151
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Galgani M, Bruzzaniti S, La Rocca C, Micillo T, de Candia P, Bifulco M, Matarese G. Immunometabolism of regulatory T cells in cancer. Mol Aspects Med 2020; 77:100936. [PMID: 33250195 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2020.100936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are known to orchestrate the regulatory mechanisms aimed at suppressing pathological auto-reactive immune responses and are thus key in ensuring the maintenance of immune homeostasis. On the other hand, the presence of Treg cells with enhanced suppressive capability in a plethora of human cancers represents a major obstacle to an effective anti-cancer immune response. A relevant research effort has thus been dedicated to comprehend Treg cell biology, leading to a continuously refining characterization of their phenotype and function and unveiling the central role of metabolism in ensuring Treg cell fitness in cancer. Here we focus on how the peculiar biochemical characteristics of the tumor microenvironment actually support Treg cell metabolic activation and favor their selective survival and proliferation. Moreover, we examine the key metabolic pathways that may become useful targets of novel treatments directed at hampering tumor resident Treg cell proficiency, thus representing the next research frontier in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Galgani
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli "Federico II", 80131, Napoli, Italy; Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - Sara Bruzzaniti
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), 80131, Napoli, Italy; Dipartimento di Biologia, Università Degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", 80126, Napoli, Italy
| | - Claudia La Rocca
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - Teresa Micillo
- Unità di Neuroimmunologia, Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, 00179, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Maurizio Bifulco
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli "Federico II", 80131, Napoli, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Matarese
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli "Federico II", 80131, Napoli, Italy; Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), 80131, Napoli, Italy.
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152
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Drijvers JM, Sharpe AH, Haigis MC. The effects of age and systemic metabolism on anti-tumor T cell responses. eLife 2020; 9:e62420. [PMID: 33170123 PMCID: PMC7655106 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Average age and obesity prevalence are increasing globally. Both aging and obesity are characterized by profound systemic metabolic and immunologic changes and are cancer risk factors. The mechanisms linking age and body weight to cancer are incompletely understood, but recent studies have provided evidence that the anti-tumor immune response is reduced in both conditions, while responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade, a form of cancer immunotherapy, is paradoxically intact. Dietary restriction, which promotes health and lifespan, may enhance cancer immunity. These findings illustrate that the systemic context can impact anti-tumor immunity and immunotherapy responsiveness. Here, we review the current knowledge of how age and systemic metabolic state affect the anti-tumor immune response, with an emphasis on CD8+ T cells, which are key players in anti-tumor immunity. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms may lead to novel therapies enhancing anti-tumor immunity in the context of aging or metabolic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jefte M Drijvers
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute and Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s HospitalBostonUnited States
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute and Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Arlene H Sharpe
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute and Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Marcia C Haigis
- Department of Cell Biology, Blavatnik Institute and Ludwig Center at Harvard, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
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153
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Baliu-Piqué M, Pandiella A, Ocana A. Breast Cancer Heterogeneity and Response to Novel Therapeutics. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E3271. [PMID: 33167363 PMCID: PMC7694303 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted cancer therapies against oncogenic drivers are actively being developed and tested in clinical trials. Targeting an oncogenic driver may only prove effective if the mutation is present in most tumoral cells. Therefore, highly heterogeneous tumors may be refractory to these therapies. This makes tumor heterogeneity a major challenge in cancer therapy. Although heterogeneity has traditionally been attributed to genetic diversity within cancer cell populations, it is now widely recognized that human cancers are heterogeneous in almost all distinguishable phenotypic characteristics. Understanding the genetic variability and also the non-genetic influences of tumor heterogeneity will provide novel insights into how to reverse therapeutic resistance and improve cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariona Baliu-Piqué
- Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos and CIBERONC, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Atanasio Pandiella
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer and CIBERONC, CSIC-IBSAL, 37007 Salamanca, Spain;
| | - Alberto Ocana
- Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos and CIBERONC, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
- Translational Oncology Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomedicas, Castilla-La Mancha University (CRIB-UCLM), 02008 Albacete, Spain
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154
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Artyomov MN, Van den Bossche J. Immunometabolism in the Single-Cell Era. Cell Metab 2020; 32:710-725. [PMID: 33027638 PMCID: PMC7660984 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Emerging research has identified metabolic pathways that are crucial for the proper regulation of immune cells and how, when deranged, they can cause immune dysfunction and disease progression. However, due to technical limitations such insights have relied heavily on bulk measurements in immune cells, often activated in vitro. But with the emergence of single-cell applications, researchers can now estimate the metabolic state of individual immune cells in clinical samples. Here, we review these single-cell techniques and their ability to validate common principles in immunometabolism, while also revealing context-dependent metabolic heterogeneity within the immune cell compartment. We also discuss current gaps and limitations, as well as identify future opportunities to move the field forward toward the development of therapeutic targets and improved diagnostic capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxim N Artyomov
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Jan Van den Bossche
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Cancer Center Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081HZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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155
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Tian H, Zhang B, Li L, Wang G, Li H, Zheng J. Manipulation of Mitochondrial Plasticity Changes the Metabolic Competition Between "Foe" and "Friend" During Tumor Malignant Transformation. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1692. [PMID: 32974209 PMCID: PMC7471250 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria as the cellular energy powerhouses provide a common site for multiple metabolic reactions in order to cover energy and biomolecule demands, thus integrating the diverse metabolic pathways to endow cells with metabolic adaptation. Mitochondrial plasticity is normally regulated by mitochondrial dynamics, mitochondrial metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis. Given that tumor cells and T cells share the metabolic similarities of survival, proliferation, expansion as well as effector function, manipulation of mitochondrial plasticity would change the metabolic competition between “foe” and “friend” during tumor malignant progression. On the one hand, for “foe” tumor cells, mitochondrial plasticity provides the enhancement of tumor metastasis and the development of resistance to‘ diverse antitumor drugs. On the other hand, for “friend” T cells, mitochondrial plasticity promotes the generation of long-term memory T (TM) cells and alleviates the exhaustion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Therefore, downregulation of mitochondrial plasticity of tumor cells through engineering tumor-targeting nanoparticles may effectively potentiate metabolic vulnerability and re-sensitize tumor to relevant therapeutic treatment. On the contrary, upregulation of mitochondrial plasticity of T cells through optimizing adoptive cellular immunotherapy (ACI) or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy would provide T cells with the robust metabolic fitness and the persistent immune function, thus blocking tumor metastasis and reoccurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Tian
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Baofu Zhang
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Center of Clinical Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Liantao Li
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Center of Clinical Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Huizhong Li
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - JunNian Zheng
- Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Center of Clinical Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Jiangsu Center for the Collaboration and Innovation of Cancer Biotherapy, Cancer Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
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156
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Kabelitz D, Serrano R, Kouakanou L, Peters C, Kalyan S. Cancer immunotherapy with γδ T cells: many paths ahead of us. Cell Mol Immunol 2020; 17:925-939. [PMID: 32699351 PMCID: PMC7609273 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-020-0504-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
γδ T cells play uniquely important roles in stress surveillance and immunity for infections and carcinogenesis. Human γδ T cells recognize and kill transformed cells independently of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) restriction, which is an essential feature of conventional αβ T cells. Vγ9Vδ2 γδ T cells, which prevail in the peripheral blood of healthy adults, are activated by microbial or endogenous tumor-derived pyrophosphates by a mechanism dependent on butyrophilin molecules. γδ T cells expressing other T cell receptor variable genes, notably Vδ1, are more abundant in mucosal tissue. In addition to the T cell receptor, γδ T cells usually express activating natural killer (NK) receptors, such as NKp30, NKp44, or NKG2D which binds to stress-inducible surface molecules that are absent on healthy cells but are frequently expressed on malignant cells. Therefore, γδ T cells are endowed with at least two independent recognition systems to sense tumor cells and to initiate anticancer effector mechanisms, including cytokine production and cytotoxicity. In view of their HLA-independent potent antitumor activity, there has been increasing interest in translating the unique potential of γδ T cells into innovative cellular cancer immunotherapies. Here, we discuss recent developments to enhance the efficacy of γδ T cell-based immunotherapy. This includes strategies for in vivo activation and tumor-targeting of γδ T cells, the optimization of in vitro expansion protocols, and the development of gene-modified γδ T cells. It is equally important to consider potential synergisms with other therapeutic strategies, notably checkpoint inhibitors, chemotherapy, or the (local) activation of innate immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Kabelitz
- Institute of Immunology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, D-24105, Kiel, Germany.
| | - Ruben Serrano
- Institute of Immunology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, D-24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Léonce Kouakanou
- Institute of Immunology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, D-24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christian Peters
- Institute of Immunology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel, D-24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Shirin Kalyan
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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157
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Gubser PM, Kallies A. Methio "mine"! Cancer cells steal methionine and impair CD8 T-cell function. Immunol Cell Biol 2020; 98:623-625. [PMID: 32842169 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Tumor cells steal methionine from CD8 T cells. High expression of the methionine transporters SLC7A5 and SLC43A2 allows tumor cells to outcompete CD8 T cells for methionine uptake. Lower methionine concentrations in CD8 T cells lead to reduced levels of dimethylated H3K79, an active epigenetic mark, which in turn results in reduced STAT5 expression and activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M Gubser
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, 792 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Axel Kallies
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, 792 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
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158
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Tumor Cell-Intrinsic Immunometabolism and Precision Nutrition in Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12071757. [PMID: 32630618 PMCID: PMC7409312 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12071757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the greatest challenges in the cancer immunotherapy field is the need to biologically rationalize and broaden the clinical utility of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The balance between metabolism and immune response has critical implications for overcoming the major weaknesses of ICIs, including their lack of universality and durability. The last decade has seen tremendous advances in understanding how the immune system's ability to kill tumor cells requires the conspicuous metabolic specialization of T-cells. We have learned that cancer cell-associated metabolic activities trigger shifts in the abundance of some metabolites with immunosuppressory roles in the tumor microenvironment. Yet very little is known about the tumor cell-intrinsic metabolic traits that control the immune checkpoint contexture in cancer cells. Likewise, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how systemic metabolic perturbations in response to dietary interventions can reprogram the immune checkpoint landscape of tumor cells. We here review state-of-the-art molecular- and functional-level interrogation approaches to uncover how cell-autonomous metabolic traits and diet-mediated changes in nutrient availability and utilization might delineate new cancer cell-intrinsic metabolic dependencies of tumor immunogenicity. We propose that clinical monitoring and in-depth molecular evaluation of the cancer cell-intrinsic metabolic traits involved in primary, adaptive, and acquired resistance to cancer immunotherapy can provide the basis for improvements in therapeutic responses to ICIs. Overall, these approaches might guide the use of metabolic therapeutics and dietary approaches as novel strategies to broaden the spectrum of cancer patients and indications that can be effectively treated with ICI-based cancer immunotherapy.
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