2
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Zhang Q, Tsui YM, Zhang VX, Lu AJ, Lee JMF, Lee E, Cheung GCH, Li PM, Cheung ETY, Chia NH, Lo ILO, Chan ACY, Cheung TT, Ng IOL, Ho DWH. Reciprocal interactions between malignant cells and macrophages enhance cancer stemness and M2 polarization in HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma. Theranostics 2024; 14:892-910. [PMID: 38169544 PMCID: PMC10758064 DOI: 10.7150/thno.87962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: The tumor microenvironment of cancers has emerged as a crucial component in regulating cancer stemness and plays a pivotal role in cell-cell communication. However, the specific mechanisms underlying these phenomena remain poorly understood. Methods: We performed the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on nine HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. The heterogeneity of the malignant cells in pathway functions, transcription factors (TFs) regulation, overall survival, stemness, as well as ligand-receptor-based intercellular communication with macrophages were characterized. The aggressive and stemness feature for the target tumor subclone was validated by the conduction of in vitro assays including sphere formation, proliferation, Annexin V apoptosis, flow cytometry, siRNA library screening assays, and multiple in vivo preclinical mouse models including mouse hepatoma cell and human HCC cell xenograft models with subcutaneous or orthotopic injection. Results: Our analysis yielded a comprehensive atlas of 31,664 cells, revealing a diverse array of malignant cell subpopulations. Notably, we identified a stemness-related subclone of HCC cells with concurrent upregulation of CD24, CD47, and ICAM1 expression that correlated with poorer overall survival. Functional characterization both in vitro and in vivo validated S100A11 as one of the top downstream mediators for tumor initiation and stemness maintenance of this subclone. Further investigation of cell-cell communication within the tumor microenvironment revealed a propensity for bi-directional crosstalk between this stemness-related subclone and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Co-culture study showed that this interaction resulted in the maintenance of the expression of cancer stem cell markers and driving M2-like TAM polarization towards a pro-tumorigenic niche. We also consolidated an inverse relationship between the proportions of TAMs and tumor-infiltrating T cells. Conclusions: Our study highlighted the critical role of stemness-related cancer cell populations in driving an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and identified the S100A11 gene as a key mediator for stemness maintenance in HCC. Moreover, our study provides support that the maintenance of cancer stemness is more attributed to M2 polarization than the recruitment of the TAMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyang Zhang
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Yu-Man Tsui
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Vanilla Xin Zhang
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Anna Jingyi Lu
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Joyce Man-Fong Lee
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Eva Lee
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Gary Cheuk-Hang Cheung
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Po-Man Li
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | | | - Nam-Hung Chia
- Department of Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong
| | | | - Albert Chi-Yan Chan
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Tan-To Cheung
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Irene Oi-Lin Ng
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Daniel Wai-Hung Ho
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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3
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Doan A, Mueller KP, Chen A, Rouin GT, Daniel B, Lattin J, Chen Y, Mozarsky B, Markovska M, Arias-Umana J, Hapke R, Jung I, Xu P, Klysz D, Bashti M, Quinn PJ, Sandor K, Zhang W, Hall J, Lareau C, Grupp SA, Fraietta JA, Sotillo E, Satpathy AT, Mackall CL, Weber EW. FOXO1 is a master regulator of CAR T memory programming. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2802998. [PMID: 37986944 PMCID: PMC10659532 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2802998/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Poor CAR T persistence limits CAR T cell therapies for B cell malignancies and solid tumors1,2. The expression of memory-associated genes such as TCF7 (protein name TCF1) is linked to response and long-term persistence in patients3-7, thereby implicating memory programs in therapeutic efficacy. Here, we demonstrate that the pioneer transcription factor, FOXO1, is responsible for promoting memory programs and restraining exhaustion in human CAR T cells. Pharmacologic inhibition or gene editing of endogenous FOXO1 in human CAR T cells diminished the expression of memory-associated genes, promoted an exhaustion-like phenotype, and impaired antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. FOXO1 overexpression induced a gene expression program consistent with T cell memory and increased chromatin accessibility at FOXO1 binding motifs. FOXO1-overexpressing cells retained function, memory potential, and metabolic fitness during settings of chronic stimulation and exhibited enhanced persistence and antitumor activity in vivo. In contrast, TCF1 overexpression failed to enforce canonical memory programs or enhance CAR T cell potency. Importantly, endogenous FOXO1 activity correlated with CAR T and TIL responses in patients, underscoring its clinical relevance in cancer immunotherapy. Our results demonstrate that memory reprogramming through FOXO1 can enhance the persistence and potency of human CAR T cells and highlights the utility of pioneer factors, which bind condensed chromatin and induce local epigenetic remodeling, for optimizing therapeutic T cell states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Doan
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Katherine P Mueller
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Andy Chen
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Geoffrey T Rouin
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Bence Daniel
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - John Lattin
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yingshi Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Brett Mozarsky
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Martina Markovska
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jose Arias-Umana
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert Hapke
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Inyoung Jung
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Peng Xu
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Dorota Klysz
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Malek Bashti
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Patrick J Quinn
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Katalin Sandor
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Wenxi Zhang
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Junior Hall
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Caleb Lareau
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94129 USA
| | - Stephan A Grupp
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Joseph A Fraietta
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Elena Sotillo
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ansuman T Satpathy
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94129 USA
| | - Crystal L Mackall
- Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94129 USA
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Evan W Weber
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Raymond G. Perelman Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94129 USA
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5
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Sun L, Su Y, Jiao A, Wang X, Zhang B. T cells in health and disease. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:235. [PMID: 37332039 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01471-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 60.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
T cells are crucial for immune functions to maintain health and prevent disease. T cell development occurs in a stepwise process in the thymus and mainly generates CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets. Upon antigen stimulation, naïve T cells differentiate into CD4+ helper and CD8+ cytotoxic effector and memory cells, mediating direct killing, diverse immune regulatory function, and long-term protection. In response to acute and chronic infections and tumors, T cells adopt distinct differentiation trajectories and develop into a range of heterogeneous populations with various phenotype, differentiation potential, and functionality under precise and elaborate regulations of transcriptional and epigenetic programs. Abnormal T-cell immunity can initiate and promote the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of T cell development, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell classification, and differentiation in physiological settings. We further elaborate the heterogeneity, differentiation, functionality, and regulation network of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in infectious disease, chronic infection and tumor, and autoimmune disease, highlighting the exhausted CD8+ T cell differentiation trajectory, CD4+ T cell helper function, T cell contributions to immunotherapy and autoimmune pathogenesis. We also discuss the development and function of γδ T cells in tissue surveillance, infection, and tumor immunity. Finally, we summarized current T-cell-based immunotherapies in both cancer and autoimmune diseases, with an emphasis on their clinical applications. A better understanding of T cell immunity provides insight into developing novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies in human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Sun
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Immune Related Diseases, Xi'an, Shannxi, 710061, China
| | - Yanhong Su
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Immune Related Diseases, Xi'an, Shannxi, 710061, China
| | - Anjun Jiao
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Immune Related Diseases, Xi'an, Shannxi, 710061, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Immune Related Diseases, Xi'an, Shannxi, 710061, China
| | - Baojun Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China.
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China.
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710061, China.
- Xi'an Key Laboratory of Immune Related Diseases, Xi'an, Shannxi, 710061, China.
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