An IgM monoclonal antibody against domain 1 of CD147 induces non-canonical RIPK-independent necroptosis in a cell type specific manner in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Relationships between tumor CD147 expression, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and oncostatin M in hepatocellular carcinoma

In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), CD147 expression contributes to tumor malignancy; however, its relationship with the tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME) remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the clinicopathological characteristics associated with CD147 expression in HCC and investigate its association with the TIME, specifically its association with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and oncostatin M (OSM). Using 397 HCC specimens from patients undergoing curative-intent resection, we assessed CD147 expression in tumor cells and quantified OSM-positive cells and various TILs (CD8+, CD4+, FOXP3+, and CD20+ cells) in the TIME. Using tissue microarrays, these assessments were performed through immunohistochemical analysis. We investigated the associations between CD147 expression status, the density of OSM-positive cells, and the densities of various TILs. High CD147 expression, found in 332 specimens (83.6%), was associated with advanced clinical stage (P = 0.029), fibrosis (P = 0.036), and higher densities of FOXP3+ cells (P = 0.0039), CD4+ cells (P = 0.0012), and OSM-positive cells (P = 0.0017). In CD147-high tumors, OSM-positive cell density was associated with all assessed TIL subsets (CD8+, CD4+, FOXP3+, and CD20+ cells; all Ps < 0.001), whereas in CD147-low tumors, OSM-positive cell density was associated only with FOXP3+ cells (P = 0.0004). In HCC, CD147 expression is associated with an immunosuppressive TIME, characterized by increased FOXP3+ regulatory T cells and a correlation with OSM-positive cells. These results elucidate the potential mechanisms through which CD147 facilitates tumor-immune evasion, suggesting the CD147 - OSM axis as a promising target for therapeutic intervention in HCC.

Novel, non-conventional pathways of necroptosis in the heart and other organs: Molecular mechanisms, regulation and inter-organelle interplay

Necroptosis, a cell death modality that is defined as a necrosis-like cell death depending on the receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like pseudokinase (MLKL), has been found to underlie the injury of various organs. Nevertheless, the molecular background of this cell loss seems to also involve, at least under certain circumstances, some novel axes, such as RIPK3-PGAM5-Drp1 (mitochondrial protein phosphatase 5-dynamin-related protein 1), RIPK3-CaMKII (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) and RIPK3-JNK-BNIP3 (c-Jun N-terminal kinase-BCL2 Interacting Protein 3). In addition, endoplasmic reticulum stress and oxidative stress via the higher production of reactive oxygen species produced by the mitochondrial enzymes and the enzymes of the plasma membrane have been implicated in necroptosis, thereby depicting an inter-organelle interplay in the mechanisms of this cell death. However, the role and relationship between these novel non-conventional signalling and the well-accepted canonical pathway in terms of tissue- and/or disease-specific prioritisation is completely unknown. In this review, we provide current knowledge on some necroptotic pathways being not directly associated with RIPK3-MLKL execution and report studies showing the role of respective microRNAs in the regulation of necroptotic injury in the heart and in some other tissues having a high expression of the pro-necroptotic proteins.

The anti-leukemic activity of a luteolin-apigenin enriched fraction from an edible and ethnomedicinal plant, Elsholtzia stachyodes, is exerted through an ER stress/autophagy/cell cycle arrest/ apoptotic cell death signaling axis

BACKGROUND

Elsholtzia is a genus in the family Lamiaceae, and some species in this genus are commonly used for food and in ethnomedicinal formulations by some ethnic groups of China and Thailand. Despite their apparent utility, few studies have been conducted to evaluate their potential as sources of medicinally active agents.

PURPOSE

We aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of ethanolic extracts from three selected edible plant species of the genus Elsholtzia and the most promising extract was further characterized for the bioactive constituents and signaling mechanisms associated with the anti-leukemic activity.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Ethanolic extracts were screened for cytotoxicity using flow cytometry. HPLC and LC-MS were used to analyze the chemical constituents of the most potent fraction from E. stachyodes. The relevant mechanism of action was assessed by western blot and multispectral imaging flow cytometry (MIFC).

RESULTS

The most potent anti-leukemic activity was observed with the ethanolic extract from E. stachyodes. Luteolin and apigenin were characterized as the major constituents in the fraction from E. stachyodes. Mechanistically, the luteolin-apigenin enriched fraction (LAEF) induced the UPR, increased autophagic flux, induced cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death. LAEF showed significantly less cytotoxicity towards peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as compared to leukemia cell lines.

CONCLUSION

This study is the first to report E. stachyodes as a new source of luteolin and apigenin which are capable of triggering leukemic cell death. This could lead to a novel strategy against leukemia using ethnomedicinal plant extracts as an alternative or supplemental anti-cancer agent.

MLKL signaling regulates macrophage polarization in acute pancreatitis through CXCL10

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a disease characterized by local and systemic inflammation with an increasing incidence worldwide. Receptor-interacting serine/threonine protein kinase 3 (RIPK3), mixed-lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL), and innate immune cell macrophages have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of AP. However, the mechanisms by which RIPK3 and MLKL regulate pancreatic injury, as well as the interactions between injured pancreatic acinar cells and infiltrating macrophages in AP, remain poorly defined. In the present study, experimental pancreatitis was induced in C57BL/6J, Ripk3-/- and Mlkl-/- mice by cerulein plus lipopolysaccharide in vivo, and primary pancreatic acinar cells were also isolated to uncover cellular mechanisms during cerulein stimulation in vitro. The results showed that MLKL and its phosphorylated protein p-MLKL were upregulated in the pancreas of the mouse AP model and cerulein-treated pancreatic acinar cells, independent of its canonical upstream molecule Ripk3, and appeared to function in a cell death-independent manner. Knockout of Mlkl attenuated AP in mice by reducing the polarization of pancreatic macrophages toward the M1 phenotype, and this protective effect was partly achieved by reducing the secretion of CXCL10 from pancreatic acinar cells, whereas knockout of Ripk3 did not. In vitro neutralization of CXCL10 impaired the pro-M1 ability of the conditioned medium of cerulein-treated pancreatic acinar cells, whereas in vivo neutralization of CXCL10 reduced the polarization of pancreatic macrophages toward M1 and the severity of AP in mice. These findings suggested that targeting the MLKL-CXCL10-macrophage axis might be a promising strategy for the treatment of AP.