Chimeric zeta-receptors direct human natural killer (NK) effector function to permit killing of NK-resistant tumor cells and HIV-infected T lymphocytes.

Chimeric receptors in which a signaling component of the TCR complex such as zeta is fused directly to the ligand binding domain of a heterologous receptor or Ab have been shown to redirect the specific effector activity of T lymphocytes. We previously described the ability of two classes of such chimeric zeta-receptors bearing extracellular domains derived from either the HIV receptor CD4 (CD4 zeta) or an HIV-specific single chain Ab to redirect primary human CD8+ T cells to kill HIV-infected T cells. In this report we demonstrate that human NK cells can be genetically modified to express high levels of CD4 zeta using retroviral transduction. The CD4 zeta chimeric receptor is biochemically active, as cross-linking of CD4 zeta on NK cells results in tyrosine phosphorylation of CD4 zeta and multiple cellular proteins. More importantly, the CD4 zeta chimeric receptor is functionally active and can direct NK cells to specifically and efficiently lyse either NK-resistant tumor cells expressing the relevant ligand, gp120, or CD4+ T cells infected with HIV. These results show that human NK cells can be readily activated via zeta-based chimeric receptors to target both tumor and virally infected cells, and suggest a novel approach to the treatment of disease.