Enforced sialyl-Lewis-X (sLeX) display in E-selectin ligands by exofucosylation is dispensable for CD19-CAR T-cell activity and bone marrow homing.

CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) T cells induce impressive rates of complete response in advanced B-cell malignancies, specially in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). However, CAR T-cell-treated patients eventually progress due to poor CAR T-cell persistence and/or disease relapse. The bone marrow (BM) is the primary location for acute leukemia. The rapid/efficient colonization of the BM by systemically infused CD19-CAR T cells might enhance CAR T-cell activity and persistence, thus, offering clinical benefits. Circulating cells traffic to BM upon binding of tetrasaccharide sialyl-Lewis X (sLeX)-decorated E-selectin ligands (sialofucosylated) to the E-selectin receptor expressed in the vascular endothelium. sLeX-installation in E-selectin ligands is achieved through an ex vivo fucosylation reaction. Here, we sought to characterize the basal and cell-autonomous display of sLeX in CAR T-cells activated using different cytokines, and to assess whether exofucosylation of E-selectin ligands improves CD19-CAR T-cell activity and BM homing. We report that cell-autonomous sialofucosylation (sLeX display) steadily increases in culture- and in vivo-expanded CAR T cells, and that, the cytokines used during T-cell activation influence both the degree of such endogenous sialofucosylation and the CD19-CAR T-cell efficacy and persistence in vivo. However, glycoengineered enforced sialofucosylation of E-selectin ligands was dispensable for CD19-CAR T-cell activity and BM homing in multiple xenograft models regardless the cytokines employed for T-cell expansion, thus, representing a dispensable strategy for CD19-CAR T-cell therapy.