Macrophage CD5L is a target for cancer immunotherapy

An update to experimental and clinical aspects of tumor-associated macrophages in cancer development: hopes and pitfalls

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) represent one of the most abundant tumor-infiltrating stromal cells, and their normal function in tumor microenvironment (TME) is to suppress tumor cells by producing cytokines which trigger both direct cell cytotoxicity and antibody-mediated immune response. However, upon prolonged exposure to TME, the classical function of these so-called M1-type TAMs can be converted to another type, "M2-type," which are recruited by tumor cells so that they promote tumor growth and metastasis. This is the reason why the accumulation of TAMs in TME is correlated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. Both M1- and M2-types have high degree of plasticity, and M2-type cells can be reprogrammed to M1-type for therapeutic purposes. This characteristic introduces TAMs as promising target for developing novel cancer treatments. In addition, inhibition of M2-type cells and blocking their recruitment in TME, as well as their depletion by inducing apoptosis, are other approaches for effective immunotherapy of cancer. In this review, we summarize the potential of TAMs to be targeted for cancer immunotherapy and provide an up-to-date about novel strategies for targeting TAMs.

The Biological Role of Macrophage in Lung and Its Implications in Lung Cancer Immunotherapy

The lungs are the largest surface of the body and the most important organ in the respiratory system, which are constantly exposed to the external environment. Tissue Resident Macrophages in lung constitutes the important defense against external pathogens. Macrophages connects the innate and adaptive immune system, and also plays important roles in carcinogenesis and cancer immunotherapy. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with an overall five-year survival rate of only 21%. Macrophages that infiltrate or aggregate in lung tumor microenvironment are defined as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). TAMs are the main components of immune cells in the lung tumor microenvironment. The differentiation and maturation process of TAMs can be roughly divided into two different types: classical activation pathway produces M1 tumor-associated macrophages, and bypass activation pathway produces M2 tumor-associated macrophages. Studies have found that TAMs are related to tumor invasion, metastasis, and treatment resistance, and show potential as a new target for tumor immunotherapy. Therefore, the biological function of macrophages in lung and the role of TAMs in the occurrence, development, and treatment of lung cancer are discussed in this paper.

Costunolide mitigates inflammation and promotes extracellualr matrix integrity of thoracic aortic dissection by inhibiting NF-κB signaling

BACKGROUND

Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) is one of the most fatal cardiovascular diseases. One of its important pathological characteristics is the local inflammatory response. Many studies have found that Macrophage polarization plays an extremely critical role in the inflammatory progression and tissue remodeling of TAD. Costunolide (CTD) has an improving effect on oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. However, whether it can promote the integrity of extracellular matrix in Aortic dissection and its mechanism are still unclear.

METHODS

The male C57BL/6J mice were used to construct an animal model of TAD with β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) (100 mg/kg/day, lasting for 28 days), and then CTD (10 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally for 28 days to check the survival rate, TAD incidence, aortic morphology and other indicators of the mice. Using hematoxylin-eosin (HE), Masson, Elastin van Gieson (EVG) staining, immunofluorescence (IF), and immunohistochemical staining, the study aimed to determine the therapeutic effects of CTD on an animal model with BAPN-induced TAD. To enhance the examination of the regulatory mechanism of CTD, we conducted transcriptome sequencing on arterial tissues of mice in both the BAPN group and the BAPN + CTD100 group. Next, ANG II were used to construct TAD model in vascular smooth muscle cells (VMSCs). The effects of CTD on the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of ANG II-induced cells are to be detected. The expression of MMP2, MMP9, P65, and p-P65 in each group will be examined using Western blot. Finally, the overexpression of IκB kinaseβ (IKKβ) will be established in VMSCs cells to further explore the protective function of CTD.

RESULTS

The result showed that CTD significantly inhibited BAPN induced mortality and TAD incidence in the animal model, improved aortic vascular morphology, promoted the integrity of extracellular matrix in TAD, reduced tissue inflammation, reduced the accumulation of M1 macrophage, promoted M2 macrophage polarization, and reduced the expression of NF-κB pathway related proteins. Mechanistically, CTD significantly weakened the proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis. p-P65 protein expression of TAD cells were induced by ANG II and IKK-β.

CONCLUSION

CTD has the potential to alleviate inflammation, VSMC apoptosis, MMP2/9 levels, and enhance extracellular matrix integrity in TAD by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway.

The phenotype and related gene expressions of macrophages in adipose tissue of T2D mice following MSCs infusion

BACKGROUND

Infusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) induces polarization of M2 macrophages in adipose tissue of type 2 diabetes (T2D) mice. Studies have shown that M2 macrophages were divided into four sub-phenotypes (M2a, M2b, M2c and M2d) with different functions, and manuscripts have also confirmed that macrophages co-cultured with MSCs were not matched with known four phenotype macrophages. Therefore, our study explored the phenotype and related gene expressions of macrophages in the adipose tissue of T2D mice with/without MSCs infusion.

METHODS

We induced a T2D mouse model by using high-fat diets and streptozotocin (STZ) injection. The mice were divided into three groups: the control group, the T2D group, and the MSCs group. MSCs were systemically injected once a week for 6 weeks. The phenotype of macrophages in adipose tissue was detected via flow cytometric analysis. We also investigated the gene expression of macrophages in different groups via SMART-RNA-sequencing and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

RESULTS

The present study found that the macrophages of adipose tissue in the MSCs group were polarized to the M2 phenotype mixed with four sub-phenotypes. Besides, M2a and M2c held a dominant position, while M2b and M2d (tumor-associated macrophages, TAMs) exhibited a decreasing trend after infusion of MSCs. Moreover, the MSCs group did not appear to express higher levels of tumor-associated, inflammation-associated, or fibrosis-associated genes in comparison to the T2D group.

CONCLUSION

The present results unveiled that the macrophage phenotype was inclined to be present in a hybridity state of four M2 sub-phenotypes and the genes related to tumor-promoting, pro-inflammation and pro-fibrosis were not increased after MSCs injection.

The Characteristics of Transcription Factors Regulating T Cell Exhaustion Were Analyzed to Predict the Prognosis and Therapeutic Effect in Patients with HCC

Purpose

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths, posing a significant threat to people in diverse regions. T-cell exhaustion (Tex) can hinder the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with HCC, and the transcription factors that regulate Tex in HCC have not yet been fully elucidated.

Patients and Methods

We used the single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) method to define the transcription factor pathway that regulates Tex and employed LASSO regression analysis to establish Tex related genes (TEXRS). To predict differences in immunotherapy efficacy between the two groups, we used the immunophenotype score and submap algorithm. RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression levels of the model genes in 21 pairs of HCC tissues. Finally, we assessed the cell communication strength and identified ligand receptors using the "CellChat" R package.

Results

Nine Tex transcription factors were identified as regulators of the HCC immune microenvironment, with Tex scores affecting patient survival. Patients with a high Tex Risk Score (TEXRS) had significantly worse overall survival compared to patients with low TEXRS. After adjusting for confounding factors, TEXRS remained an independent prognostic factor. Importantly, TEXRS performed well in multiple independent external validation cohorts. Various algorithms have shown that patients in the low-TEXRS group might benefit more from immunotherapy. Finally, RT-qPCR analysis of 21 HCC samples showed that C7, CD5L, and SDS were significantly downregulated in HCC tissues, consistent with the bioinformatics analysis results.

Conclusion

TEXRS proved to be a valuable predictor of immunotherapy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization efficacy in patients with HCC. This holds promise for enhancing the prognosis and treatment outcomes of patients with HCC.

TonEBP expression is essential in the IL-1β-induced migration and invasion of human A549 lung cancer cells

Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate among all cancers, in part because it readily metastasizes. The tumor microenvironment, comprising blood vessels, fibroblasts, immune cells, and macrophages [including tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs)], is closely related to cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion. TAMs secrete several cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, which participate in cancer migration and invasion. p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1), an important signaling molecule, induces cell migration and invasion in several carcinomas. Tonicity-responsive enhancer-binding protein (TonEBP) is also known to participate in cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion. However, the mechanisms by which it increases lung cancer migration remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to elucidate the mechanisms by which IL-1β and TonEBP affect lung cancer cell migration and invasion. We found that A549 cocultured-MΦ-secreted IL-1β induced A549 cell migration and invasion via the PAK1 pathway. TonEBP deficiency reduced A549 cell migration and invasion and increased responsiveness to IL-1β-induced migration and invasion. PAK1 phosphorylation, which was promoted by IL-1β, was reduced when TonEBP was depleted. These results suggest that TonEBP plays an important role in IL-1β induction and invasiveness of A549 cells via the PAK1 pathway. These findings could be valuable in identifying potential targets for lung cancer treatment.

Aptamers as Potential Therapeutic Tools for Ovarian Cancer: Advancements and Challenges

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most common lethal gynecologic cause of death in women worldwide, with a high mortality rate and increasing incidence. Despite advancements in the treatment, most OC patients still die from their disease due to late-stage diagnosis, the lack of effective diagnostic methods, and relapses. Aptamers, synthetic, short single-stranded oligonucleotides, have emerged as promising anticancer therapeutics. Their ability to selectively bind to target molecules, including cancer-related proteins and receptors, has revolutionized drug discovery and biomarker identification. Aptamers offer unique insights into the molecular pathways involved in cancer development and progression. Moreover, they show immense potential as drug delivery systems, enabling targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to cancer cells while minimizing off-target effects and reducing systemic toxicity. In the context of OC, the integration of aptamers with non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) presents an opportunity for precise and efficient gene targeting. Additionally, the conjugation of aptamers with nanoparticles allows for accurate and targeted delivery of ncRNAs to specific cells, tissues, or organs. In this review, we will summarize the potential use and challenges associated with the use of aptamers alone or aptamer-ncRNA conjugates, nanoparticles, and multivalent aptamer-based therapeutics for the treatment of OC.