Synthetic proteins for inducing immune tolerance

Abstract

The present invention provides a fusion protein that induces local immune tolerance. The fusion protein comprises the immunomodulatory protein programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and a peptide derived from indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). Also provided are a nucleic acid construct encoding the fusion protein, a cell comprising the nucleic acid construct, and a method of transplanting the cell into a subject.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 189,359, filed May 17, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] Sequence Listing A sequence listing is attached to this application and is submitted as an ASCII text file of the sequence listing entitled "960296_04290_ST25.txt", created on April 29, 2022, with a size of 114,175 bytes. The sequence listing was submitted electronically with the application via EFS-Web and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. [Background technology]

[0003] Transplant rejection occurs when the recipient's immune system attacks the donated graft and begins to destroy the transplanted tissue or organ. Currently, long-term systemic immunosuppression is the only clinical strategy available to prevent allograft rejection (1). Despite significant improvements in post-transplant immunosuppressive therapy, long-term suppression of the host immune response still causes severe adverse effects, such as opportunistic infections, cardiac and renal toxicity, and increased risk of malignancies (2). Both these adverse effects and the extreme shortage of cadaveric-derived cells and tissues are major obstacles preventing the widespread application of allograft therapy as a treatment for several end-stage human diseases (1, 3-5). For example, islet transplantation is a promising therapy for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D) (6-8). Unfortunately, however, most islet allograft recipients lose graft function and insulin independence within 3-5 years after transplantation (9). Furthermore, no immunosuppressive regimen has been established to prevent xenograft rejection. Thus, there remains a significant unmet need for safer and more effective means of inducing immune tolerance to allo- or xenografts. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides genetically engineered fusion polypeptides that are based on our fusion protein, referred to herein as PIDO, which comprises, from N-terminus to C-terminus: (a) a PD-L1 peptide comprising at least a portion of the extracellular domain of a PD-L1 protein, (b) a transmembrane domain, and (c) an IDO peptide comprising at least a portion of an IDO protein. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 peptide is capable of binding to PD-1 and the IDO peptide is catalytically active. In a second aspect, the present invention provides a nucleic acid construct comprising a polynucleotide encoding a fusion protein as described herein, operably linked to a promoter. In a third aspect, the present invention provides a cell comprising a nucleic acid construct as described herein. Under suitable conditions, the cell expresses a fusion protein as described herein. In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method of transplanting the cells described herein into a subject. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1A] Figure 2 shows that the PIDO fusion protein is expressed in transduced cells. (A) Schematic of the experiment. Lentivirus was used to transduce pancreatic islets for PIDO expression. [Figure 1B] (B) Schematic diagram of the PIDO expression construct (top) and the PIDO protein sequence (SEQ ID NO:1; bottom). [Figure 1C] (C) Prediction of the 3D structure of PIDO. [Figure 1D] (D) Lentiviral transduction efficiency in A375 human melanoma cells, detected as expression of the indicated fluorescent reporters. DNA was counterstained with DAPI (blue). C57BL / 6 mouse islets were transduced with lentiviruses expressing PD-L1, IDO, or PIDO and subsequently enzymatically dispersed. [Figure 1E-F]Transduced cells were analyzed by (E) flow cytometry (i.e., to measure extracellular PD-L1 expression) and (F) Western blot (three representative samples) (i.e., to measure intracellular IDO expression) of extracts from PD-L1-expressing mouse or pig islets using an anti-IDO antibody. [Figure 1G] (G) Schematic of the predicted subcellular localization of PIDO component proteins. PD-L1 is displayed on the plasma membrane, whereas IDO is anchored to the cytoplasmic tail of PD-L1 in the cytoplasm. [Figure 1H] (H) Kynurenine ELISA to detect IDO catalytic activity (n = 4). [Figure 1I] (I) After 48 hours of in vitro culture, mouse islets transduced with constructs for expression of PD-L1, IDO, or PIDO were compared to unmodified islets in a glucose-stimulated insulin secretion assay. The results show insulin secretion at low (2.8G) and high (16.7G) glucose concentrations. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. (*P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001). [Figure 2A] We show that PIDO-expressing allogeneic islets reverse pre-existing chemically induced diabetes in mice. (A) Schematic of the experiment. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (STZ) and PIDO-expressing allogeneic C57BL / 6 mouse islets were transplanted into BALB / c mice. [Figure 2B] (B) Representative cross-sections (bright field, left, 4x) of islet allografts implanted under the kidney capsule were stained for insulin (green) and actin (red). DNA was counterstained with DAPI (blue). Original magnification was 20x. [Figure 2C](C) Blood glucose measurements before and after STZ treatment and after transplantation of genetically modified allogeneic islets. Five groups were investigated: (1) nondiabetic mice without transplantation ("No STZ / Txp"; no STZ, no transplantation; n=3; dotted line), (2) control islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islet Ctrl"; +STZ, EGFP-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=4; red), (3) PD-L1-expressing islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islet PD-L1"; +STZ, PD-L1-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=5; diamond symbols, dashed line), (4) IDO-expressing islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islet IDO"; +STZ, IDO-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=5; hexagon symbols, dashed line), and (5) islet-transplanted diabetic mice co-expressing PD-L1 and IDO individually ("Islet PL-D1+IDO"; +STZ, PIDO-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=5; blue). [Figure 2D] (D) Blood glucose measurements before and after STZ treatment and after transplantation of genetically modified allogeneic islets in both fasted (right) and randomly fed (left) states. Three groups were investigated: (1) mice without transplantation ("No Txp"; no STZ, no transplant; n=3; dotted line), (2) control islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islets Ctrl"; +STZ, EGFP-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=4; red), and (3) PIDO-expressing islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islets PIDO"; +STZ, PIDO-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=5; blue). [Figure 2E] (E) Glucose tolerance test (GTT) performed 2 and 10 weeks after transplantation. Three groups were investigated: (1) mice without transplantation ("No Txp"; no STZ, no transplant; n=3; 2Wk and 10Wk, black), (2) control islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islet Ctrl"; +STZ, EGFP-expressing grafts; n=5; 2Wk and 10Wk, red), and (3) PIDO-expressing islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islet PIDO+"; +STZ, PIDO-expressing grafts; n=5; 2Wk and 10Wk, blue). Bottom panel: Area under the curve (AUC) quantification of GTT data performed 2 and 10 weeks after transplantation. [Figure 2F](F) In vivo glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) assay. Three groups were investigated: (1) mice without transplantation ("No Txp"; no STZ, no transplantation; n=3; 2Wk and 10Wk, black), (2) control islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islet Ctrl"; +STZ, EGFP-expressing grafts; n=4; 2Wk and 10Wk, red), and (3) PIDO-expressing islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islet PIDO+"; +STZ, PIDO-expressing grafts; n=5; 2Wk and 10Wk, blue). Data are presented as mean ± SEM. (*P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001). [Figure 3A] Figure 1. PIDO-expressing islet allografts improve hyperglycemia in diabetic NOD mice. (A) Schematic of the experiment. PIDO-expressing allogeneic C57BL / 6 mouse islets were transplanted into diabetic NOD mice. [Figure 3B] (B) Fed blood glucose measurements in NOD mice after transplantation with naïve or allogeneic islets expressing PIDO. Three groups were investigated: (1) normoglycemic mice without transplantation ("Non-diabetic / No Txp"; n=4; black), (2) diabetic mice with control islet transplantation ("Islets Ctrl"; EGFP-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=4; red), and (3) diabetic mice with PIDO-expressing islet transplantation ("Islets PIDO+"; PIDO-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=5; blue). Animals that died of diabetic complications (hyposulinemia) or experienced diabetes relapse were removed from the analysis at the time of observed death / relapse and are marked with * and §, respectively, on the plots. [Figure 3C] (C) Step graph showing diabetes recurrence rates in PIDO+ islet allografts and naive islet allografted NOD mice. Diabetes recurrence (blood glucose >250 mg / dL) was used as the terminal event. [Figure 4A] We show that PIDO does not confer acquired immune tolerance to naive allogeneic islets. (A) Schematic of the experiment. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (STZ) and PIDO-expressing allogeneic C57BL / 6 mouse islets were transplanted into BALB / c mouse recipients. Recipients were then re-induced with STZ or nephrectomy and a second infrarenal transplantation in the contralateral kidney was performed. [Figure 4B] (B) Blood glucose measurements before and after STZ treatment, after transplantation of islets allogeneic, after re-induction with STZ, and after a second transplantation with naive islets allogeneic. Three groups were investigated: (1) mice without transplantation ("No Txp"; no STZ, no transplant; n=3; dotted line), (2) control islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islets Ctrl"; +STZ, EGFP-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=4; red), and (3) PIDO-expressing islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islets PIDO+"; +STZ, PIDO-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=5; blue). [Figure 4C] (C) Blood glucose measurements before and after STZ treatment, after transplantation of genetically modified allogeneic islets, after re-induction via nephrectomy, and after a second transplantation with naive allogeneic islets. Three groups were investigated: (1) mice without transplantation ("No Txp"; no STZ, no transplant; n=3; dotted line), (2) control islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islets Ctrl"; +STZ, EGFP-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=5; red), and (3) PIDO-expressing islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islets PIDO+"; +STZ, PIDO-expressing grafts; 400 islets; n=5; blue). Data are presented as mean ± SD. (*P<0.05, **P<0.01, ***P<0.001). [Figure 5A] PIDO-induced immune evasion of genetically modified islet allografts requires CD4 expression. (A) Schematic of the experiment. PIDO-expressing BALB / c mouse islets were transplanted into diabetic CD4-deficient mice. [Figure 5B] (B) Blood glucose measurements before and after STZ treatment and after transplantation of allogeneic islets. Three groups were studied: (1) mice without transplantation ("No Txp"; no STZ, no transplant; black), (2) control islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islets Ctrl"; +STZ, EGFP-expressing grafts; red), and (3) PIDO-expressing islet-transplanted diabetic mice ("Islets PIDO+"; +STZ, PIDO-expressing grafts; blue). Data are shown as mean ± SEM. [Figure 6A] PIDO-expressing xenogeneic islets survive in immunocompetent mice and dog recipients. (A) Schematic of the experiment. PIDO-expressing porcine islets were transplanted into normoglycemic C57BL / 6 mice and dogs. [Figure 6B] (B) Porcine insulin measurements in normoglycemic, immunocompetent C57BL / 6 mice after sub-renal capsular transplantation of genetically modified porcine islets. Three groups were investigated: (1) mice without transplantation ("No Txp"; n=3; black), (2) control islet transplanted mice ("Islets Ctrl"; EGFP Txp; 400 islets; n=4; red), and (3) PIDO-expressing islet transplanted mice ("Islets PIDO"; PIDO Txp; 400 islets; n=5; blue). [Figure 6C] (C) Porcine C-peptide measurements after intravenous glucose tolerance test (GTT) in normoglycemic beagle dogs 3, 6, 10, 15, and 20 weeks after implantation into the epaxial muscle. [Figure 7] Shown is a representative Western blot comparing IDO expression and abundance from A375 cells transduced to express the indicated proteins. [Figure 8A] 1 shows the plasmid maps of lentiviral vectors encoding PIDO fusion proteins: (A) Plasmid map of the lentiviral vector containing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) used in the examples. [Figure 8B] (B) Plasmid map of lentiviruses engineered for use in transplantation therapy. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] A more effective means of inducing immune tolerance would address an important unmet need to improve the safety of transplantation therapy. To address this unmet need, the inventors herein present a method for the induction of immune tolerance using PIDO ( P D-L1 and IDO We have created a novel fusion protein called PIDO. PIDO contains peptides derived from two immune-modulating proteins: programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). PD-L1 and IDO are known to induce distinct immune tolerance mechanisms, which are discussed below.

[0007] In the Examples, we generate cells expressing PIDO and confirm that each component of this fusion protein localizes to the appropriate intracellular compartment (Figure 1). PD-L1 spans the cell membrane, whereas IDO is tethered intracellularly via a flexible linker. Furthermore, we confirm that IDO, which normally moves freely throughout the cytoplasm, remains catalytically active when tethered to the membrane as part of this fusion protein (Figure 1). To test whether expression of PIDO induces local immune tolerance, we genetically modified mouse islets to express this fusion protein and transplanted them into diabetic mice. After transplantation, the modified islet grafts survived, produced insulin, and reversed diabetes in these mice (Figures 2, 3). Furthermore, we showed that PIDO-expressing porcine islet xenografts remained functional in mouse and canine recipients for more than 20 weeks (Figure 6). Thus, the inventors have demonstrated that expression of a PIDO fusion protein can be used to improve the outcome of both allogeneic and xenogeneic transplants. The cell transplantation method described herein offers several advantages over current transplantation methods that rely on immunosuppression. First, since PIDO remains anchored to the cell membrane, the fusion protein provides locally limited immunosuppression. Thus, the use of PIDO should avoid the unwanted side effects associated with pharmacological immunosuppression regimes that can cause off-target immunosuppression and toxicity. Second, the peptide component of PIDO can be adapted to the subject's species for greater compatibility and reduced risk of antigenicity. Third, since almost any cell type can be engineered to express PIDO, the fusion protein can be used in a wide variety of transplantation therapies.

[0008] Fusion proteins: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a fusion protein based on a PIDO fusion protein. The fusion protein comprises, from N-terminus to C-terminus: (a) a PD-L1 peptide comprising at least a portion of the extracellular domain of the PD-L1 protein, (b) a transmembrane domain, and (c) an IDO peptide comprising at least a portion of the IDO protein. Ideally, within the fusion protein, the PD-L1 peptide is capable of binding to PD-1 and the IDO peptide is catalytically active. As used herein, the term "fusion protein" refers to a single polypeptide comprising at least two peptide components, e.g., a PD-L1 component and an IDO component. Each peptide component may comprise a synthetic peptide or a naturally occurring peptide. The peptide components include full-length proteins or fragments thereof, which may contain mutations or other modifications relative to the wild-type proteins from which they are derived.

[0009] Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1; also known as cluster of differentiation 274 (CD274)) is a transmembrane protein that plays a major role in suppressing the adaptive immune system. This protein is constitutively expressed by a wide variety of immune cells and can also be expressed by non-immune cells such as pancreatic islets (13, 14). The cognate receptor for this protein, the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor, is expressed on the surface of T cells and other immune cells (12). PD-1 / PD-L1 binding suppresses effector T cell function and stimulates regulatory T cell function (15, 16). Thus, PD-1 / PD-L1 interaction forms an immune checkpoint that protects normal tissues from inflammation and plays a key role in maintaining immune tolerance. The PD-L1 peptides used in the present invention should contain a portion of the extracellular domain of the PD-L1 protein that is capable of binding to PD-1. An "extracellular domain" is a protein domain that localizes to the extracellular space when the protein is expressed by a cell. The amino acid residues in PD-L1 required for PD-1 binding were recently mapped by Zak et al. (Structure 25(8):1163-1174,2017), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Residues critical for PD-1 binding include A121, D122, Y123, K124, and R125 (i.e., the ADYKR sequence). Thus, the PD-L1 peptides used in the present invention should contain these critical amino acid residues. The ability of the PD-L1 peptides to bind to PD-1 may be assessed using a PD-1 / PD-L1 binding assay or any protein-protein binding assay, including assays utilizing surface plasmon resonance, co-immunoprecipitation, or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Alternatively, the ability of a PD-L1 peptide to bind to PD-1 may be assessed using in silico modeling. The PD-L1 peptide may be a portion of a PD-L1 protein from any vertebrate. Suitable sources of PD-L1 peptides include, but are not limited to, humans, non-human primates, bovine, feline, canine, porcine, and rodent. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 peptide has at least 95% identity to the extracellular domain of mouse PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO:3; amino acids 19-239 of SEQ ID NO:2). In other embodiments, the PD-L1 peptide has at least 95% identity to the extracellular domain of human PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO:7). In some embodiments, the PD-L1 peptide further comprises a PD-L1 signal peptide. The PD-L1 signal peptide is a membrane localization signal that is cleaved in the mature PD-L1 protein. Although inclusion of the signal peptide is necessary for proper membrane localization, equivalent localization may be achieved by substituting the signal peptide of another membrane-bound protein or a synthetic signal peptide with the native PD-L1 signal peptide. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 signal peptide is the signal peptide of mouse PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO:4; amino acids 1-18 of SEQ ID NO:2). In other embodiments, the PD-L1 signal peptide is the signal peptide of human PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO:8).

[0010] A "transmembrane domain" is a protein domain that spans a cell membrane when the protein is expressed by a cell. Transmembrane domains are primarily composed of hydrophobic amino acids. The transmembrane domain of the fusion protein may be any transmembrane domain that does not destroy the ability of the PD-L1 peptide to bind to PD-1 or the catalytic activity of the IDO protein. In the examples, the inventors utilized full-length PD-L1 protein in their PIDO fusion proteins, whereby both the extracellular domain and the transmembrane domain of the fusion protein were provided by PD-L1. Thus, in some embodiments, the transmembrane domain comprises at least a portion of the transmembrane domain of the PD-L1 protein. In some embodiments, the transmembrane domain has at least 95% identity to the transmembrane domain of mouse PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO: 5). In other embodiments, the transmembrane domain has at least 95% identity to the transmembrane domain of human PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO: 9).

[0011] Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is an intracellular heme-containing enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of tryptophan. This enzyme performs the initial, rate-limiting step required to degrade tryptophan via the kynurenine pathway. Tryptophan degradation and the products of this process (i.e., kynurenine derivatives and O2 free radicals) suppress innate and adaptive immunity by several mechanisms, including apoptosis, inhibition of activated T cells, and activation of resting regulatory T cells (19). IDO can be expressed in a variety of human tissues, where its expression is induced by inflammatory cytokines, and is known to be expressed in chronic inflammatory conditions, such as cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune and allergic diseases, and transplant rejection (20). Furthermore, recent reports suggest that a subset of human myeloid dendritic cells and cancer cells constitutively express IDO and suppress allogeneic T cell immune responses (21, 22). The IDO peptide used in the present invention must contain the catalytically active portion of the IDO protein, i.e., the portion that can catalyze l-tryptophan oxidation. Sugimoto et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (2006), 103(8):2611-2616) identified that amino acid residues F226, F227, and R231 of IDO are essential for its catalytic activity. Therefore, the IDO peptide used in the present invention must contain these critical residues. The catalytic activity of the IDO peptide can be assessed, for example, by measuring the conversion of tryptophan to kynurenine by kynurenine ELISA. The IDO peptide may be a portion of the IDO protein from any vertebrate. Suitable animals include, but are not limited to, humans, non-human primates, cows, cats, dogs, pigs, and rodents. In some embodiments, the IDO peptide has at least 95% identity with the full-length human IDO protein (SEQ ID NO: 10).

[0012] In some embodiments, the transmembrane domain is linked to the IDO peptide by a linker peptide. As used herein, the term "linker peptide" refers to a polypeptide that links two peptide components in a fusion protein. The linker may be flexible such that it does not have a fixed structure in solution and allows adjacent peptide components to move freely relative to each other. A flexible linker comprises one or more amino acid residues, preferably 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20 or more residues. The linker may be a pre-existing sequence provided by the proteins contained in the fusion protein, or may be provided by the insertion of one or more amino acid residues between the peptide components of the fusion protein. The linker may comprise any amino acid sequence that does not substantially interfere with the function of the peptide components (i.e., the ability of PD-L1 to bind to PD-1 and the catalytic activity of IDO). Preferred amino acid residues for the flexible linker sequence include, but are not limited to, glycine, alanine, serine, threonine, lysine, arginine, glutamine, and glutamic acid. In some embodiments, the linker peptide is a glycine-serine linker (i.e., a linker consisting of serine and glycine). In certain embodiments, the glycine-serine linker is a 3X GGGS linker (SEQ ID NO: 11).

[0013] In some embodiments, the fusion protein comprises the mouse PIDO fusion protein described in the Examples (SEQ ID NO:1; encoded by SEQ ID NO:12), which comprises a full-length mouse PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO:2) linked to the full-length human IDO protein (SEQ ID NO:10) via a 3× GGGS linker (SEQ ID NO:11). In other embodiments, the fusion protein comprises a human PIDO fusion protein (SEQ ID NO:14; encoded by SEQ ID NO:15), which comprises a full-length human PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO:6) linked to the full-length human IDO protein (SEQ ID NO:10) via a 3× GGGS linker (SEQ ID NO:11). In other embodiments, the fusion protein comprises a dog PIDO fusion protein (SEQ ID NO:17; encoded by SEQ ID NO:18), which comprises a full-length dog PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO:23) linked to the full-length human IDO protein (SEQ ID NO:10) via a 3× GGGS linker (SEQ ID NO:11). In another embodiment, the fusion protein comprises a feline PIDO fusion protein (SEQ ID NO:20; encoded by SEQ ID NO:21), which comprises a full-length feline PD-L1 protein (SEQ ID NO:24) linked to a full-length feline IDO protein (SEQ ID NO:10) via a 3X GGGS linker (SEQ ID NO:11).

[0014] Nucleic acid construct: The invention provides a nucleic acid construct comprising a polynucleotide encoding a fusion protein described herein, operably linked to a promoter. The terms "polynucleotide," "nucleotide," and "nucleic acid" are used interchangeably to refer to a polymer of DNA or RNA. A polynucleotide may be single-stranded or double-stranded and may be the sense or antisense strand. A polynucleotide may be synthetic or derived from natural sources. A polynucleotide may contain natural, non-natural, or modified nucleotides, and natural, non-natural, or modified internucleotide linkages. The term polynucleotide encompasses constructs, plasmids, vectors, and the like. As used herein, the term "construct" or "nucleic acid construct" refers to a recombinant polynucleotide, i.e., a polynucleotide formed by combining at least two polynucleotide components of different sources, natural or synthetic origin. For example, a construct can contain the coding region of one gene operably linked to a promoter that is (1) linked to another gene in the same genome, (2) derived from the genome of a different species, or (3) synthetic. Constructs can be generated using conventional recombinant DNA methods. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid construct is a viral vector. As used herein, a "viral vector" is a recombinant viral nucleic acid genetically modified to express a heterologous polypeptide (e.g., a fusion protein of the invention). A viral vector contains cis-acting elements that facilitate the expression of the encoded heterologous polypeptide. Suitable viral vectors are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, adenovirus vectors, adeno-associated virus vectors, poxvirus vectors (e.g., fowlpox virus vectors), alphavirus vectors, baculovirus vectors, herpes virus vectors, retrovirus vectors (e.g., lentivirus vectors), modified vaccinia virus Ankara vectors, Ross River virus vectors, Sindbis virus vectors, Semliki Forest virus vectors, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus vectors. In a preferred embodiment, the viral vector is a lentivirus vector.

[0015] As used herein, the term "promoter" refers to a DNA sequence that regulates the expression of a gene. Typically, a promoter is a regulatory region capable of binding RNA polymerase and initiating transcription of a downstream (3' direction) sequence. However, a promoter may be located at the 5' or 3' end of a coding region, within the coding region, or within an intron of the gene it regulates. A promoter may be derived entirely from a native gene, may be composed of elements from multiple regulatory sequences found in nature, or may comprise synthetic DNA. A promoter is "operably linked" to a polynucleotide such that when the promoter is bound to the polynucleotide, it can affect transcription of the polynucleotide. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that different promoters may direct the expression of a gene in different tissues or cell types, at different developmental stages, or in response to different environmental conditions. Promoters suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, constitutive, inducible, temporally regulated, developmentally regulated, chemically regulated, tissue-preferred, and tissue-specific promoters. In some embodiments, the promoter is an elongation factor 1 alpha short (EFS) promoter or a hybrid CMV enhancer / chicken β-actin (CBA) promoter. The EF-1 alpha promoter is known to be one of the strongest promoters for driving expression in various mammalian cell lines. The CBA promoter is often used for gene transfer because it provides stable long-term expression in all cell types. Those skilled in the art will understand how to select an appropriate promoter to drive expression of the fusion proteins disclosed herein for a particular application.

[0016] In some embodiments, the nucleic acid construct is a lentiviral vector encoding SEQ ID NO: 13, i.e., a PIDO fusion protein with mouse PD-L1 (SEQ ID NO: 1). In some embodiments, the nucleic acid construct is a lentiviral vector encoding SEQ ID NO: 16, i.e., a PIDO fusion protein with human PD-L1 (SEQ ID NO: 14). In some embodiments, the nucleic acid construct is a lentiviral vector encoding SEQ ID NO: 19, i.e., a PIDO fusion protein with canine PD-L1 (SEQ ID NO: 17). In some embodiments, the nucleic acid construct is a lentiviral vector encoding SEQ ID NO: 22, i.e., a PIDO fusion protein with feline PD-L1 (SEQ ID NO: 20).

[0017] cell: The invention provides a cell comprising a nucleic acid construct as described herein. Under suitable conditions, the cell expresses a fusion protein as described herein. A "cell" is the basic unit into which all living organisms are built. All cells consist of cytoplasm (i.e., the gelatinous liquid that fills the inside of the cell) enclosed within a membrane. The space outside the cell membrane is called the "extracellular space." Any cell type may be used in the present invention. In some embodiments, the cells are useful for transplantation. For example, in some embodiments, the cells are induced pluripotent stem cells, embryonic stem cells, retinal pigment epithelial cells, dopaminergic neurons, interstitial cells, or cardiomyocytes. In certain embodiments, the cells are hematopoietic stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells. In the examples, the inventors have generated pancreatic islets that express PIDO fusion proteins. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the cells are pancreatic islets, i.e., pancreatic cells that produce hormones (e.g., insulin and glucagon) that are secreted into the bloodstream. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid construct is a viral vector and the nucleic acid construct is introduced into the cell by viral infection, in other embodiments, the nucleic acid construct is introduced into the cell using plasmid DNA, transposons, CRISPR-based gene editing, or chromosomal introduction.

[0018] The inventors have designed a PIDO fusion protein such that (1) the PD-L1 extracellular domain is localized to the extracellular space where it can interact with the PD-1 receptor on the surface of activated T cells, and (2) the IDO protein is localized to the cytoplasm where it can function in the kynurenine pathway. Thus, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the fusion protein is expressed on the surface of a cell. In a preferred embodiment, the PD-L1 peptide is localized in the extracellular space and the IDO peptide is localized in the cytoplasm of the cell. Any method of protein detection may be used to test whether a cell expresses the fusion protein disclosed herein. Suitable methods for protein detection include, but are not limited to, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), dot blotting, Western blotting, flow cytometry, mass spectrometry, and chromatography. In the examples, PD-L1 was detected on the cell surface by flow cytometry using an anti-CD274 antibody, while IDO was detected intracellularly by Western blot (Figure 1). Thus, in certain embodiments, the fusion protein is detected using flow cytometry or Western blot.

[0019] method: The present invention provides a method of transplanting the cells described herein into a subject. As used herein, the term "transplantation" refers to a procedure in which cells from a donor are placed into the body of a recipient. Transplantation can be allogeneic, i.e., from a different individual of the same species, or xenogeneic, i.e., from an individual of a different species. The method can include any transplantation technique known in the art. The transplanted cells can be individual cells. Alternatively, the transplanted cells can be part of an organ, tissue, organoid, or cell aggregate. Importantly, these methods allow therapies that rely on limited supplies of cells (e.g., pancreatic islets from human cadavers) to be replaced with therapies that utilize cells from a renewable source (e.g., embryonic stem cells). The transplant cells may be from any suitable donor. Suitable donor animals include, but are not limited to, humans, non-human primates, cows, cats, dogs, pigs, and rodents. The donor cells may be from allogeneic or xenogeneic sources. For example, for a human recipient, the donor cells may be from another human (i.e., allogeneic source) or pig (i.e., xenogeneic source). Suitable xenogeneic sources for transplantation into humans include mammalian sources such as pigs, sheep, cows, horses, and non-human primates. Because humans are known to respond to pig insulin, pigs are a promising source of pancreatic islets for transplantation in type I diabetes. Thus, in some embodiments, the transplant cells are from pigs.

[0020] A "subject (i.e., recipient)" may be any animal that can reasonably receive transplanted cells from a donor. Suitable subjects include, but are not limited to, humans, non-human primates, cows, cats, dogs, pigs, and rodents. In some embodiments, the subject is a human. In some embodiments, the subject is in need of functional cells or tissue. For example, in some embodiments, the subject suffers from diabetes and is in need of functional pancreatic islets. Advantageously, the fusion protein, and in particular the extracellular PD-L1 peptide portion, is matched to the species of interest for greater compatibility and reduced risk of antigenicity, although one of skill in the art will appreciate that species matching is less important for highly conserved proteins (e.g., IDO) than for less conserved proteins (e.g., PD-L1).

[0021] In the absence of immunosuppression, allogeneic and xenogeneic transplants are destroyed by the immune system of the transplant recipient, which attacks the transplant as a foreign material. However, in the Examples, the inventors demonstrate that expression of PIDO fusion proteins by transplanted cells locally suppresses the immune system. Specifically, they demonstrate that PIDO-expressing mouse islets transplanted in mice (i.e., allografts; see FIG. 2) and PIDO-expressing porcine islets transplanted in mice and dogs (i.e., xenografts; see FIG. 6) survive and are functional in the recipient animals. Thus, in some embodiments, transplanted cells are tolerated by the immune system in the absence of immunosuppression. Transplanted cells are "tolerated" when the recipient's immune system is unresponsive or minimally responsive to the transplanted cells. Immune tolerance can be assessed by monitoring the survival or function of the transplanted cells. For example, the inventors have shown that transplanted PIDO-expressing porcine islets survived longer than naive porcine islets (i.e., islets that have not been genetically modified to express PIDO) and remained functional (i.e., producing insulin) in the recipient for more than 20 weeks. Thus, in some embodiments, transplanted cells may exhibit extended survival compared to transplanted control cells that do not contain a nucleic acid construct encoding the fusion protein. Alternatively, immune tolerance may be estimated by the lack of immune rejection (i.e., by quantifying reactive immune cells that co-localize with the PIDO-expressing graft) or by the presence of regulatory T cells that mediate immune tolerance. As used herein, the term "immunosuppression" refers to partial or complete suppression of a subject's immune response. Immunosuppression can be intentionally induced in a subject using drugs that support the survival of transplant donor cells. Examples of immunosuppressants used to reduce the risk of transplant rejection include, but are not limited to, tacrolimus, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, everolimus, sirolimus, and glucocorticoids (steroids). The cells transplanted in the methods of the invention can be any cell type amenable to ex vivo transplantation. In some embodiments, the transplanted cells perform their native function (e.g., pancreatic islets produce insulin).

[0022] In the examples, the inventors genetically modified allogeneic pancreatic islets to express PIDO fusion proteins and transplanted them into immune-competent diabetic mice. Thus, in some embodiments, the subject is diabetic and the cells are pancreatic islets. Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes results from the inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin due to the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells by a cell-specific autoimmune process. Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, a condition in which cells are unable to respond properly to insulin. Type 2 diabetes develops primarily as a result of obesity and lack of exercise. Gestational diabetes occurs when a pregnant woman develops high blood glucose levels without a previous history of diabetes.

[0023] Ideally, the diabetic subject treated by this method produces insulin after transplantation of PIDO-expressing islets. Insulin secretion can be measured, for example, using the glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) test. In the GSIS test, blood is sampled at specific time points for measurement of plasma insulin levels in the basal (fasting) state and after induction of hyperglycemia by administration of a glucose bolus. Alternatively, insulin secretion can be measured indirectly through detection of C-peptide, a protein that is produced and secreted together with insulin. The C-peptide test is often used by physicians to diagnose type I diabetes. Additionally, diabetic subjects treated by the present methods may exhibit improved glucose tolerance after transplantation compared to before transplantation. Glucose tolerance can be measured using any glucose tolerance test known in the art. Alternatively, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) can be measured as an indicator of long-term glycemic control.

[0024] In some embodiments, the subject becomes normoglycemic after transplantation. As used herein, the term "normoglycemic" refers to the presence of normal concentrations of glucose in the blood. The concentration of glucose in the blood can be measured using any blood glucose test. A blood glucose level of less than 140 mg / dL is considered normal in humans, while a blood glucose level of less than 100 mg / dL is considered normal in mice. However, fed mice with blood glucose levels of less than 200 mg / dL are also considered non-diabetic or normoglycemic. In some embodiments, the subject remains normoglycemic for at least 50 weeks after transplantation. In other embodiments, the cells used in the methods of the present invention are derived from stem cells. Stem cells suitable for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, embryonic stem cells (ESCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In certain embodiments, the cells are differentiated progeny of hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to myeloid, lymphoid, and monocytic cell types. The stem cells can be transplanted into the animal in an undifferentiated state or can be differentiated in vitro prior to transplantation. The stem cells can be obtained from established stem cell lines or directly from primary tissues.

[0025] The inventors also envision that the fusion proteins of the present invention will be used to generate genetically modified transplant donor animals. For example, pigs can be genetically modified to express PIDO fusion proteins throughout their entire bodies to produce whole organs and tissues that can be used as xenografts for humans. Organs suitable for transplantation include, but are not limited to, kidney, heart, liver, lung, pancreas, intestine, thymus, and uterus. Tissues suitable for transplantation include, for example, bone, tendon, cornea, skin, heart valve, nerve, and vein.

[0026] The disclosure is not limited to the particular details of the constructs, arrangement of components, or method steps described herein. The compositions and methods disclosed herein can be made, implemented, used, performed, and / or formed in a variety of ways that will be apparent to one of skill in the art in light of the following disclosure. The phraseology and terminology used herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limitations on the scope of the claims. The sequence labels, such as first, second, and third, used in the description and claims to refer to various structures or method steps, are not intended to be construed as indicating any particular structure or step, or any particular order or arrangement for such structures or steps. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The use of any specific examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") described herein is intended merely to facilitate disclosure and is not intended to pose any limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise asserted. No terminology used herein, and no structure shown in the drawings, should be construed to indicate that any non-claimed element is essential to the practice of the disclosed subject matter. "Including," "comprising," or "having," and variations thereof, are meant to encompass the subsequently listed elements and equivalents thereof, as well as additional elements. Embodiments described as "including," "comprising," or "having" particular elements are also intended as "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of" those particular elements.

[0027] The recitation of ranges of values ​​herein is intended to be used merely as a shorthand method of individually expressing each individual value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each individual value is incorporated herein as if it were individually recited herein. For example, if a concentration range is recited as 1%-50%, this is intended to specifically recite values ​​such as 2%-40%, 10%-30%, or 1%-3%, etc., herein. These are merely examples of what is specifically intended, and all possible combinations of values ​​between and including the lowest and highest recited values ​​are considered to be specifically recited in this disclosure. The use of the term "about" to describe a particular stated amount or range of amounts is intended to indicate that the amount includes values ​​that are very close to the stated amount, such as values ​​that may be due to manufacturing tolerances, equipment and human error in measuring, and the like, or that may be due naturally. Unless otherwise indicated, all percentages relating to amounts are by weight.

[0028] Percent identity (% sequence identity or % identity). Refers to the percentage of residue matches between at least two amino acid sequences aligned using a standardized algorithm. Methods of amino acid sequence alignment are well known in the art. Some alignment methods take into account conservative amino acid substitutions. Such conservative substitutions are described in more detail below, but generally preserve the charge and hydrophobicity at the site of the substitution, thus preserving the structure (and thus function) of the polypeptide. Percent identity for amino acid sequences can be determined as understood in the art. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,396,664, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.) A set of commonly used, freely available sequence comparison algorithms is provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), which is available from several sources, including the NCBI, Bethesda, Md. website. The BLAST software suite includes various sequence analysis programs, including "blastp," which is used to align a known amino acid sequence with other amino acid sequences from various databases. Polypeptide sequence identity can be measured over the length of a fully defined polypeptide sequence, e.g., as defined by a particular SEQ ID NO:, or over a shorter length, e.g., a fragment taken from a shorter length of a larger defined polypeptide sequence, e.g., a fragment of at least 10, at least 15, at least 20, or more contiguous residues. It will be understood that such lengths are exemplary only, and that any fragment length identified by the sequences shown in the tables, figures, or sequence listing herein can be used to describe the length over which percent identity may be measured.

[0029] No admission is made that any document, including any non-patent or patent document, cited herein constitutes prior art. It will be understood that, unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to any document herein is not an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art in the United States or any other country. Any discussion of references states what their authors assert, and applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinence of any document cited herein. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety unless expressly indicated otherwise. In the event of any discrepancy between any definitions and / or descriptions found in the cited references, the present disclosure shall control. The following examples are intended to be merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appended claims.

[0030] Working Example Allogeneic islet transplantation is a promising experimental therapy for poorly controlled diabetes but is limited by the adverse effects of long-term immunosuppression. Induction of immune tolerance to alloantigens is necessary to prevent allograft rejection and obviate the need for immunosuppressants. However, there remains an unmet need for effective means of inducing immune tolerance. In the following examples, the inventors describe a novel fusion protein generated by combining two biochemically distinct proteins: programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). PD-L1 is a transmembrane protein known to play a major role in suppressing the adaptive immune system. IDO is an intracellular monomeric heme-containing enzyme that regulates the degradation of tryptophan in the kynurenine pathway. IDO influences immune tolerance by regulating the function of natural killer (NK), T cells, T regulatory cells (Treg) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) via tryptophan depletion. Thus, our fusion moiety, referred to herein as PIDO (PD-L1+IDO), provides two distinct tolerogenic mechanisms for the prevention of transplant rejection. The inventors have demonstrated that PIDO is robustly expressed in and presented on mammalian cells, including mouse and porcine islets. When allogeneic PIDO-expressing islets are transplanted into hyperglycemic mice, the islet grafts survive and reverse both streptozotocin-induced and autoimmune diabetes for periods of more than 50 and 10 weeks, respectively. Furthermore, PIDO-expressing porcine islet xenografts show glucose-responsive insulin secretion for up to 30 weeks in normoglycemic dogs. The survival of these PIDO-expressing allografts and xenografts suggests that this fusion protein may be a means to achieve local immune regulation, allowing improved transplantation outcomes in the absence of long-term immune suppression.

[0031] Materials and Methods: Study design. The objective of this study was to generate allogeneic PIDO-expressing islets, transplant them into mice with existing diabetes, and test the ability of the PIDO fusion protein to induce immune tolerance to allogeneic islets. We used lentiviral delivery to genetically modify islets from allogeneic or xenogeneic donors. We transplanted PIDO-expressing islets and naive islets (i.e., islets that were not genetically modified to express PIDO) into 15 and 9 streptozotocin (STZ)-treated diabetic mice, respectively. STZ-treated diabetic and nondiabetic mice that did not receive transplants served as transplant controls. Mice groups were randomly assigned and the study was unblinded. Transplanted mice were monitored through blood glucose measurements and plasma collection, and then euthanized for ex vivo analysis. Nephrectomy surgery was performed to determine the expression of PIDO in the islets. + This study was performed on mice with islet transplants to confirm that the transplanted islets were responsible for the glucose tolerance and non-diabetic blood glucose levels observed in these mice. Data collection was stopped at a pre-determined time point. Mice that did not develop diabetes after STZ administration and mice that died during surgery before or immediately before or after transplantation were excluded from the study.

[0032] Enzymatic activity of IDO1. Kynurenine levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in conditioned medium collected from mesenchymal stromal cells (positive control) or pancreatic islets 48 hours after transduction of cells with PIDO-encoding lentiviral vectors using a Kynurenine ELISA kit (#F56401, LSBio, USA).

[0033] Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). To assess static GSIS, approximately 50 size-matched islets were transduced with lentiviral vectors encoding PIDO or EGFP (control) in 48-well plates. The islets were washed with KRB buffer and then pre-incubated for 30 min in glucose-free KRB buffer. Static insulin secretion was measured by incubating the islets in medium containing basal (2.8 mM or 2.8 G) or stimulated (16.7 mM or 16.7 G) glucose for 2 h. The supernatant was collected for use in the insulin assay. To perform intracellular insulin detection, the islets were harvested, rinsed with PBS, resuspended in 300 μL of acid ethanol, and homogenized by ultrasonic disruption of the cell membrane. Insulin was measured using an ELISA kit (#10-1247-01, Mercodia, Uppsala, Sweden) according to the manufacturer's protocol.

[0034] Immunocytochemical staining and imaging. Naive mouse islets were transduced with lentiviral vectors carrying various transgenes (EGFP, PD-L1:EGFP, IDO:mCherry, and PIDO:EGFP) and stained with nuclear counterstain Hoechst 33342 (catalog no. H1399, ThermoFisher, USA). Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded kidney sections from recipient mice were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) for visualization of islet microscopic anatomy, or with anti-insulin antibody (1:1000; Immunostar, USA) and actin (Acti-Stain 555 Phalloidin, catalog no. PHDH1) to detect transplanted insulin-positive islets by immunofluorescence (IF) microscopy and imaging. Nuclei were counterstained with ProLong™ Diamond Antifade Mountant (#P36970, ThermoFisher, USA). H&E images were acquired using a Zeiss AX10 inverted microscope equipped with a Zeiss Axiocam 305 color camera. IF images were acquired with a laser scanning microscope (A1R; Nikon, USA).

[0035] Islet cell flow cytometry. Islets expressing PIDO fusion proteins, PD-L1 alone, or EGFP (control) were washed with 2 mmol / l EDTA / PBS and then incubated with Ca2+ / PBS supplemented with 0.025% trypsin. 2+ The islets were incubated in free PBS for 5 min at ambient temperature and detached into single-cell suspension by gentle pipetting. The detached islets were stained with dead cell labeling reagent (Ghost Dye Red 780, Cat. No. 13-0865, Tonbo Biosciences, USA) for 30 min, followed by CD274 (PD-L1) staining to detect PD-L1 expression on the cell membrane. PD-L1 and EGFP stained cells were used for gating. All samples were FSC-H and SSC-H gated, followed by FSC-A / FSC-H gated to select single cells. Live cells were gated based on Ghost Red 780. Flow cytometry plots for PD-L1 expression are shown as histograms.

[0036] Islet isolation and culture. Juvenile porcine islets were isolated from the pancreases of 8-15 day old preweaned Yorkshire piglets and cultured as previously described (52). Mouse islets were isolated from male 12-16 week old C57BL / 6J mice (Jackson Laboratory, USA) as previously described (53). After culturing the islets in RPMI-1640 medium (Corning, USA) containing 10% FBS (Gibco, USA) and 1% antibiotic-antimycotic (ThermoFisher, #15240096) for the indicated periods or overnight (37°C, 5% CO2), they were transferred to complete RPMI and DMEM F-12 (RD mix ) medium and co-cultured with pluripotent stem cells (PSCs).

[0037] Lentiviral transduction of mouse and porcine islets. After islet viability was assessed using dithiazone, islets were cultured overnight in RPMI medium. The next day, islets were partially destroyed by gentle enzymatic digestion. Briefly, islets were incubated for 2 minutes in pre-warmed Acctase (2.5ul / islet, StemCell technologies) and washed with Ca / Mg-free HBSS. Purified virus was added to islets in ultra-low attachment plates or dishes (Costar, Corning) and incubated with viral supernatant for 6 hours or overnight. For default transduction conditions, vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VG) pseudotyped cytomegalovirus green fluorescent protein (CMV-GFP) vectors were used at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 10 and transduction was performed in serum-free medium supplemented with 0.1% bovine albumin, 1x insulin-transferrin-selenium (ITS) (Sigma Aldrich), and 8ug / ml polybrene. The transduction volume was kept constant throughout all experiments. The volume of the growth area of ​​the well / dish was 135.5 μl / cm 2 and at least 50% of the transduction volume consisted of fresh medium. Islets were cultured for 48 h in RPMI medium supplemented with 10% FBS and transduction efficiency was assessed prior to transplantation.

[0038] Mouse transplantation. Mice were randomly assigned to STZ treatment and transplantation groups. The number of mice per group (i.e., 9 and 15) was selected to allow for statistical significance. Surgery and follow-up studies were performed by unblinded individuals. Male, approximately 8-week-old BALB / c, C57BL6 / j, and CD4 - / - (B6.129S2-Cd4 tm1MakNOD mice (strain #002663 / J) were purchased from Jackson Laboratory and made diabetic by injection of STZ (45 mg / kg; R&D Systems) for 5 days. Diabetes was confirmed after 7 days. Spontaneously diabetic female NOD mice (approximately 12-16 weeks old) with blood glucose levels higher than 350 mg / dl were transplanted with islets harvested from normoglycemic 8-week-old C57BL / 6J donor mice. Anesthetized mice were transplanted with approximately 400 hand-harvested mixed-size islets (PIDO-expressing or control transduced), or saline under the kidney capsule. Animals were monitored for up to 50 weeks. Blood glucose was measured with a Contour Blood Glucose Monitoring System (Bayer). Glucose tolerance and in vivo GSIS assays were performed by fasting the mice for 4 h and then injecting them with glucose (2 g / kg). Serum hormones were quantified using ELISA kits for insulin (mouse #10-1247-01, porcine #10-1200-01) and porcine C-peptide (#10-1256-01) according to the manufacturer's instructions (Mercodia, Uppsala, Sweden). Twenty weeks after transplantation, transplant recipient mice were re-induced by a second STZ injection or by live nephrectomy, which was performed on five anesthetized mice per group.

[0039] Dog implantation. Naive male beagles (10 kg) were used in this study. Dogs were sedated and anesthetized with approved medications. Anesthesia was maintained by inhalation of isoflurane (0.75-1.75%) in oxygen. To provide analgesia, carprofen (4.4 mg / kg; Rimadyl®, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ) was administered subcutaneously at the time of anesthesia the day after cell implantation. From the 13th rib to the cranial limit of the ileal crest, the skin overlying the dorsal epaxial musculature was prepared for aseptic surgery by removing hair and scrubbing with chlorhexidine. A small (5 mm) stab incision was made in the skin 2 cm caudal to the 13th rib. An 18-gauge 6-inch subarachnoid needle (Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, NJ) preloaded with porcine islets (30,000 IEQ / kg; 2.0 ml total volume) was inserted through the skin incision to a depth of 10 cm into the epaxial musculature. 0.5 ml of islet suspension was instilled and the needle was withdrawn in 1.5 cm increments so that all four injections were 2.5 cm from the previous injection site. The needle was withdrawn from the insertion site and the skin was sealed with tissue adhesive (Vetbond Tissue Adhesive™, 3M, Minneapolis, MN). Glucose tolerance tests were performed starting 3 weeks after cell transplantation and repeated at 3-5 week intervals for up to 28 weeks after transplantation. An 18-gauge intravenous catheter was placed in the cephalic vein. At time 0, 50% glucose in sterile water (500 mg / ml; total dose 500 mg / kg) was administered intravenously over 1-2 min. One ml blood samples were collected before intravenous glucose administration and at 5, 10, 20, 60, 90, and 120 min after glucose infusion. A drop of blood was tested for glucose concentration using a glucometer (AlphaTrak, Abbott, Chicago, IL), and the remaining blood was placed in an EDTA-containing tube. The tubes were placed on ice, and plasma was separated by cold centrifugation (Sorvall, ThermoScientific, Waltham, MA) at 1100 x g for 10 min. Plasma was stored at -80 °C until testing for C-peptide concentration.

[0040] Western blot. Protein samples for Western blotting were isolated from mouse or porcine islets via homogenization with lysis buffer (#9803, CST, USA). Samples were boiled for 5 min in Laemmli buffer (#161-0737, BioRad, USA), resolved on 4–12% gradient SDS-PAGE gels, and blotted onto PVDF membranes. After overnight incubation with primary antibodies against IDO (1:1000; #86630, CST, USA) and β-actin (1:1000; #NB600-503, Novus Biologicals, USA), detection was performed using HRP-conjugated IgG. Bands were visualized using an Azure300 chemiluminescence imaging system (Azure Biosystems, USA).

[0041] Statistical analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism. One- and two-tailed, unpaired and paired t-tests, and one- and two-way ANOVA with Tukey or Dunnett's test were used for normally distributed data sets. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Data are presented as mean±SEM unless otherwise stated. Sample number, n, indicates the total number of biological replicates.

[0042] result: PIDO retains the structural and functional properties of its component domains and does not alter islet function We generated a synthetic gene containing sequences encoding the full-length mouse PD-L1 protein and the full-length human IDO1 protein separated by a 3X GGGS linker. This synthetic gene was subcloned in frame with the PD-L1 membrane localization signal in the pLV-EXP / CMV-EGFP lentiviral vector (Figure 5). The resulting PIDO cDNA encodes a single polypeptide chain of 708 amino acids with a predicted non-glycosylated molecular weight of approximately 80 kDa (Figure 1B). The in silico 3D structure of PIDO was predicted and constructed using I-TASSER and the web server Phyre2 (29, 30) (Figure 1C). The expression vector was packaged into lentiviral particles. Next, we genetically modified A375 human melanoma cells and C57BL6 / J mouse islets to express PIDO via transduction with lentiviral particles. The expression, subcellular localization, and bioactivity of PIDO fusion proteins were demonstrated by immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry, Western blot, and ELISA. We detected robust expression of PD-L1, IDO, and PIDO fusion proteins in mouse islets via fluorescent protein labeling (Figure 1D). To examine the subcellular localization of the chimeric PIDO proteins, we assessed the surface expression of PD-L1 components in dispersed islet cells by flow cytometry. Our data showed that nearly two-fold more PIDO-expressing mouse islet cells exhibited surface PD-L1 expression compared to islet cells expressing PD-L1 alone (65% vs. 24%), suggesting that PIDO fusion proteins enable a higher cell surface density of PD-L1 than that afforded by ectopic expression of PD-L1 on its own (Figure 1E). Denaturing immunoblotting performed on IDO- or PIDO-expressing mouse or porcine islets showed that the fusion protein was highly expressed and migrated at a molecular weight of approximately 90 kDa (Figure 1F). Our data also show that, when normalized to input protein, the abundance of PIDO fusion protein was significantly higher than that of IDO alone or co-expressed with PD-L1 (Figure 7). Taken together, these data suggest that PIDO-expressing islets display PD-L1 on the membrane and express IDO in the cytoplasm, tethered to the C-terminus of the cytoplasmic tail of PD-L1, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 1G. The activity of IDO is assessed via detection of extracellular kynurenine, produced by its catalytic action on tryptophan present in the medium. As shown in Figure 1H, kynurenine levels are significantly increased in the conditioned medium of both IDO and PIDO expressing islets and are comparable to the levels in the medium of IFNγ-treated mesenchymal stromal cells (positive control). Interestingly, mouse islets dual-transduced to co-express PD-L1 and IDO as separate proteins showed lower IDO activity, as indicated by lower kynurenine levels in the conditioned medium of these islets. This suggests that the effect of co-expression of PD-L1 and IDO is not the same as that of the PIDO fusion protein. It is known that islet β-cells increase their surface expression of PD-L1 during the development of insulitis, possibly as a protective mechanism against autoreactive T cells (31). This increased PD-L1 expression may initiate stress pathways in β-cells. Furthermore, IDO is not naturally expressed in islets, and the impact of IDO-promoted tryptophan depletion and kynurenine production on β-cell function is unclear. Therefore, to understand the impact of increased PD-L1 surface expression and ectopic IDO catabolic activity on these cells, we cultured PD-L1, IDO, or PIDO-expressing islets for 48 h and then subjected them to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) assays. The GSIS data showed no differences in insulin secretion as a function of transgene expression (Figure 1I). Taken together, these data indicate that the PIDO fusion protein is more stable than its protein components, that it is robustly expressed on the cell surface, that in the case of the fusion protein, the IDO component retains its catalytic activity, and that constitutive expression of PIDO does not interfere with islet GSIS.

[0043] PIDO-expressing islet allografts reverse hyperglycemia in diabetic mice To evaluate the potential for use in transplantation therapy of PIDO-expressing allogeneic islets, we transplanted approximately 450 hand-harvested, size-matched lentivirus-transduced C57BL / 6 mouse islets under the left kidney capsule of BALB / c mice that had previously been rendered diabetic by streptozotocin (STZ) injection to deplete endogenous islets (Figure 2A). Three mice transplanted with control lentivirus-transduced islets died spontaneously, one at 12 weeks and the other two at 24 weeks, presumably due to their diabetes. At 20 weeks post-transplantation, PIDO expression was significantly increased in allogeneic islets (Figure 2B). + Islet allografts were detected under the kidney capsule and stained positive for insulin (Figure 2B). To understand whether PD-L1, IDO, or both of these proteins are sufficient to reverse diabetes in mice, we also transduced C57BL / 6 mouse islets with PD-L1 alone, IDO alone, or both PD-L1 and IDO as individual proteins. As shown in Figure 2C, PD-L1 and / or IDO expressing islets failed to reverse pre-existing hyperglycemic diabetes in mice. Although allograft recipients transplanted with islets co-expressing PD-L1 and IDO showed some initial recovery (approximately 3 weeks after transplantation), they never achieved normoglycemia, and by approximately 5 weeks after transplantation, their initial glycemic improvement was lost. This observation further strengthens the idea that the activity of the PIDO fusion protein is superior to the combined activity of PD-L1 and IDO. Next, we followed the blood glucose of mice transplanted with control or PIDO expressing islets with pre-existing STZ-induced diabetes. PIDO + In islet transplanted mice, blood glucose dropped to 200 mg / dl within 3 weeks (Figure 2D) and was completely normoglycemic by 10 weeks (not different from healthy, non-transplanted mice). + Allograft recipients remained normoglycemic throughout the study, with mean blood glucose concentrations of 87 ± 7 mg / dl (fasting, Fig. 2D, right) or 109 ± 12 mg / dl (random-fed, Fig. 2D, left). We performed glucose tolerance tests 2 and 10 weeks after transplantation. PIDO +Mice transplanted with islets showed improved glucose tolerance as early as 2 weeks after transplantation compared with control islet-transplanted mice (Figure 2E). + Only islet transplanted mice achieved and maintained normoglycemia, whereas mice transplanted with control islet allografts showed no glycemic recovery. Serum was collected from all groups of mice 2 and 10 weeks after transplantation and assayed for insulin. Figure 2F shows PIDO + The islet transplant group had detectable insulin at 2 weeks (0.64±0.38 ng / ml), and by 10 weeks their insulin levels were similar to normoglycemic, non-transplanted mice (0.9±0.17 ng / ml).

[0044] Finally, we sought to test the effect of PIDO expression on allogeneic islet survival in NOD mice. + Allogeneic (C57BL / 6J) islets were transplanted into diabetic female NOD mice and the mice were monitored for 8 weeks. As shown in Figure 3, control islet recipients showed fluctuations and transient improvements in glycemia but ultimately rejected their grafts. The median survival time of these grafts was 8 days (n=4). In contrast, PIDO + Islet recipients (n=5) showed glycemic improvement within 1 week and remained normoglycemic for the duration of the study (8 weeks), indicating a reversal from pre-existing autoimmune diabetes (Figure 3B,C). The incidence of relapse (blood glucose >250 mg / dl) was 100% in the control islet recipient group and PIDO + The rate was 20% in the islet recipient group. All recipients were assumed to be non-diabetic for ease of data visualization (Figure 3C). Cumulatively, these data indicate that constitutive PIDO expression can circumvent immune rejection of islet allografts in immunocompetent mice and allow the reversal of pre-existing diabetes (i.e., both chemically induced and autoimmune diabetes). In addition, these data also support the hypothesis that PIDO fusion proteins have biochemical and functional properties distinct from those of their constituent proteins.

[0045] PIDO-induced graft immune escape does not lead to acquired immune tolerance to allogeneic islets PIDO + Reversal of pre-existing diabetes in islet allograft-engrafted BALB / c or NOD mice is consistent with immune evasion. To test whether acquired immune tolerance of BALB / c recipients contributes to the sustained survival of C57BL / 6 islet allografts, we performed PIDO + Islet allografts were destroyed / removed from BALB / c recipients by STZ treatment or nephrectomy. We then re-transplanted naive C57BL / 6 islets into these rediabetic mice (Figure 4A). Specifically, we injected a second dose of STZ into the first set of BALB / c mice (n=5) to induce the proliferation and proliferation of β-cells (i.e., PIDO + C57BL / 6 islet allografts) were destroyed 20 weeks after transplantation. All recipients developed hyperglycemia within 2 weeks (Figure 4B, C). + Two weeks after the destruction of the C57BL / 6 islet allografts and reinduction of diabetes, these BALB / c mice were transplanted with a second set of naive C57BL / 6 islets under their contralateral renal capsule. Because these mice developed hyperglycemia early (i.e., within 3 weeks), the naive allografts only provided partial and transient recovery (Figure 4B), indicating the loss of the naive allografts. Streptozotocin (STZ) is a toxic glucose analog (i.e., a DNA alkylating agent) that accumulates in islet β-cells via selective uptake by the GLUT2 glucose transporter, resulting in their destruction. Although STZ is widely used to generate diabetic mouse models, its efficacy in the pancreas and renal capsule may not be the same due to inherent differences in the vascularization of these tissues. Therefore, we hypothesized that the partial and transient glycemic recovery provided by the naive islets may be due to the incomplete effect of STZ on the islets under the renal capsule. Therefore, we also tested for the presence of acquired tolerance using an independent metric. In a second set of allograft recipients (n=5), we measured PIDO +The islet-containing host kidney was removed. These recipients rapidly developed hyperglycemia (within 1 week). Two weeks after nephrectomy, we transplanted naive C57BL / 6 islet allografts under the contralateral kidney capsule of these BALB / c mice. All recipients became hyperglycemic within 1 week (Figure 4C). Thus, a second naive C57BL / 6 allograft could not reverse diabetes. These data support the PIDO + We show that mice that initially received islets and were "cured" did not acquire immune tolerance to the allogeneic islets. Rather, allograft tolerance achieved through PIDO expression must be mediated by immune evasion.

[0046] PIDO-mediated immune evasion requires host CD4 T cell competence Alloreactive tissue rejection is primarily due to the CD8 + T cell-mediated allo-tolerance (32), whereas allo-tolerance is mediated by host CD4 T cells with Treg capabilities. + It has been established that PIDO-induced immune evasion is mediated by CD4 T cells (33). + To determine whether these T cells are the sole target of the T cell lineage, we investigated the function of CD4+ T cells in STZ-treated diabetic mice. 4m1Mak (CD4 - / - ) in recipients, PIDO + The therapeutic efficacy of islet allografts was examined (Figure 5A). + Islet allografts are these CD4 - / - were rapidly rejected in mice (Fig. 5B), and the tolerogenic host cells involved were indeed CD4 + It was shown to be T cells.

[0047] PIDO-expressing porcine islets are immune evasive in xenogeneic mouse and canine recipients The use of gene editing methods has resulted in improved tolerance of porcine xenografts (34), but immunosuppression remains necessary to prevent immune rejection of islet xenografts in non-human primates (35, 36). +Given the successful reversal of diabetes with allografts, we next needed to test the ability of PIDO to induce cross-species xenoislet tolerance. Thus, we created two islet xenotransplantation models: a pig-to-mouse model and a pig-to-dog model (Figure 6A). In both models, in vitro matured juvenile porcine islets were genetically modified to express PIDO and transplanted under the renal capsule (pig-to-mouse) or into the epaxial muscle (pig-to-dog).

[0048] We detected porcine insulin in recipient hyperglycemic C57BL / 6 mice up to 16 weeks after transplantation (Figure 6B). The data indicate that naive porcine islet xenografts were rapidly rejected and that in diabetic mice, PIDO + It has been shown that only porcine islets survived and remained functional, however, the effect of these xenografts on clinical diabetes could not be tested using this model, since porcine insulin is not compatible with the rodent insulin receptor and therefore cannot regulate glucose homeostasis in mice and rats (37). However, porcine insulin is indistinguishable from canine insulin. Therefore, we also transplanted PIDO-expressing porcine islets into normoglycemic, immunocompetent, nondiabetic beagle dogs. +We tested whether muscle grafts of porcine islets maintain glucose homeostasis and normal response to glucose challenge. In particular, previous reports have shown that naive porcine islets rapidly lose function in diabetic canine recipients (38). C-peptide (connecting peptide) is a short polypeptide that links the A and B chains of insulin in the proinsulin molecule. C-peptide is a marker of insulin secretion, as it is cleaved during mature insulin production and secreted along with insulin. Therefore, to determine the effect of muscle grafts on insulin secretion, we measured porcine C-peptide in dog plasma. (Note: this is feasible because porcine C-peptide has negligible cross-reactivity with canine C-peptide). We first performed an intravenous glucose tolerance test (ivGTT) to induce a response in euglycemic dogs, since we would not otherwise recruit porcine islets due to their entirely endogenous islet population. We then detected porcine C-peptide in dog plasma at 20 weeks in response to glucose stimulation (Figure 6C). These data strongly suggest that the porcine islet xenografts survived. Interestingly, we also observed a progressive decline in the C-peptide response to GTT over time. However, this decline cannot be attributed solely to xenograft loss due to immune rejection, because the period of detectable graft function in the canine recipients extended well beyond the known period of immune rejection (38).

[0049] Consideration: Allogeneic islet transplantation is a potentially life-saving therapy for poorly controlled diabetes. However, the adverse effects of systemic, long-term pharmacologic immunosuppression severely limit the benefits and, consequently, the indications for this therapy. (4) Strategies to enable long-lasting allogeneic islet immune evasion that are not available in the pharmacopoeia are needed. (39) Knowledge gained from the field of cancer immunotherapy, which focuses on the removal of immune evasion, provides insight into how to achieve allogeneic tissue tolerance. Malignant tumors often exploit immunosuppressive pathways to evade immune responses. The PD-1:PD-L1 (40) and IDO (41) pathways are both associated with such microenvironments and recognized as important immune checkpoints. Oncology researchers have therefore considered these pathways as potential therapeutic targets and attempted to block them, demonstrating the biological efficacy of immunological evasion against select malignancies with high mutational burden. For example, researchers recently tested the utility of constitutive expression of PD-L1 by human islet-like organoids as a means to evade xeno-rejection in mice (27). In a similar study, PD-L1-expressing islets on a microgel / biomaterial platform circumvented the need for genetic modification of transplanted cells / tissues by transient expression of PD-L1 (24, 42). However, this failed to provide sustained protection against islet alloreactive responses, and concomitant pharmacological immunosuppression was required. This work demonstrated the need for approaches that could provide specific, localized and long-lasting immune evasion while avoiding the need for immunosuppression.

[0050] In the present study, we generated a novel chimeric fusion protein containing PD-L1 and IDO. By exploiting the immune evasion potential of both the PD-1:PD-L1 and IDO pathways, we sought to modulate the alloreactive immune response to islet allografts in mouse recipients. PD-L1 and IDO have not been used together previously as immune-blocking therapeutics. The observations made herein suggest that tethering IDO to the cytoplasmic tail of PD-L1 results in beneficial gain-of-function properties not achieved via independent co-expression of these proteins. We demonstrated that both immortalized cell lines and primary islet cells expressing PIDO exhibited PD-L1 on the surface and enzymatically active IDO in the cytoplasm. The PIDO fusion protein not only retained the biological functions of both constituent proteins, but also conferred enhanced stability to the constituent proteins. We tested the efficacy of PIDO in immune protection of allografts by generating PIDO-expressing islets. After transplantation, the PIDO-expressing islets reversed pre-existing diabetes in STZ-diabetic mice and established sustained normoglycemia for more than 50 weeks without immunosuppression.

[0051] Consistent with several previous studies, we observed that stable expression of PD-L1 or IDO individually did not meaningfully improve graft survival. Interestingly, we also observed that co-expression of PD-L1 and IDO alone temporarily delayed immune rejection of islet allografts. These observations revealed that PD-L1 and IDO individually are insufficient, but that the PD-L1 fusion protein can establish and maintain an immune evasive microenvironment that protects allografts from rejection for a long period of time.

[0052] Nonspecific, off-target effects are always a concern for ectopic expression of immunomodulatory proteins. However, we did not observe any impact of PIDO expression on characteristics of authentic mature islet β-cells, such as robust dynamic function or reversal of diabetes upon transplantation. Similarly, the absence of significant cell proliferation under homeostatic conditions in mature, terminally differentiated islet β-cells (data not shown) (43) remained unaffected by PIDO expression.

[0053] Type I (i.e., autoimmune) diabetes will likely be the first application for any therapy that allows immune evasion of islet allografts. This prompted us to determine the therapeutic efficacy of PIDO-expressing islets in the NOD mouse T1D model. In this model, we show that PIDO + The blood glucose levels of islet recipients were shown to fall to approximately 230 mg / dl within 3 weeks after transplantation (compared to approximately 450 mg / dl in control diabetic NOD mice) and continue to improve. The death of mice in the control islet group also suggested that there was a significant difference in survival. These data indicate that PIDO-mediated immune evasion protects islet allografts from autoimmune destruction and, as a result, reverses diabetes in NOD mice. Previous studies (44, 45) have demonstrated that induced Treg proliferation or differentiation prolongs the survival of diabetic NOD mice. Because both PD-L1 and IDO pathways converge on Treg induction, we hypothesized that the effect of PIDO on allograft survival may be related to host CD4 T cell competence. Our observation that PIDO expression by allogeneic islets induces an endogenous CD4-dependent immune evasion response is consistent with a central role for host-acquired T cell promoters of tolerance. Among various conventional and novel immune tolerogenic approaches to prevent graft rejection, alloreactive and autoreactive T cell suppression via Treg cell therapy has shown feasibility, tolerability, and potential efficacy in transplantation settings (46-49). However, these approaches (Treg-enhancing drugs and antigen-specific Treg cell therapy) have shown only modest limited efficacy in T1D and graft rejection in clinical settings (50, 51). Islet-restricted, constitutive PIDO expression and its associated host CD4-dependent immune evasion are thought to be due to the intrinsic regulatory CD4+ Through sequential in vivo induction of cells, the shortcomings of Treg adoptive cell therapy may be addressed.

[0054] We observed that PIDO expression led to greatly improved long-term engraftment of allogeneic islets without immunosuppression in mouse recipients and consequent reversal of diabetes and maintenance of normoglycemia for over 50 weeks. This led us to hypothesize that PIDO leads to the development of acquired tolerance to alloantigens in the mouse host. However, using two different rechallenge models, we determined that long-term (20 weeks) localized PIDO expression did not establish acquired memory tolerance, as hosts rapidly rejected naive islet allografts after reimplantation (approximately 3 weeks). These results indicate that PIDO must be constitutively expressed by islets to confer immune evasive properties.

[0055] The success of xenograft transplantation has remained elusive. Although rare and moderate improvements have been reported among the few attempts made toward achieving xenograft tolerance (35, 37, 38), there are virtually no published reports of immunosuppressant-free xenograft survival in immunocompetent mammalian recipients. In this application, to test the efficacy of PIDO, we transplanted porcine islet xenografts into immunocompetent mice and dogs. We observed substantial prolongation of xenograft survival in both mouse (about 16 weeks) and canine (about 20 weeks) recipients. However, there are several important limitations to these xenograft survival experiments. First, our results were obtained from normoglycemic recipients, which prevented us from testing the ability of islet xenografts to reverse pathological hyperglycemia. Second, in order to gather as much information as possible from as few experimental dogs as possible, we investigated porcine islet xenografts in only a single canine recipient. Although the results of these experiments are promising, the differences in functional integration of heterotopic islet grafts are unknown, especially under metabolic stress conditions. Therefore, further thorough testing with more animals and different models is required to better understand PIDO-mediated improvement of xenograft islet survival and function. Finally, the mouse diabetes model we utilized for xenotransplantation is representative of drug-induced (STZ) islet dysfunction and secondary diabetes. While this model system reflects clinical diabetes resulting from non-immune pancreatic insufficiency or pancreatectomy, it does not reflect the pathology of autoimmune islet destruction typically seen in type I diabetes. However, our data generated in diabetic NOD mice suggest that PIDO enables immune evasion in autoimmune diabetes as well.

[0056] Taken together, our data support the use of PIDO as a novel immune evasion blockade therapeutic that effectively prevents islet allograft rejection in immunocompetent recipients, thus circumventing the need for immunosuppressive therapy. Although the mechanism by which PIDO establishes non-memory immune evasion remains to be elucidated, we envision that it involves evasion of both innate and adaptive immune responses. In conclusion, expression of PIDO fusion protein may enable off-the-shelf islet transplants to be used as standard of care for the treatment of poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

[0057] References TIFF2024522256000002.tif146170 TIFF2024522256000003.tif249164 TIFF2024522256000004.tif251170 TIFF2024522256000005.tif244170 TIFF2024522256000006.tif183170

Claims

1. From the N-terminus to the C-terminus, a) a programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) peptide comprising at least a portion of the extracellular domain of the PD-L1 protein; b) a transmembrane domain, and c) an indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) peptide comprising at least a portion of an IDO protein; Including, Optionally, the fusion protein, wherein the PD-L1 peptide is capable of binding to PD-1 and the IDO peptide is catalytically active.

2. 2. The fusion protein of claim 1, wherein the PD-L1 peptide has at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO:3 or SEQ ID NO:

7.

3. The fusion protein of claim 1, wherein the PD-L1 peptide further comprises a PD-L1 signal peptide.

4. The fusion protein of claim 3, wherein the PD-L1 signal peptide is SEQ ID NO:4 or SEQ ID NO:

8.

5. 2. The fusion protein of claim 1, wherein the transmembrane domain comprises at least a portion of the transmembrane domain of a PD-L1 protein.

6. The fusion protein of claim 5, wherein the transmembrane domain has at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO:5 or SEQ ID NO:

9.

7. The fusion protein of claim 1 , wherein the IDO peptide has at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO:

10.

8. The fusion protein of claim 1 , wherein the transmembrane domain is linked to the IDO peptide by a linker peptide.

9. The fusion protein of claim 8, wherein the linker peptide is a glycine-serine linker.

10. 10. The fusion protein of claim 9, wherein the glycine-serine linker is a 3X GGGS linker (SEQ ID NO:11).

11. The fusion protein of claim 1 comprising SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:17, or SEQ ID NO:

20.

12. A nucleic acid construct comprising a polynucleotide encoding the fusion protein of any one of claims 1 to 11 operably linked to a promoter.

13. 13. The nucleic acid construct of claim 12, wherein the promoter is an elongation factor 1 alpha short (EFS) promoter or a hybrid CMV enhancer / chicken β-actin (CBA) promoter.

14. The nucleic acid construct of claim 12 , wherein the nucleic acid construct is a viral vector.

15. A cell comprising the nucleic acid construct of claim 12.

16. The cell of claim 15, expressing the fusion protein, wherein the PD-L1 peptide is localized in the extracellular space and the IDO peptide is localized in the cytoplasm of the cell.

17. The cell of claim 15 , wherein the cell is an induced pluripotent stem cell, an embryonic stem cell, a retinal pigment epithelial cell, a dopaminergic neuronal cell, or a cardiomyocyte.

18. Use of the cells described in claim 15 in the preparation of a formulation for transplantation into a subject.

19. 19. The use according to claim 18, wherein the cells are from an allogeneic or xenogeneic source.

20. 19. The use of claim 18, wherein the subject is a diabetic and the cells are pancreatic islets.

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