Inhibition of VEGF binding to neuropilin-2 enhances chemosensitivity and inhibits metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer.

Although blocking the binding of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to neuropilin-2 (NRP2) on tumor cells is a potential strategy to treat aggressive carcinomas, a lack of effective reagents that can be used clinically has hampered this potential therapy. Here, we describe the generation of a fully humanized, high-affinity monoclonal antibody (aNRP2-10) that specifically inhibits the binding of VEGF to NRP2, conferring antitumor activity without causing toxicity. Using triple-negative breast cancer as a model, we demonstrated that aNRP2-10 could be used to isolate cancer stem cells (CSCs) from heterogeneous tumor populations and inhibit CSC function and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. aNRP2-10 sensitized cell lines, organoids, and xenografts to chemotherapy and inhibited metastasis by promoting the differentiation of CSCs to a state that is more responsive to chemotherapy and less prone to metastasis. These data provide justification for the initiation of clinical trials designed to improve the response of patients with aggressive tumors to chemotherapy using this monoclonal antibody.

Optimal protection against Salmonella infection requires noncirculating memory.

While CD4 Th1 cells are required for resistance to intramacrophage infections, adoptive transfer of Th1 cells is insufficient to protect against Salmonella infection. Using an epitope-tagged vaccine strain of Salmonella, we found that effective protection correlated with expanded Salmonella-specific memory CD4 T cells in circulation and nonlymphoid tissues. However, naive mice that previously shared a blood supply with vaccinated partners lacked T cell memory with characteristics of tissue residence and did not acquire robust protective immunity. Using a YFP-IFN-γ reporter system, we identified Th1 cells in the liver of immunized mice that displayed markers of tissue residence, including P2X7, ARTC2, LFA-1, and CD101. Adoptive transfer of liver memory cells after ARTC2 blockade increased protection against highly virulent bacteria. Taken together, these data demonstrate that noncirculating memory Th1 cells are a vital component of immunity to Salmonella infection and should be the focus of vaccine strategies.

Dual Immunization with SseB/Flagellin Provides Enhanced Protection against Salmonella Infection Mediated by Circulating Memory Cells.

The development of a subunit Salmonella vaccine has been hindered by the absence of detailed information about antigenic targets of protective Salmonella-specific T and B cells. Recent studies have identified SseB as a modestly protective Ag in susceptible C57BL/6 mice, but the mechanism of protective immunity remains undefined. In this article, we report that simply combining Salmonella SseB with flagellin substantially enhances protective immunity, allowing immunized C57BL/6 mice to survive for up to 30 d following challenge with virulent bacteria. Surprisingly, the enhancing effect of flagellin did not require flagellin Ag targeting during secondary responses or recognition of flagellin by TLR5. Although coimmunization with flagellin did not affect SseB-specific Ab responses, it modestly boosted CD4 responses. In addition, protective immunity was effectively transferred in circulation to parabionts of immunized mice, demonstrating that tissue-resident memory is not required for vaccine-induced protection. Finally, protective immunity required host expression of IFN-γR but was independent of induced NO synthase expression. Taken together, these data indicate that Salmonella flagellin has unique adjuvant properties that improve SseB-mediated protective immunity provided by circulating memory.