Lenalidomide bypasses CD28 co-stimulation to reinstate PD-1 immunotherapy by activating Notch signaling
Authors
Chen-Lu Geng ; Jun-Yi Chen ; Tian-Yu Song ; Jae Hyung Jung ; Min Long ; Min-Fang Song ; Tong Ji ; Byung Soh Min ; Jin Gu Lee ; Bo Peng ; Yi-Sheng Pu ; Hong-Jie Fan ; Piliang Hao ; Qi Zhou ; Eui-Cheol Shin ; Yong Cang
Citation
CELL CHEMICAL BIOLOGY, Vol.29(8) : 1260-1272, 2022-08
Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) checkpoint blockade therapy requires the CD28 co-stimulatory receptor for CD8+ T cell expansion and cytotoxicity. However, CD28 expression is frequently lost in exhausted T cells and during immune senescence, limiting the clinical benefits of PD-1 immunotherapy in individuals with cancer. Here, using a cereblon knockin mouse model that regains in vivo T cell response to lenalidomide, an immunomodulatory imide drug, we show that lenalidomide reinstates the anti-tumor activity of CD28-deficient CD8+ T cells after PD-1 blockade. Lenalidomide redirects the CRL4Crbn ubiquitin ligase to degrade Ikzf1 and Ikzf3 in T cells and unleashes paracrine interleukin-2 (IL-2) and intracellular Notch signaling, which collectively bypass the CD28 requirement for activation of intratumoral CD8+ T cells and inhibition of tumor growth by PD-1 blockade. Our results suggest that PD-1 immunotherapy can benefit from a lenalidomide combination when treating solid tumors infiltrated with abundant CD28- T cells.