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Li S, Liu W, Liu J, Yang Z, Zhang L, Nie F, Yang P, Guo H, Yang C. Low-dose TNF-α promotes angiogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells via TNFR2/Akt/mTOR axis. Oral Dis 2024; 30:3004-3017. [PMID: 37964399 DOI: 10.1111/odi.14802] [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: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To assess the role of TNF-α/TNFR2 axis on promoting angiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells and uncover the underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS The expression of TNFR2 and CD31 in OSCC tissues was examined; gene expression relationship between TNF-α/TNFR2 and angiogenic markers or signaling molecules was analyzed; the expression of angiogenic markers, signaling molecules, TNFR1, and TNFR2 in TNF-α-stimulated OSCC cells treated with or without TNFR2 neutralizing antibody (TNFR2 Nab) were assessed; the concentration of angiogenic markers in the supernatant of OSCC cells was detected; conditioned mediums of OSCC cells treated with TNF-α or TNF-α + TNFR2 Nab were applied to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), followed by tube formation and cell migration assays. RESULTS Significantly elevated expression of TNFR2 and CD31 in OSCC tissues was observed. A positive gene expression correlation was identified between TNF-α/TNFR2 and angiogenic markers or signaling molecules. TNFR2 Nab inhibited the effects of TNF-α on enhancing the expression of angiogenic factors and TNFR2, the phosphorylation of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, HUVECs migration, and tube formation. CONCLUSIONS TNFR2 Nab counteracts the effect of TNF-α on OSCC cells through the TNFR2/Akt/mTOR axis, indicating that blocking TNFR2 might be a promising strategy against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shutong Li
- Department of Periodontology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Wenchuan Liu
- Department of Periodontology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Junze Liu
- School of Information and Computer Sciences, Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Zongcheng Yang
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Liguo Zhang
- Department of Periodontology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Fujiao Nie
- Department of Periodontology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Pishan Yang
- Department of Periodontology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Hongmei Guo
- Department of Periodontology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University and Shandong Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Engineering Laboratory for Dental Materials and Oral Tissue Regeneration and Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Chengzhe Yang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- Institute of Stomatology, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
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2
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Ahumada R, Dunstan J, Rojas M, Peñafiel S, Paredes I, Báez P. Automatic Detection of Distant Metastasis Mentions in Radiology Reports in Spanish. JCO Clin Cancer Inform 2024; 8:e2300130. [PMID: 38194615 PMCID: PMC10793975 DOI: 10.1200/cci.23.00130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE A critical task in oncology is extracting information related to cancer metastasis from electronic health records. Metastasis-related information is crucial for planning treatment, evaluating patient prognoses, and cancer research. However, the unstructured way in which findings of distant metastasis are often written in radiology reports makes it difficult to extract information automatically. The main aim of this study was to extract distant metastasis findings from free-text imaging and nuclear medicine reports to classify the patient status according to the presence or absence of distant metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS We created a distant metastasis annotated corpus using positron emission tomography-computed tomography and computed tomography reports of patients with prostate, colorectal, and breast cancers. Entities were labeled M1 or M0 according to affirmative or negative metastasis descriptions. We used a named entity recognition model on the basis of a bidirectional long short-term memory model and conditional random fields to identify entities. Mentions were subsequently used to classify whole reports into M1 or M0. RESULTS The model detected distant metastasis mentions with a weighted average F1 score performance of 0.84. Whole reports were classified with an F1 score of 0.92 for M0 documents and 0.90 for M1 documents. CONCLUSION These results show the usefulness of the model in detecting distant metastasis findings in three different types of cancer and the consequent classification of reports. The relevance of this study is to generate structured distant metastasis information from free-text imaging reports in Spanish. In addition, the manually annotated corpus, annotation guidelines, and code are freely released to the research community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Ahumada
- Center of Medical Informatics and Telemedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Jocelyn Dunstan
- Department of Computer Science & the Institute for Mathematical Computing, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Matías Rojas
- Center for Mathematical Modeling—CNRS IRL 2807, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sergio Peñafiel
- Unidad de Informática Médica y Data Science, Departamento de Investigación del Cáncer, Instituto Oncológico Fundación Arturo López Pérez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Inti Paredes
- Unidad de Informática Médica y Data Science, Departamento de Investigación del Cáncer, Instituto Oncológico Fundación Arturo López Pérez, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pablo Báez
- Center of Medical Informatics and Telemedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
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Wang B, Zhang Z, Liu W, Tan B. Targeting regulatory T cells in gastric cancer: Pathogenesis, immunotherapy, and prognosis. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 158:114180. [PMID: 36586241 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.114180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) remains one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Despite immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized cancer treatment and obtained durable clinical responses, only a fraction of GC patients benefit from it. As an important component of T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a vital role in the pathogenesis of GC, keep a core balance between immune suppression and autoimmunity, and function as predictive biomarkers for prognosis of GC patients. In this review, we discuss the role of Tregs in the pathogenesis of GC, and targeting Tregs via influencing their transcription factor, migration, co-stimulatory receptors, immune checkpoints, and cytokines. We also focus on the currently important findings of Tregs metabolism including amino acid, fatty acid, and lactic acid metabolism of GC. The emerging role of microbiome and clinical combined therapy in modulating Tregs in GC treatment is also summarized. Meanwhile, this review recapitulates a novel regulator, magnesium, is involved in mediating Tregs in GC. These research advances on Treg-related strategies provide new insights and challenges for GC progression, treatment, and prognosis. And we hope our review can stimulate further discovery and implication of mediators and pathways targeting Tregs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingyu Wang
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 050011 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Zaibo Zhang
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 050011 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Wenbo Liu
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 050011 Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bibo Tan
- The Third Department of Surgery, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 050011 Shijiazhuang, China.
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Chen S, Li R, Chen Y, Chou CK, Zhang Z, Yang Y, Liao P, Wang Q, Chen X. Scutellarin enhances anti-tumor immune responses by reducing TNFR2-expressing CD4 +Foxp3 + regulatory T cells. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 151:113187. [PMID: 35676787 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
One characteristic of tumor-associated CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) is the high expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor type II (TNFR2), a receptor that mediates the decisive effect of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the activation and expansion of Tregs. There is increasing evidence that inhibition of TNFR2 can enhance anti-tumor immune responses. Therefore, we screened Chinese herbal extracts for their capacity to block TNF-TNFR2 interaction. The results showed that the treatment with a Chinese herb extract could inhibit TNFR2-induced biological responses in vitro, including the proliferation of TNFR2+ Tregs. Our subsequent study led to the identification of flavonoid compound scutellarin was responsible for the activity. Our results showed that scutellarin is able to disrupt the interaction of TNF-TNFR2 and inhibited the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, a down-stream signaling component of TNFR2. Importantly, in vivo scutellarin treatment markedly enhanced the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy with CpG oligodeoxynucleotide in mouse CT26 colon cancer model. This effect of scutellarin was associated with the reduction of the number of tumor-infiltrating TNFR2-expressing Tregs and increased tumor infiltration of interferon-γ-producing CD8+ T cells. Our result also suggests that scutellarin or its analogs may be used as an adjuvant to enhance the anti-tumor effect of immunotherapeutic agent by eliminating TNFR2+ Treg activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaokui Chen
- Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China
| | - Ruixin Li
- Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China
| | - Yibo Chen
- Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China
| | - Chon-Kit Chou
- Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China
| | - Zhexuan Zhang
- College of Science, Hunan University of Technology and Business, Changsha 410205, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China
| | - Ping Liao
- Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China
| | - Qingqing Wang
- Institute of Immunology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China; MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China; Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Joint Lab on Chinese Medicine and Immune Disease Research, University of Macau, 999078, Macao Special Administrative Region of China, China.
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5
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Ben-Baruch A. Tumor Necrosis Factor α: Taking a Personalized Road in Cancer Therapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:903679. [PMID: 35663982 PMCID: PMC9157545 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.903679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adit Ben-Baruch
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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6
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Jiang Z, Zhu H, Wang P, Que W, Zhong L, Li X, Du F. Different subpopulations of regulatory T cells in human autoimmune disease, transplantation, and tumor immunity. MedComm (Beijing) 2022; 3:e137. [PMID: 35474948 PMCID: PMC9023873 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), a subpopulation of naturally CD4+ T cells that characteristically express transcription factor Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3), play a pivotal role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis and the prevention of autoimmunity. With the development of biological technology, the understanding of plasticity and stability of Tregs has been further developed. Recent studies have suggested that human Tregs are functionally and phenotypically diverse. The functions and mechanisms of different phenotypes of Tregs in different disease settings, such as tumor microenvironment, autoimmune diseases, and transplantation, have gradually become hot spots of immunology research that arouse extensive attention. Among the complex functions, CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Tregs possess a potent immunosuppressive capacity and can produce various cytokines, such as IL‐2, IL‐10, and TGF‐β, to regulate immune homeostasis. They can alleviate the progression of diseases by resisting inflammatory immune responses, whereas promoting the poor prognosis of diseases by helping cells evade immune surveillance or suppressing effector T cells activity. Therefore, methods for targeting Tregs to regulate their functions in the immune microenvironment, such as depleting them to strengthen tumor immunity or expanding them to treat immunological diseases, need to be developed. Here, we discuss that different subpopulations of Tregs are essential for the development of immunotherapeutic strategies involving Tregs in human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyi Jiang
- Department of General Surgery Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Haitao Zhu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University Guizhou P. R. China
| | - Pusen Wang
- Department of General Surgery Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Weitao Que
- Department of General Surgery Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Lin Zhong
- Department of General Surgery Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Xiao‐Kang Li
- Department of General Surgery Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai P. R. China
- Division of Transplantation Immunology National Research Institute for Child Health and Development Tokyo Japan
| | - Futian Du
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery Weifang People's Hospital Shandong P. R. China
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7
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Li M, Zhang X, Bai X, Liang T. Targeting TNFR2: A Novel Breakthrough in the Treatment of Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:862154. [PMID: 35494080 PMCID: PMC9048045 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.862154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor type II (TNFR2) is expressed in various tumor cells and some immune cells, such as regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressing cells. TNFR2 contributes a lot to the tumor microenvironment. For example, it directly promotes the occurrence and growth of some tumor cells, activates immunosuppressive cells, and supports immune escape. Existing studies have proved the importance of TNFR2 in cancer treatment. Here, we reviewed the activation mechanism of TNFR2 and its role in signal transduction in the tumor microenvironment. We summarized the expression and function of TNFR2 within different immune cells and the potential opportunities and challenges of targeting TNFR2 in immunotherapy. Finally, the advantages and limitations of TNFR2 to treat tumor-related diseases are discussed, and the problems that may be encountered in the clinical development and application of targeted anti-TNFR2 agonists and inhibitors are analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muchun Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaozhen Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xueli Bai
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Tingbo Liang, ; Xueli Bai,
| | - Tingbo Liang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Tingbo Liang, ; Xueli Bai,
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8
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Chen Y, Jia M, Wang S, Xu S, He N. Antagonistic Antibody Targeting TNFR2 Inhibits Regulatory T Cell Function to Promote Anti-Tumor Activity. Front Immunol 2022; 13:835690. [PMID: 35251028 PMCID: PMC8889907 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.835690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Infiltration of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the tumor microenvironment suppresses anti-tumor immune response, and promotes tumor progression. Tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 (TNFR2), which is highly expressed on Tregs, activates Tregs through nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. Moreover, TNFR2+ Tregs have been shown to be most suppressive among all Tregs populations in tumor. Due to the unique expression pattern and function of TNFR2 on Tregs, a TNFR2 blocking antibody is expected to compromise Tregs function, relieve Tregs-mediated immunosuppression, and hence to enhance anti-tumor immune response. AN3025 is an antagonistic anti-human TNFR2 (hTNFR2) antibody that is currently under preclinical development. This study investigates the immunomodulatory and anti-tumor activity of AN3025. AN3025 was generated through rabbit immunization with extracellular domain of human TNFR2 and subsequent humanization by complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) grafting. AN3025 binds to the extracellular domain of both human and cynomolgus with sub-nanomolar affinity and specificity, but not mouse or rat TNFR2. AN3025 inhibited tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) induced cell death of hTNFR2-overexpressing Jurkat cells by competing with TNFα for binding to hTNFR2. In the Tregs/T effector co-culture assay, AN3025 increased T effector proliferation and enhanced interferon gamma (IFNγ) production. As a monotherapy, AN3025 significantly inhibited MC38 tumor growth in TNFR2 humanized mouse model. Subsequent flow cytometry (FACS) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis revealed that administration of AN3025 led to decreased Tregs population, increased CD4+ and CD8+ T cell numbers in the tumor. The anti-tumor activity of AN3025 was dependent on the existence of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as depletion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells abolished the anti-tumor activity of AN3025. In addition, AN3025 in combination with anti-PD-1 antibody demonstrated stronger in-vivo anti-tumor activity. The potent anti-tumor efficacy of AN3025, either as a monotherapy or in combination with anti-PD-1 antibody, supports its further clinical development for the treatment of various human tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonglin Chen
- Department of Biosciences, Adlai Nortye USA Inc., North Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Manxue Jia
- Department of Biosciences, Adlai Nortye USA Inc., North Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Sharon Wang
- Department of Biosciences, Adlai Nortye USA Inc., North Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Sherry Xu
- Department of Biosciences, Adlai Nortye USA Inc., North Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Nanhai He
- Department of Biosciences, Adlai Nortye USA Inc., North Brunswick, NJ, United States
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9
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Zhang X, Lao M, Xu J, Duan Y, Yang H, Li M, Ying H, He L, Sun K, Guo C, Chen W, Jiang H, Zhang X, Bai X, Liang T. Combination cancer immunotherapy targeting TNFR2 and PD-1/PD-L1 signaling reduces immunosuppressive effects in the microenvironment of pancreatic tumors. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e003982. [PMID: 35260434 PMCID: PMC8906048 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS In advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), immune therapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, has limited efficacy, encouraging the study of combination therapy. METHODS Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) was analyzed via immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blotting, and ELISAs. The in vitro mechanism that TNFR2 regulates programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) was investigated using immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, western blotting, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). In vivo efficacy and mechanistic studies, using C57BL/6 mice and nude mice with KPC cell-derived subcutaneous and orthotopic tumors, employed antibodies against TNFR2 and PD-L1. Survival curves were constructed for the orthotopic model and a genetically engineered PDAC model (LSL-KrasG12D/+; LSL-Trp53R172H/+; Pdx1-Cre). Mass cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and flow cytometry analyzed local and systemic alterations in the immunophenotype. RESULTS TNFR2 showed high expression and is a prognostic factor in CD8+ T cell-enriched pancreatic cancer. TNFR2 promotes tumorigenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer via dual effect: suppressing cancer immunogenicity and partially accelerating tumor growth. TNFR2 positivity correlated with PD-L1, and in vitro and in vivo, it could regulate the expression of PDL1 at the transcription level via the p65 NF-κB pathway. Combining anti-TNFR2 and PD-L1 antibodies eradicated tumors, prolonged overall survival in pancreatic cancer, and induced strong antitumor immune memory and secondary prevention by reducing the infiltration of Tregs and tumor-associated macrophages and inducing CD8+ T cell activation in the PDAC microenvironment. Finally, the antitumor immune response derived from combination therapy is mainly dependent on CD8+ T cells, partially dependent on CD4+ T cells, and independent of natural killer cells. CONCLUSIONS Anti-TNFR2 and anti-PD-L1 combination therapy eradicated tumors by inhibiting their growth, relieving tumor immunosuppression, and generating robust memory recall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhen Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mengyi Lao
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian Xu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yi Duan
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hanshen Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Muchun Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Honggang Ying
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lihong He
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kang Sun
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chengxiang Guo
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wen Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haitao Jiang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xueli Bai
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tingbo Liang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery,the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for the Study of Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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10
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Qu Y, Wang X, Bai S, Niu L, Zhao G, Yao Y, Li B, Li H. The effects of TNF-α/TNFR2 in regulatory T cells on the microenvironment and progression of gastric cancer. Int J Cancer 2021; 150:1373-1391. [PMID: 34766338 PMCID: PMC9298834 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
TNFR2+ regulatory T cells preferentially accumulate in the tumor microenvironment, express high levels of immunosuppressive molecules and possess strong suppressive activity. Our study aimed to explore the characteristics and role of TNFR2+ Tregs in the microenvironment and progression of gastric cancer via polychromatic immunofluorescence, single-cell RNA sequencing and flow cytometry assays. The TNFR2+ Treg infiltration level in the tumor microenvironment increased significantly as gastric cancer progressed and was demonstrated to be a prognostic marker. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed high levels of TNFR2 in tumor-infiltrating Tregs. The TNF-α/TNFR2 signaling pathway was activated, accompanied by the upregulation of costimulatory molecules. Unlike blood Tregs, tumor-infiltrating Tregs existed in activated and effector states. In addition to expressing costimulatory molecules such as TNFR2, 4-1BB, OX40 and GITR, tumor-infiltrating Tregs were also characterized by high expression levels of immune checkpoints such as CTLA-4 and TIGIT and chemokines such as CCR6. In vitro studies showed that the TNF-α/TNFR2 pathway increased the Foxp3 expression in CD4+ CD25+ T cells and the latent TGF-β production in Tregs as well as enhanced the immunosuppressive function of Tregs. In summary, our study revealed high infiltration levels of TNFR2+ Tregs that were in activated and effector states in the tumor microenvironment. The infiltration level of TNFR2+ Tregs is a prognostic marker and an independent risk factor for gastric cancer. Activation of the TNF-α/TNFR2 pathway promotes the immunosuppressive phenotype and function of Tregs. Our study provides a new theoretical basis for TNFR2+ Tregs as a therapeutic target in gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Qu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Biology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Xianhao Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Biology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuai Bai
- Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Biology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Liling Niu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Biology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Gang Zhao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Biology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuan Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Biology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
| | - Bin Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Gastric Surgery Department, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Cancer Biology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
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11
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Moatti A, Cohen JL. The TNF-α/TNFR2 Pathway: Targeting a Brake to Release the Anti-tumor Immune Response. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:725473. [PMID: 34712661 PMCID: PMC8546260 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.725473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Newly discovered anti-cancer immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T cells, focus on spurring the anti-tumor effector T cell (Teff) response. Although such strategies have already demonstrated a sustained beneficial effect in certain malignancies, a substantial proportion of treated patients does not respond. CD4+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), a suppressive subset of T cells, can impair anti-tumor responses and reduce the efficacy of currently available immunotherapies. An alternative view that has emerged over the last decade proposes to tackle this immune brake by targeting the suppressive action of Tregs on the anti-tumoral response. It was recently demonstrated that the tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) is critical for the phenotypic stabilization and suppressive function of human and mouse Tregs. The broad non-specific effects of TNF-α infusion in patients initially led clinicians to abandon this signaling pathway as first-line therapy against neoplasms. Previously unrecognized, TNFR2 has emerged recently as a legitimate target for anti-cancer immune checkpoint therapy. Considering the accumulation of pre-clinical data on the role of TNFR2 and clinical reports of TNFR2+ Tregs and tumor cells in cancer patients, it is now clear that a TNFR2-centered approach could be a viable strategy, once again making the TNF-α pathway a promising anti-cancer target. Here, we review the role of the TNFR2 signaling pathway in tolerance and the equilibrium of T cell responses and its connections with oncogenesis. We analyze recent discoveries concerning the targeting of TNFR2 in cancer, as well as the advantages, limitations, and perspectives of such a strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Moatti
- Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne, INSERM, IMRB, Créteil, France.,AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalo-Universitaire Chenevier Mondor, Centre d'Investigation Clinique Biothérapie, Créteil, France
| | - José L Cohen
- Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne, INSERM, IMRB, Créteil, France.,AP-HP, Groupe Hospitalo-Universitaire Chenevier Mondor, Centre d'Investigation Clinique Biothérapie, Créteil, France
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12
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Segués A, van Duijnhoven SMJ, Parade M, Driessen L, Vukovic N, Zaiss D, Sijts AJAM, Berraondo P, van Elsas A. Generation and characterization of novel co-stimulatory anti-mouse TNFR2 antibodies. J Immunol Methods 2021; 499:113173. [PMID: 34699840 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2021.113173] [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: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) has gained much research interest in recent years because of its potential pivotal role in autoimmune disease and cancer. However, its function in regulating different immune cells is not well understood. There is a need for well-characterized reagents to selectively modulate TNFR2 function, thereby enabling definition of TNFR2-dependent biology in human and mouse surrogate models. Here, we describe the generation, production, purification, and characterization of a panel of novel antibodies targeting mouse TNFR2. The antibodies display functional differences in binding affinity and potency to block TNFα. Furthermore, epitope binding showed that the anti-mTNFR2 antibodies target different domains on the TNFR2 protein, associated with varying capacity to enhance CD8+ T-cell activation and costimulation. Moreover, the anti-TNFR2 antibodies demonstrate binding to isolated splenic mouse Tregs ex vivo and activated CD8+ cells, reinforcing their potential use to establish TNFR2-dependent immune modulation in translational models of autoimmunity and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aina Segués
- Aduro Biotech Europe, Oss, the Netherlands; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Nataša Vukovic
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Dietmar Zaiss
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom; Institute of Immune Medicine, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Alice J A M Sijts
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Pedro Berraondo
- Division of Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
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13
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Yang Y, Islam MS, Hu Y, Chen X. TNFR2: Role in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy. Immunotargets Ther 2021; 10:103-122. [PMID: 33907692 PMCID: PMC8071081 DOI: 10.2147/itt.s255224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including anti-CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4) and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 (programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1), represent a turning point in the cancer immunotherapy. However, only a minor fraction of patients could derive benefit from such therapy. Therefore, new strategies targeting additional immune regulatory mechanisms are urgently needed. CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) represent a major cellular mechanism in cancer immune evasion. There is compelling evidence that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor type II (TNFR2) plays a decisive role in the activation and expansion of Tregs and other types of immunosuppressive cells such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Furthermore, TNFR2 is also expressed by some tumor cells. Emerging experimental evidence indicates that TNFR2 may be a therapeutic target to enhance naturally occurring or immunotherapeutic-triggered anti-tumor immune responses. In this article, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of the mechanistic basis underlying the Treg-boosting effect of TNFR2. The role of TNFR2-expressing highly suppressive Tregs in tumor immune evasion and their possible contribution to the non-responsiveness to checkpoint treatment are analyzed. Moreover, the role of TNFR2 expression on tumor cells and the impact of TNFR2 signaling on other types of cells that shape the immunological landscape in the tumor microenvironment, such as MDSCs, MSCs, ECs, EPCs, CD8+ CTLs, and NK cells, are also discussed. The reports revealing the effect of TNFR2-targeting pharmacological agents in the experimental cancer immunotherapy are summarized. We also discuss the potential opportunities and challenges for TNFR2-targeting immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, SAR, 999078, People's Republic of China
| | - Md Sahidul Islam
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, SAR, 999078, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanjia Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, SAR, 999078, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, SAR, 999078, People's Republic of China
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14
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Gubernatorova EO, Polinova AI, Petropavlovskiy MM, Namakanova OA, Medvedovskaya AD, Zvartsev RV, Telegin GB, Drutskaya MS, Nedospasov SA. Dual Role of TNF and LTα in Carcinogenesis as Implicated by Studies in Mice. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1775. [PMID: 33917839 PMCID: PMC8068266 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin alpha (LTα) are two related cytokines from the TNF superfamily, yet they mediate their functions in soluble and membrane-bound forms via overlapping, as well as distinct, molecular pathways. Their genes are encoded within the major histocompatibility complex class III cluster in close proximity to each other. TNF is involved in host defense, maintenance of lymphoid tissues, regulation of cell death and survival, and antiviral and antibacterial responses. LTα, known for some time as TNFβ, has pleiotropic functions including control of lymphoid tissue development and homeostasis cross talk between lymphocytes and their environment, as well as lymphoid tissue neogenesis with formation of lymphoid follicles outside the lymph nodes. Along with their homeostatic functions, deregulation of these two cytokines may be associated with initiation and progression of chronic inflammation, autoimmunity, and tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize the current state of knowledge concerning TNF/LTα functions in tumor promotion and suppression, with the focus on the recently uncovered significance of host-microbiota interplay in cancer development that may explain some earlier controversial results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina O. Gubernatorova
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (A.I.P.); (M.M.P.); (O.A.N.); (A.D.M.); (R.V.Z.)
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Almina I. Polinova
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (A.I.P.); (M.M.P.); (O.A.N.); (A.D.M.); (R.V.Z.)
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Mikhail M. Petropavlovskiy
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (A.I.P.); (M.M.P.); (O.A.N.); (A.D.M.); (R.V.Z.)
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga A. Namakanova
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (A.I.P.); (M.M.P.); (O.A.N.); (A.D.M.); (R.V.Z.)
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexandra D. Medvedovskaya
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (A.I.P.); (M.M.P.); (O.A.N.); (A.D.M.); (R.V.Z.)
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
| | - Ruslan V. Zvartsev
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (A.I.P.); (M.M.P.); (O.A.N.); (A.D.M.); (R.V.Z.)
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Georgij B. Telegin
- Branch of Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (BIBCh, RAS), 142290 Pushchino, Russia;
| | - Marina S. Drutskaya
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (A.I.P.); (M.M.P.); (O.A.N.); (A.D.M.); (R.V.Z.)
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergei A. Nedospasov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia; (A.I.P.); (M.M.P.); (O.A.N.); (A.D.M.); (R.V.Z.)
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- Sirius University of Science and Technology, Federal Territory Sirius, 354340 Krasnodarsky Krai, Russia
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15
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Ye LL, Peng WB, Niu YR, Xiang X, Wei XS, Wang ZH, Wang X, Zhang SY, Chen X, Zhou Q. Accumulation of TNFR2-expressing regulatory T cells in malignant pleural effusion of lung cancer patients is associated with poor prognosis. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2020; 8:1647. [PMID: 33490159 PMCID: PMC7812164 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-7181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Background Regulatory T cells (Tregs) may represent a major cellular mechanism in immune suppression by dampening the anti-tumor response in malignant pleural effusion (MPE). Tumor necrosis factor receptor type II (TNFR2) has emerged as a novel identification for the maximally suppressive subset of Tregs in the tumor environment. At present, the significance of TNFR2 expression on Tregs in MPE remains unclear. Methods The distribution of TNFR2+cells in Tregs and effector T cells (Teffs) in MPE, peripheral blood (PB), and tuberculosis pleural effusion (TPE) were determined. The associations between TNFR2+Tregs frequencies present in MPE and the clinical and laboratorial characteristics of patients with lung cancer were investigated. The immunosuppressive phenotype of TNFR2+Tregs in MPE was analyzed. The effects of the TNF-TNFR2 interaction on the immunosuppressive function of Tregs was explored. The efficacy of targeting TNFR2 for MPE therapy was examined. The source of TNF in MPE was identified. Results We observed that markedly higher levels of TNFR2 were expressed in MPE Tregs compared with the levels expressed in MPE Teffs, PB Tregs, or in TPE Tregs. The frequencies of TNFR2+Tregs were positively correlated with the number of tumor cells in MPE, as well as the volume of MPE. High frequencies of TNFR2+Tregs in MPE indicated short survival time and poor performance status for MPE patients. Compared to TNFR2-Tregs, TNFR2+Tregs expressed higher levels of immunosuppressive molecules cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and replicating marker Ki-67. Consequently, the proportions of interferon gamma (IFN-γ)-producing cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were significantly increased after TNFR2 blockade. Furthermore, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), through interaction with TNFR2, enhanced the suppressive capacity of Tregs by up-regulating CTLA-4 and PD-L1 expression. Interestingly, T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 17 (Th17) cells are the major source of TNF in MPE, suggesting that MPE Teffs may paradoxically promote tumor growth by boosting MPE Treg activity via the TNF-TNFR2 pathway. Conclusions Our data expanded the immunosuppressive mechanism present in MPE induced by Tregs, and provides novel insight for the diagnosis, disease evaluation, and treatment of MPE patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Lin Ye
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wen-Bei Peng
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi-Ran Niu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xuan Xiang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao-Shan Wei
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Zi-Hao Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xu Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Si-Yu Zhang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Qiong Zhou
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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