TY - JOUR AU - Deng, Yushuang AU - Kumar, Avadh AU - Xie, Kan AU - Schaaf, Kristina AU - Scifo, Enzo AU - Morsy, Sarah AU - Li, Tao AU - Ehninger, Armin AU - Bano, Daniele AU - Ehninger, Dan TI - Targeting senescent cells with NKG2D-CAR T cells. JO - Cell death discovery VL - 10 IS - 1 SN - 2058-7716 CY - London PB - Nature Publishing Group M1 - DZNE-2024-00538 SP - 217 PY - 2024 AB - This study investigates the efficacy of NKG2D chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineered T cells in targeting and eliminating stress-induced senescent cells in vitro. Cellular senescence contributes to age-related tissue decline and is characterized by permanent cell cycle arrest and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Immunotherapy, particularly CAR-T cell therapy, emerges as a promising approach to selectively eliminate senescent cells. Our focus is on the NKG2D receptor, which binds to ligands (NKG2DLs) upregulated in senescent cells, offering a target for CAR-T cells. Using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and astrocytes (AST) as senescence models, we demonstrate the elevated expression of NKG2DLs in response to genotoxic and oxidative stress. NKG2D-CAR T cells displayed potent cytotoxicity against these senescent cells, with minimal effects on non-senescent cells, suggesting their potential as targeted senolytics. In conclusion, our research presents the first evidence of NKG2D-CAR T cells' ability to target senescent brain cells, offering a novel approach to manage senescence-associated diseases. The findings pave the way for future investigations into the therapeutic applicability of NKG2D-targeting CAR-T cells in naturally aged organisms and models of aging-associated brain diseases in vivo. LB - PUB:(DE-HGF)16 C6 - pmid:38704364 C2 - pmc:PMC11069534 DO - DOI:10.1038/s41420-024-01976-7 UR - https://pub.dzne.de/record/269441 ER -