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Prognostic immunologic signatures in epithelial ovarian cancer. Oncogene 2022; 41:1389-1396. [PMID: 35031772 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02181-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) is a deadly gynecologic malignancy in which patients frequently develop recurrent disease following initial platinum-taxane chemotherapy. Analogous to many other cancer subtypes, EOC clinical trials have centered upon immunotherapeutic approaches, most notably programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors. While response rates to these immunotherapies in EOC patients have been low, evidence suggests that ovarian tumors are immunogenic and that immune-related genomic profiles can serve as prognostic markers. This review will discuss recent advances in the development of immune-based prognostic signatures in EOC that predict patient clinical outcomes, as well as emphasize specific research areas that need to be addressed to drive this field forward.
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Liu P, Chen R, Zhang X, Fu R, Tao L, Jia W. Combined PD-1/PD-L1 and tumor-infiltrating immune cells redefined a unique molecular subtype of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:51. [PMID: 35026984 PMCID: PMC8759258 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08265-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma is highly heterogeneous, and although many studies have been conducted to identify high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma molecular subtypes that are sensitive to immunotherapy, no precise molecular subtype has been proposed to date. Immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoints are highly correlated with immunotherapy. Here, we investigated immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint values for prognosis and precise immunotherapy for high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma based on molecular subtype classification. Results “High antigen-presenting cells infiltration molecular subtype of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma” was identified in immune cell infiltration profiles. Each of the three immune cell infiltration clusters (A, B, and C) demonstrated distinct immune cell characterization, with immune cell infiltration cluster C exhibiting high antigen-presenting cell infiltration, improved prognosis, and higher sensitivity to immunotherapy. Programmed death-1/programmed death ligand 1 has a prognostic and predictive role that can help classify molecular subtypes. Conclusions Our findings redefined a unique molecular subtype of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, suggesting that high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma patients with higher antigen-presenting cell infiltration and programmed death-1/programmed death ligand 1 expression can benefit from precise immunotherapy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-08265-y.
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Circulating Exosomal miRNAs as Biomarkers in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9101433. [PMID: 34680550 PMCID: PMC8533168 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9101433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Failure to detect early-stage epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a major contributing factor to its low survival rate. Increasing evidence suggests that different subtypes of EOC may behave as distinct diseases due to their different cells of origins, histology and treatment responses. Therefore, the identification of EOC subtype-specific biomarkers that can early detect the disease should be clinically beneficial. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by different types of cells and carry biological molecules, which play important roles in cell-cell communication and regulation of various biological processes. Multiple studies have proposed that exosomal miRNAs present in the circulation are good biomarkers for non-invasive early detection of cancer. In this review, the potential use of exosomal miRNAs as early detection biomarkers for EOCs and their accuracy are discussed. We also review the differential expression of circulating exosomal miRNAs and cell-free miRNAs between different biofluid sources, i.e., plasma and serum, and touch on the issue of endogenous reference miRNA selection. Additionally, the current clinical trials using miRNAs for detecting EOCs are summarized. In conclusion, circulating exosomal miRNAs as the non-invasive biomarkers have a high potential for early detection of EOC and its subtypes, and are likely to be clinically important in the future.
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Khan MT, Irlam-Jones JJ, Pereira RR, Lane B, Valentine HR, Aragaki K, Dyrskjøt L, McConkey DJ, Hoskin PJ, Choudhury A, West CML. A miRNA signature predicts benefit from addition of hypoxia-modifying therapy to radiation treatment in invasive bladder cancer. Br J Cancer 2021; 125:85-93. [PMID: 33846523 PMCID: PMC8257670 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-021-01326-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND miRNAs are promising biomarkers in oncology as their small size makes them less susceptible to degradation than mRNA in FFPE tissue. We aimed to derive a hypoxia-associated miRNA signature for bladder cancer. METHODS Taqman miRNA array cards identified miRNA seed genes induced under hypoxia in bladder cancer cell lines. A signature was derived using feature selection methods in a TCGA BLCA training data set. miRNA expression data were generated for 190 tumours from the BCON Phase 3 trial and used for independent validation. RESULTS A 14-miRNA hypoxia signature was derived, which was prognostic for poorer overall survival in the TCGA BLCA cohort (n = 403, p = 0.001). Univariable analysis showed that the miRNA signature predicted an overall survival benefit from having carbogen-nicotinamide with radiotherapy (HR = 0.30, 95% CI 0.094-0.95, p = 0.030) and performed similarly to a 24-gene mRNA signature (HR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.24-0.92, p = 0.025). Combining the signatures improved performance (HR = 0.26, 95% CI 0.08-0.82, p = 0.014) with borderline significance for an interaction test (p = 0.065). The interaction test was significant for local relapse-free survival LRFS (p = 0.033). CONCLUSION A 14-miRNA hypoxia signature can be used with an mRNA hypoxia signature to identify bladder cancer patients benefitting most from having carbogen and nicotinamide with radiotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mairah T. Khan
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Joely J. Irlam-Jones
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Ronnie Rodrigues Pereira
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Translational Oncogenomics, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, Oglesby Cancer Research Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Brian Lane
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Helen R. Valentine
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Kai Aragaki
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Lars Dyrskjøt
- grid.154185.c0000 0004 0512 597XDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark ,grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - David J. McConkey
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Peter J. Hoskin
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Ananya Choudhury
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Manchester, UK
| | - Catharine M. L. West
- grid.5379.80000000121662407Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital, Manchester, UK
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Wu Y, Gao Y, Chen L, Jin X, Chen P, Mo Q. Prognostic implications of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes for recurrence in epithelial ovarian cancer. Clin Exp Immunol 2021; 206:36-46. [PMID: 34195995 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The recurrence of patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is largely attributed to tumour cells escaping from the surveillance of immune cells. However, to date there is a lack of studies that have systematically evaluated the associations between the infiltration fraction of immune cells and the recurrence risk of EOC. Based on the micro-ribonucleic acid (microRNA) expression profiles of 441 EOC patients, we constructed a microRNA-based panel with recurrence prediction potential using non-negative matrix factorization consensus clustering. Then, we evaluated the association between recurrence risk and infiltration proportions among 10 immune cell types by CIBERSORT and a multivariable Cox regression model. As a result, we identified a 72-microRNA-based panel that could stratify patients into high and low risk of recurrence. The infiltration of plasma cells and M1 macrophages was consistently significantly associated with the risk of recurrence in patients with EOC. Plasma cells were significantly associated with a decreased risk of relapse [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.58, p = 0.006), while M1 macrophages were associated with an increased risk of relapse (HR = 1.59, p = 0.003). Therefore, the 72-microRNA-based panel, M1 macrophages and plasma cells may hold potential to serve as recurrence predictors of EOC patients in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Wu
- Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yue Gao
- Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lingxi Chen
- Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Xin Jin
- Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Pingbo Chen
- Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qingqing Mo
- Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.,Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Identification of three molecular subtypes based on immune infiltration in ovarian cancer and its prognostic value. Biosci Rep 2021; 40:226620. [PMID: 33043974 PMCID: PMC7593540 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20201431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing studies suggest that tumor immune infiltration is a relative factor of prognosis in ovarian cancer (OvCa). The present study explored the composition of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in OvCa using CIBERSORT algorithm and further assessed their values for prognosis and therapeutic strategies by molecular subtypes. METHODS Publicly available databases including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GTEx were searched. Ovarian tumor samples were available from TCGA, and normal ovarian samples were obtained from the GTEx dataset. The relative proportions of immune cell profiling in OvCa and normal samples were evaluated by CIBERSORT algorithm. Association between each immune cell subtype and survival was inferred by the fractions of 22 immune cell types. "CancerSubtypes" R-package was employed to identify the three types of molecular classification and analyze the functional enrichment in each subclass. Response to immunotherapy and anticancer drug targets was predicted via TIDE algorithm and GDSC dataset. RESULTS Substantial variation reflecting individual difference was identified between cancer and normal tissues in the immune infiltration profiles. T cells CD4 memory activated, macrophages M1 were associated with improved overall survival (OS) as evaluated by univariate Cox regression and multivariate Cox. Three subtypes were identified by ´CancerSubtypes' R-package and every sub-cluster possessed specific immune cell characterization. Meanwhile, Cluster II exhibited poor prognosis and sensitive response to immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS The cellular component of immune infiltration shows remarkable variation in OvCa. Profiling of immune infiltration is useful in prediction of prognosis of OvCa. The results from profiling might be considered in therapeutic modulation.
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Yang Z, Wang W, Zhao L, Wang X, Gimple RC, Xu L, Wang Y, Rich JN, Zhou S. Plasma cells shape the mesenchymal identity of ovarian cancers through transfer of exosome-derived microRNAs. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/9/eabb0737. [PMID: 33627414 PMCID: PMC7904265 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer represents a highly lethal disease that poses a substantial burden for females, with four main molecular subtypes carrying distinct clinical outcomes. Here, we demonstrated that plasma cells, a subset of antibody-producing B cells, were enriched in the mesenchymal subtype of high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSCs). Plasma cell abundance correlated with the density of mesenchymal cells in clinical specimens of HGSCs. Coculture of nonmesenchymal ovarian cancer cells and plasma cells induced a mesenchymal phenotype of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Phenotypic switch was mediated by the transfer of plasma cell–derived exosomes containing miR-330-3p into nonmesenchymal ovarian cancer cells. Exosome-derived miR-330-3p increased expression of junctional adhesion molecule B in a noncanonical fashion. Depletion of plasma cells by bortezomib reversed the mesenchymal characteristics of ovarian cancer and inhibited in vivo tumor growth. Collectively, our work suggests targeting plasma cells may be a novel approach for ovarian cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengnan Yang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, P. R. China.,Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and National Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Gynecology, Huzhou Maternity & Child Health Care Hospital, Huzhou, P. R. China
| | - Linjie Zhao
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, P. R. China
| | - Ryan C Gimple
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lian Xu
- Department of Pathology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China
| | - Yuan Wang
- Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and National Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China.
| | - Jeremy N Rich
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Shengtao Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children of MOE and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, P. R. China.
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Comparing MicroRNA Profilings of Purified HER-2-Negative and HER-2-Positive Cells Validates miR-362-5p/Sema3A as Characteristic Molecular Change in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers. DISEASE MARKERS 2019; 2019:6057280. [PMID: 31929841 PMCID: PMC6935799 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6057280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Background HER-2 is a key molecule serving as the therapeutic target, prognostic biomarker, and classification marker in breast cancer. Accurate microRNA profilings had not been conducted in purified tumor cells of HER-2-negative and HER-2-positive tissue specimens obtained from breast cancer patients. Methods (i) Differential expression microRNA discovery using laser capture microdissection- (LCM-) assisted specimen preparation and microRNA array chips on HER-2 overexpressing and triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) subtype tissues, (ii) differential expression microRNA validation by quantitative real-time PCR, and (iii) independent validation on tissue microarray. Results Five microRNAs (miR-20a-5p, miR-221-3p, miR-362-5p, miR-502-3p, and miR-222-3p) were screened and validated as upregulated microRNAs in TNBC cells comparing to HER-2 overexpressing cells using a microRNA array (5 cases in each group) and quantitative real-time PCR (20 cases in each group). The expression difference of miR-362-5p had the most significant statistical significance (p = 0.0016) among the five microRNAs. The expression of miR-362-5p and its target gene Sema3A was further analyzed using in situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemistry on standard tissue sections (n = 150). 70.8% of HER-2-negative cells showed moderate expression of miR-362-5p whereas 20.4% HER-2-negative cells correlated with strong expression of miR-362-5p (p < 0.0001). The proportion of patients with moderate/strong miR-362-5p expression in luminal, HER-2 overexpressing, and TNBC subtypes were 53.2%, 22.2%, and 74.3%, respectively (p = 0.0002). High miR-362-5p expressers had shorter overall survival in the univariate analysis (p = 0.046). There was a significant negative correlation between miR-362-5p and Sema3A expression (p < 0.0001). The patients with negative/weak Sema3A protein expression had poorer prognosis than those with moderate (HR: 3.723, p = 0.021) or strong (HR: 3.966, p = 0.013) Sema3A protein expression in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions miR-362-5p/Sema3A might provide a promising therapeutic pathway and represents a candidate therapeutic target of the TNBC subtype.
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Regulation of PD-1/PD-L1 Pathway in Cancer by Noncoding RNAs. Pathol Oncol Res 2019; 26:651-663. [PMID: 31748880 DOI: 10.1007/s12253-019-00735-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade has demonstrated significant anti-tumor immunity in an array of cancer types, yet the underlying regulatory mechanism of it is still obscure, and many problems remain to be solved. As an inhibitory costimulatory signal of T-cells, the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway can paralyze T-cells at the tumor site, enabling the immune escape of tumor cells. Although many antibodies targeting PD-1/PD-L1 have been developed to block their interaction for the treatment of cancer, the reduced response rate and resistance to the therapies call for further comprehension of this pathway in the tumor microenvironment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are two main types of noncoding RNAs that play critical parts in the regulation of immune response in tumorigenesis, including the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. Here we summarize the most recent studies on the control of this pathway by noncoding RNAs in cancer and hopefully will offer new insights into immune checkpoint blockade therapies.
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