TScan-II: A genome-scale platform for the de novo identification of CD4+ T cell epitopes

Abstract

CD4⁺ T cells play fundamental roles in orchestrating immune responses and tissue homeostasis. However, our inability to associate peptide human leukocyte antigen class-II (HLA-II) complexes with their cognate T cell receptors (TCRs) in an unbiased manner has hampered our understanding of CD4⁺ T cell function and role in pathologies. Here, we introduce TScan-II, a highly sensitive genome-scale CD4⁺ antigen discovery platform. This platform seamlessly integrates the endogenous HLA-II antigen-processing machinery in synthetic antigen-presenting cells and TCR signaling in T cells, enabling the simultaneous screening of multiple HLAs and TCRs. Leveraging genome-scale human, virome, and epitope mutagenesis libraries, TScan-II facilitates de novo antigen discovery and deep exploration of TCR specificity. We demonstrate TScan-II's potential for basic and translational research by identifying a non-canonical antigen for a cancer-reactive CD4⁺ T cell clone. Additionally, we identified two antigens for clonally expanded CD4⁺ T cells in Sjögren's disease, which bind distinct HLAs and are expressed in HLA-II-positive ductal cells within affected salivary glands.

Keywords: CD4+ T cell; HIV; Pancreatic cancer; Sjögren’s disease; T cell epitope; T cell screening; antigen discovery; antigen library; epitope discovery; epitope mutagenesis.