1
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Stern LJ, Clement C, Galluzzi L, Santambrogio L. Non-mutational neoantigens in disease. Nat Immunol 2024; 25:29-40. [PMID: 38168954 PMCID: PMC11075006 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01664-1] [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: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The ability of mammals to mount adaptive immune responses culminating with the establishment of immunological memory is predicated on the ability of the mature T cell repertoire to recognize antigenic peptides presented by syngeneic MHC class I and II molecules. Although it is widely believed that mature T cells are highly skewed towards the recognition of antigenic peptides originating from genetically diverse (for example, foreign or mutated) protein-coding regions, preclinical and clinical data rather demonstrate that novel antigenic determinants efficiently recognized by mature T cells can emerge from a variety of non-mutational mechanisms. In this Review, we describe various mechanisms that underlie the formation of bona fide non-mutational neoantigens, such as epitope mimicry, upregulation of cryptic epitopes, usage of non-canonical initiation codons, alternative RNA splicing, and defective ribosomal RNA processing, as well as both enzymatic and non-enzymatic post-translational protein modifications. Moreover, we discuss the implications of the immune recognition of non-mutational neoantigens for human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence J Stern
- Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Immunology and Microbiology Program, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Cristina Clement
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lorenzo Galluzzi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Laura Santambrogio
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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2
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Post-Translational Modifications in Tumor-Associated Antigens as a Platform for Novel Immuno-Oncology Therapies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010138. [PMID: 36612133 PMCID: PMC9817968 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are generated by adding small chemical groups to amino acid residues after the translation of proteins. Many PTMs have been reported to correlate with tumor progression, growth, and survival by modifying the normal functions of the protein in tumor cells. PTMs can also elicit humoral and cellular immune responses, making them attractive targets for cancer immunotherapy. This review will discuss how the acetylation, citrullination, and phosphorylation of proteins expressed by tumor cells render the corresponding tumor-associated antigen more antigenic and affect the immune response in multiple cancers. In addition, the role of glycosylated protein mucins in anti-cancer immunotherapy will be considered. Mucin peptides in combination with stimulating adjuvants have, in fact, been utilized to produce anti-tumor antibodies and vaccines. Finally, we will also outline the results of the clinical trial exploiting glycosylated-MUC1 as a vaccine in different cancers. Overall, PTMs in TAAs could be considered in future therapies to result in lasting anti-tumor responses.
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3
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Adoptive Cellular Therapy for Multiple Myeloma Using CAR- and TCR-Transgenic T Cells: Response and Resistance. Cells 2022; 11:cells11030410. [PMID: 35159220 PMCID: PMC8834324 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the substantial improvement of therapeutic approaches, multiple myeloma (MM) remains mostly incurable. However, immunotherapeutic and especially T cell-based approaches pioneered the therapeutic landscape for relapsed and refractory disease recently. Targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) on myeloma cells has been demonstrated to be highly effective not only by antibody-derived constructs but also by adoptive cellular therapies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transgenic T cells lead to deep, albeit mostly not durable responses with manageable side-effects in intensively pretreated patients. The spectrum of adoptive T cell-transfer covers synthetic CARs with diverse specificities as well as currently less well-established T cell receptor (TCR)-based personalized strategies. In this review, we want to focus on treatment characteristics including efficacy and safety of CAR- and TCR-transgenic T cells in MM as well as the future potential these novel therapies may have. ACT with transgenic T cells has only entered clinical trials and various engineering strategies for optimization of T cell responses are necessary to overcome therapy resistance mechanisms. We want to outline the current success in engineering CAR- and TCR-T cells, but also discuss challenges including resistance mechanisms of MM for evading T cell therapy and point out possible novel strategies.
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4
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Kumai T, Yamaki H, Kono M, Hayashi R, Wakisaka R, Komatsuda H. Antitumor Peptide-Based Vaccine in the Limelight. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10010070. [PMID: 35062731 PMCID: PMC8778374 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10010070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The success of the immune checkpoint blockade has provided a proof of concept that immune cells are capable of attacking tumors in the clinic. However, clinical benefit is only observed in less than 20% of the patients due to the non-specific activation of immune cells by the immune checkpoint blockade. Developing tumor-specific immune responses is a challenging task that can be achieved by targeting tumor antigens to generate tumor-specific T-cell responses. The recent advancements in peptide-based immunotherapy have encouraged clinicians and patients who are struggling with cancer that is otherwise non-treatable with current therapeutics. By selecting appropriate epitopes from tumor antigens with suitable adjuvants, peptides can elicit robust antitumor responses in both mice and humans. Although recent experimental data and clinical trials suggest the potency of tumor reduction by peptide-based vaccines, earlier clinical trials based on the inadequate hypothesis have misled that peptide vaccines are not efficient in eliminating tumor cells. In this review, we highlighted the recent evidence that supports the rationale of peptide-based antitumor vaccines. We also discussed the strategies to select the optimal epitope for vaccines and the mechanism of how adjuvants increase the efficacy of this promising approach to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Kumai
- Department of Innovative Head & Neck Cancer Research and Treatment, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka-Higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (H.Y.); (M.K.); (R.H.); (R.W.); (H.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-166-68-2554; Fax: +81-166-68-2559
| | - Hidekiyo Yamaki
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka-Higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (H.Y.); (M.K.); (R.H.); (R.W.); (H.K.)
| | - Michihisa Kono
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka-Higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (H.Y.); (M.K.); (R.H.); (R.W.); (H.K.)
| | - Ryusuke Hayashi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka-Higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (H.Y.); (M.K.); (R.H.); (R.W.); (H.K.)
| | - Risa Wakisaka
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka-Higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (H.Y.); (M.K.); (R.H.); (R.W.); (H.K.)
| | - Hiroki Komatsuda
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka-Higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa 078-8510, Japan; (H.Y.); (M.K.); (R.H.); (R.W.); (H.K.)
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5
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Kono M, Kumai T, Hayashi R, Yamaki H, Komatsuda H, Wakisaka R, Nagato T, Ohkuri T, Kosaka A, Ohara K, Kishibe K, Takahara M, Katada A, Hayashi T, Celis E, Kobayashi H, Harabuchi Y. Interruption of MDM2 signaling augments MDM2-targeted T cell-based antitumor immunotherapy through antigen-presenting machinery. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2021; 70:3421-3434. [PMID: 33866408 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-021-02940-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Identification of immunogenic tumor antigens, their corresponding T cell epitopes and the selection of effective adjuvants are prerequisites for developing effective cancer immunotherapies such as therapeutic vaccines. Murine double minute 2 (MDM2) is an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase that negatively regulates tumor suppressor p53. Because MDM2 overexpression serves as a poor prognosis factor in various types of tumors, it would be beneficial to develop MDM2-targeted cancer vaccines. In this report, we identified an MDM2-derived peptide epitope (MDM232-46) that elicited antigen-specific and tumor-reactive CD4+ T cell responses. These CD4+ T cells directly killed tumor cells via granzyme B. MDM2 is expressed in head and neck cancer patients with poor prognosis, and the T cells that recognize this MDM2 peptide were present in these patients. Notably, Nutlin-3 (MDM2-p53 blocker), inhibited tumor cell proliferation, was shown to augment antitumor T cell responses by increasing MDM2 expression, HLA-class I and HLA-DR through class II transactivator (CIITA). These results suggest that the use of this MDM2 peptide as a therapeutic vaccine combined with MDM2 inhibitors could represent an effective immunologic strategy to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michihisa Kono
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Takumi Kumai
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan. .,Department of Innovative Head & Neck Cancer Research and Treatment, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
| | - Ryusuke Hayashi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Hidekiyo Yamaki
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Hiroki Komatsuda
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Risa Wakisaka
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Nagato
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Takayuki Ohkuri
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Akemi Kosaka
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Kenzo Ohara
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Kan Kishibe
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Miki Takahara
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Akihiro Katada
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Hayashi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan.,Department of Innovative Head & Neck Cancer Research and Treatment, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Esteban Celis
- Cancer Immunology, Inflammation and Tolerance Program, Augusta University, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Hiroya Kobayashi
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Yasuaki Harabuchi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, 078-8510, Japan
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6
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Gopanenko AV, Kosobokova EN, Kosorukov VS. Main Strategies for the Identification of Neoantigens. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2879. [PMID: 33036391 PMCID: PMC7600129 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic instability of tumors leads to the appearance of numerous tumor-specific somatic mutations that could potentially result in the production of mutated peptides that are presented on the cell surface by the MHC molecules. Peptides of this kind are commonly called neoantigens. Their presence on the cell surface specifically distinguishes tumors from healthy tissues. This feature makes neoantigens a promising target for immunotherapy. The rapid evolution of high-throughput genomics and proteomics makes it possible to implement these techniques in clinical practice. In particular, they provide useful tools for the investigation of neoantigens. The most valuable genomic approach to this problem is whole-exome sequencing coupled with RNA-seq. High-throughput mass-spectrometry is another option for direct identification of MHC-bound peptides, which is capable of revealing the entire MHC-bound peptidome. Finally, structure-based predictions could significantly improve the understanding of physicochemical and structural features that affect the immunogenicity of peptides. The development of pipelines combining such tools could improve the accuracy of the peptide selection process and decrease the required time. Here we present a review of the main existing approaches to investigating the neoantigens and suggest a possible ideal pipeline that takes into account all modern trends in the context of neoantigen discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Vyacheslav S. Kosorukov
- N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 115478 Moscow, Russia; (A.V.G.); (E.N.K.)
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7
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Conibear AC, Schmid A, Kamalov M, Becker CFW, Bello C. Recent Advances in Peptide-Based Approaches for Cancer Treatment. Curr Med Chem 2020; 27:1174-1205. [PMID: 29173146 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666171123204851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Peptide-based pharmaceuticals have recently experienced a renaissance due to their ability to fill the gap between the two main classes of available drugs, small molecules and biologics. Peptides combine the high potency and selectivity typical of large proteins with some of the characteristic advantages of small molecules such as synthetic accessibility, stability and the potential of oral bioavailability. METHODS In the present manuscript we review the recent literature on selected peptide-based approaches for cancer treatment, emphasizing recent advances, advantages and challenges of each strategy. RESULTS One of the applications in which peptide-based approaches have grown rapidly is cancer therapy, with a focus on new and established targets. We describe, with selected examples, some of the novel peptide-based methods for cancer treatment that have been developed in the last few years, ranging from naturally-occurring and modified peptides to peptidedrug conjugates, peptide nanomaterials and peptide-based vaccines. CONCLUSION This review brings out the emerging role of peptide-based strategies in oncology research, critically analyzing the advantages and limitations of these approaches and the potential for their development as effective anti-cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne C Conibear
- Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, University of Vienna, Wahringer Straße 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alanca Schmid
- Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, University of Vienna, Wahringer Straße 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Meder Kamalov
- Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, University of Vienna, Wahringer Straße 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian F W Becker
- Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, University of Vienna, Wahringer Straße 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Claudia Bello
- Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Biological Chemistry, University of Vienna, Wahringer Straße 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria.,Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence, Laboratory of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biolology-PeptLab, Via della Lastruccia 13, 50019 Sesto, Fiorentino, Italy
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8
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Abstract
The remarkable success of cancer immunotherapies, especially the checkpoint blocking antibodies, in a subset of patients has reinvigorated the study of tumor-immune crosstalk and its role in heterogeneity of response. High-throughput sequencing and imaging technologies can help recapitulate various aspects of the tumor ecosystem. Computational approaches provide an arsenal of tools to efficiently analyze, quantify and integrate multiple parameters of tumor immunity mined from these diverse but complementary high-throughput datasets. This chapter describes numerous such computational approaches in tumor immunology that leverage high-throughput data from diverse sources (genomic, transcriptomics, epigenomics and digitized histopathology images) to systematically interrogate tumor immunity in context of its microenvironment, and to identify mechanisms that confer resistance or sensitivity to cancer therapies, in particular immunotherapy.
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9
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Ohara M, Ohara K, Kumai T, Ohkuri T, Nagato T, Hirata-Nozaki Y, Kosaka A, Nagata M, Hayashi R, Harabuchi S, Yajima Y, Oikawa K, Harabuchi Y, Sumi Y, Furukawa H, Kobayashi H. Phosphorylated vimentin as an immunotherapeutic target against metastatic colorectal cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020; 69:989-999. [PMID: 32086539 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-020-02524-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with metastatic lesions have low 5-year survival rates. During metastasis, cancer cells often obtain unique characteristics such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Vimentin a biomarker contributes to EMT by changing cell shape and motility. Since abnormal phosphorylation is a hallmark of malignancy, targeting phosphorylated vimentin is a feasible approach for the treatment of metastatic tumors while sparing non-tumor cells. Recent evidence has revealed that both CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and also CD4 helper T lymphocytes (HTLs) can distinguish post-translationally modified antigens from normal antigens. Here, we showed that the expression of phosphorylated vimentin was upregulated in metastatic sites of CRC. We also showed that a chemotherapeutic reagent augmented the expression of phosphorylated vimentin. The novel phosphorylated helper peptide epitopes from vimentin could elicit a sufficient T cell response. Notably, precursor lymphocytes that specifically reacted to these phosphorylated vimentin-derived peptides were detected in CRC patients. These results suggest that immunotherapy targeting phosphorylated vimentin could be promising for metastatic CRC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mizuho Ohara
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan.,Department of Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Kenzo Ohara
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Takumi Kumai
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan. .,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan. .,Department of Innovative Head and Neck Cancer Research and Treatment (IHNCRT), Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan.
| | - Takayuki Ohkuri
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan.
| | - Toshihiro Nagato
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan
| | - Yui Hirata-Nozaki
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Akemi Kosaka
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan
| | - Marino Nagata
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan
| | - Ryusuke Hayashi
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Shohei Harabuchi
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Yuki Yajima
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan
| | - Kensuke Oikawa
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan
| | - Yasuaki Harabuchi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Yasuo Sumi
- Department of Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Furukawa
- Department of Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Hiroya Kobayashi
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, 2-1-1-1, Midorigaoka-Higashi, Asahikawa, 0788510, Japan
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10
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Shi SW, Li B, Dong Y, Ge Y, Qu X, Lu LG, Yuan YH, Li LJ, Li Y. In Vitro and Clinical Studies of Gene Therapy with Recombinant Human Adenovirus-p53 Injection for Malignant Melanoma. HUM GENE THER CL DEV 2019; 30:7-18. [PMID: 30618300 DOI: 10.1089/humc.2018.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Malignant melanoma is an aggressive tumor with high fatality rates and poor prognosis, mainly due to the lack of efficient treatment methods. The present study investigated the potential antitumor effects of recombinant adenovirus p53 (rAd-p53) on human malignant melanoma. The optimal viral titer on a human malignant melanoma (A-375) cell line was determined for the rAd-p53 treatment. The invasive abilities, apoptosis, variations in the cell cycle, and molecular expression levels of A-375 cells were detected after infection by rAd-p53. A tumor growth curve and hematoxylin and eosin staining were carried out for experiments in nude mice. Twenty-one patients with malignant melanoma were evaluated, including 12 cases without gene therapy and nine cases with rAd-p53 gene therapy. The overall survival rate and the median survival time were analyzed between the two groups of patients. When the multiplicity of infection was 100, the cells showed the best transfection efficiency. The invasive ability, apoptosis, cycle changes of the cells, and the expression of the p53, p21, and Bax genes and proteins were significantly changed in the experimental group. In nude mice, the tumor growth curve and the tumor size in the experimental group were significantly smaller than those of the control group. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed tumor metastasis in the blank group and the control group but not in the experimental group. Between the two groups of patients, the median survival of the gene therapy group (38 months) was greater than that of the group without gene therapy (27 months). In this study, high expression of the p53 gene could regulate the gene expression and reduce the invasive and metastatic abilities of the tumor cells. Furthermore, rAd-p53 effectively improved the survival of patients with malignant melanoma. Therefore, rAd-p53 may be a potential treatment method for human malignant melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan-Wei Shi
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China.,2 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Institute of Stomatological Research, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Bo Li
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Yang Dong
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Yang Ge
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Xing Qu
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Li-Guang Lu
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Yi-Hang Yuan
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Long-Jiang Li
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
| | - Yi Li
- 1 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases and Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
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11
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Gettinger SN, Choi J, Mani N, Sanmamed MF, Datar I, Sowell R, Du VY, Kaftan E, Goldberg S, Dong W, Zelterman D, Politi K, Kavathas P, Kaech S, Yu X, Zhao H, Schlessinger J, Lifton R, Rimm DL, Chen L, Herbst RS, Schalper KA. A dormant TIL phenotype defines non-small cell lung carcinomas sensitive to immune checkpoint blockers. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3196. [PMID: 30097571 PMCID: PMC6086912 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05032-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The biological determinants of sensitivity and resistance to immune checkpoint blockers are not completely understood. To elucidate the role of intratumoral T-cells and their association with the tumor genomic landscape, we perform paired whole exome DNA sequencing and multiplexed quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) in pre-treatment samples from non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients treated with PD-1 axis blockers. QIF is used to simultaneously measure the level of CD3+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), in situ T-cell proliferation (Ki-67 in CD3) and effector capacity (Granzyme-B in CD3). Elevated mutational load, candidate class-I neoantigens or intratumoral CD3 signal are significantly associated with favorable response to therapy. Additionally, a "dormant" TIL signature is associated with survival benefit in patients treated with immune checkpoint blockers characterized by elevated TILs with low activation and proliferation. We further demonstrate that dormant TILs can be reinvigorated upon PD-1 blockade in a patient-derived xenograft model.
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Affiliation(s)
- S N Gettinger
- Medical Oncology and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - J Choi
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - N Mani
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Translational Immuno-oncology Laboratory, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - M F Sanmamed
- Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - I Datar
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Translational Immuno-oncology Laboratory, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Ryan Sowell
- Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Victor Y Du
- Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - E Kaftan
- Medical Oncology and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Translational Immuno-oncology Laboratory, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - S Goldberg
- Medical Oncology and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - W Dong
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - D Zelterman
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - K Politi
- Medical Oncology and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - P Kavathas
- Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Laboratory Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - S Kaech
- Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - X Yu
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - H Zhao
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - J Schlessinger
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - R Lifton
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - D L Rimm
- Medical Oncology and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - L Chen
- Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - R S Herbst
- Medical Oncology and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - K A Schalper
- Medical Oncology and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
- Translational Immuno-oncology Laboratory, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
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12
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Ohara K, Ohkuri T, Kumai T, Nagato T, Nozaki Y, Ishibashi K, Kosaka A, Nagata M, Harabuchi S, Ohara M, Oikawa K, Aoki N, Harabuchi Y, Celis E, Kobayashi H. Targeting phosphorylated p53 to elicit tumor-reactive T helper responses against head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Oncoimmunology 2018; 7:e1466771. [PMID: 30510853 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2018.1466771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The human T cell receptor is capable of distinguishing between normal and post-translationally modified peptides. Because aberrant phosphorylation of cellular proteins is a hallmark of malignant transformation, the expression of the phosphorylated epitope could be an ideal antigen to combat cancer without damaging normal tissues. p53 activates transcription factors to suppress tumors by upregulating growth arrest and apoptosis-related genes. In response to DNA damage, p53 is phosphorylated at multiple sites including Ser33 and Ser37. Here, we identified phosphorylated peptide epitopes from p53 that could elicit effective T helper responses. These epitope peptides, p5322-41/Phospho-S33 and p5322-41/Phospho-S37, induced T helper responses against tumor cells expressing the phosphorylated p53 protein. Moreover, chemotherapeutic agents augmented the responses of such CD4 T cells via upregulation of phosphorylated p53. The upregulation of phosphorylated p53 expression by chemotherapy was confirmed in in vitro and xenograft models. We evaluated phosphorylated p53 expression in the clinical samples of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and revealed that 13/24 cases (54%) were positive for phosphorylated p53. Importantly, the lymphocytes specific for the phosphorylated p53 peptide epitopes were observed in the head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) patients. These results reveal that a combination of phosphorylated p53 peptides and chemotherapy could be a novel immunologic approach to treat HNSCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenzo Ohara
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Takayuki Ohkuri
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Takumi Kumai
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.,Department of Innovative Head & Neck Cancer Research and Treatment (IHNCRT), Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Nagato
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Yui Nozaki
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Kei Ishibashi
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.,Department of surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Akemi Kosaka
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Marino Nagata
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Shohei Harabuchi
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Mizuho Ohara
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.,Department of surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Kensuke Oikawa
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Naoko Aoki
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Yasuaki Harabuchi
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Esteban Celis
- Cancer Immunology, Inflammation and Tolerance Program, Augusta University, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta, GA
| | - Hiroya Kobayashi
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
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13
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Schultz HS, Østergaard S, Sidney J, Lamberth K, Sette A. The effect of acylation with fatty acids and other modifications on HLA class II:peptide binding and T cell stimulation for three model peptides. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197407. [PMID: 29758051 PMCID: PMC5951580 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunogenicity is a major concern in drug development as anti-drug antibodies in many cases affect both patient safety and drug efficacy. Another concern is often the limited half-life of drugs, which can be altered by different chemical modifications, like acylation with fatty acids. However, acylation with fatty acids has been shown in some cases to modulate T cell activation. Therefore, to understand the role of acylation with fatty acids on immunogenicity we tested three immunogenic non-acylated peptides and 14 of their acylated analogues for binding to 26 common HLA class II alleles, and their ability to activate T cells in an ex vivo T cell assay. Changes in binding affinity associated with acylation with fatty acids were typically modest, though a significant decrease was observed for influenza HA acylated with a stearic acid, and affinities for DQ alleles were consistently increased. Importantly, we showed that for all three immunogenic peptides acylation with fatty acids decreased their capacity to activate T cells, a trend particularly evident with longer fatty acids typically positioned within the peptide HLA class II binding core region, or when closer to the C-terminus. With these results we have demonstrated that acylation with fatty acids of immunogenic peptides can lower their stimulatory capacity, which could be important knowledge for drug design and immunogenicity mitigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi S. Schultz
- Global research, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | | | - John Sidney
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | | | - Alessandro Sette
- La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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14
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A modified HLA-A*0201-restricted CTL epitope from human oncoprotein (hPEBP4) induces more efficient antitumor responses. Cell Mol Immunol 2018; 15:768-781. [PMID: 29375131 DOI: 10.1038/cmi.2017.155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously identified human phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 4 (hPEBP4) as an antiapoptotic protein with increased expression levels in breast, ovarian and prostate cancer cells, but low expression levels in normal tissues, which makes hPEBP4 an attractive target for immunotherapy. Here, we developed hPEBP4-derived immunogenic peptides for inducing antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) targeting breast cancer. A panel of hPEBP4-derived peptides predicted by peptide-MHC-binding algorithms was evaluated to characterize their HLA-A2.1 affinity and immunogenicity. We identified a novel immunogenic peptide, P40-48 (TLFCQGLEV), that was capable of eliciting specific CTL responses in HLA-A2.1/Kb transgenic mice, as well as in peripheral blood lymphocytes from breast cancer patients. Furthermore, amino-acid substitutions in the P40-48 sequence improved its immunogenicity against hPEBP4, a self-antigen, thus circumventing tolerance. We designed peptide analogs by preferred auxiliary HLA-A*0201 anchor residue replacement, which induced CTLs that were crossreactive to the native peptide. Several analogs were able to stably bind to HLA-A*0201 and elicit specific CTL responses better than the native sequence. Importantly, adoptive transfer of CTLs induced by vaccination with two analogs more effectively inhibited tumor growth than the native peptide. These data indicate that peptide analogs with high immunogenicity represent promising candidates for peptide-mediated therapeutic cancer vaccines.
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15
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Bräunlein E, Krackhardt AM. Identification and Characterization of Neoantigens As Well As Respective Immune Responses in Cancer Patients. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1702. [PMID: 29250075 PMCID: PMC5714868 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has recently emerged as a powerful tool for the treatment of diverse advanced malignancies. In particular, therapeutic application of immune checkpoint modulators, such as anti-CTLA4 or anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies, have shown efficacy in a broad range of malignant diseases. Although pharmacodynamics of these immune modulators are complex, recent studies strongly support the notion that altered peptide ligands presented on tumor cells representing neoantigens may play an essential role in tumor rejection by T cells activated by anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD-1 antibodies. Neoantigens may have diverse sources as viral and mutated proteins. Moreover, posttranslational modifications and altered antigen processing may also contribute to the neoantigenic peptide ligand landscape. Different approaches of target identification are currently applied in combination with subsequent characterization of autologous and non-self T-cell responses against such neoantigens. Additional efforts are required to elucidate key characteristics and interdependences of neoantigens, immunodominance, respective T-cell responses, and the tumor microenvironment in order to define decisive determinants involved in effective T-cell-mediated tumor rejection. This review focuses on our current knowledge of identification and characterization of such neoantigens as well as respective T-cell responses. It closes with challenges to be addressed in future relevant for further improvement of immunotherapeutic strategies in malignant diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bräunlein
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Angela M Krackhardt
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium of Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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16
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Kumai T, Kobayashi H, Harabuchi Y, Celis E. Peptide vaccines in cancer-old concept revisited. Curr Opin Immunol 2016; 45:1-7. [PMID: 27940327 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic peptide vaccines aim to elicit and expand tumor-specific T cells capable of controlling or eradicating the tumor. Despite the high expectations based on preclinical studies, the results of clinical trials using peptide vaccines have been disappointing. Thus, many researchers in the field have considered peptide vaccines as outdated and no longer viable for cancer therapy. However, recent progress in understanding the critical roles of immune adjuvants, modes of vaccine administration and T cell dynamics has lead to a rebirth of this approach and reconsidering the use of peptide vaccines for treating malignant disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Kumai
- Cancer Immunology, Inflammation and Tolerance Program, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States; Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan; Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan; Department of Innovative Research for Diagnosis and Treatment of Head & Neck Cancer, Japan
| | - Hiroya Kobayashi
- Department of Pathology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Yasuaki Harabuchi
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Esteban Celis
- Cancer Immunology, Inflammation and Tolerance Program, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States.
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17
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Kotoula V, Lakis S, Vlachos IS, Giannoulatou E, Zagouri F, Alexopoulou Z, Gogas H, Pectasides D, Aravantinos G, Efstratiou I, Pentheroudakis G, Papadopoulou K, Chatzopoulos K, Papakostas P, Sotiropoulou M, Nicolaou I, Razis E, Psyrri A, Kosmidis P, Papadimitriou C, Fountzilas G. Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes Affect the Outcome of Patients with Operable Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Combination with Mutated Amino Acid Classes. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163138. [PMID: 27685159 PMCID: PMC5042538 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) density is an outcome predictor in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Herein we asked whether TILs are related to coding mutation load and to the chemical class of the resulting mutated amino acids, i.e., charged, polar, and hydrophobic mutations. Methods We examined paraffin tumors from TNBC patients who had been treated with adjuvant chemotherapy mostly within clinical trials (training cohort, N = 133; validation, N = 190) for phenotype concordance; TILs density; mutation load and types. Results Concordance of TNBC phenotypes was 42.1% upon local / central, and 72% upon central / central pathology assessment. TILs were not associated with mutation load, type and class of mutated amino acids. Polar and charged mutation patterns differed between TP53 and PIK3CA (p<0.001). Hydrophobic mutations predicted for early relapse in patients with high nodal burden and <50% TILs tumors (training: HR 3.03, 95%CI 1.11–8.29, p = 0.031; validation: HR 2.90, 95%CI 0.97–8.70, p = 0.057), especially if compared to patients with >50% TILs tumors (training p = 0.003; validation p = 0.015). Conclusions TILs density is unrelated to mutation load in TNBC, which may be regarded as an unstable phenotype. If further validated, hydrophobic mutations along with TILs density may help identifying TNBC patients in higher risk for relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassiliki Kotoula
- Department of Pathology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research/Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- * E-mail:
| | - Sotiris Lakis
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research/Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis S. Vlachos
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, INRASTES, NCSR 'Demokritos', Athens, Greece
- DIANA-Lab, Department of Computer and Communication Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | - Eleni Giannoulatou
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- The University of New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Flora Zagouri
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Zoi Alexopoulou
- Department of Biostatistics, Health Data Specialists Ltd, Athens, Greece
| | - Helen Gogas
- First Department of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Pectasides
- Oncology Section, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Gerasimos Aravantinos
- Second Department of Medical Oncology, Agii Anargiri Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Kyriaki Papadopoulou
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research/Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Kyriakos Chatzopoulos
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research/Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | | | - Irene Nicolaou
- Department of Histopathology, Agii Anagriri Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelia Razis
- Third Department of Medical Oncology, Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Amanda Psyrri
- Division of Oncology, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Paris Kosmidis
- Second Department of Medical Oncology, Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Papadimitriou
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
| | - George Fountzilas
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Hellenic Foundation for Cancer Research/Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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18
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Targeting HER-3 to elicit antitumor helper T cells against head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Sci Rep 2015; 5:16280. [PMID: 26538233 PMCID: PMC4633732 DOI: 10.1038/srep16280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
HER-3 expression has been reported to act as an important oncoprotein in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. This protein is known to control tumor proliferation and acquisition of resistance by tumor cells towards EGFR inhibitors, therefore, development of a HER-3-targeted therapy is desirable. In this study, we found that HER-3 expression on tumor cells was increased after EGFR inhibition. To establish a novel therapeutic approach for HER-3-positive head and neck carcinoma, we identified a HER-3 helper epitope that could elicit effective helper T cell responses to the naturally processed HER-3-derived epitope presented in a HER-3 expressing tumors. This epitope induced potent cytolytic activity of CD4 T cells against such tumor cells. Moreover, pan HER-family tyrosine kinase inhibitor augmented the responses of HER-3-reactive CD4 T cells via upregulation of HLA-DR protein on the surface of tumor cells. Our results supports the validity of CD4 T cell-dependent HER-3-targeted therapy combined with a broad inhibitor of HER-family.
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19
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Kumai T, Matsuda Y, Ohkuri T, Oikawa K, Ishibashi K, Aoki N, Kimura S, Harabuchi Y, Celis E, Kobayashi H. c-Met is a novel tumor associated antigen for T-cell based immunotherapy against NK/T cell lymphoma. Oncoimmunology 2015; 4:e976077. [PMID: 25949874 DOI: 10.4161/2162402x.2014.976077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The expression of c-Met and its ligand HGF plays a critical role in cell proliferation and is involved in numerous malignancies. Because c-Met expression and its role in NK/T-cell lymphoma remain unclear, we studied the expression and function of c-Met in NK/T-cell lymphoma cells. In addition, we investigated the possibility that c-Met could function as a tumor-associated antigen for helper T lymphocytes (HTLs). Methods: We evaluated whether HGF and c-Met were expressed in NK/T-cell lymphoma and the capacity of predicted c-Met HTL epitopes to induce antitumor responses in vitro. In addition, c-Met inhibitor was evaluated for the ability to inhibit TGF-β production in tumor and subsequently increase HTL recognition. Results: c-Met and HGF were expressed in NK/T-cell lymphoma cell lines, nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma specimens and patient serum samples. Moreover, HGF was shown to promote NK/T cell lymphoma (NKTCL) proliferation in an autocrine manner. Furthermore, we have identified three novel c-Met HTL epitopes that were restricted by several HLA-DR molecules. Notably, peptide-induced HTL lines directly recognized and killed c-Met expressing NK/T-cell lymphomas and various epithelial solid tumors. The c-Met specific HTLs could also recognize dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with c-Met expressing tumor cell lysates. In addition, we observed that c-Met inhibition augmented HTL recognition by decreasing TGF-β production by tumor cells. Lastly, autophagy partly regulated the HTL responses against tumors. Conclusions: We identified novel c-Met HTL epitopes that can elicit effective antitumor responses against tumors expressing c-Met. Our results provide the rationale of combining c-Met targeting therapy and immunotherapy for NKTCLs and epithelial tumors.
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Key Words
- APCs, antigen presenting cells
- CD4+ helper T lymphocytes
- DC, dendritic cell
- EBV, Epstein-Barr virus
- HNSCC, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
- HPLC, high-performance liquid chromatography
- HSP, heat shock protein
- HTLs, helper CD4+ T cells
- L-cell, mouse fibroblast cell line
- LDH, lactate dehydrogenase
- NK/T cell lymphoma
- NKTCL, natural killer/ T cell lymphoma
- PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cell
- PBS, phosphate buffered saline
- TCR, T cell receptor
- TGF-β
- TKI, tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor
- autophagy
- c-Met
- head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
- immunotherapy
- major histocompatibility complex class II
- tumor antigens
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Kumai
- Department of Pathology; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan ; Department of Otolaryngology; Head and Neck Surgery; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan ; Cancer Immunology; Inflammation and Tolerance Program; Georgia Regents University Cancer Center ; Augusta, GA USA
| | - Yoshinari Matsuda
- Department of Pathology; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Takayuki Ohkuri
- Department of Pathology; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Kensuke Oikawa
- Department of Pathology; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Kei Ishibashi
- Department of Pathology; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Naoko Aoki
- Department of Pathology; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Shoji Kimura
- Department of Pathology; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Yasuaki Harabuchi
- Department of Otolaryngology; Head and Neck Surgery; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan
| | - Esteban Celis
- Cancer Immunology; Inflammation and Tolerance Program; Georgia Regents University Cancer Center ; Augusta, GA USA
| | - Hiroya Kobayashi
- Department of Pathology; Asahikawa Medical University ; Asahikawa, Japan
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20
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Li Y, Li B, Li CJ, Li LJ. Key points of basic theories and clinical practice in rAd-p53 ( Gendicine ™) gene therapy for solid malignant tumors. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2014; 15:437-54. [PMID: 25496374 DOI: 10.1517/14712598.2015.990882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Wild-type p53 gene is an essential cancer suppressor gene which plays an important role in carcinogenesis and malignant progressions. The p53 gene family participates in almost all the key procedures of cancer biology, such as programmed cell death, angiogenesis, metabolism and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The mutation or functional defects of the p53 gene family are detected in most of the solid malignant tumors, and the restoration of the p53 gene by adenovirus-mediated gene therapy becomes a promising treatment for cancer patients now. AREAS COVERED In the present review, the potential therapeutic effects of recombinant adenovirus p53 rAd-p53 ( Gendicine ™) were reviewed to explore the biological mechanism underlying the adenovirus-mediated p53 gene therapy. Then, the key points of the drug administration were discussed, including the routes of administration, dosage calculation and treatment cycles, based on findings of the preclinical and clinical trials in order to establish a standard treatment for the p53 gene therapy. EXPERT OPINION As an important part of the combined therapy for the cancer patients, the adenovirus-mediated p53 gene therapy was blossomed to be a promising treatment strategy. A new evaluation criteria and guideline for the gene therapy is urgently needed for the further clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Li
- Sichuan University, West China Hospital of Stomatology, State Key Laboratory of Oral Disease , Chengdu, 610041 , China
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