CD19-CAR T-cell therapy resets the EBV+ autoreactive B cell repertoire in autoimmune disease

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reprograms autoreactive B cells into activated antigen-presenting cells that drive pathogenic T- and B-cell responses in autoimmune disease. Whether eliminating these cells contributes to durable remission after CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is unknown. Here, using EBV B-cell sequencing (EBV-seq), we profiled EBV+ B cells from patients treated with CD19-CAR T cells (systemic lupus erythematosus, n=6; inflammatory myopathy, n=3; systemic sclerosis, n=3) or rituximab (n=15) and recombinantly expressed their antibodies to define antigen specificity. At baseline, EBV+ B cells were enriched relative to healthy donors, class-switched and hypermutated, expressed the latency III program with heightened antigen-presentation signatures, and encoded autoantibodies. CAR T cells, but not rituximab, depleted EBV+ B cells and shifted the reconstituted repertoire towards IgM+, minimally mutated, largely non-autoreactive cells, consistent with infection of newly generated B cells. After rituximab, EBV+ B cells retained a class-switched, hypermutated and autoreactive with an activated antigen-presenting phenotype. Sustained drug-free remission occurred in 8/12 CAR T-cell-treated versus 0/15 rituximab-treated patients. In vitro, EBV+ B cells resisted anti-CD20 and anti-CD19 antibodies but were killed by CAR T cells and a CD19 T-cell engager. Our findings suggest resetting the EBV+ autoreactive B-cell repertoire contributes to sustained drug-free remission.