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Sun J, Luo J, Jiang F, Zhao J, Zhou S, Wang L, Zhang D, Ding Y, Li X. Exploring the cross-cancer effect of circulating proteins and discovering potential intervention targets for 13 site-specific cancers. J Natl Cancer Inst 2024; 116:565-573. [PMID: 38039160 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djad247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The proteome is an important reservoir of potential therapeutic targets for cancer. This study aimed to examine the causal associations between plasma proteins and cancer risk and to identify proteins with cross-cancer effects. METHODS Genetic instruments for 3991 plasma proteins were extracted from a large-scale proteomic study. Summary-level data of 13 site-specific cancers were derived from publicly available datasets. Proteome-wide Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses were used to investigate the causal effect of circulating proteins on cancers. Protein-protein interactions and druggability assessment were conducted to prioritize potential therapeutic targets. Finally, systematical Mendelian randomization analysis between healthy lifestyle factors and cancer-related proteins was conducted to identify which proteins could act as interventional targets by lifestyle changes. RESULTS Genetically determined circulating levels of 58 proteins were statistically significantly associated with 7 site-specific cancers. A total of 39 proteins were prioritized by colocalization, of them, 11 proteins (ADPGK, CD86, CLSTN3, CSF2RA, CXCL10, GZMM, IL6R, NCR3, SIGLEC5, SIGLEC14, and TAPBP) were observed to have cross-cancer effects. Notably, 5 of these identified proteins (CD86, CSF2RA, CXCL10, IL6R, and TAPBP) have been targeted for drug development in cancer therapy; 8 proteins (ADPGK, CD86, CXCL10, GZMM, IL6R, SIGLEC5, SIGLEC14, TAPBP) could be modulated by healthy lifestyles. CONCLUSION Our study identified 39 circulating protein biomarkers with convincing causal evidence for 7 site-specific cancers, with 11 proteins demonstrating cross-cancer effects, and prioritized the proteins as potential intervention targets by either drugs or lifestyle changes, which provided new insights into the etiology, prevention, and treatment of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Sun
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, and Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jia Luo
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, the School of Public Health of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
| | - Fangyuan Jiang
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, and Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jianhui Zhao
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, and Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Siyun Zhou
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, and Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lijuan Wang
- Centre for Global Health, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dongfeng Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, the School of Public Health of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
| | - Yuan Ding
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xue Li
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, and Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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2
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Li X, Zhang Y, Guo S, Wu Z, Wang H, Huang Y, Wang Y, Qiu M, Lang J, Xiao Y, Zhu Y, Jin G, Hu L, Kong X. Global analysis of T-cell groups reveals immunological features and common antigen targets of digestive tract tumors. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2024; 150:129. [PMID: 38488909 PMCID: PMC10943170 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-024-05645-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND T cells are key players in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), as they can recognize and eliminate cancer cells that express neoantigens derived from somatic mutations. However, the diversity and specificity of T-cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize neoantigens are largely unknown, due to the high variability of TCR sequences among individuals. METHODS To address this challenge, we applied GLIPH2, a novel algorithm that groups TCRs based on their predicted antigen specificity and HLA restriction, to cluster the TCR repertoire of 1,702 patients with digestive tract cancer. The patients were divided into five groups based on whether they carried tumor-infiltrating or clonal-expanded TCRs and calculated their TCR diversity. The prognosis, tumor subtype, gene mutation, gene expression, and immune microenvironment of these groups were compared. Viral specificity inference and immunotherapy relevance analysis performed for the TCR groups. RESULTS This approach reduced the complexity of TCR sequences to 249 clonally expanded and 150 tumor-infiltrating TCR groups, which revealed distinct patterns of TRBV usage, HLA association, and TCR diversity. In gastric adenocarcinoma (STAD), patients with tumor-infiltrating TCRs (Patients-TI) had significantly worse prognosis than other patients (Patients-nonTI). Patients-TI had richer CD8+ T cells in the immune microenvironment, and their gene expression features were positively correlated with immunotherapy response. We also found that tumor-infiltrating TCR groups were associated with four distinct tumor subtypes, 26 common gene mutations, and 39 gene expression signatures. We discovered that tumor-infiltrating TCRs had cross-reactivity with viral antigens, indicating a possible link between viral infections and tumor immunity. CONCLUSION By applying GLIPH2 to TCR sequences from digestive tract tumors, we uncovered novel insights into the tumor immune landscape and identified potential candidates for shared TCRs and neoantigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxue Li
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Yuchao Zhang
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Shiwei Guo
- Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenchuan Wu
- Anda Biology Medicine Development (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Hailong Wang
- Anda Biology Medicine Development (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Yi Huang
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Yue Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengni Qiu
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Jingyu Lang
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yichuan Xiao
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yufei Zhu
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Gang Jin
- Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, China.
| | - Landian Hu
- Anda Biology Medicine Development (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
| | - Xiangyin Kong
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China.
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3
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Wang Y, Jasinski-Bergner S, Wickenhauser C, Seliger B. Cancer Immunology: Immune Escape of Tumors-Expression and Regulation of HLA Class I Molecules and Its Role in Immunotherapies. Adv Anat Pathol 2023; 30:148-159. [PMID: 36517481 DOI: 10.1097/pap.0000000000000389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The addition of "avoiding immune destruction" to the hallmarks of cancer demonstrated the importance of cancer immunology and in particular the role of immune surveillance and escape from malignancies. However, the underlying mechanisms contributing to immune impairment and immune responses are diverse. Loss or reduced expression of the HLA class I molecules are major characteristics of human cancers resulting in an impaired recognition of tumor cells by CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocytes. This is of clinical relevance and associated with worse patients outcome and limited efficacy of T-cell-based immunotherapies. Here, we summarize the role of HLA class I antigens in cancers by focusing on the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for HLA class I defects, which are caused by either structural alterations or deregulation at the transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and posttranslational levels. In addition, the influence of HLA class I abnormalities to adaptive and acquired immunotherapy resistances will be described. The in-depth knowledge of the different strategies of malignancies leading to HLA class I defects can be applied to design more effective cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Simon Jasinski-Bergner
- Institute of Medical Immunology
- Institute for Translational Immunology, Medical School "Theodor Fontane", Brandenburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Wickenhauser
- Institute of Pathology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale)
| | - Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology
- Department of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Development & Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) Design, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, GermanyLeipzig, Germany
- Institute for Translational Immunology, Medical School "Theodor Fontane", Brandenburg, Germany
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4
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Badve SS, Gökmen-Polar Y. Targeting the Tumor-Tumor Microenvironment Crosstalk. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2023; 27:447-457. [PMID: 37395003 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2023.2230362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cancer development and progression is a complex process influenced by co-evolution of the cancer cells and their microenvironment. However, traditional anti-cancer therapy is mostly targeted toward cancer cells. To improve the efficacy of cancer drugs, the complex interactions between the tumor (T) and the tumor microenvironment (TME) should be considered while developing therapeutics. AREAS COVERED The present review article will discuss the components of T-TME as well as the potential to co-target these two distinct elements. We document that these approaches have resulted in success in preventing tumor progression and metastasis, albeit in animal models in some cases. Lastly, it is important to consider the tissue context and tumor type as these could significantly modify the role of these molecules/pathways and hence the overall likelihood of response. Furthermore, we discuss the potential strategies to target the components of tumor microenvironment in anti-cancer therapy. PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov was searched through May 2023. EXPERT OPINION The tumor-tumor microenvironment cross talk and heterogeneity are major mechanisms conferring resistance to standard of care. Better understanding of the tissue specific T-TME interactions and dual targeting has the promise of improving cancer control and clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil S Badve
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yesim Gökmen-Polar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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5
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Koyande NP, Srivastava R, Padmakumar A, Rengan AK. Advances in Nanotechnology for Cancer Immunoprevention and Immunotherapy: A Review. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1727. [PMID: 36298592 PMCID: PMC9610880 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10101727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the most effective cancer therapies, cancer immunotherapy has produced outstanding outcomes in the field of cancer treatment. However, the cost is excessive, which limits its applicability. A smart way to address this issue would be to apply the knowledge gained through immunotherapy to develop strategies for the immunoprevention of cancer. The use of cancer vaccines is one of the most popular methods of immunoprevention. This paper reviews the technologies and processes that support the advantages of cancer immunoprevention over traditional cancer immunotherapies. Nanoparticle drug delivery systems and nanoparticle-based nano-vaccines have been employed in the past for cancer immunotherapy. This paper outlines numerous immunoprevention strategies and how nanotechnology can be applied in immunoprevention. To comprehend the non-clinical and clinical evaluation of these cancer vaccines through clinical studies is essential for acceptance of the vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Aravind Kumar Rengan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy 502285, India
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6
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Mugarza E, van Maldegem F, Boumelha J, Moore C, Rana S, Llorian Sopena M, East P, Ambler R, Anastasiou P, Romero-Clavijo P, Valand K, Cole M, Molina-Arcas M, Downward J. Therapeutic KRAS G12C inhibition drives effective interferon-mediated antitumor immunity in immunogenic lung cancers. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabm8780. [PMID: 35857848 PMCID: PMC9299537 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm8780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Recently developed KRASG12C inhibitory drugs are beneficial to lung cancer patients harboring KRASG12C mutations, but drug resistance frequently develops. Because of the immunosuppressive nature of the signaling network controlled by oncogenic KRAS, these drugs can indirectly affect antitumor immunity, providing a rationale for their combination with immune checkpoint blockade. In this study, we have characterized how KRASG12C inhibition reverses immunosuppression driven by oncogenic KRAS in a number of preclinical lung cancer models with varying levels of immunogenicity. Mechanistically, KRASG12C inhibition up-regulates interferon signaling via Myc inhibition, leading to reduced tumor infiltration by immunosuppressive cells, enhanced infiltration and activation of cytotoxic T cells, and increased antigen presentation. However, the combination of KRASG12C inhibitors with immune checkpoint blockade only provides synergistic benefit in the most immunogenic tumor model. KRASG12C inhibition fails to sensitize cold tumors to immunotherapy, with implications for the design of clinical trials combining KRASG12C inhibitors with anti-PD1 drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edurne Mugarza
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Febe van Maldegem
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Jesse Boumelha
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Christopher Moore
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Sareena Rana
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Miriam Llorian Sopena
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Philip East
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Rachel Ambler
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Panayiotis Anastasiou
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Pablo Romero-Clavijo
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Karishma Valand
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Megan Cole
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Miriam Molina-Arcas
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Julian Downward
- Oncogene Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Lung Cancer Group, Division of Molecular Pathology, Institute of Cancer Research, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK
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7
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Co-dependencies in the tumor immune microenvironment. Oncogene 2022; 41:3821-3829. [PMID: 35817840 PMCID: PMC9893036 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-022-02406-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Activated oncogenes and disrupted tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) not only endow aspiring cancer cells with new biological capabilities but also influence the composition and function of host cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). These non-cancer host cells can in turn provide cancer cells with growth support and protection from the anti-tumor immune response. In this ecosystem, geospatially heterogenous "subTME" adds to the complexity of the "global" TME which bestows tumors with increased tumorigenic ability and resistance to therapy. This review highlights how specific genetic alterations in cancer cells establish various symbiotic co-dependencies with surrounding host cells and details the cooperative role of the host cells in tumor biology. These essential interactions expand the repertoire of targets for the development of precision cancer treatments.
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8
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Seliger B, Massa C. Modulation of Lymphocyte Functions in the Microenvironment by Tumor Oncogenic Pathways. Front Immunol 2022; 13:883639. [PMID: 35663987 PMCID: PMC9160824 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.883639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the broad application of different immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of solid as well as hematopoietic cancers, the efficacy of these therapies is still limited, with only a minority of patients having a long-term benefit resulting in an improved survival rate. In order to increase the response rates of patients to the currently available immunotherapies, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the intrinsic and/or extrinsic resistance to treatment is required. There exist increasing evidences that activation of different oncogenic pathways as well as inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (TSG) in tumor cells inhibit the immune cell recognition and influegnce the composition of the tumor microenvironment (TME), thus leading to an impaired anti-tumoral immune response. A deeper understanding of the link between the tumor milieu and genomic alterations of TSGs and oncogenes is indispensable for the optimization of immunotherapies and to predict the patients’ response to these treatments. This review summarizes the role of different cancer-related, oncogene- and TSG-controlled pathways in the context of anti-tumoral immunity and response to different immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Chiara Massa
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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9
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Désage AL, Léonce C, Swalduz A, Ortiz-Cuaran S. Targeting KRAS Mutant in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Novel Insights Into Therapeutic Strategies. Front Oncol 2022; 12:796832. [PMID: 35251972 PMCID: PMC8889932 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.796832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although KRAS-activating mutations represent the most common oncogenic driver in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), various attempts to inhibit KRAS failed in the past decade. KRAS mutations are associated with a poor prognosis and a poor response to standard therapeutic regimen. The recent development of new therapeutic agents (i.e., adagrasib, sotorasib) that target specifically KRAS G12C in its GDP-bound state has evidenced an unprecedented success in the treatment of this subgroup of patients. Despite providing pre-clinical and clinical efficacy, several mechanisms of acquired resistance to KRAS G12C inhibitors have been reported. In this setting, combined therapeutic strategies including inhibition of either SHP2, SOS1 or downstream effectors of KRAS G12C seem particularly interesting to overcome acquired resistance. In this review, we will discuss the novel therapeutic strategies targeting KRAS G12C and promising approaches of combined therapy to overcome acquired resistance to KRAS G12C inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Laure Désage
- Univ Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Lyon, France.,Department of Pulmonology and Thoracic Oncology, North Hospital, University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France
| | - Camille Léonce
- Univ Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Aurélie Swalduz
- Univ Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Lyon, France.,Department of Medical Oncology, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Sandra Ortiz-Cuaran
- Univ Lyon, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Lyon, France
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10
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Jiang J, Xu Y, Chang L, Ru G, Xia X, Yang L, Yi X, Chen Z, Huang DS, Yang L. Genomic Landscape in Neoplasm-Like Stroma Reveals Distinct Prognostic Subtypes of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:771247. [PMID: 34733795 PMCID: PMC8558555 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.771247] [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: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
As a main component of the tumor microenvironment, the stroma is critical in development, progression, and metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The genomic status and its relationship of neoplastic and stromal components remain unclear in PDAC. We performed targeted sequencing for 1,021 cancer-suspected genes on parallel microdissected stromal and neoplastic components from 50 operable PDAC patients. Clonality analysis of mutations was conducted to reconstruct the evolutionary trajectory, and then molecular subtypes were established. Multi-lineage differentiation potential and mesenchymal transformation of KRAS-mutant cell line Panc1 were evaluated using RT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining. In this study, 39 (78.0%) were genomically altered in stroma, with KRAS (71.8%), TP53 (61.5%), and CDKN2A (23.1%) as the most commonly mutated genes. The majority of stromal mutations (89.8%) were detected in matched neoplastic components. Patients with KRAS/TP53-mut stroma demonstrated a higher tumor cell fraction (TCF) than did those with wild-type (WT) stroma (p = 0.0371, p = 0.0014). In both components, mutants KRAS and TP53 often occurred as clonal events, and the allele frequencies presented linear correlation in the same specimen. All neoplasm-like stroma (characterized with all or initial neoplastic clones and driver events in stroma) harbored KRAS or TP53 mutations. Neoplasm-like and KRAS-mutant stroma was associated with shorter disease-free survival. It is a new finding for the existence of driver gene mutations in PDAC stroma. These data suggest that genomic features of stromal components may serve as prognostic biomarkers in resectable PDAC and might help to guide a more precise treatment paradigm in therapeutic options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahong Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yaping Xu
- Geneplus-Beijing Institute, Beijing, China
| | | | - Guoqing Ru
- Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Ling Yang
- Geneplus-Beijing Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Yi
- Geneplus-Beijing Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Zheling Chen
- Department of Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dong-Sheng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Diagnosis and Individualized Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
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11
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de Sousa E, Lérias JR, Beltran A, Paraschoudi G, Condeço C, Kamiki J, António PA, Figueiredo N, Carvalho C, Castillo-Martin M, Wang Z, Ligeiro D, Rao M, Maeurer M. Targeting Neoepitopes to Treat Solid Malignancies: Immunosurgery. Front Immunol 2021; 12:592031. [PMID: 34335558 PMCID: PMC8320363 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.592031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful outcome of immune checkpoint blockade in patients with solid cancers is in part associated with a high tumor mutational burden (TMB) and the recognition of private neoantigens by T-cells. The quality and quantity of target recognition is determined by the repertoire of ‘neoepitope’-specific T-cell receptors (TCRs) in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), or peripheral T-cells. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ), produced by T-cells and other immune cells, is essential for controlling proliferation of transformed cells, induction of apoptosis and enhancing human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression, thereby increasing immunogenicity of cancer cells. TCR αβ-dependent therapies should account for tumor heterogeneity and availability of the TCR repertoire capable of reacting to neoepitopes and functional HLA pathways. Immunogenic epitopes in the tumor-stroma may also be targeted to achieve tumor-containment by changing the immune-contexture in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Non protein-coding regions of the tumor-cell genome may also contain many aberrantly expressed, non-mutated tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) capable of eliciting productive anti-tumor immune responses. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) and/or RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of cancer tissue, combined with several layers of bioinformatic analysis is commonly used to predict possible neoepitopes present in clinical samples. At the ImmunoSurgery Unit of the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown (CCU), a pipeline combining several tools is used for predicting private mutations from WES and RNA-Seq data followed by the construction of synthetic peptides tailored for immunological response assessment reflecting the patient’s tumor mutations, guided by MHC typing. Subsequent immunoassays allow the detection of differential IFN-γ production patterns associated with (intra-tumoral) spatiotemporal differences in TIL or peripheral T-cells versus TIL. These bioinformatics tools, in addition to histopathological assessment, immunological readouts from functional bioassays and deep T-cell ‘adaptome’ analyses, are expected to advance discovery and development of next-generation personalized precision medicine strategies to improve clinical outcomes in cancer in the context of i) anti-tumor vaccination strategies, ii) gauging mutation-reactive T-cell responses in biological therapies and iii) expansion of tumor-reactive T-cells for the cellular treatment of patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric de Sousa
- ImmunoSurgery Unit, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joana R Lérias
- ImmunoSurgery Unit, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Antonio Beltran
- Department of Pathology, Champalimaud Clinical Centre, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Carolina Condeço
- ImmunoSurgery Unit, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jéssica Kamiki
- ImmunoSurgery Unit, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Nuno Figueiredo
- Digestive Unit, Champalimaud Clinical Centre, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carlos Carvalho
- Digestive Unit, Champalimaud Clinical Centre, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Zhe Wang
- Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI), Applied Adaptome Immunology Institute, Nanjing, China
| | - Dário Ligeiro
- Lisbon Centre for Blood and Transplantation, Instituto Português do Sangue e Transplantação (IPST), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Martin Rao
- ImmunoSurgery Unit, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Markus Maeurer
- ImmunoSurgery Unit, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal.,I Medical Clinic, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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12
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Abstract
Colorectal cancer has served as a genetic and biological paradigm for the evolution of solid tumors, and these insights have illuminated early detection, risk stratification, prevention, and treatment principles. Employing the hallmarks of cancer framework, we provide a conceptual framework to understand how genetic alterations in colorectal cancer drive cancer cell biology properties and shape the heterotypic interactions across cells in the tumor microenvironment. This review details research advances pertaining to the genetics and biology of colorectal cancer, emerging concepts gleaned from immune and single-cell profiling, and critical advances and remaining knowledge gaps influencing the development of effective therapies for this cancer that remains a major public health burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiexi Li
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Xingdi Ma
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Deepavali Chakravarti
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Shabnam Shalapour
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Ronald A DePinho
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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13
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Jongsma MLM, Neefjes J, Spaapen RM. Playing hide and seek: Tumor cells in control of MHC class I antigen presentation. Mol Immunol 2021; 136:36-44. [PMID: 34082257 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2021.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
MHC class I (MHC-I) molecules present a blueprint of the intracellular proteome to T cells allowing them to control infection or malignant transformation. As a response, pathogens and tumor cells often downmodulate MHC-I mediated antigen presentation to escape from immune surveillance. Although the fundamental rules of antigen presentation are known in detail, the players in this system are not saturated and new modules of regulation have recently been uncovered. Here, we update the understanding of antigen presentation by MHC-I molecules and how this can be exploited by tumors to prevent exposure of the intracellular proteome. This knowledge can provide new ways to improve immune responses against tumors and pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L M Jongsma
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - J Neefjes
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - R M Spaapen
- Department of Immunopathology, Sanquin Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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14
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Morotti M, Albukhari A, Alsaadi A, Artibani M, Brenton JD, Curbishley SM, Dong T, Dustin ML, Hu Z, McGranahan N, Miller ML, Santana-Gonzalez L, Seymour LW, Shi T, Van Loo P, Yau C, White H, Wietek N, Church DN, Wedge DC, Ahmed AA. Promises and challenges of adoptive T-cell therapies for solid tumours. Br J Cancer 2021; 124:1759-1776. [PMID: 33782566 PMCID: PMC8144577 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-021-01353-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and, despite new targeted therapies and immunotherapies, many patients with advanced-stage- or high-risk cancers still die, owing to metastatic disease. Adoptive T-cell therapy, involving the autologous or allogeneic transplant of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes or genetically modified T cells expressing novel T-cell receptors or chimeric antigen receptors, has shown promise in the treatment of cancer patients, leading to durable responses and, in some cases, cure. Technological advances in genomics, computational biology, immunology and cell manufacturing have brought the aspiration of individualised therapies for cancer patients closer to reality. This new era of cell-based individualised therapeutics challenges the traditional standards of therapeutic interventions and provides opportunities for a paradigm shift in our approach to cancer therapy. Invited speakers at a 2020 symposium discussed three areas-cancer genomics, cancer immunology and cell-therapy manufacturing-that are essential to the effective translation of T-cell therapies in the treatment of solid malignancies. Key advances have been made in understanding genetic intratumour heterogeneity, and strategies to accurately identify neoantigens, overcome T-cell exhaustion and circumvent tumour immunosuppression after cell-therapy infusion are being developed. Advances are being made in cell-manufacturing approaches that have the potential to establish cell-therapies as credible therapeutic options. T-cell therapies face many challenges but hold great promise for improving clinical outcomes for patients with solid tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Morotti
- Ovarian Cancer Cell Laboratory, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Oncology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ashwag Albukhari
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdulkhaliq Alsaadi
- Ovarian Cancer Cell Laboratory, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mara Artibani
- Ovarian Cancer Cell Laboratory, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - James D Brenton
- Functional Genomics of Ovarian Cancer Laboratory, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stuart M Curbishley
- Advanced Therapies Facility and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Tao Dong
- Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) Oxford Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Michael L Dustin
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Zhiyuan Hu
- Ovarian Cancer Cell Laboratory, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nicholas McGranahan
- Cancer Genome Evolution Research Group, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | - Martin L Miller
- Cancer System Biology Group, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Laura Santana-Gonzalez
- Ovarian Cancer Cell Laboratory, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Leonard W Seymour
- Gene Therapy Group, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tingyan Shi
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Peter Van Loo
- Cancer Genomics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Christopher Yau
- Division of Informatics, Imaging and Data Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - Helen White
- Patient Representative, Endometrial Cancer Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Partnership (GeCIP) Domain, London, UK
| | - Nina Wietek
- Ovarian Cancer Cell Laboratory, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David N Church
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK.
| | - David C Wedge
- Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK.
- Manchester Cancer Research Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - Ahmed A Ahmed
- Ovarian Cancer Cell Laboratory, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK.
- Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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15
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Dhatchinamoorthy K, Colbert JD, Rock KL. Cancer Immune Evasion Through Loss of MHC Class I Antigen Presentation. Front Immunol 2021; 12:636568. [PMID: 33767702 PMCID: PMC7986854 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.636568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 412] [Impact Index Per Article: 137.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Major histocompatibility class I (MHC I) molecules bind peptides derived from a cell's expressed genes and then transport and display this antigenic information on the cell surface. This allows CD8 T cells to identify pathological cells that are synthesizing abnormal proteins, such as cancers that are expressing mutated proteins. In order for many cancers to arise and progress, they need to evolve mechanisms to avoid elimination by CD8 T cells. MHC I molecules are not essential for cell survival and therefore one mechanism by which cancers can evade immune control is by losing MHC I antigen presentation machinery (APM). Not only will this impair the ability of natural immune responses to control cancers, but also frustrate immunotherapies that work by re-invigorating anti-tumor CD8 T cells, such as checkpoint blockade. Here we review the evidence that loss of MHC I antigen presentation is a frequent occurrence in many cancers. We discuss new insights into some common underlying mechanisms through which some cancers inactivate the MHC I pathway and consider some possible strategies to overcome this limitation in ways that could restore immune control of tumors and improve immunotherapy.
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16
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HLA class I loss in colorectal cancer: implications for immune escape and immunotherapy. Cell Mol Immunol 2021; 18:556-565. [PMID: 33473191 PMCID: PMC8027055 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-021-00634-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
T cell-mediated immune therapies have emerged as a promising treatment modality in different malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, only a fraction of patients currently respond to treatment. Understanding the lack of responses and finding biomarkers with predictive value is of great importance. There is evidence that CRC is a heterogeneous disease and several classification systems have been proposed that are based on genomic instability, immune cell infiltration, stromal content and molecular subtypes of gene expression. Human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) plays a pivotal role in presenting processed antigens to T lymphocytes, including tumour antigens. These molecules are frequently lost in different types of cancers, including CRC, resulting in tumour immune escape from cytotoxic T lymphocytes during the natural history of cancer development. The aim of this review is to (i) summarize the prevalence and molecular mechanisms behind HLA-I loss in CRC, (ii) discuss HLA-I expression/loss in the context of the newly identified CRC molecular subtypes, (iii) analyze the HLA-I phenotypes of CRC metastases disseminated via blood or the lymphatic system, (iv) discuss strategies to recover/circumvent HLA-I expression/loss and finally (v) review the role of HLA class II (HLA-II) in CRC prognosis.
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17
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Keshavarz-Fathi M, Rezaei N. Cancer Immunoprevention: Current Status and Future Directions. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2021; 69:3. [PMID: 33638703 DOI: 10.1007/s00005-021-00604-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most serious diseases affecting health and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the development of various therapeutic modalities to deal with cancer, limited improvement in overall survival of patients has been yielded. Since there is no certain cure for cancer, detection of premalignant lesions, and prevention of their progression are vital to the decline of high morbidity and mortality of cancer. Among approaches to cancer prevention, immunoprevention has gained further attention in recent years. Deep understanding of the tumor/immune system interplay and successful prevention of virally-induced malignancies by vaccines have paved the way toward broadening cancer immunoprevention application. The identification of tumor antigens in premalignant lesions was the turning point in cancer immunoprevention that led to designing preventive vaccines for various malignancies including multiple myeloma, colorectal, and breast cancer. In addition to vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors are also being tested for the prevention of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and imiquimod which is an established drug for the prevention of skin SCC, is a non-specific immunomodulator. Herein, to provide a bench-to-bedside understanding of cancer immunoprevention, we will review the role of the immune system in suppression and promotion of tumors, immunoprevention of virally-induced cancers, identification of tumor antigens in premalignant lesions, and clinical advances of cancer immunoprevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahsa Keshavarz-Fathi
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Dr. Qarib St, Keshavarz Blvd, 14194, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Dr. Qarib St, Keshavarz Blvd, 14194, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Cancer Immunology Project (CIP), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Stockholm, Sweden.
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18
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Hu R, Tao T, Yu L, Ding Q, Zhu G, Peng G, Zheng S, Yang L, Wu S. Multi-Omics Characterization of Tumor Microenvironment Heterogeneity and Immunotherapy Resistance Through Cell States-Based Subtyping in Bladder Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:809588. [PMID: 35223867 PMCID: PMC8864284 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.809588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the strong heterogeneity of bladder cancer (BC), there is often substantial variation in the prognosis and efficiency of immunotherapy among BC patients. For the precision treatment and assessment of prognosis, the subtyping of BC plays a critical role. Despite various subtyping methods proposed previously, most of them are based on a limited number of molecules, and none of them is developed on the basis of cell states. In this study, we construct a single-cell atlas by integrating single cell RNA-seq, RNA microarray, and bulk RNA-seq data to identify the absolute proportion of 22 different cell states in BC, including immune and nonimmune cell states derived from tumor tissues. To explore the heterogeneity of BC, BC was identified into four different subtypes in multiple cohorts using an improved consensus clustering algorithm based on cell states. Among the four subtypes, C1 had median prognosis and best overall response rate (ORR), which characterized an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. C2 was enriched in epithelial-mesenchymal transition/invasion, angiogenesis, immunosuppression, and immune exhaustion. Surely, C2 performed the worst in prognosis and ORR. C3 with worse ORR than C2 was enriched in angiogenesis and almost nonimmune exhaustion. Displaying an immune effective environment, C4 performed the best in prognosis and ORR. We found that patients with just an immunosuppressive environment are suitable for immunotherapy, but patients with an immunosuppressive environment accompanied by immune exhaustion or angiogenesis may resist immunotherapy. Furthermore, we conducted exploration into the heterogeneity of the transcriptome, mutational profiles, and somatic copy-number alterations in four subtypes, which could explain the significant differences related to cell states in prognosis and ORR. We also found that PD-1 in immune and tumor cells could both influence ORR in BC. The level of TGFβ in a cell state can be opposite to the overall level in the tissues, and the level in a specific cell state could predict ORR more accurately. Thus, our work furthers the understanding of heterogeneity and immunotherapy resistance in BC, which is expected to assist clinical practice and serve as a supplement to the current subtyping method from a novel perspective of cell states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rixin Hu
- Health Science Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Tao Tao
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Following Precision Medical Research Institute, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lu Yu
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Following Precision Medical Research Institute, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, China
- Teaching Center of Shenzhen Luohu Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
| | - Qiuxia Ding
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Following Precision Medical Research Institute, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, China
| | - Guanghui Zhu
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Following Precision Medical Research Institute, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, China
| | - Guoyu Peng
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Following Precision Medical Research Institute, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shiwen Zheng
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Following Precision Medical Research Institute, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, China
| | - Leyun Yang
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Following Precision Medical Research Institute, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, China
| | - Song Wu
- Health Science Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Luohu Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Following Precision Medical Research Institute, Luohu Hospital Group, Shenzhen, China
- Teaching Center of Shenzhen Luohu Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China
- Department of Urology, South China Hospital, Health Science Center, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- *Correspondence: Song Wu,
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19
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Sabbatino F, Liguori L, Polcaro G, Salvato I, Caramori G, Salzano FA, Casolaro V, Stellato C, Dal Col J, Pepe S. Role of Human Leukocyte Antigen System as A Predictive Biomarker for Checkpoint-Based Immunotherapy in Cancer Patients. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21197295. [PMID: 33023239 PMCID: PMC7582904 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21197295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in cancer immunotherapy have clearly shown that checkpoint-based immunotherapy is effective in a small subgroup of cancer patients. However, no effective predictive biomarker has been identified so far. The major histocompatibility complex, better known in humans as human leukocyte antigen (HLA), is a very polymorphic gene complex consisting of more than 200 genes. It has a crucial role in activating an appropriate host immune response against pathogens and tumor cells by discriminating self and non-self peptides. Several lines of evidence have shown that down-regulation of expression of HLA class I antigen derived peptide complexes by cancer cells is a mechanism of tumor immune escape and is often associated to poor prognosis in cancer patients. In addition, it has also been shown that HLA class I and II antigen expression, as well as defects in the antigen processing machinery complex, may predict tumor responses in cancer immunotherapy. Nevertheless, the role of HLA in predicting tumor responses to checkpoint-based immunotherapy is still debated. In this review, firstly, we will describe the structure and function of the HLA system. Secondly, we will summarize the HLA defects and their clinical significance in cancer patients. Thirdly, we will review the potential role of the HLA as a predictive biomarker for checkpoint-based immunotherapy in cancer patients. Lastly, we will discuss the potential strategies that may restore HLA function to implement novel therapeutic strategies in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Sabbatino
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ’Scuola Medica Salernitana’, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy; (F.S.); (G.P.); (I.S.); (F.A.S.); (V.C.); (C.S.); (S.P.)
- Oncology Unit, AOU San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D’Aragona, 84131 Salerno, Italy
| | - Luigi Liguori
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy;
| | - Giovanna Polcaro
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ’Scuola Medica Salernitana’, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy; (F.S.); (G.P.); (I.S.); (F.A.S.); (V.C.); (C.S.); (S.P.)
| | - Ilaria Salvato
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ’Scuola Medica Salernitana’, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy; (F.S.); (G.P.); (I.S.); (F.A.S.); (V.C.); (C.S.); (S.P.)
- Pulmonary Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry, Morphological and Functional Imaging (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
| | - Gaetano Caramori
- Pulmonary Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry, Morphological and Functional Imaging (BIOMORF), University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
| | - Francesco A. Salzano
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ’Scuola Medica Salernitana’, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy; (F.S.); (G.P.); (I.S.); (F.A.S.); (V.C.); (C.S.); (S.P.)
| | - Vincenzo Casolaro
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ’Scuola Medica Salernitana’, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy; (F.S.); (G.P.); (I.S.); (F.A.S.); (V.C.); (C.S.); (S.P.)
| | - Cristiana Stellato
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ’Scuola Medica Salernitana’, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy; (F.S.); (G.P.); (I.S.); (F.A.S.); (V.C.); (C.S.); (S.P.)
| | - Jessica Dal Col
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ’Scuola Medica Salernitana’, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy; (F.S.); (G.P.); (I.S.); (F.A.S.); (V.C.); (C.S.); (S.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-08996-5210
| | - Stefano Pepe
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ’Scuola Medica Salernitana’, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Salerno, Italy; (F.S.); (G.P.); (I.S.); (F.A.S.); (V.C.); (C.S.); (S.P.)
- Oncology Unit, AOU San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D’Aragona, 84131 Salerno, Italy
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20
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Putting into Perspective the Future of Cancer Vaccines: Targeted Immunotherapy. EUROPEAN MEDICAL JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.33590/emj/19-00191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pre-clinical models and human clinical trials have confirmed the ability of cancer vaccines to induce immune responses that are tumour-specific and, in some cases, associated with clinical response. However, cancer vaccines as a targeted immunotherapy strategy have not yet come of age. So, why the discordance after so much research has been invested in cancer vaccines? There are several reasons for this that include: limited tumour immunogenicity (limited targeted antigen expression, antigen tolerance); antigenic heterogeneity in tumours; heterogeneity of individual immune responses; multiple mechanisms associated with suppressed functional activity of immune effector cells, the underlying rationale for the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors; and immune system exhaustion. The success of checkpoint therapy has refocussed investigations into defining relationships between tumours and host immune systems, appreciating the mechanisms by which tumour cells escape immune surveillance and reinforcing recognition of the potential of vaccines in the treatment and prevention of cancer. Recent developments in cancer immunotherapies, together with associated technologies, for instance, the unparalleled achievements by immune checkpoint inhibitors and neo-antigen identification tools, may foster potential improvements in cancer vaccines for the treatment of malignancies.
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21
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Vymetalkova V, Rosa F, Susova S, Bendova P, Levy M, Buchler T, Kral J, Bartu L, Vodickova L, Hughes DJ, Soucek P, Naccarati A, Kumar R, Vodicka P, Pardini B. Expression quantitative trait loci in ABC transporters are associated with survival in 5-FU treated colorectal cancer patients. Mutagenesis 2020; 35:273-281. [DOI: 10.1093/mutage/gez050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The chemotherapeutic efficacy in colorectal cancer (CRC) is limited due to the inter-individual variability in drug response and the development of tumour resistance. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are crucial in the development of resistance by the efflux of anticancer agents from cancer cells. In this study, we identified 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 11 ABC transporter genes acting as an expression of quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), i.e. whose variation influence the expression of many downstream genes. These SNPs were genotyped in a case–control study comprising 1098 cases and 1442 healthy controls and analysed in relation to CRC development risk and patient survival. Considering a strict correction for multiple tests, we did not observe any significant association between SNPs and CRC risk. The rs3819720 polymorphism in the ABCB3/TAP2 gene was statistically significantly associated with shorter overall survival (OS) in the codominant, and dominant models [GA vs. GG, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.48; P = 0.002; AA vs. GG, HR = 1.70; P = 0.004 and GA + AA vs. GG, HR = 1.52; P = 0.0006]. Additionally, GA carriers of the same SNP displayed worse OS after receiving 5-FU based chemotherapy. The variant allele of rs3819720 polymorphism statistically significantly affected the expression of 36 downstream genes. Screening for eQTL polymorphisms in relevant genes such as ABC transporters that can regulate the expression of several other genes may help to identify the genetic background involved in the individual response to the treatment of CRC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Vymetalkova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Fabio Rosa
- IIGM Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | - Simona Susova
- Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
- Toxicogenomics Unit, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Bendova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Miroslav Levy
- Department of Surgery, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Buchler
- Department of Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Kral
- Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, IKEM, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Linda Bartu
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ludmila Vodickova
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - David J Hughes
- Cancer Biology and Therapeutics Group, UCD Conway Institute, School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Pavel Soucek
- Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
- Toxicogenomics Unit, National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Alessio Naccarati
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
- IIGM Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | - Rajiv Kumar
- Division of Molecular Genetic Epidemiology
- Division of Functional Genome Analysis, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Pavel Vodicka
- Department of Molecular Biology of Cancer, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Biomedical Centre, Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University, Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - Barbara Pardini
- IIGM Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
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22
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Ward AB, Keeton AB, Chen X, Mattox TE, Coley AB, Maxuitenko YY, Buchsbaum DJ, Randall TD, Zhou G, Piazza GA. Enhancing anticancer activity of checkpoint immunotherapy by targeting RAS. MedComm (Beijing) 2020; 1:121-128. [PMID: 33073260 PMCID: PMC7567124 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 30% of human cancers harbor a gain‐in‐function mutation in the RAS gene, resulting in constitutive activation of the RAS protein to stimulate downstream signaling, including the RAS‐mitogen activated protein kinase pathway that drives cancer cells to proliferate and metastasize. RAS‐driven oncogenesis also promotes immune evasion by increasing the expression of programmed cell death ligand‐1, reducing the expression of major histocompatibility complex molecules that present antigens to T‐lymphocytes and altering the expression of cytokines that promote the differentiation and accumulation of immune suppressive cell types such as myeloid‐derived suppressor cells, regulatory T‐cells, and cancer‐associated fibroblasts. Together, these changes lead to an immune suppressive tumor microenvironment that impedes T‐cell activation and infiltration and promotes the outgrowth and metastasis of tumor cells. As a result, despite the growing success of checkpoint immunotherapy, many patients with RAS‐driven tumors experience resistance to therapy and poor clinical outcomes. Therefore, RAS inhibitors in development have the potential to weaken cancer cell immune evasion and enhance the antitumor immune response to improve survival of patients with RAS‐driven cancers. This review highlights the potential of RAS inhibitors to enhance or broaden the anticancer activity of currently available checkpoint immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio B Ward
- Drug Discovery Research Center, Department of Pharmacology, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
| | - Adam B Keeton
- Drug Discovery Research Center, Department of Pharmacology, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
| | - Xi Chen
- Drug Discovery Research Center, Department of Pharmacology, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
| | - Tyler E Mattox
- Drug Discovery Research Center, Department of Pharmacology, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
| | - Alex B Coley
- Drug Discovery Research Center, Department of Pharmacology, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
| | - Yulia Y Maxuitenko
- Drug Discovery Research Center, Department of Pharmacology, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
| | - Donald J Buchsbaum
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Troy D Randall
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Gang Zhou
- Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA
| | - Gary A Piazza
- Drug Discovery Research Center, Department of Pharmacology, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL
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Abstract
The adaptive immune response is a 500-million-year-old (the "Big Bang" of Immunology) collective set of rearranged and/or selected receptors capable of recognizing soluble and cell surface molecules or shape (B cells, antibody), endogenous and extracellular peptides presented by Major Histocompatibility (MHC) molecules including Class I and Class II (conventional αβ T cells), lipid in the context of MHC-like molecules of the CD1 family (NKT cells), metabolites and B7 family molecules/butyrophilins with stress factors (γδT cells), and stress ligands and absence of MHC molecules (natural killer, NK cells). What makes tumor immunogenic is the recruitment of initially innate immune cells to sites of stress or tissue damage with release of Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern (DAMP) molecules. Subsequent maintenance of a chronic inflammatory state, representing a balance between mature, normalized blood vessels, innate and adaptive immune cells and the tumor provides a complex tumor microenvironment serving as the backdrop for Darwinian selection, tumor elimination, tumor equilibrium, and ultimately tumor escape. Effective immunotherapies are still limited, given the complexities of this highly evolved and selected tumor microenvironment. Cytokine therapies and Immune Checkpoint Blockade (ICB) enable immune effector function and are largely dependent on the shape and size of the B and T cell repertoires (the "adaptome"), now accessible by Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and dimer-avoidance multiplexed PCR. How immune effectors access the tumor (infiltrated, immune sequestered, and immune desserts), egress and are organized within the tumor are of contemporary interest and substantial investigation.
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Ligeiro D, Rao M, Maia A, Castillo M, Beltran A, Maeurer M. B Cells in the Gastrointestinal Tumor Microenvironment with a Focus on Pancreatic Cancer: Opportunities for Precision Medicine? ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1273:175-195. [PMID: 33119882 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-49270-0_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We review state-of-the-art in translational and clinical studies focusing on the tumor microenvironment (TME) with a focus on tumor-infiltrating B cells (TIBs). The TME is a dynamic matrix of mutations, immune-regulatory networks, and distinct cell-to-cell interactions which collectively impact on disease progress. We discuss relevant findings concerning B cells in pancreatic cancer, the concepts of "bystander" B cells, the role of antigen-specific B cells contributing to augmenting anticancer-directed immune responses, the role of B cells as prognostic markers for response to checkpoint inhibitors (ICBs), and the potential use in adoptive cell tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dário Ligeiro
- Immunogenetics Unit, Lisbon Centre for Blood and Transplantation (Instituto Português do Sangue e Transplantação, IPST), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Martin Rao
- Immunosurgery Unit, Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreia Maia
- Department of Pathology, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mireia Castillo
- Department of Pathology, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Antonio Beltran
- Department of Pathology, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Markus Maeurer
- Immunosurgery Unit, Champalimaud Center for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal.
- I Med Clinical University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
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25
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Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment: An Unexplored Strategy for Mutant KRAS Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11122010. [PMID: 31847096 PMCID: PMC6966533 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11122010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Current evidence strongly suggests that cancer cells depend on the microenvironment in order to thrive. In fact, signals from the surrounding tumor microenvironment are crucial for cancer cells´ aggressiveness, altering their expression profile and favoring their metastatic potential. As such, targeting the tumor microenvironment to impair cancer progression became an attractive therapeutic option. Interestingly, it has been shown that oncogenic KRAS signaling promotes a pro-tumorigenic microenvironment, and the associated crosstalk alters the expression profile of cancer cells. These findings award KRAS a key role in controlling the interactions between cancer cells and the microenvironment, granting cancer a poor prognosis. Given the lack of effective approaches to target KRAS itself or its downstream effectors in the clinic, exploring such interactions may open new perspectives on possible therapeutic strategies to hinder mutant KRAS tumors. This review highlights those communications and their implications for the development of effective therapies or to provide insights regarding response to existing regimens.
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26
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Abolarinwa BA, Ibrahim RB, Huang YH. Conceptual Development of Immunotherapeutic Approaches to Gastrointestinal Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E4624. [PMID: 31540435 PMCID: PMC6769557 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20184624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 09/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is one of the common causes of cancer-related death worldwide. Chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy are the current treatments, but some patients do not derive clinical benefits. Recently, studies from cancer molecular subtyping have revealed that tumor molecular biomarkers may predict the immunotherapeutic response of GI cancer patients. However, the therapeutic response of patients selected by the predictive biomarkers is suboptimal. The tumor immune-microenvironment apparently plays a key role in modulating these molecular-determinant predictive biomarkers. Therefore, an understanding of the development and recent advances in immunotherapeutic pharmacological intervention targeting tumor immune-microenvironments and their potential predictive biomarkers will be helpful to strengthen patient immunotherapeutic efficacy. The current review focuses on an understanding of how the host-microenvironment interactions and the predictive biomarkers can determine the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors. The contribution of environmental pathogens and host immunity to GI cancer is summarized. A discussion regarding the clinical evidence of predictive biomarkers for clinical trial therapy design, current immunotherapeutic strategies, and the outcomes to GI cancer patients are highlighted. An understanding of the underlying mechanism can predict the immunotherapeutic efficacy and facilitate the future development of personalized therapeutic strategies targeting GI cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bilikis Aderonke Abolarinwa
- International PhD Program for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
| | - Ridwan Babatunde Ibrahim
- Institute of Brain Science, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan.
- Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP) in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, National Yang-Ming University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan.
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- International PhD Program for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
- TMU Research Center for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
- Comprehensive Cancer Center of Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
- TMU Research Center of Cancer Translational Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
- Ph.D. Program for Translational Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
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27
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Bowers JS, Bailey SR, Rubinstein MP, Paulos CM, Camp ER. Genomics meets immunity in pancreatic cancer: Current research and future directions for pancreatic adenocarcinoma immunotherapy. Oncol Rev 2019; 13:430. [PMID: 31456872 PMCID: PMC6686121 DOI: 10.4081/oncol.2019.430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a formidable disease that needs improved therapeutic strategies. Even though immunotherapy has revolutionized treatment for various solid tumor types, it remains largely ineffective in treating individuals with PDAC. This review describes how the application of genome-wide analysis is revitalizing the field of PDAC immunotherapy. Major themes include new insights into the body’s immune response to the cancer, and key immunosuppressive elements that blunt that antitumor immunity. In particular, new evidence indicates that T cell-based antitumor immunity against PDAC is more common, and more easily generated, than previously thought. However, equally common are an array of cellular and molecular defenses employed by the tumor against those T cells. These discoveries have changed how current immunotherapies are deployed and have directed development of novel strategies to better treat this disease. Thus, the impact of genomic analysis has been two-fold: both in demonstrating the heterogeneity of immune targets and defenses in this disease, as well as providing a powerful tool for designing and identifying personalized therapies that exploit each tumor’s unique phenotype. Such personalized treatment combinations may be the key to developing successful immunotherapies for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob S Bowers
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina.,Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital.,Harvard Medical School
| | - Mark P Rubinstein
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina.,Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - Chrystal M Paulos
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina.,Department of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina
| | - E Ramsay Camp
- Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina.,Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina.,Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, South Carolina, USA
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Abstract
Introduction: Advanced cancers that did not respond to chemotherapy were once a death sentence, but now there are newer therapies utilizing the patient's own immune system to fight cancer that are proving effective in chemotherapy-refractory malignancies. However, this success against cancer cells may be accompanied by immune-related adverse events that can affect the kidneys. Areas covered: Using Medline and Scopus, we compiled all publications through February 2019 that pertained to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs) and chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR T-cells). The focus of this review is the discussion of these new cancer therapies, with attention to the reported kidney-related adverse effects.. Expert opinion: Autoimmunity is repressed by molecular pathways that inhibit T-cell activation against selected antigens. These self-protective mechanisms have been appropriated by tumor cells as a means of evading immune detection and destruction. New immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy incite an aggressive immune response directed against tumor cells. This unrestrained activation of the immune system may result in kidney injury via multiple mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna Sury
- a Section of Nephrology, Department of Medicine , Yale University School of Medicine , New Haven , CT , USA
| | - Mark A Perazella
- a Section of Nephrology, Department of Medicine , Yale University School of Medicine , New Haven , CT , USA.,b Section of Nephrology , Veterans Affairs Medical Center , West Haven , CT , USA
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29
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Wagner S, Mullins CS, Linnebacher M. Colorectal cancer vaccines: Tumor-associated antigens vs neoantigens. World J Gastroenterol 2018; 24:5418-5432. [PMID: 30622371 PMCID: PMC6319136 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i48.5418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic options for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) are diverse but still not always satisfying. Recent success of immune checkpoint inhibition treatment for the subgroup of CRC patients suffering from hyper-mutated tumors suggests a permanent role of immune therapy in the clinical management of CRC. Substantial improvement in treatment outcome could be achieved by development of efficient patient-individual CRC vaccination strategies. This mini-review summarizes the current knowledge on the two general classes of targets: tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and tumor-specific antigens. TAAs like carcinoembryonic antigen and melanoma associated antigen are present in and shared by a subgroup of patients and a variety of clinical studies examined the efficacy of different TAA-derived peptide vaccines. Combinations of several TAAs as the next step and the development of personalized TAA-based peptide vaccines are discussed. Improvements of peptide-based vaccines achievable by adjuvants and immune-stimulatory chemotherapeutics are highlighted. Finally, we sum up clinical studies using tumor-specific antigens - in CRC almost exclusively neoantigens - which revealed promising results; particularly no severe adverse events were reported so far. Critical progress for clinical outcomes can be expected by individualizing neoantigen-based peptide vaccines and combining them with immune-stimulatory chemotherapeutics and immune checkpoint inhibitors. In light of these data and latest developments, truly personalized neoantigen-based peptide vaccines can be expected to fulfill modern precision medicine’s requirements and will manifest as treatment pillar for routine clinical management of CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Wagner
- Section of Molecular Oncology and Immunotherapy, General Surgery, University Medical Center, Rostock D-18057, Germany
| | - Christina S Mullins
- Section of Molecular Oncology and Immunotherapy, General Surgery, University Medical Center, Rostock D-18057, Germany
| | - Michael Linnebacher
- Section of Molecular Oncology and Immunotherapy, General Surgery, University Medical Center, Rostock D-18057, Germany
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30
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Lee JJ, Chu E. Recent Advances in the Clinical Development of Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy for Mismatch Repair Proficient (pMMR)/non-MSI-H Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Clin Colorectal Cancer 2018; 17:258-273. [PMID: 30072278 PMCID: PMC6612427 DOI: 10.1016/j.clcc.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) continues to be associated with a poor prognosis, and there remains a significant unmet need for novel agents and treatment regimens. Major breakthroughs have been made with immune checkpoint blockade therapy in several disease types, including DNA mismatch repair deficient/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumors. To date, however, immune checkpoint monotherapy has not shown significant clinical activity in the treatment of patients with mismatch repair proficient (pMMR)/non-MSI-H mCRC. The immune resistance mechanisms in pMMR/non-MSI-H mCRC have not yet been clearly elucidated. Significant efforts are currently focused on identifying effective combination immunotherapy regimens for the treatment of patients with pMMR/non-MSI-H mCRC. The combination of atezolizumab with cobimetinib had shown promising clinical activity in an early-phase clinical trial. Unfortunately, the IMblaze 370 (COTEZO) phase III trial of atezolizumab/cobimetinib combination in patients with mCRC failed to show significant improvement in overall survival in patients treated with the atezolizumab/combimetinib combination in comparison with regorafenib alone. This review summarizes the recent major advances in the clinical development of immunotherapy regimens for patients with pMMR/non-MSI-H mCRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Lee
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Cancer Therapeutics Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA.
| | - Edward Chu
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Cancer Therapeutics Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
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31
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Zhu Y, Zhao F, Li Z, Yu J. Current landscape and future directions of biomarkers for predicting responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:2475-2488. [PMID: 30122997 PMCID: PMC6086110 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s167400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), represented by anti-CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 pathway antibodies, have led to a revolution in cancer treatment modalities. ICIs have unique clinical benefits, such as effectiveness against a broad range of tumor types, strong overall impact on survival, and persistent responses after the cessation of therapy. However, only a subset of patients responds to these therapies, and a small proportion of patients even experience rapid progression or an increased risk of death. Therefore, it is imperative to optimize patient selection for treatment. This review focuses on the mechanisms of tumor escape from immune surveillance, the composition and activity of a preexisting immune infiltrate, the degree of tumor foreignness (as reflected by the mutational burden, expression of viral genes, and driver gene mutations), and host factors (including peripheral blood biomarkers, genetic polymorphisms, and gut microbiome) to summarize current evidence on the biomarkers of responses to ICIs and explore the future prospects in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingming Zhu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, China, .,Department of Radiation Oncology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Fen Zhao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, China,
| | - Zhenxiang Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, China,
| | - Jinming Yu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, China,
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32
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Swets M, Wouters A, Krijgsman D, van Vlierberghe RLP, Boot A, van Eendenburg JD, van Wezel T, Gelderblom H, van de Velde CJH, van den Elsen PJ, Kuppen PJK. HLA-G protein expression in colorectal cancer evaluated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis: Its expression characteristics remain enigmatic. Clin Immunol 2018; 194:80-86. [PMID: 30006120 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2018.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
HLA-G protein expression could play a role in evasion of tumor immune surveillance. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that HLA-G is expressed in different types of malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of the current study was to further unravel whether HLA-G protein expression could play a role in immune evasion of CRC. Therefore, to firmly establish HLA-G protein expression, eight early passage human CRC cell lines and five human rectal cancer tissues were analyzed by western blot analysis. The results obtained by western blot analysis were compared with immunohistochemistry on tumor tissue sections of the same patient. Furthermore, multiple monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 4H84, MEM-G/1 and 5A6G7, targeting HLA-G were used to unravel staining patterns. We showed that results obtained with immunohistochemistry did not correlate with protein expression detected by western blot analysis, using three different HLA-G targeting mAbs. Furthermore, with respect to the specificity of the mAbs employed, additional immune reactivity was detected using the mAbs MEM-G/1 and 5A6G7 in western blot analysis with K562 control cell lines overexpressing HLA-A2 or HLA-G, all tumor tissues and in two out of eight CRC cell lines. Based on the current study and our previously reported results, we conclude that claiming HLA-G plays a role in immune modulation of CRC seems premature, as results from anti-body based detection of HLA-G protein remain inconclusive. Until the time that detection of HLA-G is sensitive enough to detect all aspects of HLA-G expression in biological samples, rather than transfected cells or long time cultured cell lines, conclusions should be drawn with great care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marloes Swets
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Dept. of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Wouters
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Daniëlle Krijgsman
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Arnoud Boot
- Dept. of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Tom van Wezel
- Dept. of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hans Gelderblom
- Dept. of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Peter J van den Elsen
- Dept. of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter J K Kuppen
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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33
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Twumasi-Boateng K, Pettigrew JL, Kwok YYE, Bell JC, Nelson BH. Oncolytic viruses as engineering platforms for combination immunotherapy. Nat Rev Cancer 2018; 18:419-432. [PMID: 29695749 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-018-0009-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 43.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
To effectively build on the recent successes of immune checkpoint blockade, adoptive T cell therapy and cancer vaccines, it is critical to rationally design combination strategies that will increase and extend efficacy to a larger proportion of patients. For example, the combination of anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) immune checkpoint inhibitors essentially doubles the response rate in certain patients with metastatic melanoma. However, given the heterogeneity of cancer, it seems likely that even more complex combinations of immunomodulatory agents may be required to obtain consistent, durable therapeutic responses against a broad spectrum of cancers. This carries serious implications in terms of toxicities for patients, feasibility for care providers and costs for health-care systems. A compelling solution is offered by oncolytic viruses (OVs), which can be engineered to selectively replicate within and destroy tumour tissue while simultaneously augmenting antitumour immunity. In this Opinion article, we argue that the future of immunotherapy will include OVs that function as multiplexed immune-modulating platforms expressing factors such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, tumour antigens, cytokines and T cell engagers. We illustrate this concept by following the trials and tribulations of tumour-reactive T cells from their initial priming through to the execution of cytotoxic effector function in the tumour bed. We highlight the myriad opportunities for OVs to help overcome critical barriers in the T cell journey, leading to new synergistic mechanisms in the battle against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwame Twumasi-Boateng
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jessica L Pettigrew
- Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Y Y Eunice Kwok
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - John C Bell
- Center for Innovative Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Brad H Nelson
- Trev and Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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Kwon Y, Park M, Jang M, Yun S, Kim WK, Kim S, Paik S, Lee HJ, Hong S, Kim TI, Min B, Kim H. Prognosis of stage III colorectal carcinomas with FOLFOX adjuvant chemotherapy can be predicted by molecular subtype. Oncotarget 2018; 8:39367-39381. [PMID: 28455965 PMCID: PMC5503619 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Individualizing adjuvant chemotherapy is important in patients with advanced colorectal cancers (CRCs), and the ability to identify molecular subtypes predictive of good prognosis for stage III CRCs after adjuvant chemotherapy could be highly beneficial. We performed microarray-based gene expression analysis on 101 fresh-frozen primary samples from patients with stage III CRCs treated with FOLFOX adjuvant chemotherapy and 35 matched non-neoplastic mucosal tissues. CRC samples were classified into four molecular subtypes using nonnegative matrix factorization, and for comparison, we also grouped CRC samples using the proposed consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs). Of the 101 cases, 80 were classified into a CMS group, which shows a 79% correlation between the CMS classification and our four molecular subtypes. We found that two of our subtypes showed significantly higher disease-free survival and overall survival than the others. Group 2, in particular, which showed no disease recurrence or death, was characterized by high microsatellite instability (MSI-H, 6/21), abundant mucin production (12/21), and right-sided location (12/21); this group strongly correlated with CMS1 (microsatellite instability immune type). We further identified the molecular characteristics of each group and selected 10 potential biomarker genes from each. When these were compared to the previously reported molecular classifier genes, we found that 31 out of 40 selected genes were matched with those previously reported. Our findings indicate that molecular classification can reveal specific molecular subtypes correlating with clinicopathologic features of CRCs and can have predictive value for the prognosis for stage III CRCs with FOLFOX adjuvant chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujin Kwon
- Department of Pathology and BK21 for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Minhee Park
- Department of Pathology and BK21 for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Mi Jang
- Department of Pathology and BK21 for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seongju Yun
- Department of Pathology and BK21 for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Won Kyu Kim
- Department of Pathology and BK21 for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sora Kim
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute and BK21 for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Soonmyung Paik
- Severance Biomedical Science Institute and BK21 for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyun Jung Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sungpil Hong
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Tae Il Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Byungsoh Min
- Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hoguen Kim
- Department of Pathology and BK21 for Medical Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Zhang J, Wolfgang CL, Zheng L. Precision Immuno-Oncology: Prospects of Individualized Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2018; 10:E39. [PMID: 29385739 PMCID: PMC5836071 DOI: 10.3390/cancers10020039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer, most commonly referring to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), remains one of the most deadly diseases, with very few effective therapies available. Emerging as a new modality of modern cancer treatments, immunotherapy has shown promises for various cancer types. Over the past decades, the potential of immunotherapy in eliciting clinical benefits in pancreatic cancer have also been extensively explored. It has been demonstrated in preclinical studies and early phase clinical trials that cancer vaccines were effective in eliciting anti-tumor immune response, but few have led to a significant improvement in survival. Despite the fact that immunotherapy with checkpoint blockade (e.g., anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 [CTLA-4] and anti-programmed cell death 1 [PD-1]/PD-L1 antibodies) has shown remarkable and durable responses in various cancer types, the application of checkpoint inhibitors in pancreatic cancer has been disappointing so far. It may, in part, due to the unique tumor microenvironment (TME) of pancreatic cancer, such as existence of excessive stromal matrix and hypovascularity, creating a TME of strong inhibitory signaling circuits and tremendous physical barriers for immune agent infiltration. This informs on the need for combination therapy approaches to engender a potent immune response that can translate to clinical benefits. On the other hand, lack of effective and validated biomarkers to stratify subgroup of patients who can benefit from immunotherapy poses further challenges for the realization of precision immune-oncology. Future studies addressing issues such as TME modulation, biomarker identification and therapeutic combination are warranted. In this review, advances in immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer were discussed and opportunities as well as challenges for personalized immune-oncology were addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajia Zhang
- Departments of Oncology and Surgery, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
- Pancreatic Cancer PMCoE Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
| | - Christopher L Wolfgang
- Departments of Oncology and Surgery, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
- Pancreatic Cancer PMCoE Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
| | - Lei Zheng
- Departments of Oncology and Surgery, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
- Pancreatic Cancer PMCoE Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
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Bezzi M, Seitzer N, Ishikawa T, Reschke M, Chen M, Wang G, Mitchell C, Ng C, Katon J, Lunardi A, Signoretti S, Clohessy JG, Zhang J, Pandolfi PP. Diverse genetic-driven immune landscapes dictate tumor progression through distinct mechanisms. Nat Med 2018; 24:165-175. [DOI: 10.1038/nm.4463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Mandal RK, Dar SA, Jawed A, Wahid M, Lohani M, Panda AK, Mishra BN, Akhter N, Areeshi MY, Haque S. Impact of LMP7 (rs2071543) gene polymorphism in increasing cancer risk: evidence from a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis. Oncotarget 2017; 9:6572-6585. [PMID: 29464093 PMCID: PMC5814233 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.23547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic variant LMP7 (low molecular weight polypeptide 7) –145 C > A may influence the function of immune surveillance of an individual and lead to cancer development. Various studies have investigated the relevance of LMP7 –145 C > A gene polymorphism with cancer risk; but, their results are conflicting and inconsistent. To obtain a comprehensive conclusion, a meta-analysis was performed by including eight eligible published studies retrieved from PubMed (Medline), EMBASE and Google Scholar web search until December 2016. Individuals with AA genotype (AA vs CC: p = 0.001; OR = 2.602, 95% CI = 1.780 to 3.803) of LMP7 -145 C > A were found to have 2 folds higher risk of cancer than those with CC genotype. The recessive genetic model (AA vs AC + CC) also indicated that individuals with AA genotype have 2 folds higher cancer risk than AC and CC genotypes (p = 0.001; OR = 2.216, 95% CI = 1.525 to 3.221). Also, significant increased cancer risk was observed in Asians but not in Caucasians. No publication bias was observed during the analysis. Trial sequential analysis also strengthened our current findings. These results suggest that genetic variant LMP7–145 C > A has significant role in increasing cancer risk in overall and Asian population, and could be useful as a prognostic marker for early cancer predisposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raju K Mandal
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sajad A Dar
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.,The University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital University of Delhi, Delhi 110095, India
| | - Arshad Jawed
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohd Wahid
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia A Central University, New Delhi 110025, India
| | - Mohtashim Lohani
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aditya K Panda
- Centre for Life Sciences, Central University of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Jharkhand 835205, India
| | - Bhartendu N Mishra
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226021, India
| | - Naseem Akhter
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Albaha University, Albaha 65431, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Y Areeshi
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shafiul Haque
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
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38
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Oncogenic pathways as the basis of primary immune ignorance. Emerg Top Life Sci 2017; 1:421-428. [PMID: 33525798 DOI: 10.1042/etls20170081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2017] [Revised: 11/08/2017] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The success of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies (ICTs) to bring about durable clinical responses in a subset of patients with different cancer histologies is transforming cancer care. However, many patients do not benefit from single-agent ICT, including patients with melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer, which are often considered to be immunogenic tumor types. In addition, several other common solid tumors, such as breast, colon, and prostate cancers, have reported very low response rates. A growing body of evidence suggests that the majority of tumors may be categorized as being primary immune-ignorant tumors, hence precluding response to single-agent ICTs. The molecular mechanisms that govern the immune-ignorant phenotype are under intense investigation. This review focuses on how oncogenic pathways can promote the development of a primary immune-ignorant tumor.
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39
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Elements of cancer immunity and the cancer-immune set point. Nature 2017; 541:321-330. [PMID: 28102259 DOI: 10.1038/nature21349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3244] [Impact Index Per Article: 463.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy is proving to be an effective therapeutic approach in a variety of cancers. But despite the clinical success of antibodies against the immune regulators CTLA4 and PD-L1/PD-1, only a subset of people exhibit durable responses, suggesting that a broader view of cancer immunity is required. Immunity is influenced by a complex set of tumour, host and environmental factors that govern the strength and timing of the anticancer response. Clinical studies are beginning to define these factors as immune profiles that can predict responses to immunotherapy. In the context of the cancer-immunity cycle, such factors combine to represent the inherent immunological status - or 'cancer-immune set point' - of an individual.
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40
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Calì B, Molon B, Viola A. Tuning cancer fate: the unremitting role of host immunity. Open Biol 2017; 7:rsob.170006. [PMID: 28404796 PMCID: PMC5413907 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.170006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Host immunity plays a central and complex role in dictating tumour progression. Solid tumours are commonly infiltrated by a large number of immune cells that dynamically interact with the surrounding microenvironment. At first, innate and adaptive immune cells successfully cooperate to eradicate microcolonies of transformed cells. Concomitantly, surviving tumour clones start to proliferate and harness immune responses by specifically hijacking anti-tumour effector mechanisms and fostering the accumulation of immunosuppressive immune cell subsets at the tumour site. This pliable interplay between immune and malignant cells is a relentless process that has been concisely organized in three different phases: elimination, equilibrium and escape. In this review, we aim to depict the distinct immune cell subsets and immune-mediated responses characterizing the tumour landscape throughout the three interconnected phases. Importantly, the identification of key immune players and molecules involved in the dynamic crosstalk between tumour and immune system has been crucial for the introduction of reliable prognostic factors and effective therapeutic protocols against cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Calì
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy .,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy
| | - B Molon
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy
| | - A Viola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy
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41
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Shionoya Y, Kanaseki T, Miyamoto S, Tokita S, Hongo A, Kikuchi Y, Kochin V, Watanabe K, Horibe R, Saijo H, Tsukahara T, Hirohashi Y, Takahashi H, Sato N, Torigoe T. Loss of tapasin in human lung and colon cancer cells and escape from tumor-associated antigen-specific CTL recognition. Oncoimmunology 2017; 6:e1274476. [PMID: 28344889 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2016.1274476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) lyse target cells after recognizing the complexes of peptides and MHC class I molecules (pMHC I) on cell surfaces. Tapasin is an essential component of the peptide-loading complex (PLC) and its absence influences the surface repertoire of MHC class I peptides. In the present study, we assessed tapasin expression in 85 primary tumor lesions of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, demonstrating that tapasin expression positively correlated with patient survival. CD8+ T-cell infiltration of tumor lesions was synergistically observed with tapasin expression and correlated positively with survival. To establish a direct link between loss of tapasin and CTL recognition in human cancer models, we targeted the tapasin gene by CRISPR/Cas9 system and generated tapasin-deficient variants of human lung as well as colon cancer cells. We induced the CTLs recognizing endogenous tumor-associated antigens (TAA), survivin or cep55, and they responded to each tapasin-proficient wild type. In contrast, both CTL lines ignored the tapasin-deficient variants despite their antigen expression. Moreover, the adoptive transfer of the cep55-specific CTL line failed to prevent tumor growth in mice bearing the tapasin-deficient variant. Loss of tapasin most likely limited antigen processing of TAAs and led to escape from TAA-specific CTL recognition. Tapasin expression is thus a key for CTL surveillance against human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yosuke Shionoya
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kanaseki
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
| | - Sho Miyamoto
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
| | - Serina Tokita
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
| | - Ayumi Hongo
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kikuchi
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
| | - Vitaly Kochin
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kazue Watanabe
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan; Research and Development Division, Medical and Biological Laboratories Company, Limited, Ina, Japan
| | - Ryota Horibe
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Saijo
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan; Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | | | - Hiroki Takahashi
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
| | - Noriyuki Sato
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Torigoe
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University , Sapporo, Japan
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42
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Church SE, Galon J. Regulation of CTL Infiltration Within the Tumor Microenvironment. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 1036:33-49. [PMID: 29275463 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-67577-0_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment consists of a complex milieu of cells and factors that maintain equilibrium between tumor progression and destruction. Characterization of the immune contexture in primary tumors has consistently shown that T lymphocytes are an integral predictor of improved clinical outcome. This is notably true in colorectal carcinoma where high densities of cytotoxic or memory T lymphocytes in the invasive margin and the center of the primary tumor predict better patient survival, a measure termed Immunoscore. Since a high Immunoscore and pre-existing adaptive immune response are significantly correlated with improved clinical outcome, it is essential to understand the mechanisms underlying functional T lymphocyte infiltration into the tumor. The ability of cytolytic and memory T lymphocytes to migrate into tumors is regulated by multiple strategies including T lymphocyte help, homing factors, cytokines, tumor genotype, angiogenesis, lymphangiogenesis, and neurological signals. This chapter will discuss the predominant factors that mediate T-lymphocyte infiltration into tumors and how analysis of these biomarkers determine patients' disease-related survival and predicts response to cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Church
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, INSERM, UMRS1138, 15 Rue de l'Ecole de Medecine, Paris, France.
- Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
- Cordeliers Research Centre, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6, Paris, France.
| | - Jérôme Galon
- Laboratory of Integrative Cancer Immunology, INSERM, UMRS1138, 15 Rue de l'Ecole de Medecine, Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
- Cordeliers Research Centre, Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6, Paris, France
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43
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Kersh AE, Sasaki M, Cooper LA, Kissick HT, Pollack BP. Understanding the Impact of ErbB Activating Events and Signal Transduction on Antigen Processing and Presentation: MHC Expression as a Model. Front Pharmacol 2016; 7:327. [PMID: 27729860 PMCID: PMC5052536 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in molecular pathology have changed the landscape of oncology. The ability to interrogate tissue samples for oncogene amplification, driver mutations, and other molecular alterations provides clinicians with an enormous level of detail about their patient's cancer. In some cases, this information informs treatment decisions, especially those related to targeted anti-cancer therapies. However, in terms of immune-based therapies, it is less clear how to use such information. Likewise, despite studies demonstrating the pivotal role of neoantigens in predicting responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade, it is not known if the expression of neoantigens impacts the response to targeted therapies despite a growing recognition of their diverse effects on immunity. To realize the promise of 'personalized medicine', it will be important to develop a more integrated understanding of the relationships between oncogenic events and processes governing anti-tumor immunity. One area of investigation to explore such relationships centers on defining how ErbB/HER activation and signal transduction influences antigen processing and presentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E Kersh
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Lee A Cooper
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Emory University School of MedicineAtlanta, GA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, GA, USA
| | - Haydn T Kissick
- Department of Urology, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Brian P Pollack
- Atlanta VA Medical CenterDecatur, GA, USA; Department of Dermatology, Emory University School of MedicineAtlanta, GA, USA
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44
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Concha-Benavente F, Srivastava R, Ferrone S, Ferris RL. Immunological and clinical significance of HLA class I antigen processing machinery component defects in malignant cells. Oral Oncol 2016; 58:52-8. [PMID: 27264839 DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2016.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Experimental as well as clinical studies demonstrate that the immune system plays a major role in controlling generation and progression of tumors. The cancer immunoediting theory supports the notion that tumor cell immunogenicity is dynamically shaped by the immune system, as it eliminates immunogenic tumor cells in the early stage of the disease and then edits their antigenicity. The end result is the generation of a tumor cell population able to escape from immune recognition and elimination by tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. Two major mechanisms, which affect the target cells and the effector phase of the immune response, play a crucial role in the editing process. One is represented by the downregulation of tumor antigen (TA) processing and presentation because of abnormalities in the HLA class I antigen processing machinery (APM). The other one is represented by the anergy of effector immune infiltrates in the tumor microenvironment caused by aberrant inhibitory signals triggered by immune checkpoint receptor (ICR) ligands, such as programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1). In this review, we will focus on tumor immune escape mechanisms caused by defects in HLA class I APM component expression and/or function in different types of cancer, with emphasis on head and neck cancer (HNC). We will also discuss the immunological implications and clinical relevance of these HLA class I APM abnormalities. Finally, we will describe strategies to counteract defective TA presentation with the expectation that they will enhance tumor recognition and elimination by tumor infiltrating effector T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Soldano Ferrone
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert L Ferris
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cancer Immunology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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45
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Swets M, Seneby L, Boot A, van Wezel T, Gelderblom H, van de Velde CJH, van den Elsen PJ, Kuppen PJK. Promoter methylation and mRNA expression of HLA-G in relation to HLA-G protein expression in colorectal cancer. Hum Immunol 2016; 77:764-72. [PMID: 27245757 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2016.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2016] [Revised: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Expression of human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a suggested mechanism used by tumor cells to escape from host immune recognition and destruction. Advances in the field have made it evident that HLA-G is expressed in different types of malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC). We analyzed HLA-G expression in 21 low passage CRC cell lines. The level of DNA methylation of the HLA-G gene and the presence of mRNA encoding HLA-G was measured. Moreover, HLA-G protein expression was determined by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry (IHC). IHC was performed with three different monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) (4H84, MEM-G/1 and MEM-G/2). In addition, HLA-G protein expression was measured in matching primary tumor tissues. RNA analysis using RT-PCR followed by sequencing in 6 samples indicated strong homology of the PCR product with HLA-G3 in 5 samples. In accordance, in none of the cell lines, HLA-G1 expression was detected by flow-cytometry. Furthermore, no association between HLA-G DNA methylation patterns and HLA-G mRNA expression was observed. In addition, different immunohistochemical staining profiles among various anti-HLA-G mAbs were observed. In conclusion, the results of this study show that the HLA-G3 isoform was expressed in some of the CRC cell lines irrespective of the level of DNA methylation of HLA-G.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marloes Swets
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Dept. of Clinical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Lina Seneby
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Arnoud Boot
- Dept. of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Tom van Wezel
- Dept. of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hans Gelderblom
- Dept. of Clinical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Peter J van den Elsen
- Dept. of Pathology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Dept. of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter J K Kuppen
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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46
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Bedognetti D, Hendrickx W, Ceccarelli M, Miller LD, Seliger B. Disentangling the relationship between tumor genetic programs and immune responsiveness. Curr Opin Immunol 2016; 39:150-8. [PMID: 26967649 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2016.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Correlative studies in humans have demonstrated that an active immune microenvironment characterized by the presence of a T-helper 1 immune response typifies a tumor phenotype associated with better outcome and increased responsiveness to immune manipulation. This phenotype also signifies the counter activation of immune-regulatory mechanisms. Variables modulating the development of an effective anti-tumor immune response are increasingly scrutinized as potential therapeutic targets. Genetic alterations of cancer cells that functionally influence intratumoral immune response include mutational load, specific mutations of genes involved in oncogenic pathways and copy number aberrations involving chemokine and cytokine genes. Inhibiting oncogenic pathways that prevent the development of the immune-favorable cancer phenotype may complement modern immunotherapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Bedognetti
- Tumor Biology, Immunology and Therapy Section, Division of Translational Medicine, Research Branch, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Wouter Hendrickx
- Tumor Biology, Immunology and Therapy Section, Division of Translational Medicine, Research Branch, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Doha, Qatar
| | - Michele Ceccarelli
- Qatar Computing Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Lance D Miller
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
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47
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Swets M, König MH, Zaalberg A, Dekker-Ensink NG, Gelderblom H, van de Velde CJH, van den Elsen PJ, Kuppen PJK. HLA-G and classical HLA class I expression in primary colorectal cancer and associated liver metastases. Hum Immunol 2016; 77:773-9. [PMID: 26968946 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2016.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Revised: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
De novo expression of HLA-G has been demonstrated in colorectal cancer. HLA-G, amongst others, inhibits natural killer cell function, contributing to host immune defense evasion. Another mechanism to escape anti-tumor immunity is loss of HLA class I. Therefore, we determined HLA-G and HLA class I expression on primary colorectal tumors and associated liver metastases, in order to get insight in the metastasizing process regarding escaping anti-tumor immunity. HLA-G expression was evaluated using three mAbs; 4H84, MEM-G/1 and MEM-G/2. In total 81 colorectal cancer patients were evaluated. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections of primary tumors and associated liver metastases, were immunohistochemically stained. A concordance between expression or loss/downregulation in the primary tumor and associated liver metastasis regarding HLA class I expression was observed in 80% of the cases. In contrast with the hypothesis of escaping NK cell-killing, we demonstrated for each HLA-G detecting mAbs used in this study, that the majority of the primary tumors that positively stained for HLA-G did not express HLA-G in the associated liver metastasis. Furthermore, we revealed the existence of non-specific binding and in addition we found that the different epitopes of HLA-G detected by 4H84, MEM-G/1 and MEM-G/2 mAbs were expressed differentially in colorectal tumor tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marloes Swets
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Dept. of Clinical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marion H König
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anniek Zaalberg
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Hans Gelderblom
- Dept. of Clinical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Peter J van den Elsen
- Dept. of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Dept. of Pathology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Peter J K Kuppen
- Dept. of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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48
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Sokol L, Koelzer VH, Rau TT, Karamitopoulou E, Zlobec I, Lugli A. Loss of tapasin correlates with diminished CD8(+) T-cell immunity and prognosis in colorectal cancer. J Transl Med 2015; 13:279. [PMID: 26310568 PMCID: PMC4551690 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-015-0647-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tapasin is a crucial component of the major histocompatibility (MHC) class I antigen presentation pathway. Defects in this pathway can lead to tumor immune evasion. The aim of this study was to test whether tapasin expression correlates with CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) infiltration of colorectal cancer (CRC) and overall survival. Methods A next-generation tissue microarray (ngTMA) of 198 CRC patients with full clinicopathological information was included in this study. TMA slides were immunostained for tapasin, MHC I and CD8. Marker expression was analyzed with immune-cell infiltration, patient survival and TNM-staging. Results A reduction of tapasin expression strongly correlated with venous invasion (AUC 0.682, OR 2.7, p = 0.002; 95 % CI 1.7–5.0), lymphatic invasion (AUC 0.620, OR 2.0, p = 0.005; 95 % CI 1.3–3.3), distant metastasis (AUC 0.727, OR 2.9, p = 0.004; 95 % CI 1.4–5.9) and an infiltrative tumor border configuration (AUC 0.621, OR 2.2, p = 0.017; 95 % CI 1.2–4.4). Further, tapasin expression was associated with CD8+ CTL infiltration (AUC 0.729, OR 5.4, p < 0.001; 95 % CI 2.6–11), and favorable overall survival (p = 0.004, HR 0.6, 95 % CI 0.42–0.85). Conclusions Consistent with published functional data showing that tapasin promotes antigen presentation, as well as tumor immune recognition and destruction by CD8+ CTLs, a reduction in tapasin expression is associated with tumor progression in CRC. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-015-0647-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Sokol
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Viktor H Koelzer
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland. .,Clinical Pathology Division, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Tilman T Rau
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland. .,Clinical Pathology Division, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Eva Karamitopoulou
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland. .,Clinical Pathology Division, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Inti Zlobec
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Alessandro Lugli
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland. .,Clinical Pathology Division, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 31, 3010, Bern, Switzerland.
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Koelzer VH, Dawson H, Andersson E, Karamitopoulou E, Masucci GV, Lugli A, Zlobec I. Active immunosurveillance in the tumor microenvironment of colorectal cancer is associated with low frequency tumor budding and improved outcome. Transl Res 2015; 166:207-17. [PMID: 25797890 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2015.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2014] [Revised: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Tumor budding (single tumor cells or small tumor cell clusters) at the invasion front of colorectal cancer (CRC) is an adverse prognostic indicator linked to epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This study characterized the immunogenicity of tumor buds by analyzing the expression of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I in the invasive tumor cell compartment. We hypothesized that maintenance of a functional MHC-I antigen presentation pathway, activation of CD8+ T-cells, and release of antitumoral effector molecules such as cytotoxic granule-associated RNA binding protein (TIA1) in the tumor microenvironment can counter tumor budding and favor prolonged patient outcome. Therefore, a well-characterized multipunch tissue microarray of 220 CRCs was profiled for MHC-I, CD8, and TIA1 by immunohistochemistry. Topographic expression analysis of MHC-I was performed using whole tissue sections (n = 100). Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) and B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) mutations, mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression, and CpG-island methylator phenotype (CIMP) were investigated. Our results demonstrated that membranous MHC-I expression is frequently down-regulated in the process of invasion. Maintained MHC-I at the invasion front strongly predicted low-grade tumor budding (P = 0.0004). Triple-positive MHC-I/CD8/TIA1 in the tumor microenvironment predicted early T-stage (P = 0.0031), absence of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.0348), lymphatic (P = 0.0119) and venous invasion (P = 0.006), and highly favorable 5-year survival (90.9% vs 39.3% in triple-negative patients; P = 0.0032). MHC-I loss was frequent in KRAS-mutated, CD8+ CRC (P = 0.0228). No relationship was observed with CIMP, MMR, or BRAF mutation. In conclusion, tumor buds may evade immune recognition through downregulation of membranous MHC-I. A combined profile of MHC-I/CD8/TIA1 improves the prognostic value of antitumoral effector cells and should be preferred to a single marker approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor H Koelzer
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Clinical Pathology Division, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Heather Dawson
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Clinical Pathology Division, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Emilia Andersson
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Eva Karamitopoulou
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Clinical Pathology Division, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Giuseppe V Masucci
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alessandro Lugli
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Clinical Pathology Division, Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Inti Zlobec
- Translational Research Unit (TRU), Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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50
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Lal N, Beggs AD, Willcox BE, Middleton GW. An immunogenomic stratification of colorectal cancer: Implications for development of targeted immunotherapy. Oncoimmunology 2015; 4:e976052. [PMID: 25949894 PMCID: PMC4404815 DOI: 10.4161/2162402x.2014.976052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Although tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) density is prognostic and predictive in colorectal cancer (CRC), the impact of tumor genetics upon colorectal immunobiology is unclear. Identification of genetic factors that influence the tumor immunophenotype is essential to improve the effectiveness of stratified immunotherapy approaches. We carried out a bioinformatics analysis of CRC data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) involving two-dimensional hierarchical clustering to define an immune signature that we used to characterize the immune response across key patient groups. An immune signature termed The Co-ordinate Immune Response Cluster (CIRC) comprising 28 genes was coordinately regulated across the patient population. Four patient groups were delineated on the basis of cluster expression. Group A, which was heavily enriched for patients with microsatellite instability (MSI-H) and POL mutations, exhibited high CIRC expression, including the presence of several inhibitory molecules: CTLA4, PDL1, PDL2, LAG3, and TIM3. In contrast, RAS mutation was enriched in patient groups with lower CIRC expression. This work links the genetics and immunobiology of colorectal tumorigenesis, with implications for the development of stratified immunotherapeutic approaches. Microsatellite instability and POL mutations are linked with high mutational burden and high immune infiltration, but the coordinate expression of inhibitory pathways observed suggests combination checkpoint blockade therapy may be required to improve efficacy. In contrast, RAS mutant tumors predict for a relatively poor immune infiltration and low inhibitory molecule expression. In this setting, checkpoint blockade may be less efficacious, highlighting a requirement for novel strategies in this patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeraj Lal
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Centre; School of Cancer Sciences; University of Birmingham ; Birmingham, UK
| | - Andrew D Beggs
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Centre; School of Cancer Sciences; University of Birmingham ; Birmingham, UK
| | - Benjamin E Willcox
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Centre; School of Cancer Sciences; University of Birmingham ; Birmingham, UK
| | - Gary W Middleton
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Centre; School of Cancer Sciences; University of Birmingham ; Birmingham, UK
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