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RNAseq analysis of NKG2A-knockout versus wildtype expanded human NK cells

ABSTRACT: Checkpoint blockage has revolutionized cancer treatment. NKG2A is an inhibitory receptor expressed by cytotoxic lymphocytes, including NK cells. In contrast to other checkpoint inhibitory antibodies, anti-NKG2A antibodies have shown only limited success. Here, we designed a Cas9-based strategy to delete KLRC1 from human NK cells. Electroporation of KLRC1-targeting Cas9-RNP efficiently eliminated NKG2A expression from primary human NK cells. NKG2A-deficient NK cells showed normal proliferation, only minor transcriptional changes related to enhanced NK cell activation and maintained their phenotype and licensing status. Genetic deletion of NKG2A fully bypassed HLA-E inhibition and further enhanced NK cell activity against various tumor cell lines, thereby outperforming anti-NKG2A antibodies. In combination with antibody-coating of tumor cells to induce antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, genetic deletion of NKG2A independently promoted cytotoxicity. Thus, Cas9-mediated targeting of NKG2A is an effective way to target this important inhibitory checkpoint. This technique is easily amenable to adoptive cell therapy in the clinical setting, where NKG2A deletion will promote anti-tumor responses and may help NK cells to better infiltrate and persist in an inhibitory tumor microenvironment.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE178566 | GEO | 2021/09/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Previous research on adaptive NK cells in rhesus macaques suffered from the lack of specific antibodies to differentiate between inhibitory CD94/NKG2A and stimulatory CD94/NKG2C heterodimeric receptors. Recently we reported an expansion of NKG2C receptor-encoding genes in rhesus macaques, but their expression and functional role on primary NK cells remained unknown due to this deficit. Thus, we established monoclonal antibodies 4A8 and 7B1 which show identical specificities and bind to both NKG2C-1 and NKG2C-2 but neither react with NKG2C-3 nor NKG2A on transfected cell lines. Using a combination of 4A8 and Z199 antibodies in multicolor flow cytometry we detected broad expression (4-73%) of NKG2C-1 and/or NKG2C-2 (NKG2C-1/2) on primary NK cells in rhesus macaques from our breeding colony. Stratifying our data to CMV-positive and CMV-negative animals, we noticed a higher proportion (23-73%) in primary NK cells expressing NKG2C-1/2 in CMV+ as compared to CMV- macaques (4-5%). These NKG2C-1/2-positive NK cells in CMV+ macaques are characterized by lower expression of IL12RB2, ZBTB16 and SH2D1B as well as high expression of IFN-gamma, indicating that antibody 4A8 detects CMV-associated adaptive NK cells. Single cell RNA seq data of 4A8-positive NK cells from a CMV-positive individual demonstrated that a high proportion of these adaptive NK cells transcribe in addition to NKG2C-1/2 also NKG2C-3, but interestingly NKG2A as well. Remarkably, NKG2C-1 and in particular NKG2C-2 have a higher affinity to Mamu-E as compared to NKG2A. Primary NK cells exposed to Mamu-E-expressing target cells displayed strong degranulation as well as IFN-gamma expression of 4A8+ adaptive NK cells of rhCMV+ animals that was not evident in rhCMV- animals. Thus, despite co-expression of inhibitory and stimulatory CD94/NKG2 receptors the higher number of different stimulatory NKG2C receptors and their higher binding avidity to Mamu-E outreach inhibitory signaling via NKG2A. These data demonstrate the evolutionary conservation of the CMV-driven development of NKG2C-positive adaptive NK cells with particular molecular signatures in primates and with changes in gene copy numbers and regulation and in ligand binding strength of NKG2C isotypes. Thus, rhesus macaques represent a suitable and valuable nonhuman primate animal model to study the CMV-NKG2C liaison in vivo.

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RNAseq analysis of NKG2A-knockout versus wildtype expanded human NK cells

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