1
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Li NN, Lun DX, Gong N, Meng G, Du XY, Wang H, Bao X, Li XY, Song JW, Hu K, Li L, Li SY, Liu W, Zhu W, Zhang Y, Li J, Yao T, Mou L, Han X, Hao F, Hu Y, Liu L, Zhu H, Wu Y, Liu B. Targeting the chromatin structural changes of antitumor immunity. J Pharm Anal 2024; 14:100905. [PMID: 38665224 PMCID: PMC11043877 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2023.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Epigenomic imbalance drives abnormal transcriptional processes, promoting the onset and progression of cancer. Although defective gene regulation generally affects carcinogenesis and tumor suppression networks, tumor immunogenicity and immune cells involved in antitumor responses may also be affected by epigenomic changes, which may have significant implications for the development and application of epigenetic therapy, cancer immunotherapy, and their combinations. Herein, we focus on the impact of epigenetic regulation on tumor immune cell function and the role of key abnormal epigenetic processes, DNA methylation, histone post-translational modification, and chromatin structure in tumor immunogenicity, and introduce these epigenetic research methods. We emphasize the value of small-molecule inhibitors of epigenetic modulators in enhancing antitumor immune responses and discuss the challenges of developing treatment plans that combine epigenetic therapy and immunotherapy through the complex interaction between cancer epigenetics and cancer immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nian-nian Li
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
- School of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Deng-xing Lun
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Ningning Gong
- Weifang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Gang Meng
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Sericulture, Ankang University, Ankang, Shaanxi, 725000, China
| | - Xin-ying Du
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - He Wang
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Xiangxiang Bao
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Xin-yang Li
- Guizhou Education University, Guiyang, 550018, China
| | - Ji-wu Song
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Kewei Hu
- Weifang Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Lala Li
- Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550025, China
| | - Si-ying Li
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Wenbo Liu
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Wanping Zhu
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Yunlong Zhang
- School of Medical Imaging, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, 261053, China
| | - Jikai Li
- Department of Bone and Soft Tissue Oncology, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, 300299, China
| | - Ting Yao
- School of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Teda Institute of Biological Sciences & Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, China
| | - Leming Mou
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Xiaoqing Han
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Furong Hao
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Yongcheng Hu
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Lin Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Hongguang Zhu
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
| | - Yuyun Wu
- Xinqiao Hospital of Army Military Medical University, Chongqing, 400038, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, Shandong, 261000, China
- School of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
- Teda Institute of Biological Sciences & Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, China
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2
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Kaczanowska S, Murty T, Alimadadi A, Contreras CF, Duault C, Subrahmanyam PB, Reynolds W, Gutierrez NA, Baskar R, Wu CJ, Michor F, Altreuter J, Liu Y, Jhaveri A, Duong V, Anbunathan H, Ong C, Zhang H, Moravec R, Yu J, Biswas R, Van Nostrand S, Lindsay J, Pichavant M, Sotillo E, Bernstein D, Carbonell A, Derdak J, Klicka-Skeels J, Segal JE, Dombi E, Harmon SA, Turkbey B, Sahaf B, Bendall S, Maecker H, Highfill SL, Stroncek D, Glod J, Merchant M, Hedrick CC, Mackall CL, Ramakrishna S, Kaplan RN. Immune determinants of CAR-T cell expansion in solid tumor patients receiving GD2 CAR-T cell therapy. Cancer Cell 2024; 42:35-51.e8. [PMID: 38134936 PMCID: PMC10947809 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-Ts) have remarkable efficacy in liquid tumors, but limited responses in solid tumors. We conducted a Phase I trial (NCT02107963) of GD2 CAR-Ts (GD2-CAR.OX40.28.z.iC9), demonstrating feasibility and safety of administration in children and young adults with osteosarcoma and neuroblastoma. Since CAR-T efficacy requires adequate CAR-T expansion, patients were grouped into good or poor expanders across dose levels. Patient samples were evaluated by multi-dimensional proteomic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic analyses. T cell assessments identified naive T cells in pre-treatment apheresis associated with good expansion, and exhausted T cells in CAR-T products with poor expansion. Myeloid cell assessment identified CXCR3+ monocytes in pre-treatment apheresis associated with good expansion. Longitudinal analysis of post-treatment samples identified increased CXCR3- classical monocytes in all groups as CAR-T numbers waned. Together, our data uncover mediators of CAR-T biology and correlates of expansion that could be utilized to advance immunotherapies for solid tumor patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Kaczanowska
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tara Murty
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ahmad Alimadadi
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA; Immunology Center of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA; Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Cristina F Contreras
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Caroline Duault
- Stanford Human Immune Monitoring Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Priyanka B Subrahmanyam
- Stanford Human Immune Monitoring Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Warren Reynolds
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Reema Baskar
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Catherine J Wu
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Yang Liu
- Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Vandon Duong
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hima Anbunathan
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Claire Ong
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Hua Zhang
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Radim Moravec
- Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joyce Yu
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Mina Pichavant
- Immunology Center of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Elena Sotillo
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Donna Bernstein
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Amanda Carbonell
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Joanne Derdak
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jacquelyn Klicka-Skeels
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Julia E Segal
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eva Dombi
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Stephanie A Harmon
- Artificial Intelligence Resource, Molecular Imaging Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Baris Turkbey
- Artificial Intelligence Resource, Molecular Imaging Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Bita Sahaf
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sean Bendall
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Holden Maecker
- Immunology Center of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Steven L Highfill
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David Stroncek
- Center for Cellular Engineering, Department of Transfusion Medicine, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John Glod
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Melinda Merchant
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Catherine C Hedrick
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA; Immunology Center of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA; Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Crystal L Mackall
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Sneha Ramakrishna
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Rosandra N Kaplan
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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3
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Gu X, Wei F, Tong J, Liu Y, Chen S, Zheng L, Xing Y. MiR-9 promotes G-MDSC recruitment and tumor proliferation by targeting SOCS3 in breast cancer. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23388. [PMID: 38145323 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202301764rr] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous group of cells that differentiate from myeloid cells, proliferate in cancer and inflammatory reactions, and mainly exert immunosuppressive functions. Nonetheless, the precise mechanisms that dictate both the accumulation and function of MDSCs remain only partially elucidated. In the course of our investigation, we observed a positive correlation between the content of MDSCs especially G-MDSCs and miR-9 level in the tumor tissues derived from miR-9 knockout MMTV-PyMT mice and 4T1 tumor-bearing mice with miR-9 overexpression. Combined with RNA-seq analysis, we identified SOCS2 and SOCS3 as direct targets of miR-9. Additionally, our research unveiled the pivotal role of the CCL5/CCR5 axis in orchestrating the chemotactic recruitment of G-MDSCs within the tumor microenvironment, a process that is enhanced by miR-9. These findings provide fresh insights into the molecular mechanisms governing the accumulation of MDSCs within the framework of breast cancer development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Gu
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Fang Wei
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinzhe Tong
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yichen Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Simiao Chen
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Lufeng Zheng
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingying Xing
- School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Intervention, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China
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4
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Yuan Z. Research progress of CXCR3 inhibitors. Anticancer Drugs 2024; 35:36-45. [PMID: 37694856 DOI: 10.1097/cad.0000000000001543] [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: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The human CXCR3 receptor was initially identified and cloned in the mid-1990s. In the process of understanding CXCR3, it gradually found that it plays an important role in the process of a variety of diseases, including inflammation, immune diseases, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, central nervous system diseases, etc., which attracted the attention of many researchers. Subsequently, some small molecule inhibitors targeting CXCR3 receptors were also developed. Unfortunately, no CXCR3 inhibitors have been approved for marketing by FDA. Up to now, only one CXCR3 small molecule inhibitor has entered the clinical trial stage, but it has not achieved ideal results in the end. Therefore, there is still much to think about and explore for the development of CXCR3 inhibitors. This article reviews the important role of CXCR3 in various physiological and pathological processes and some small molecule inhibitors of CXCR3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Yuan
- School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
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5
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Dragan P, Joshi K, Atzei A, Latek D. Keras/TensorFlow in Drug Design for Immunity Disorders. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15009. [PMID: 37834457 PMCID: PMC10573944 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241915009] [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: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Homeostasis of the host immune system is regulated by white blood cells with a variety of cell surface receptors for cytokines. Chemotactic cytokines (chemokines) activate their receptors to evoke the chemotaxis of immune cells in homeostatic migrations or inflammatory conditions towards inflamed tissue or pathogens. Dysregulation of the immune system leading to disorders such as allergies, autoimmune diseases, or cancer requires efficient, fast-acting drugs to minimize the long-term effects of chronic inflammation. Here, we performed structure-based virtual screening (SBVS) assisted by the Keras/TensorFlow neural network (NN) to find novel compound scaffolds acting on three chemokine receptors: CCR2, CCR3, and one CXC receptor, CXCR3. Keras/TensorFlow NN was used here not as a typically used binary classifier but as an efficient multi-class classifier that can discard not only inactive compounds but also low- or medium-activity compounds. Several compounds proposed by SBVS and NN were tested in 100 ns all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to confirm their binding affinity. To improve the basic binding affinity of the compounds, new chemical modifications were proposed. The modified compounds were compared with known antagonists of these three chemokine receptors. Known CXCR3 compounds were among the top predicted compounds; thus, the benefits of using Keras/TensorFlow in drug discovery have been shown in addition to structure-based approaches. Furthermore, we showed that Keras/TensorFlow NN can accurately predict the receptor subtype selectivity of compounds, for which SBVS often fails. We cross-tested chemokine receptor datasets retrieved from ChEMBL and curated datasets for cannabinoid receptors. The NN model trained on the cannabinoid receptor datasets retrieved from ChEMBL was the most accurate in the receptor subtype selectivity prediction. Among NN models trained on the chemokine receptor datasets, the CXCR3 model showed the highest accuracy in differentiating the receptor subtype for a given compound dataset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Dragan
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-903 Warsaw, Poland; (P.D.); (A.A.)
| | - Kavita Joshi
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-903 Warsaw, Poland; (P.D.); (A.A.)
| | - Alessandro Atzei
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-903 Warsaw, Poland; (P.D.); (A.A.)
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, Food Toxicology Unit, University of Cagliari, University Campus of Monserrato, SS 554, 09042 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Dorota Latek
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 1, 02-903 Warsaw, Poland; (P.D.); (A.A.)
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6
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Sahni S, Wang B, Wu D, Dhruba SR, Nagy M, Patkar S, Ferreira I, Wang K, Ruppin E. Deactivation of ligand-receptor interactions enhancing lymphocyte infiltration drives melanoma resistance to Immune Checkpoint Blockade. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.20.558683. [PMID: 37886558 PMCID: PMC10602042 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.20.558683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is a promising cancer therapy; however, resistance often develops. To learn more about ICB resistance mechanisms, we developed IRIS (Immunotherapy Resistance cell-cell Interaction Scanner), a machine learning model aimed at identifying candidate ligand-receptor interactions (LRI) that are likely to mediate ICB resistance in the tumor microenvironment (TME). We developed and applied IRIS to identify resistance-mediating cell-type-specific ligand-receptor interactions by analyzing deconvolved transcriptomics data of the five largest melanoma ICB therapy cohorts. This analysis identifies a set of specific ligand-receptor pairs that are deactivated as tumors develop resistance, which we refer to as resistance deactivated interactions (RDI). Quite strikingly, the activity of these RDIs in pre-treatment samples offers a markedly stronger predictive signal for ICB therapy response compared to those that are activated as tumors develop resistance. Their predictive accuracy surpasses the state-of-the-art published transcriptomics biomarker signatures across an array of melanoma ICB datasets. Many of these RDIs are involved in chemokine signaling. Indeed, we further validate on an independent large melanoma patient cohort that their activity is associated with CD8+ T cell infiltration and enriched in hot/brisk tumors. Taken together, this study presents a new strongly predictive ICB response biomarker signature, showing that following ICB treatment resistant tumors turn inhibit lymphocyte infiltration by deactivating specific key ligand-receptor interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Sahni
- Cancer Data Science Laboratory (CDSL), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Binbin Wang
- Cancer Data Science Laboratory (CDSL), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Di Wu
- Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Saugato Rahman Dhruba
- Cancer Data Science Laboratory (CDSL), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Matthew Nagy
- Cancer Data Science Laboratory (CDSL), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Sushant Patkar
- Artificial Intelligence Resource, Molecular Imaging Branch, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Ingrid Ferreira
- Experimental Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge UK
| | - Kun Wang
- Cancer Data Science Laboratory (CDSL), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Eytan Ruppin
- Cancer Data Science Laboratory (CDSL), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD USA
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7
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Qualliotine JR, Nakagawa T, Rosenthal SB, Sadat S, Ballesteros-Merino C, Xu G, Mark A, Nasamran A, Gutkind JS, Fisch KM, Guo T, Fox BA, Khan Z, Molinolo AA, Califano JA. A Network Landscape of HPVOPC Reveals Methylation Alterations as Significant Drivers of Gene Expression via an Immune-Mediated GPCR Signal. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4379. [PMID: 37686653 PMCID: PMC10486378 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
HPV-associated oropharynx carcinoma (HPVOPC) tumors have a relatively low mutational burden. Elucidating the relative contributions of other tumor alterations, such as DNA methylation alterations, alternative splicing events (ASE), and copy number variation (CNV), could provide a deeper understanding of carcinogenesis drivers in this disease. We applied network propagation analysis to multiple classes of tumor alterations in a discovery cohort of 46 primary HPVOPC tumors and 25 cancer-unaffected controls and validated our findings with TCGA data. We identified significant overlap between differential gene expression networks and all alteration classes, and this association was highest for methylation and lowest for CNV. Significant overlap was seen for gene clusters of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) pathways. HPV16-human protein interaction analysis identified an enriched cluster defined by an immune-mediated GPCR signal, including CXCR3 cytokines CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11. CXCR3 was found to be expressed in primary HPVOPC, and scRNA-seq analysis demonstrated CXCR3 ligands to be highly expressed in M2 macrophages. In vivo models demonstrated decreased tumor growth with antagonism of the CXCR3 receptor in immunodeficient but not immunocompetent mice, suggesting that the CXCR3 axis can drive tumor proliferation in an autocrine fashion, but the effect is tempered by an intact immune system. In conclusion, methylation, ASE, and SNV alterations are highly associated with network gene expression changes in HPVOPC, suggesting that ASE and methylation alterations have an important role in driving the oncogenic phenotype. Network analysis identifies GPCR networks, specifically the CXCR3 chemokine axis, as modulators of tumor-immune interactions that may have proliferative effects on primary tumors as well as a role for immunosurveillance; however, CXCR3 inhibition should be used with caution, as these agents may both inhibit and stimulate tumor growth considering the competing effects of this cytokine axis. Further investigation is needed to explore opportunities for targeted therapy in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse R. Qualliotine
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Takuya Nakagawa
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Sara Brin Rosenthal
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sayed Sadat
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | | | - Guorong Xu
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Adam Mark
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Art Nasamran
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - J. Silvio Gutkind
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kathleen M. Fisch
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Theresa Guo
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Bernard A. Fox
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Cancer Center, Portland, OR 97213, USA
| | - Zubair Khan
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Alfredo A. Molinolo
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Joseph A. Califano
- Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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8
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Wang M, Huang Y, Chen M, Wang W, Wu F, Zhong T, Chen X, Wang F, Li Y, Yu J, Wu M, Chen D. Inhibition of tumor intrinsic BANF1 activates antitumor immune responses via cGAS-STING and enhances the efficacy of PD-1 blockade. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e007035. [PMID: 37620043 PMCID: PMC10450060 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-007035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND BANF1 is well known as a natural opponent of cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) activity on genomic self-DNA. However, the roles of BANF1 in tumor immunity remain unclear. Here, we investigate the possible impact of BANF1 on antitumor immunity and response to immunotherapy. METHODS The Cancer Genome Atlas public data were analyzed to evaluate the relevance of the expression of BANF1, patients' survival and immune cell infiltration. We monitored tumor growth and explored the antitumor efficacy of targeting tumor-intrinsic BANF1 in combination with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) in MC38 or B16F10 tumor models in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice. Flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and T cells depletion experiments were used to validate the role of BANF1 in tumor immune microenvironment reprogramming. RNA sequencing was then used to interrogate the mechanisms how BANF1 regulated antitumor immunity. RESULTS We show that upregulated expression of BANF1 in tumor tissues is significantly associated with poor survival and is negatively correlated with immune cell infiltration. Deficiency of BANF1 in tumor cells markedly antagonizes tumor growth in immunocompetent but not immunocompromised mice, and enhances the response to immunotherapy in murine models of melanoma and colon cancer. In the immunotherapy clinical cohort, patients with high BANF1 expression had a worse prognosis. Mechanistically, BANF1 knockout activates antitumor immune responses mediated by cGAS-synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway, resulting in an immune-activating tumor microenvironment including increased CD8+ T cell infiltration and decreased myeloid-derived suppressor cell enrichment. CONCLUSIONS BANF1 is a key regulator of antitumor immunity mediated by cGAS-STING pathway. Therefore, our study provides a rational that targeting BANF1 is a potent strategy for enhancing immunotherapy for cancer with BANF1 upregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minglei Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Oncology, Shandong University Cancer Center, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yiheng Huang
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Minxin Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Weiyan Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Fei Wu
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Tao Zhong
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaozheng Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Jinming Yu
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Oncology, Shandong University Cancer Center, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Research Unit of Radiation Oncology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Meng Wu
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Dawei Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Department of Oncology, Shandong University Cancer Center, Jinan, Shandong, China
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9
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Pan M, Wei X, Xiang X, Liu Y, Zhou Q, Yang W. Targeting CXCL9/10/11-CXCR3 axis: an important component of tumor-promoting and antitumor immunity. Clin Transl Oncol 2023; 25:2306-2320. [PMID: 37076663 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-023-03126-4] [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: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Chemokines are chemotactic-competent molecules composed of a family of small cytokines, playing a key role in regulating tumor progression. The roles of chemokines in antitumor immune responses are of great interest. CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 are important members of chemokines. It has been widely investigated that these three chemokines can bind to their common receptor CXCR3 and regulate the differentiation, migration, and tumor infiltration of immune cells, directly or indirectly affecting tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we summarize the mechanism of how the CXCL9/10/11-CXCR3 axis affects the tumor microenvironment, and list the latest researches to find out how this axis predicts the prognosis of different cancers. In addition, immunotherapy improves the survival of tumor patients, but some patients show drug resistance. Studies have found that the regulation of CXCL9/10/11-CXCR3 on the tumor microenvironment is involved in the process of changing immunotherapy resistance. Here we also describe new approaches to restoring sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors through the CXCL9/10/11-CXCR3 axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjie Pan
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430000, China
| | - Xiaoshan Wei
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430000, China
| | - Xuan Xiang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430000, China
| | - Yanhong Liu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430000, China
| | - Qiong Zhou
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430000, China
| | - Weibing Yang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430000, China.
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10
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Tamura K, Miyato H, Kanamaru R, Sadatomo A, Takahashi K, Ohzawa H, Koyanagi T, Saga Y, Takei Y, Fujiwara H, Lefor AK, Sata N, Kitayama J. Activated neutrophils inhibit chemotactic migration of activated T lymphocytes to CXCL11 by multiple mechanisms. Cell Immunol 2023; 384:104663. [PMID: 36638767 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2023.104663] [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: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Accumulation of T lymphocytes and neutrophils shows inversed association with the prognosis of cancer patients, suggesting infiltration of neutrophils and T cells might be differently regulated in tumor tissue. In this study, we stimulated neutrophils with PMA or LPS to produce neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and examined the effects on chemotactic migration of activated T cells to a representative T cell chemokine, CXCL11. Migration of the activated T cells was totally abrogated by PMA-stimulated neutrophils placed either in upper or lower chamber, which was mostly canceled by pretreatment with Catalase. Although LPS-stimulated neutrophils also inhibited T cell migration, depletion of NETs by ultracentrifugation or degradation of NETs with DNAse I restored T cell migration. Western blots showed that LPS-stimulated neutrophils thoroughly degraded CXCL11 with NETs dependent manner. Activated neutrophils inhibit T cell chemotaxis via multiple mechanisms including the release of H2O2 and chemokine degradation by NETs, which may suppress adaptive immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Tamura
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Hideyo Miyato
- Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | | | - Ai Sadatomo
- Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | | | - Hideyuki Ohzawa
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Takahiro Koyanagi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Yasushi Saga
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Yuji Takei
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Fujiwara
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | | | - Naohiro Sata
- Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Japan
| | - Joji Kitayama
- Department of Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Japan; Center for Clinical Research, Jichi Medical University Hospital, Japan.
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Interferon-γ secreted by recruited Th1 cells in peritoneal cavity inhibits the formation of malignant ascites. Cell Death Dis 2023; 9:25. [PMID: 36690649 PMCID: PMC9870858 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-023-01312-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Type 1 T helper (Th1) cells generate an efficient antitumor immune response in multiple malignancies. The functions of Th1 cells in malignant ascites (MA) have not been elucidated. The distribution of helper T cells in peritoneal fluid and peripheral blood was determined in patients and animal models with malignant ascites. The effects of Th1-derived interferon-γ (IFN-γ) on the formation of malignant ascites were investigated. The mechanism underlying the recruitment of Th1 cells into peritoneal cavity was explored. In patients with malignant ascites and animal models of malignant ascites, the percentage of Th1 cells increased in peritoneal fluid compared with peripheral blood. Next, our experiment demonstrated that Th1 cells inhibited the growth of tumor cells by secreting IFN-γ in vitro. In murine models of malignant ascites, increased peritoneal fluid and shorter survival time were observed in IFN-γ-/- mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Then, the levels of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL) 9/10 and the ratio of CXCR3+ Th1 cells indicated the involvement of CXCL9, 10/CXCR3 axis in the recruitment of Th1 cells into peritoneal cavity. As expected, in murine models of malignant ascites, the gradient between ascitic Th1 ratio and blood Th1 ratio decreased in CXCR3-/- mice compared with WT mice. IFN-γ secreted by recruited Th1 cells in peritoneal cavity inhibits the formation of malignant ascites. Hence, manipulation of Th1 cells or IFN-γ will provide a therapeutic candidate against malignant ascites.
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12
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Koch C, Fischer NC, Puchert M, Engele J. Interactions of the chemokines CXCL11 and CXCL12 in human tumor cells. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:1335. [PMID: 36539774 PMCID: PMC9768901 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-10451-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The chemokines, CXCL12 and CXCL11, are upregulated in tumors from many organs and control their progression. CXCL12 and CXCL11 affect tumor cell functions by either binding their prime receptors, CXCR4 and CXCR3, respectively, and/or CXCR7 as a common second chemokine receptor. In humans, CXCR3 exists in the functional splice variants, CXCR3A and CXCR3B, which either have pro- or anti-tumor activity, respectively. Despite the intimate crosstalk between the CXCL12- and CXCL11-system, the impact of a combination of CXCL12 and CXCL11 on tumor progression remains vague. METHODS In the present work, we have analyzed CXCL12 and CXCL11 for combined effects on migration, invasion, proliferation, and cytostatic-induced apoptosis of the human tumor cells, A549, A767, A772, DLD-1, and MDA-MB-231. RESULTS We demonstrate that the mode of interaction differs with respect to cell type and function and allows for either potentiation, attenuation or no changes of cellular responses. The divergent responses are not the result of the distinct use of different CXCL12- and CXCL11-receptors by the respective tumor cells, but in case of cell migration seem to be associated with the activation of p38 signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS Our findings point to therapeutic limitations of ongoing efforts to selectively target CXCR3, CXCR4, or CXCR7 in cancer patients, and rather favor individualized targeting strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Koch
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Liebigstr. 13, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University of Zurich and University Hospital of Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nina Charlotte Fischer
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Liebigstr. 13, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Malte Puchert
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Liebigstr. 13, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jürgen Engele
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Leipzig, Medical Faculty, Liebigstr. 13, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
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13
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Atreya I, Neurath MF. How the Tumor Micromilieu Modulates the Recruitment and Activation of Colorectal Cancer-Infiltrating Lymphocytes. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10112940. [PMID: 36428508 PMCID: PMC9687992 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10112940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The successful treatment of advanced colorectal cancer disease still represents an insufficiently solved clinical challenge, which is further complicated by the fact that the majority of malignant colon tumors show only relatively low immunogenicity and therefore have only limited responsiveness to immunotherapeutic approaches, such as, for instance, the use of checkpoint inhibitors. As it has been well established over the past two decades that the local tumor microenvironment and, in particular, the quantity, quality, and activation status of intratumoral immune cells critically influence the clinical prognosis of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer and their individual benefits from immunotherapy, the enhancement of the intratumoral accumulation of cytolytic effector T lymphocytes and other cellular mediators of the antitumor immune response has emerged as a targeted objective. For the future identification and clinical validation of novel therapeutic target structures, it will thus be essential to further decipher the molecular mechanisms and cellular interactions in the intestinal tumor microenvironment, which are crucially involved in immune cell recruitment and activation. In this context, our review article aims at providing an overview of the key chemokines and cytokines whose presence in the tumor micromilieu relevantly modulates the numeric composition and antitumor capacity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imke Atreya
- Department of Medicine 1, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markus F. Neurath
- Department of Medicine 1, Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Erlangen University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-9131-8535204; Fax: +49-9131-8535209
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14
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Li X, Lan Q, Lai W, Wu H, Xu H, Fang K, Chu Z, Zeng Y. Exosome-derived lnc-HOXB8-1:2 induces tumor-associated macrophage infiltration to promote neuroendocrine differentiated colorectal cancer progression by sponging hsa-miR-6825-5p. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:928. [PMID: 36030223 PMCID: PMC9419355 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09926-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells has been known for decades, and our previous meta-analysis indicated that CRC patients with neuroendocrine differentiation have a lower 5-year survival rate. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have found that exosome-derived long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in cancer progression and metastasis. However, the functions and mechanism of exosome-derived lncRNAs in CRC with neuroendocrine differentiation are not yet fully clear. Materials and methods The clinical significance of NED was assessed in a retrospective study of 105 patients. Next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were conducted to select lnc-HOXB8-1:2 for further study. Using immunohistochemistry, qRT–PCR, western blot, transwell assay, immunofluorescence assay, fluorescence in situ hybridization assay and dual-luciferase reporter assay, the oncogenic role of exosome-derived lnc-HOXB8-1:2 was determined in CRC with NED. The mechanism underlying the lnc-HOXB8-1:2/hsa-miR-6825-5p/CXCR3 axis was also explored. Results NED was a risk factor for the progression and mortality of CRC. lnc-HOXB8-1:2, derived from exosomes secreted by neuroendocrine differentiated colon cancer cells, was identified in our study. The proportion of M2 macrophages and the migration and invasion capacities of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) markedly increased after the addition of neuroendocrine differentiated CRC cell-derived exosomes. More excitingly, the expression of lnc-HOXB8-1:2 and the protein level of CXCR3 were also upregulated in TAMs. The lnc-HOXB8-1:2/hsa-miR-6825-5p/CXCR3 axis was predicted via miRanda software and confirmed by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, the increased expression of lnc-HOXB8-1:2 was accompanied by downregulation of hsa-miR-6825-5p expression and upregulation of CXCR3 protein levels. Overexpression of hsa-miR-6825-5p also reduced CXCR3 expression. Conclusion lnc-HOXB8-1:2 in exosomes derived from neuroendocrine differentiated CRC cells acted as a ceRNA competitively binding hsa-miR-6825-5p to upregulate CXCR3 expression and leading to TAM infiltration and M2 polarization, which promotes neuroendocrine differentiated CRC progression. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09926-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiusheng Lan
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Lai
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Heng Wu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Heyang Xu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kai Fang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhonghua Chu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Yujie Zeng
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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15
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Melia F, Udomjarumanee P, Zinovkin D, Arghiani N, Pranjol MZI. Pro-tumorigenic role of type 2 diabetes-induced cellular senescence in colorectal cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:975644. [PMID: 36059680 PMCID: PMC9434004 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.975644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The disease still remains incurable and highly lethal in the advanced stage, representing a global health concern. Therefore, it is essential to understand the causes and risk factors leading to its development. Because age-related cellular senescence and type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been recognised as risk factors for CRC development, the recent finding that type 2 diabetic patients present an elevated circulating volume of senescent cells raises the question whether type 2 diabetes facilitates the process of CRC tumorigenesis by inducing premature cell senescence. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms according to which T2D induces cellular senescence and the role of type 2 diabetes-induced cellular senescence in the pathogenesis and progression of colorectal cancer. Lastly, we will explore the current therapeutic approaches and challenges in targeting senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Melia
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Palita Udomjarumanee
- Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dmitry Zinovkin
- Department of Pathology, Gomel State Medical University, Gomel, Belarus
| | - Nahid Arghiani
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, the Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Nahid Arghiani, ; Md Zahidul Islam Pranjol,
| | - Md Zahidul Islam Pranjol
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Nahid Arghiani, ; Md Zahidul Islam Pranjol,
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16
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Multifaceted Roles of Chemokines and Chemokine Receptors in Tumor Immunity. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13236132. [PMID: 34885241 PMCID: PMC8656932 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13236132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Various immune cells are involved in host immune responses to cancer. T-helper (Th) 1 cells, cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, and natural killer cells are the major effector cells in anti-tumor immunity, whereas cells such as regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells are negatively involved in anti-tumor immunity. Th2 cells and Th17 cells have been shown to have both pro-tumor and anti-tumor activities. The migratory properties of various immune cells are essential for their function and critically regulated by the chemokine superfamily. In this review, we summarize the roles of various immune cells in tumor immunity and their migratory regulation by the chemokine superfamily. We also assess the therapeutic possibilities of targeting chemokines and chemokine receptors in cancer immunotherapy. Abstract Various immune cells are involved in host tumor immune responses. In particular, there are many T cell subsets with different roles in tumor immunity. T-helper (Th) 1 cells are involved in cellular immunity and thus play the major role in host anti-tumor immunity by inducing and activating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). On the other hand, Th2 cells are involved in humoral immunity and suppressive to Th1 responses. Regulatory T (Treg) cells negatively regulate immune responses and contribute to immune evasion of tumor cells. Th17 cells are involved in inflammatory responses and may play a role in tumor progression. However, recent studies have also shown that Th17 cells are capable of directly inducting CTLs and thus may promote anti-tumor immunity. Besides these T cell subsets, there are many other innate immune cells such as dendritic cells (DCs), natural killer (NK) cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that are involved in host immune responses to cancer. The migratory properties of various immune cells are critical for their functions and largely regulated by the chemokine superfamily. Thus, chemokines and chemokine receptors play vital roles in the orchestration of host immune responses to cancer. In this review, we overview the various immune cells involved in host responses to cancer and their migratory properties regulated by the chemokine superfamily. Understanding the roles of chemokines and chemokine receptors in host immune responses to cancer may provide new therapeutic opportunities for cancer immunotherapy.
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Landscape of Immune Microenvironment in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer and Establishing Risk Model by Machine Learning. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2021; 2021:5523749. [PMID: 34484333 PMCID: PMC8416376 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5523749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Background Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is an extremely lethal gynecological malignancy and has the potential to benefit from the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy, whose efficacy highly depends on the complex tumor microenvironment (TME). Method and Result We comprehensively analyze the landscape of TME and its prognostic value through immune infiltration analysis, somatic mutation analysis, and survival analysis. The results showed that high infiltration of immune cells predicts favorable clinical outcomes in EOC. Then, the detailed TME landscape of the EOC had been investigated through “xCell” algorithm, Gene set variation analysis (GSVA), cytokines expression analysis, and correlation analysis. It is observed that EOC patients with high infiltrating immune cells have an antitumor phenotype and are highly correlated with immune checkpoints. We further found that dendritic cells (DCs) may play a dominant role in promoting the infiltration of immune cells into TME and forming an antitumor immune phenotype. Finally, we conducted machine-learning Lasso regression, support vector machines (SVMs), and random forest, identifying six DC-related prognostic genes (CXCL9, VSIG4, ALOX5AP, TGFBI, UBD, and CXCL11). And DC-related risk stratify model had been well established and validated. Conclusion High infiltration of immune cells predicted a better outcome and an antitumor phenotype in EOC, and the DCs might play a dominant role in the initiation of antitumor immune cells. The well-established risk model can be used for prognostic prediction in EOC.
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Claudin-Low Breast Cancer Inflammatory Signatures Support Polarization of M1-Like Macrophages with Protumoral Activity. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13092248. [PMID: 34067089 PMCID: PMC8125772 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13092248] [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: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously reported that triple-negative breast cancer (BRCA) cells overexpress the cytokines GM-CSF, G-CSF, MCP-1, and RANTES, and when monocytes were 3-D co-cultured with them, M1-like macrophages were generated with the ability to induce aggressive features in luminal BRCA cell lines. These include upregulation of mesenchymal and stemness markers and invasion. In this study, we stimulated peripheral blood monocytes with the four cytokines and confirmed their capacity to generate protumoral M1-like macrophages. Using the METABRIC BRCA database, we observed that GM-CSF, MCP-1, and RANTES are associated with triple-negative BRCA and reduced overall survival, particularly in patients under 55 years of age. We propose an extended M1-like macrophage proinflammatory signature connected with these three cytokines. We found that the extended M1-like macrophage signature coexists with monocyte/macrophage, Th1 immune response, and immunosuppressive signatures, and all are enriched in claudin-low BRCA samples, and correlate with reduced patient overall survival. Furthermore, we observed that all these signatures are also present in mesenchymal carcinomas of the colon (COAD) and bladder (BLCA). The claudin-low tumor subtype has an adverse clinical outcome and remains poorly understood. This study places M1 macrophages as potential protumoral drivers in already established cancers, and as potential contributors to claudin-low aggressiveness and poor prognosis.
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