CD62L as target receptor for specific gene delivery into less differentiated human T lymphocytes

• Published in: Frontiers in immunology Vol. 14; p. 1183698
• Main Authors: Kapitza, Laura, Ho, Naphang, Kerzel, Thomas, Frank, Annika M., Thalheimer, Frederic B., Jamali, Arezoo, Schaser, Thomas, Buchholz, Christian J., Hartmann, Jessica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 14.08.2023
• Subjects: Animals; CAR T cells; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Differentiation; chimeric antigen receptor; Disease Models, Animal; Genetic Therapy; Humans; Immunology; L-selectin; L-Selectin - genetics; Mice; receptor-targeted viral vectors; RNA; ΔLNGFR; CAR T cells; naïve T lymphocytes; ΔLNGFR; L-selectin; LV; chimeric antigen receptor; receptor-targeted viral vectors
• ISSN: 1664-3224; 1664-3224
• DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1183698

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing T cells are a complex and heterogeneous gene therapy product with variable phenotype compositions. A higher proportion of less differentiated CAR T cells is usually associated with improved antitumoral function and persistence. We describe in this study a novel receptor-targeted lentiviral vector (LV) named 62L-LV that preferentially transduces less differentiated T cells marked by the L-selectin receptor CD62L, with transduction rates of up to 70% of CD4+ and 50% of CD8+ primary T cells. Remarkably, higher amounts of less differentiated T cells are transduced and preserved upon long-term cultivation using 62L-LV compared to VSV-LV. Interestingly, shed CD62L neither altered the binding of 62L-LV particles to T cells nor impacted their transduction. The incubation of 2 days of activated T lymphocytes with 62L-LV or VSV-LV for only 24 hours was sufficient to generate CAR T cells that controlled tumor growth in a leukemia tumor mouse model. The data proved that potent CAR T cells can be generated by short-term ex vivo exposure of primary cells to LVs. As a first vector type that preferentially transduces less differentiated T lymphocytes, 62L-LV has the potential to circumvent cumbersome selections of T cell subtypes and offers substantial shortening of the CAR T cell manufacturing process.