Search bioRxiv⌕ Search

Biology subjects

Montagne, J. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Montagne, J. M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Spatial multi-omics reveal intratumoral humoral immunity niches associated with tertiary lymphoid structures in pancreatic cancer immunotherapy pathologic responders

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a rapidly progressing cancer that responds poorly to immunotherapies. Intratumoral tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) have been associated with rare long-term PDAC survivors, but the role of TLS in PDAC and their spatial relationships within the context of the broader tumor microenvironment remain unknown. We generated a spatial multi-omics atlas encompassing 26 PDAC tumors from patients treated with combination immunotherapies. Using machine learning-enabled H&E image classification models and unsupervised gene expression matrix factorization methods for spatial transcriptomics, we characterized cellular states within TLS niches spanning across distinct morphologies and immunotherapies. Unsupervised learning generated a TLS-specific spatial gene expression signature that significantly associates with improved survival in PDAC patients. These analyses demonstrate TLS-associated intratumoral B cell maturation in pathological responders, confirmed with spatial proteomics and BCR profiling. Our study also identifies spatial features of pathologic immune responses, revealing TLS maturation colocalizing with IgG/IgA distribution and extracellular matrix remodeling. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=188 SRC="FIGDIR/small/613714v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (69K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d5e1a5org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d14012org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@c57c6corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@16baa56_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG HIGHLIGHTSO_LIIntegrated multi-modal spatial profiling of human PDAC tumors from neoadjuvant immunotherapy clinical trials reveal diverse spatial niches enriched in TLS. C_LIO_LITLS maturity is influenced by tumor location and the cellular neighborhoods in which TLS immune cells are recruited. C_LIO_LIUnsupervised machine learning of genome-wide signatures on spatial transcriptomics data characterizes the TLS-enriched TME and associates TLS transcriptomes with survival outcomes in PDAC. C_LIO_LIInteractions of spatially variable gene expression patterns showed TLS maturation is coupled with immunoglobulin distribution and ECM remodeling in pathologic responders. C_LIO_LIIntratumoral plasma cell and immunoglobin gene expression spatial dynamics demonstrate trafficking of TLS-driven humoral immunity in the PDAC TME. C_LI SignificanceWe report a spatial multi-omics atlas of PDAC tumors from a series of immunotherapy neoadjuvant clinical trials. Intratumorally, pathologic responders exhibit mature TLS that propagate plasma cells into malignant niches. Our findings offer insights on the role of TLS-associated humoral immunity and stromal remodeling during immunotherapy treatment.

cancer biology↗

Citrullination of a phage displayed human peptidome library reveals the fine specificities of rheumatoid arthritis-associated autoantibodies

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) on proteins can be targeted by antibodies associated with autoimmunity. Despite a growing appreciation for their intrinsic role in disease, there is a lack of highly multiplexed serological assays to characterize the fine specificities of PTM-directed autoantibodies. In this study, we used the programmable phage display technology, Phage ImmunoPrecipitation Sequencing (PhIP-Seq), to profile rheumatoid arthritis (RA) associated anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) reactivities. Using both an unmodified and peptidylarginine deiminases (PAD)-modified phage display library consisting of ~250,000 overlapping 90 amino acid peptide tiles spanning the human proteome, PTM PhIP-Seq robustly identifies antibodies to citrulline-dependent epitopes. PTM PhIP-Seq was used to quantify key differences among RA patients, including PAD isoform specific ACPA profiles, and thus represents a powerful tool for proteome-scale antibody-binding analyses.

immunology↗

Loss of TDP-43 function and rimmed vacuoles persist after T cell depletion in a xenograft model of sporadic inclusion body myositis

Sporadic inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the most common acquired muscle disease in adults over age 50, yet it remains unclear whether the disease is primarily driven by T cell-mediated autoimmunity. IBM muscle biopsies exhibit nuclear clearance and cytoplasmic aggregation of TDP-43 in muscle cells, a pathologic finding observed initially in neurodegenerative disease, and nuclear loss of TDP-43 in neurons causes aberrant RNA splicing. Here, we show that loss of TDP-43 splicing repression, as determined by inclusion of cryptic exons, occurs in skeletal muscle of IBM patients. Out of 119 muscle biopsies tested, RT-PCR-mediated detection of cryptic exon expression is 84% sensitive and 99% specific for diagnosing IBM, indicating utility as a functional and diagnostic biomarker. To determine the role of T cells in pathogenesis, we generated a novel xenograft model by transplanting human IBM muscle into the hindlimb of immunodeficient mice. Xenografts from IBM patients display robust regeneration of human myofibers and recapitulate both inflammatory and degenerative features of the disease. Myofibers in IBM xenografts are invaded by human, oligoclonal CD8+ T cells and exhibit MHC-I upregulation, rimmed vacuoles, mitochondrial pathology, p62-positive inclusions, and nuclear clearance and cytoplasmic aggregation of TDP-43, resulting in expression of cryptic exons. Depletion of human T cells within IBM xenografts by treating mice intraperitoneally with anti-CD3 (OKT3) suppresses MHC-I upregulation, but rimmed vacuoles and loss of TDP-43 function persist. These data suggest that myofiber degeneration occurs independent of T cells, and muscle cell-intrinsic mechanisms, such as loss of TDP-43 splicing repression, drive IBM pathogenesis. One Sentence SummaryDepletion of T cells in a xenograft model of sporadic inclusion body myositis suppresses inflammation but not TDP-43 pathology or muscle degeneration.

pathology↗