[Optimization of CAR-T cell culture system and lentivirus transduction conditions]

Objective To optimize the culture system of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells in vitro and lentivirus infection conditions. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy people and umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (UCBMCs) of healthy pregnant women were isolated and purified by CD3 magnetic beads, and then they were cultured in different cell culture systems. There were eight cell culture systems containg different combinations of the following components: recombinant human interleukin 2 (rhIL-2), rhIL-12, rhIL-18, rhIL-7, rhIL-21, TWS119. Cell proliferation was detected by counting the cells at 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 18 days after the cells were seeded into cell plates. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of programmed death 1 (PD-1), and ELISA was used to detect the expression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Cell culturing plates were coated with serial concentrations of recombinant human fibronectin fragment (RetroNectin^r) (0, 20, 50 μg/mL), and antibodies against human CD3/CD28 (250, 500, 1 000 ng/mL). Then T cells cultured in the above plates were infected with negative control lentivirus at different multiplicity of infection (MOI=3, 5); 72 hours later, expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) was observed under a fluorescence microscope to preliminarily determine virus infection efficiency. Flow cytometry was used to detect CD3/GFP positive rate to obtain lentivirus infection conditions. CD19 CAR lentivirus was packaged. Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting were performed to detect whether the CD19 CAR vector was successfully constructed. Finally, T cells were cultured in 1 μg/mL anti-human CD3/CD28 and 20 μg/mL RetroNectin^r-coated culture plates, and rhIL-2, rhIL-12, rhIL-18 were added in the culture medium, then the cells were infected with CD19 CAR lentivirus at the optimized virus infection conditions. Results The cell culture system with the best proliferation ability was rhIL-2 combining with rhIL-18; the cell culture system with the strongest release of IFN-γ was rhIL-2 and rhIL-12 combined with rhIL-18. When the dose of antibodies against CD3/CD28 was 1 μg/mL, RetroNectin^r was 20 μg/mL, and MOI was 3, the virus infection efficiency was optimal. The positive rate of CAR-T cells was 34% under the optimal condition. Conclusion The study achieved the optimal cell culture system of CD19 CAR-T cells in vitro and the conditions of lentivirus infection on primary T cells.