MtHsp70-CLIC1-pulsed dendritic cells enhance the immune response against ovarian cancer

Ion Channels and Personalized Medicine in Gynecological Cancers

Targeted therapy against cancer plays a key role in delivering safer and more efficient treatments. In the last decades, ion channels have been studied for their participation in oncogenic processes because their aberrant expression and/or function have been associated with different types of malignancies, including ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer. The altered expression or function of several ion channels have been associated with tumor aggressiveness, increased proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells and with poor prognosis in gynecological cancer patients. Most ion channels are integral membrane proteins easily accessible by drugs. Interestingly, a plethora of ion channel blockers have demonstrated anticancer activity. Consequently, some ion channels have been proposed as oncogenes, cancer, and prognostic biomarkers, as well as therapeutic targets in gynecological cancers. Here, we review the association of ion channels with the properties of cancer cells in these tumors, which makes them very promising candidates to be exploited in personalized medicine. The detailed analysis of the expression pattern and function of ion channels could help to improve the clinical outcomes in gynecological cancer patients.

Comprehensive analysis of clinical prognosis and CLIC1 immune invasion in lung adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1) plays an important role in the process of cell epithelial transport, and is also involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. Due to its aberrant expression in cancer, the mechanism of action of CLIC1 in cancer has been carefully studied. In this study, we tried to investigate the relationship between CLIC1 and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

METHODS

The RNA-sequencing data and clinical information of CLIC1 in lung adenocarcinoma were collected from the the cancer genome altas (TCGA) database and analyzed with R software. Paired t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to detect differences between LUAD tissue and adjacent normal tissue, and the pROC software package performed reactive oxygen species (ROC) curves to detect cutoff values for CLIC1. The expression of CLIC1 in normal human tissues was extracted from the human protein altas (HPA) database, and analyzed clinical proteomic tumor analysis consortium by using UALCAN programme. The relationship between CLIC1 and LUAD was explored by enrichment analysis using gene oncology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes. The tumor immunity estimation resource (TIMER) and integrated repository portal for tumor-immune system interactions (TISIDB) databases were used to analyze the correlation between CLIC1 and LUAD immune cell infiltration. Survival analysis of CLIC1 in LUAD was assessed by the PrognoScan database.

RESULTS

Compared with normal tissues, both mRNA (messenger Ribose Nucleic Acid) and protein of CLIC1 were overexpressed in LUAD, which was associated with shorter overall survial (OS). In addition, CLIC1 expression was in connection with some clinical-pathological characteristics like tumor node metatasis stages and lymph node metastases. What's more, CLIC1 may play a role in the immune infiltration of LUAD.

CONCLUSION

In summary, CLIC1 is up-regulated in LUAD and is associated with tumor metastasis, tumor staging, and OS. It may be regarded as a novel marker for prognostic judgement in LUAD.

Understanding Normal and Malignant Human Hematopoiesis Using Next-Generation Humanized Mice

Rodent models for human diseases contribute significantly to understanding human physiology and pathophysiology. However, given the accelerating pace of drug development, there is a crucial need for in vivo preclinical models of human biology and pathology. The humanized mouse is one tool to bridge the gap between traditional animal models and the clinic. The development of immunodeficient mouse strains with high-level engraftment of normal and diseased human immune/hematopoietic cells has made in vivo functional characterization possible. As a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model, humanized mice functionally correlate putative mechanisms with in vivo behavior and help to reveal pathogenic mechanisms. Combined with single-cell genomics, humanized mice can facilitate functional precision medicine such as risk stratification and individually optimized therapeutic approaches.

Alarmin augments the antitumor immunity of lentiviral vaccine in ectopic, orthotopic and autochthonous hepatocellular carcinoma mice

It is a daunting therapeutic challenge to completely eradicate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from patients. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) -based vaccines appear promising, however the efficacy needs to be improved.

Methods: Here, we explore if fusing high-mobility group nucleosome binding protein 1 (HMGN1), a potent immunoadjuvant, to AFP (lenti-HA) can augment the antitumor immunity of AFP-expressing lentiviral vector (lenti-AFP), a vehicle extensively employed for genetic immunization with high transduction efficacy and good safety profiles. The antitumor immunity of Lenti-HA was systemically assessed in ectopic, orthotopic and autochthonous HCC models.

Results: Lenti-HA elicited strong anti-HCC effects in mice and amplified the antitumor immunity of lenti-AFP by reducing effective dose 6-fold. Importantly, lenti-HA induced a robust antitumor immune response with prolonged survival rate and improved the immune and tumor microenvironment in mice with carcinogen-induced autochthonous HCC. Lenti-HA localized primarily to lymphoid organs with no preference for specific immune cell types. Activated dendritic cells (DCs), particularly CD103⁺CD11b^- DCs, were also actively recruited to lymph nodes in lenti-HA-treated HCC mice. Moreover, lenti-HA-transduced human DCs elicited stronger immune response than lenti-AFP against HCC cells in vitro.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that HMGN1 augments the antitumor immunity of AFP-expressing lentiviral vaccines in HCC mice and human cells in vitro and thus provides a new therapeutic strategy for HCC.

Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells with High ROR1 Expression Serve as a New Prophylactic Vaccine for Ovarian Cancer

Tumor vaccines offer a number of advantages for cancer treatment. In the study, the vaccination with cancer stem cells (CSCs) with high expression of the type I receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor (ROR1) was evaluated in a murine model for the vaccine's immunogenicity and protective efficacy against epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). CD117⁺CD44⁺ CSCs were isolated from human EOC HO8910 cell line using a magnetic-activated cell sorting system; murine ID8 EOC suspension sphere cells, which are collectively known as cancer stem-like cells, were acquired from serum-free suspension sphere-forming culture. Mice were subcutaneously immunized with the repeat cycles of freezing and thawing whole HO8910 CD117⁺CD44⁺ CSCs and ID8 cancer stem-like cells, respectively, followed by a challenge with HO8910 or ID8 cells at one week after final vaccination. The results showed that the CSC vaccination significantly induced immunity against EOC growth and markedly prolonged the survival of EOC-bearing mice in the prophylactic setting compared with non-CSC vaccination. Flow cytometry showed significantly increased immunocyte cytotoxicities and remarkably reduced CSC counts in the CSC-vaccinated mice. Moreover, the protective efficacy against EOC was decreased when the ROR1 expression was downregulated by shRNA in CSC vaccines. The findings from the study suggest that CSC vaccines with high ROR1 expression were highly effective in triggering immunity against EOC in vaccinated mice and may serve as an effective vaccine for EOC immunoprophylaxis.

A novel MtHSP70-FPR1 fusion protein enhances cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses to cervical cancer cells by activating human monocyte-derived dendritic cells via the p38 MAPK signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the potential effects of recombinant mycobacterium tuberculosis heat shock protein 70-formyl peptide receptor 1 (MtHSP70-FPR1) fusion protein on human monocyte-derived dendritic cell (moDC) maturation; cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to cervical cancer (CC) cells; and the roles of the p38 MAPK, ERK, and JNK pathways in its transition.

METHODS

Monocytes were positively selected with a MACS column with antiCD14 antibody-conjugated microbeads from umbilical cord blood. MoDCs were stimulated with MtHSP70-FPR1, MtHSP70, a mix of MtHSP70 and FPR1, FPR1, or phosphate buffer solution (PBS) as control. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the surface molecule expression of moDCs and IFN-γ-producing CD8⁺ T cells. T cell proliferation was assessed using [3][H]-thymidine assays. The cytotoxicity of moDC-activated T cells against CC cells was evaluated by MTT assays. Cytokine production was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blotting was used to investigate protein expression.

RESULTS

Compared with MtHSP70, MtHSP70 + FPR1, FPR1, or PBS-mediated moDCs, MtHSP70-FPR1-pulsed moDCs expressed higher levels of CD80, CD86, CD83, HLA-DR, and CCR7; secreted more IL-12p70, TNF-ɑ and IL-1β; and elicited stronger CTL priming and proliferation, resulting in an effective, HLA-I-dependent killing effect on CC cells. The p38 MAPK, ERK, and JNK pathways were all activated in MtHSP70-FPR1-mediated moDC maturation, but the p38 MAPK pathway played a vital role.

CONCLUSIONS

The excellent capability of MtHSP70-FPR1 fusion protein to induce phenotypical and functional maturation of moDCs and CC-specific CTL responses partly illustrates the potential clinical benefits of DC-based immunotherapy for CC.

Adipokine RBP4 drives ovarian cancer cell migration

Background

Obesity has been linked to several types of cancers including ovarian cancer. Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) is an adipokine that drives the development of hyperinsulinemia and type II diabetes in obesity patients and animals. Previously, we have identified RBP4 as a serum marker for ovarian cancer. Here we further explored the consequence of RBP4 upregulation in ovarian cancer cells and its molecular mechanism.

Results

Our results show that RBP4 is overexpressed in ovarian cancer cells to the same extent as in adipose tissues. The overexpression of RBP4 in ovarian cancer cells promotes cancer cell migration and proliferation. At molecular level, cancer progression factors MMP2 and MMP9 are induced in response to RBP4 overexpression. We further investigated which signaling pathways are utilized by RBP4 to activate ovarian cancer cell migration. We found RhoA/Rock1 pathway is turned on and CyclinD1 is upregulated in RBP4 overexpressed cells. Inhibition of RhoA/Rock1 pathway reduces the RBP4-induced MMP2 and MMP9 expression. The RBP4 action is depend on its associated ligand vitamin A/retinol acid (RA) and possibly involves similar pathways as for conferring insulin resistance. Moreover, we show that knockdown of RBP4 significantly reduce cancer cell migration and proliferation as well as expressions of oncogenic factors.

Conclusions

Our results indicated that RBP4 can drive ovarian cancer cell migration and proliferation via RhoA/Rock1 and ERK pathway. It suggests that RBP4 act as a oncogene in ovarian cancer cells. Thus, RBP4 could be a molecular bridge between obesity and cancers and a potential target for treating obese cancer patients.