Identification of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase type II β as HLA class II-restricted target in graft versus leukemia reactivity

M Griffioen, ED van der Meijden… - Proceedings of the …, 2008 - National Acad Sciences
M Griffioen, ED van der Meijden, EH Slager, MW Honders, CE Rutten…
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2008National Acad Sciences
Patients with hematological malignancies can be successfully treated with HLA-matched T
cell-depleted allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) and subsequent donor
lymphocyte infusions (DLIs). The efficacy of DLI is mediated by donor T cells recognizing
minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) on malignant recipient cells. Because HLA class
II molecules are predominantly expressed on hematopoietic cells, mHag-specific CD4+ T
cells may selectively mediate graft versus leukemia (GvL) reactivity without graft versus host …
Patients with hematological malignancies can be successfully treated with HLA-matched T cell-depleted allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) and subsequent donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs). The efficacy of DLI is mediated by donor T cells recognizing minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) on malignant recipient cells. Because HLA class II molecules are predominantly expressed on hematopoietic cells, mHag-specific CD4+ T cells may selectively mediate graft versus leukemia (GvL) reactivity without graft versus host disease (GvHD). In this study, we used a recombinant bacteria cDNA library for the identification of the first autosomal HLA class II (HLA-DQB1*0603)-restricted mHag LB-PI4K2B-1S encoded by the broadly expressed phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase type II β gene. A polyclonal CD4+ T cell response against LB-PI4K2B-1S was demonstrated in a patient with relapsed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who responded to DLI after HLA-matched alloSCT. LB-PI4K2B-1S-specific CD4+ T cells recognized and lysed the CD34+ CML cells of the patient and other leukemic cells as well as high HLA-DQ-expressing normal hematopoietic cells. HLA-DQ expression on normal cells of nonhematopoietic origin was moderately up-regulated by IFN-γ and not sufficient for T cell recognition. We hypothesize that LB-PI4K2B-1S-specific CD4+ T cells contributed to the antitumor response by both directly eliminating malignant cells as effector cells and stimulating CD8+ T cell immunity as helper cells.
National Acad Sciences