Biology subjects

Oba, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Oba, T..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Effective neoantigen vaccination correlates with generation of antigen-specific CX3CR1+CD8+ T cells mediated by CD40 and CD80/86 signaling in cDC1s

The use of tumor mutation-derived neoantigen represents a promising approach for cancer vaccines. Preclinical and early-phase human clinical studies have shown the successful induction of tumor neoepitope-directed responses; however, overall clinical efficacy of neoantigen vaccines has been limited. One major obstacle of this strategy is the prevailing lack of sufficient understanding of the mechanism underlying the generation of neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Here, we report a correlation between antitumor efficacy of neoantigen/toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3)/CD40 vaccination and the generation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells expressing CX3C chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) in a preclinical model. Mechanistic studies using mixed bone marrow chimeras identified that CD40 and CD80/86, but not CD70 signaling in Batf3-dependent conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1s) is required for antitumor efficacy of neoantigen vaccine and generation of neoantigen-specific CX3CR1+ CD8+ T cells. Although CX3CR1+ CD8+ T cells exhibited robust in vitro effector function, depletion of this subset did not alter the antitumor efficacy of neoantigen/TLR3/CD40 agonists vaccination, suggesting that the expanded CX3CR1+ CD8+ T cell subset represents the post-differentiated in vivo effective CX3CR1-negative CD8+ T cell subset. Taken together, our results reveal a critical role of CD40 and CD80/86 signaling in cDC1s in antitumor efficacy of neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines, and implicate the potential utility of CX3CR1 as a circulating predictive T-cell biomarker in vaccine therapy.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

A circulating T-cell differentiation marker to predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitors

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized treatment for various cancers; however, durable response is limited to only a subset of patients. Discovery of blood-based biomarkers that reflect dynamic change of the tumor microenvironment, and predict response to ICI will markedly improve current treatment regimens. Here, we investigated a role of CX3C chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1), a marker of T-cell differentiation, in predicting response to ICI therapy. Successful treatment of tumor-bearing mice with ICI increased the frequency and T-cell receptor clonality of the peripheral CX3CR1+CD8+ T-cell subset that included an enriched repertoire of tumor-specific and tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Furthermore, an increase in the frequency of the CX3CR1+ subset in circulating CD8+ T cells early after initiation of anti-PD-1 therapy correlated with response and survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Taken together, these data support T-cell CX3CR1 expression as a blood-based dynamic biomarker to predict response to ICI therapy.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

MARK4 with an Alzheimer's disease-related mutation promotes tau hyperphosphorylation directly and indirectly and exacerbates neurodegeneration

Accumulation of the microtubule-associated protein tau is associated with Alzheimers disease (AD). In AD brain, tau is abnormally phosphorylated at many sites, and phosphorylation at Ser262 and Ser356 play critical roles in tau accumulation and toxicity. Microtubule-affinity regulating kinase 4 (MARK4) phosphorylates tau at those sites, and a double de novo mutation in the linker region of MARK4, {Delta}G316E317InsD, is associated with an elevated risk of AD. However, it remains unclear how this mutation affects phosphorylation, aggregation, and accumulation of tau and tau-induced neurodegeneration. Here, we report that MARK4{Delta}G316E317D increases the abundance of highly phosphorylated, insoluble tau species and exacerbates neurodegeneration via Ser262/356-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Using transgenic Drosophila expressing human MARK4 (MARK4wt) or a mutant version of MARK4 (MARK4{Delta}G316E317D), we found that co-expression of MARK4wt and MARK4{Delta}G316E317D increased total tau levels and enhanced tau-induced neurodegeneration, and that MARK4{Delta}G316E317D had more potent effects than MARK4wt. Interestingly, the in vitro kinase activities of MARK4wt and MARK4{Delta}G316E317D were similar. Blocking tau phosphorylation at Ser262 and Ser356 by alanine substitutions protected tau from the effects of MARK4wt, but not from MARK4{Delta}G316E317D. While both MARK4wt and MARK4{Delta}G316E317D increased the levels of oligomeric forms of tau, MARK4{Delta}G316E317D further boosted the levels of tau phosphorylated at several sites other than Ser262/356 and increased the detergent insolubility of tau in vivo. Together, these findings suggest that MARK4{Delta}G316E317D increases tau levels and exacerbates tau toxicity via an additional gain-of-function mechanism, and that modification in this region of MARK4 may impact disease pathogenesis.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Conditional upregulation of KCC2 selectively enhances neuronal inhibition during seizures

Abstract/SummaryEfficacious neuronal inhibition is sustained by the neuronal K+Cl- co-transporter KCC2, and loss of KCC2 function through injury or mutation is associated with altered GABAergic signalling and neuronal seizures. Here we report a transgenic mouse with conditional KCC2 overexpression that results in increased membrane transport function. Increased KCC2 has little impact on behavioural and in vitro assays of neuronal excitability and GABAA receptor responses under resting conditions. In contrast, increased KCC2 imparts resistance to seizure-like neuronal activity in hippocampal slices and prevents the progression of mice into behavioural status epilepticus following multiple kainic acid doses. Our results demonstrate a transgenic mouse to facilitate investigations into the role of KCC2 in brain function, and provide a proof of principle that targeting KCC2 may be an effective way to selectively enhance neuronal inhibition to mitigate against diseases that involve an imbalance between excitation and inhibition.

neuroscience↗