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MUC12 is a transmembrane mucin that is highly expressed in >50% of primary and metastatic colorectal tumors. MUC12 is also expressed by normal epithelial cells of the colon and small intestine. Although MUC12 localization in normal epithelial cells is restricted to the apical membrane, expression in tumors is depolarized and shows broad membrane localization. The differential localization of MUC12 in tumor cells as compared with normal cells makes it a potential therapeutic target. Here, we evaluated targeting of MUC12 with a BiTE (bispecific T-cell engager) molecule. We generated a panel of proof-of-concept half-life extended (HLE) BiTE molecules that bind MUC12 on tumor cells and CD3 on T cells. We prioritized one molecule based on in vitro activity for further characterization in vivo In vitro , the MUC12 HLE BiTE molecule mediated T-cell-redirected lysis of MUC12-expressing cells with half-maximal lysis of 4.4 ± 0.9 to 117 ± 78 pmol/L. In an exploratory cynomolgus monkey toxicology study, the MUC12 HLE BiTE molecule administered at 200 μg/kg with a step dose to 1,000 μg/kg was tolerated with minimal clinical observations. However, higher doses were not tolerated, and there was evidence of damage in the gastrointestinal tract, suggesting dose levels projected to be required for antitumor activity may be associated with on-target toxicity. Together, these data demonstrate that the apically restricted expression of MUC12 in normal tissues is accessible to BiTE molecule target engagement and highlight the difficult challenge of identifying tumor-selective antigens for solid tumor T-cell engagers., (©2021 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Purpose: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains a disease with high unmet medical need, as most patients do not achieve durable response with available treatments. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a compelling target for mCRPC. It is highly expressed by primary and metastatic prostate cancer cells, with increased expression after progression on androgen deprivation therapy., Experimental Design: We developed AMG 160, a half-life extended, bispecific T-cell engager immuno-oncology therapy that binds PSMA on prostate cancer cells and cluster of differentiation 3 on T cells for treatment of mCRPC. AMG 160 was evaluated in vitro and in mCRPC xenograft models. AMG 160 tolerability was assessed in nonhuman primates (NHP). AMG 160 activity as monotherapy and in combination with a PSMA-imaging agent, novel hormonal therapy, and immune checkpoint blockade was evaluated., Results: AMG 160 induces potent, specific killing of PSMA-expressing prostate cancer cell lines in vitro , with half-maximal lysis of 6-42 pmol/L. In vivo , AMG 160 administered weekly at 0.2 mg/kg engages T cells administered systemically and promotes regression of established 22Rv-1 mCRPC xenograft tumors. AMG 160 is compatible with the imaging agent gallium 68-labeled PSMA-11, and shows enhanced cytotoxic activity when combined with enzalutamide or an anti-programmed death-1 antibody. AMG 160 exhibits an extended half-life and has an acceptable safety profile in NHPs., Conclusions: The preclinical characterization of AMG 160 highlights its potent antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo , and its potential for use with known diagnostic or therapeutic agents in mCRPC. These data support the ongoing clinical evaluation of AMG 160 in patients with mCRPC. See related commentary by Kamat et al., p. 2675 ., (©2021 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Purpose: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine tumor with a high relapse rate, limited therapeutic options, and poor prognosis. We investigated the antitumor activity of AMG 757, a half-life extended bispecific T-cell engager molecule targeting delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3)-a target that is selectively expressed in SCLC tumors, but with minimal normal tissue expression., Experimental Design: AMG 757 efficacy was evaluated in SCLC cell lines and in orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse SCLC models. Following AMG 757 administration, changes in tumor volume, pharmacodynamic changes in tumor-infiltrating T cells (TILs), and the spatial relationship between the appearance of TILs and tumor histology were examined. Tolerability was assessed in nonhuman primates (NHPs)., Results: AMG 757 showed potent and specific killing of even those SCLC cell lines with very low DLL3 expression (<1,000 molecules per cell). AMG 757 effectively engaged systemically administered human T cells, induced T-cell activation, and redirected T cells to lyse tumor cells to promote significant tumor regression and complete responses in PDX models of SCLC and in orthotopic models of established primary lung SCLC and metastatic liver lesions. AMG 757 was well tolerated with no AMG 757-related adverse findings up to the highest tested dose (4.5 mg/kg weekly) in NHP. AMG 757 exhibits an extended half-life in NHP, which is projected to enable intermittent administration in patients., Conclusions: AMG 757 has a compelling safety and efficacy profile in preclinical studies making it a viable option for targeting DLL3-expressing SCLC tumors in the clinical setting., (©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Unlabelled: AMG 110, a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) antibody construct, induces T cell-mediated cancer cell death by cross-linking epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) on tumor cells with a cluster of differentiation 3 ε (CD3ε) on T cells. We labeled AMG 110 with (89)Zr or near-infrared fluorescent dye (IRDye) 800CW to study its tumor targeting and tissue distribution., Methods: Biodistribution and tumor uptake of (89)Zr-AMG 110 was studied up to 6 d after intravenous administration to nude BALB/c mice bearing high EpCAM-expressing HT-29 colorectal cancer xenografts. Tumor uptake of (89)Zr-AMG 110 was compared with uptake in head and neck squamous cell cancer FaDu (intermediate EpCAM) and promyelocytic leukemia HL60 (EpCAM-negative) xenografts. Intratumoral distribution in HT-29 tumors was studied using 800CW-AMG 110., Results: Tumor uptake of (89)Zr-AMG 110 can be clearly visualized using small-animal PET imaging up to 72 h after injection. The highest tumor uptake of (89)Zr-AMG 110 at the 40-μg dose level was observed at 6 and 24 h (respectively, 5.35 ± 0.22 and 5.30 ± 0.20 percentage injected dose per gram; n = 3 and 4). Tumor uptake of (89)Zr-AMG 110 was EpCAM-specific and correlated with EpCAM expression. 800CW-AMG 110 accumulated at the tumor cell surface in viable EpCAM-expressing tumor tissue., Conclusion: PET and fluorescent imaging provided real-time information about AMG 110 distribution and tumor uptake in vivo. Our data support using (89)Zr and IRDye 800CW to evaluate tumor and tissue uptake kinetics of bispecific T cell engager antibody constructs in preclinical and clinical settings., (© 2016 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.)

For treatment of patients with prostate cancer (PCa), we developed a novel T cell-engaging (BiTE) antibody designated AMG 212 or BAY2010112 that is bispecific for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and the CD3 epsilon subunit of the T cell receptor complex. AMG 212/BAY2010112 induced target cell-dependent activation and cytokine release of T cells, and efficiently redirected T cells for lysis of target cells. In addition to Chinese hamster ovary cells stably expressing human or cynomolgus monkey PSMA, T cells redirected by AMG 212/BAY2010112 also lysed human PCa cell lines VCaP, 22Rv1, MDA PCa 2b, C4-2, PC-3-huPSMA, and LnCaP at half maximal BiTE concentrations between 0.1 and 4 ng/mL (1.8-72 pmol/L). No lysis of PSMA-negative human PCa cell lines PC-3 and DU145 was observed. The subcutaneous (s.c.) formation of tumors from PC-3-huPSMA cells in NOD/SCID mice was significantly prevented by once daily intravenous (i.v.) injection of AMG 212/BAY2010112 at a dose level as low as 0.005 mg/kg/d. Rapid tumor shrinkage with complete remissions were observed in NOD/SCID mice bearing established s.c. 22Rv1 xenografts after repeated daily treatment with AMG 212/BAY2010112 by either the i.v. or s.c. route. Of note, 22Rv1 tumors were grown in the absence of human T cells followed by intraperitoneal injection of T cells 3 days before BiTE treatment. No effects on tumor growth were observed in the absence of human T cells or AMG 212/BAY2010112. On the basis of these preclinical results, AMG 212/BAY2010112 appears as a promising new BiTE antibody for the treatment of patients with PSMA-expressing PCa.

For recognition of infected cells by CD8 T cells, antigenic peptides are presented at the cell surface, bound to major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules. Downmodulation of cell surface MHC-I molecules is regarded as a hallmark function of cytomegalovirus-encoded immunoevasins. The molecular mechanisms by which immunoevasins interfere with the MHC-I pathway suggest, however, that this downmodulation may be secondary to an interruption of turnover replenishment and that hindrance of the vesicular transport of recently generated peptide-MHC (pMHC) complexes to the cell surface is the actual function of immunoevasins. Here we have used the model of murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) infection to provide experimental evidence for this hypothesis. To quantitate pMHC complexes at the cell surface after infection in the presence and absence of immunoevasins, we generated the recombinant viruses mCMV-SIINFEKL and mCMV-Deltam06m152-SIINFEKL, respectively, expressing the K(b)-presented peptide SIINFEKL with early-phase kinetics in place of an immunodominant peptide of the viral carrier protein gp36.5/m164. The data revealed approximately 10,000 K(b) molecules presenting SIINFEKL in the absence of immunoevasins, which is an occupancy of approximately 10% of all cell surface K(b) molecules, whereas immunoevasins reduced this number to almost the detection limit. To selectively evaluate their effect on preexisting pMHC complexes, cells were exogenously loaded with SIINFEKL peptide shortly after infection with mCMV-SIINFEKA, in which endogenous presentation is prevented by an L174A mutation of the C-terminal MHC-I anchor residue. The data suggest that pMHC complexes present at the cell surface in advance of immunoevasin gene expression are downmodulated due to constitutive turnover in the absence of resupply.

Latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) is frequently transmitted by organ transplantation, and its reactivation under conditions of immunosuppressive prophylaxis against graft rejection by host-versus-graft disease bears a risk of graft failure due to viral pathogenesis. CMV is the most common cause of infection following liver transplantation. Although hematopoietic cells of the myeloid lineage are a recognized source of latent CMV, the cellular sites of latency in the liver are not comprehensively typed. Here we have used the BALB/c mouse model of murine CMV infection to identify latently infected hepatic cell types. We performed sex-mismatched bone marrow transplantation with male donors and female recipients to generate latently infected sex chromosome chimeras, allowing us to distinguish between Y-chromosome (gene sry or tdy)-positive donor-derived hematopoietic descendants and Y-chromosome-negative cells of recipients' tissues. The viral genome was found to localize primarily to sry-negative CD11b(-) CD11c(-) CD31(+) CD146(+) cells lacking major histocompatibility complex class II antigen (MHC-II) but expressing murine L-SIGN. This cell surface phenotype is typical of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs). Notably, sry-positive CD146(+) cells were distinguished by the expression of MHC-II and did not harbor latent viral DNA. In this model, the frequency of latently infected cells was found to be 1 to 2 per 10(4) LSECs, with an average copy number of 9 (range, 4 to 17) viral genomes. Ex vivo-isolated, latently infected LSECs expressed the viral genes m123/ie1 and M122/ie3 but not M112-M113/e1, M55/gB, or M86/MCP. Importantly, in an LSEC transfer model, infectious virus reactivated from recipients' tissue explants with an incidence of one reactivation per 1,000 viral-genome-carrying LSECs. These findings identified LSECs as the main cellular site of murine CMV latency and reactivation in the liver.

Cytomegaloviruses express glycoproteins that interfere with antigen presentation to CD8 T cells. Although the molecular modes of action of these "immunoevasins" differ between cytomegalovirus species, the convergent biological outcome is an inhibition of the recognition of infected cells. In murine cytomegalovirus, m152/gp40 retains peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex class I molecules in a cis-Golgi compartment, m06/gp48 mediates their vesicular sorting for lysosomal degradation, and m04/gp34, although not an immunoevasin in its own right, appears to assist in the concerted action of all three molecules. Using the L(d)-restricted IE1 epitope YPHFMPTNL in the BALB/c mouse model as a paradigm, we provide here an explanation for the paradox that immunoevasins enhance CD8 T-cell priming although they inhibit peptide presentation in infected cells. Adaptive immune responses are initiated in the regional lymph node (RLN) draining the site of pathogen exposure. In particular for antigens that are not virion components, the magnitude of viral gene expression providing the antigens is likely a critical parameter in priming efficacy. We have therefore focused on the events in the RLN and have related priming to intranodal viral gene expression. We show that immunoevasins enhance priming by downmodulating an early CD8 T-cell-mediated "negative feedback" control of the infection in the cortical region of the RLN, thus supporting the model that immunoevasins improve antigen supply for indirect priming by uninfected antigen-presenting cells. As an important consequence, these findings predict that deletion of immunoevasin genes in a replicative vaccine virus is not a favorable option but may, rather, be counterproductive.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection continues to be a complication in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Preexisting donor immunity is recognized as a favorable prognostic factor for the reconstitution of protective antiviral immunity mediated primarily by CD8 T cells. Furthermore, adoptive transfer of CMV-specific memory CD8 T (CD8-T(M)) cells is a therapeutic option for preventing CMV disease in HSCT recipients. Given the different CMV infection histories of donor and recipient, a problem may arise from an antigenic mismatch between the CMV variant that has primed donor immunity and the CMV variant acquired by the recipient. Here, we have used the BALB/c mouse model of CMV infection in the immunocompromised host to evaluate the importance of donor-recipient CMV matching in immundominant epitopes (IDEs). For this, we generated the murine CMV (mCMV) recombinant virus mCMV-DeltaIDE, in which the two memory repertoire IDEs, the IE1-derived peptide 168-YPHFMPTNL-176 presented by the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecule L(d) and the m164-derived peptide 257-AGPPRYSRI-265 presented by the MHC-I molecule D(d), are both functionally deleted. Upon adoptive transfer, polyclonal donor CD8-T(M) cells primed by mCMV-DeltaIDE and the corresponding revertant virus mCMV-revDeltaIDE controlled infection of immunocompromised recipients with comparable efficacy and regardless of whether or not IDEs were presented in the recipients. Importantly, CD8-T(M) cells primed under conditions of immunodomination by IDEs protected recipients in which IDEs were absent. This shows that protection does not depend on compensatory expansion of non-IDE-specific CD8-T(M) cells liberated from immunodomination by the deletion of IDEs. We conclude that protection is, rather, based on the collective antiviral potential of non-IDEs independent of the presence or absence of IDE-mediated immunodomination.

Murine cytomegalovirus encodes three regulators of antigen presentation to antiviral CD8 T cells. According to current paradigms, all three regulators are committed to the inhibition of the presentation of antigenic peptides. Whereas m152/gp40 catalyzes the retention of peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules in a cis-Golgi compartment, m06/gp48 binds stably to class I molecules and directs them into the cellular cargo-sorting pathway of lysosomal degradation. Regulator m04/gp34 also binds stably to class I molecules, but unlike m152 and m06, it does not downmodulate MHC class I cell surface expression. It has entered the literature as a direct inhibitor of T-cell recognition of the MHC-peptide complex at the cell surface. In this work, we have studied the presentation of antigenic viral peptides in cells infected with a comprehensive set of mutant viruses expressing the three regulators separately as well as in all possible combinations. The results redefine m04 as a positive regulator dedicated to the facilitation of antigen presentation. When expressed alone, it did not inhibit T-cell recognition, and when expressed in the presence of m152, it restored antigen presentation by antagonizing the inhibitory function of m152. Its intrinsic positive function, however, was antagonized and even slightly overcompensated for by the negative regulator m06. In an adoptive cell transfer model, the opposing forces of the three regulators were found to govern immune surveillance in the infected host. While negative regulators, also known as immunoevasins, are common, the existence of a positive regulator is without precedent and indicates an intriguing genetic potential of this virus to influence antigen presentation.

Reconstitution of antiviral CD8 T cells is essential for controlling cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after bone marrow transplantation. Accordingly, polyclonal CD8 T cells derived from BALB/c mice infected with murine CMV protect immunocompromised adoptive transfer recipients against CMV disease. The protective population comprises CD8 T cells with T-cell receptors (TCRs) specific for defined and for as-yet-unknown viral epitopes, as well as a majority of nonprotective cells with unrelated specificities. Defined epitopes include IE1/m123 and m164, which are immunodominant in terms of the magnitude of the CD8 T-cell response, and a panel of subordinate epitopes (m04, m18, M45, M83, and M84). While cytolytic T-lymphocyte lines (CTLLs) were shown to be protective regardless of the immunodominance of the respective epitope, the individual contributions of in vivo resident epitope-specific CD8 T cells to the antiviral control awaited investigation. The IE1 peptide 168-YPHFMPTNL-176 is generated from the immediate-early protein 1 (IE1) (pp89/76) of murine CMV and is presented by the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecule Ld. To quantitate its contribution to the protective potential of a CD8-T memory (CD8-TM) cell population, IE1-TCR+ and IE1-TCR- CD8-TM cells were purified by epitope-specific cell sorting with IE1 peptide-loaded MHC-immunoglobulin G1 dimers as ligands of cognate TCRs. Of relevance for clinical approaches to an adoptive cellular immunotherapy, sorted IE1 epitope-specific CD8-TM cells were found to be exceedingly protective upon adoptive transfer. Compared with CTLLs specific for the same epitope and of comparable avidity and TCR beta-chain variable region (Vbeta)-defined polyclonality, sorted CD8-TM cells proved to be superior by more than 2 orders of magnitude.