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Allogeneic chimaeric antigen receptor T cells (allo-CAR T cells) derived from healthy donors could provide rapid access to standardized and affordable batches of therapeutic cells if their rejection by the host's immune system is avoided. Here, by means of an in vivo genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen, we show that the deletion of Fas or B2m in allo- T cells increases their survival in immunocompetent mice. Human B2M - allo-CAR T cells become highly sensitive to rejection mediated by natural killer (NK) cells, whereas FAS - CAR T cells expressing normal levels of human leukocyte antigen I remain resistant to NK cells. CD3 - FAS - CAR T cells outperformed CD3 - B2M - CAR T cells in the control of leukaemia growth in mice under allogeneic pressure by T cells and NK cells. The partial protection of CD3 - FAS - allo-CAR T cells from cellular rejection may improve the efficacy of allogeneic cellular therapies in patients with cancer., Competing Interests: Competing interests: S.M., S.A. and L.M. hold a patent on ‘Immune cells defective for Socs1’ (EP20305878). S.A. is cofounder, advisor and shareholder in Mnemo Therapeutics., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Oncogenesis often implicates epigenetic alterations, including derepression of transposable elements (TEs) and defects in alternative splicing. Here, we explore the possibility that noncanonical splice junctions between exons and TEs represent a source of tumor-specific antigens. We show that mouse normal tissues and tumor cell lines express wide but distinct ranges of mRNA junctions between exons and TEs, some of which are tumor specific. Immunopeptidome analyses in tumor cell lines identified peptides derived from exon-TE splicing junctions associated to MHC-I molecules. Exon-TE junction-derived peptides were immunogenic in tumor-bearing mice. Both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccinations with junction-derived peptides delayed tumor growth in vivo. Inactivation of the TE-silencing histone 3-lysine 9 methyltransferase Setdb1 caused overexpression of new immunogenic junctions in tumor cells. Our results identify exon-TE splicing junctions as epigenetically controlled, immunogenic, and protective tumor antigens in mice, opening possibilities for tumor targeting and vaccination in patients with cancer.

Despite its crucial role in initiation of cytotoxic immune responses, the molecular pathways underlying antigen cross-presentation remain incompletely understood. The mechanism of antigen exit from endocytic compartments into the cytosol is a long-standing matter of controversy, confronting two main models: transfer through specific channels/transporters or rupture of endocytic membranes and leakage of luminal content. By monitoring the occurrence of intracellular damage in conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), we show that cross-presenting cDC1s display more frequent endomembrane injuries and increased recruitment of endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-III, the main repair system for intracellular membranes, relative to cDC2s. Silencing of CHMP2a or CHMP4b, two effector subunits of ESCRT-III, enhances cytosolic antigen export and cross-presentation. This phenotype is partially reversed by chemical inhibition of RIPK3, suggesting that endocytic damage is related to basal activation of the necroptosis pathway. Membrane repair therefore proves crucial in containing antigen export to the cytosol and cross-presentation in cDCs., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests S.A. is shareholder and consultant for Mnemo Therapeutics., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Naive CD4 + T lymphocytes differentiate into different effector types, including helper and regulatory cells (Th and Treg, respectively). Heritable gene expression programs that define these effector types are established during differentiation, but little is known about the epigenetic mechanisms that install and maintain these programs. Here, we use mice defective for different components of heterochromatin-dependent gene silencing to investigate the epigenetic control of CD4 + T cell plasticity. We show that, upon T cell receptor (TCR) engagement, naive and regulatory T cells defective for TRIM28 (an epigenetic adaptor for histone binding modules) or for heterochromatin protein 1 β and γ isoforms (HP1β/γ, 2 histone-binding factors involved in gene silencing) fail to effectively signal through the PI3K-AKT-mTOR axis and switch to glycolysis. While differentiation of naive TRIM28 -/- T cells into cytokine-producing effector T cells is impaired, resulting in reduced induction of autoimmune colitis, TRIM28 -/- regulatory T cells also fail to expand in vivo and to suppress autoimmunity effectively. Using a combination of transcriptome and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) analyses for H3K9me3, H3K9Ac, and RNA polymerase II, we show that reduced effector differentiation correlates with impaired transcriptional silencing at distal regulatory regions of a defined set of Treg-associated genes, including, for example, NRP1 or Snai3. We conclude that TRIM28 and HP1β/γ control metabolic reprograming through epigenetic silencing of a defined set of Treg-characteristic genes, thus allowing effective T cell expansion and differentiation into helper and regulatory phenotypes., Competing Interests: Competing interest statement: U.G. is currently employed by AstraZeneca AB (Mölndal, Sweden)., (Copyright © 2019 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

After priming, naïve CD8 + T lymphocytes establish specific heritable transcription programs that define progression to long-lasting memory cells or to short-lived effector cells. Although lineage specification is critical for protection, it remains unclear how chromatin dynamics contributes to the control of gene expression programs. We explored the role of gene silencing by the histone methyltransferase Suv39h1. In murine CD8 + T cells activated after Listeria monocytogenes infection, Suv39h1-dependent trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 9 controls the expression of a set of stem cell-related memory genes. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed a defect in silencing of stem/memory genes selectively in Suv39h1 -defective T cell effectors. As a result, Suv39h1 -defective CD8 + T cells show sustained survival and increased long-term memory reprogramming capacity. Thus, Suv39h1 plays a critical role in marking chromatin to silence stem/memory genes during CD8 + T effector terminal differentiation., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)