers a significant advantage over working with the whole protein. See
This melanoma tumor-associated antigen (TuAA) is 529 amino acids in length. Of the 521 possible 9-mers, 52 are given a score ≧16 by the SYFPEITHI/Rammensee algorithm. These represent 10% of the possible peptides and an average epitope density on the protein of 0.098 per amino acid. There are 5 groups of overlapping peptides containing 2 to 13 predicted epitopes each, with ratios ranging from 2.03 to 4.41, respectively. There are an additional 7 groups of overlapping peptides, containing 2 to 4 predicted epitopes each, with ratios ranging from 1.20 to 1.85, respectively. The 17 peptides in the region 444-506 of SEQ ID NO: 3, including the 13 overlapping peptides above, constitutes a cluster with a ratio of 2.20.
Restricting the analysis to the 9-mers predicted to have a half time of dissociation of ≧5 minutes by the BIMAS-NIH/Parker algorithm brings 28 peptides into consideration. The average density of epitopes in the protein under this condition is 0.053 per amino acid. At this density any overlap represents more than twice the average density of epitopes. There are 5 groups of overlapping peptides containing 2 to 7 predicted epitopes each, with ratios ranging from 2.22 to 4.9, respectively. Only three of these clusters are common to the two algorithms. Several, but not all, of these clusters could be enlarged by evaluating a region containing them and nearby predicted epitopes.
All references mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Further, the present invention can utilize various aspects of the following, which are all incorporated by reference in their entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/380,534, filed on Sep. 1, 1999, entitled A METHOD OF INDUCING A CTL RESPONSE; Ser. No. 09/776,232, filed on Feb. 2, 2001, entitled METHOD OF INDUCING A CTL RESPONSE; Ser. No. 09/715,835, filed on Nov. 16, 2000, entitled AVOIDANCE OF UNDESIRABLE REPLICATION INTERMEDIATES IN PLASMID PROPAGATION; Ser. No. 09/999,186, filed on Nov. 7, 2001, entitled METHODS OF COMMERCIALIZING AN ANTIGEN; and Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 60/274,063, filed on Mar. 7, 2001, entitled ANTI-NEOVASCULAR VACCINES FOR CANCER.
Tyrosinase mRNA Sequence
NY-ESO-1 mRNA Sequence
PSMA cDNA Sequence
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/292,413, filed on Nov. 7, 2002, entitled “EXPRESSION VECTORS ENCODING EPITOPES OF TARGET-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS AND METHODS FOR THEIR DESIGN, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/336,968, filed on Nov. 7, 2001, having the same title; both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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