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Li W, Chen G, Peng H, Zhang Q, Nie D, Guo T, Zhu Y, Zhang Y, Lin M. Research Progress on Dendritic Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Immune Microenvironments. Biomolecules 2024; 14:1161. [PMID: 39334927 PMCID: PMC11430656 DOI: 10.3390/biom14091161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2024] [Revised: 08/29/2024] [Accepted: 09/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that play a crucial role in initiating immune responses by cross-presenting relevant antigens to initial T cells. The activation of DCs is a crucial step in inducing anti-tumor immunity. Upon recognition and uptake of tumor antigens, activated DCs present these antigens to naive T cells, thereby stimulating T cell-mediated immune responses and enhancing their ability to attack tumors. It is particularly noted that DCs are able to cross-present foreign antigens to major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules, prompting CD8+ T cells to proliferate and differentiate into cytotoxic T cells. In the malignant progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the inactivation of DCs plays an important role, and the activation of DCs is particularly important in anti-HCC immunotherapy. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms of DCs activation in HCC, the involved regulatory factors and strategies to activate DCs in HCC immunotherapy. It provides a basis for the study of HCC immunotherapy through DCs activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenya Li
- The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou 225300, China
- Graduate School, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Guojie Chen
- The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou 225300, China
- Medical School, Nantong University, Nantong 226019, China
| | - Hailin Peng
- The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou 225300, China
| | - Qingfang Zhang
- The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou 225300, China
| | - Dengyun Nie
- The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou 225300, China
- Graduate School, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Ting Guo
- The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou 225300, China
- Graduate School, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Yinxing Zhu
- The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou 225300, China
| | - Yuhan Zhang
- The First School of Clinical Medicine Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Mei Lin
- The Affiliated Taizhou People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Taizhou 225300, China
- Graduate School, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China
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Chen Y, Zhou Y, Yan Z, Tong P, Xia Q, He K. Effect of infiltrating immune cells in tumor microenvironment on metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2023; 46:1595-1604. [PMID: 37414962 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00841-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal and prevalent human malignancies, leading to poor prognosis due to its high recurrence and metastasis rates. In recent years it has become increasingly evident that the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important role in tumor progression and metastasis. Tumor microenvironment (TME) refers to the complex tissue environment of tumor occurrence and development. Here, we summarize the development of HCC and the role of cellular and non-cellular components of the TME in the metastasis HCC, with particular reference to tumor-infiltrating immune cells. We also discuss some of the possible therapeutic targets for the TME and the future prospectives of this evolving field. SIGNIFICANCE: This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of the infiltrating immune cells in TME in the metastasis of HCC and highlights the future outlook for targeted therapy of the TME in the context of recent experiments revealing a number of therapeutic targets targeting the TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwen Chen
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhang Zhou
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyang Yan
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Peilin Tong
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiang Xia
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China.
| | - Kang He
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and Immunology, Shanghai, China.
- Shanghai Institute of Transplantation, Shanghai, China.
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Gan X, Li S, Wang Y, Du H, Hu Y, Xing X, Cheng X, Yan Y, Li Z. Aspartate β-Hydroxylase Serves as a Prognostic Biomarker for Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065482. [PMID: 36982561 PMCID: PMC10053938 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) has been established as being an effective treatment for advanced gastric cancer (GC), while the predictive biomarker of NACT efficacy remains under investigation. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) represents an attractive target which is a highly conserved transmembrane enzyme overexpressed in human GC, and participates in the malignant transformation by promoting tumor cell motility. Here, we evaluated the expression of ASPH by immunohistochemistry in 350 GC tissues (including samples for NACT) and found that ASPH expression was higher in patients undergoing NACT compared with patients without NACT pre-operation. The OS and PFS time of ASPH-intensely positive patients was significantly shorter than that of the negative patients in the NACT group, while the difference was not significant in patients without NACT. We showed that ASPH knockout enhanced the inhibitory effects of chemotherapeutic drugs on the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and suppressed tumor progression in vivo. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed that ASPH might interact with LAPTM4B to perform chemotherapeutic drug resistance. Our results suggested that ASPH might serve as a candidate biomarker to predict prognosis and a novel therapeutic target for gastric cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejun Gan
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Shen Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Yiding Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Hong Du
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Ying Hu
- Department of Biobank, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Xiaofang Xing
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Xiaojing Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
- Department of Biobank, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Department of Endoscopy, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
- Correspondence: (Y.Y.); (Z.L.)
| | - Ziyu Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, Beijing 100142, China
- Correspondence: (Y.Y.); (Z.L.)
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Wirsching S, Fichter M, Cacicedo ML, Landfester K, Gehring S. Modification of Regulatory T Cell Epitopes Promotes Effector T Cell Responses to Aspartyl/Asparaginyl β-Hydroxylase. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232012444. [PMID: 36293298 PMCID: PMC9604227 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232012444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. The search for innovative therapeutic approaches is a principal focus of medical research. Vaccine strategies targeting a number of tumor-associated antigens are currently being evaluated. To date, none have garnered significant success. Purportedly, an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and the accumulation of regulatory T cells contribute to a lack of tumor vaccine efficacy. Aspartyl/asparaginyl β-hydroxylase (ASPH), a promising therapeutic target, is overexpressed in a variety of malignant tumors but is expressed negligibly in normal tissues. Computer analysis predicted that ASPH expresses four peptide sequences (epitopes) capable of stimulating regulatory T cell activity. The abolition of these putative regulatory T cell epitopes increased the CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cell responses to monocyte-derived dendritic cells pulsed with a modified, epitope-depleted version of ASPH in an ex vivo human lymphoid tissue-equivalent coculture system while simultaneously decreasing the overall number of FoxP3+ regulatory T cells. These findings suggest that the efficacy of all new vaccine candidates would profit from screening and eliminating potential tolerogenic regulatory T cell epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Wirsching
- Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael Fichter
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Maximiliano L. Cacicedo
- Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
| | - Katharina Landfester
- Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Stephan Gehring
- Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Langenbeckstr. 1, 55131 Mainz, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-6131-3560
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Zhang Z, Xiang K, Tan L, Du X, He H, Li D, Li L, Wen Q. Identification of critical genes associated with radiotherapy resistance in cervical cancer by bioinformatics. Front Oncol 2022; 12:967386. [PMID: 35965520 PMCID: PMC9373049 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.967386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the common malignant tumors in women, Currently, 30% of patients with intermediate to advanced squamous cervical cancer are still uncontrolled or recurrent after standard radical simultaneous radiotherapy; therefore, the search for critical genes affecting the sensitivity of radiotherapy may lead to new strategies for treatment. Methods Firstly, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between radiotherapy-sensitivity and radiotherapy-resistance were identified by GEO2R from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) website, and prognosis-related genes for cervical cancer were obtained from the HPA database. Subsequently, the DAVID database analyzed gene ontology (GO). Meanwhile, the protein-protein interaction network was constructed by STRING; By online analysis of DEGs, prognostic genes, and CCDB data that are associated with cervical cancer formation through the OncoLnc database, we aim to search for the key DEGs associated with CC, Finally, the key gene(s) was further validated by immunohistochemistry. Result 298 differentially expressed genes, 712 genes associated with prognosis, and 509 genes related to cervical cancer formation were found. The results of gene function analysis showed that DEGs were mainly significant in functional pathways such as variable shear and energy metabolism. By further verification, two genes, ASPH and NKAPP1 were identified through validation as genes that affect both sensitivities to radiotherapy and survival finally. Then, immunohistochemical results showed that the ASPH gene was highly expressed in the radiotherapy-resistant group and had lower Overall survival (OS) and Progression-free survival (PFS). Conclusion This study aims to better understand the characteristics of cervical cancer radiation therapy resistance-related genes through bioinformatics and provide further research ideas for finding new mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets related to cervical cancer radiation therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhua Zhang
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, China
| | - Kechao Xiang
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Longjing Tan
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Xiuju Du
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Huailin He
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Dan Li
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Li Li
- Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, China
- *Correspondence: Qinglian Wen, ; Li Li,
| | - Qinglian Wen
- The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Qinglian Wen, ; Li Li,
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6
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Shan X, Gong X, Li J, Wen J, Li Y, Zhang Z. Current approaches of nanomedicines in the market and various stage of clinical translation. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:3028-3048. [PMID: 35865096 PMCID: PMC9293719 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 52.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared with traditional drug therapy, nanomedicines exhibit intriguing biological features to increase therapeutic efficiency, reduce toxicity and achieve targeting delivery. This review provides a snapshot of nanomedicines that have been currently launched or in the clinical trials, which manifests a diversified trend in carrier types, applied indications and mechanisms of action. From the perspective of indications, this article presents an overview of the applications of nanomedicines involving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, which include cancer, infections, blood disorders, cardiovascular diseases, immuno-associated diseases and nervous system diseases, etc. Moreover, the review provides some considerations and perspectives in the research and development of nanomedicines to facilitate their translations in clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoting Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- School of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiang Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Jie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- Yantai Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine & Advanced Preparations, Yantai Institute of Materia Medica, Yantai 264000, China
| | - Jingyuan Wen
- School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
| | - Yaping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- School of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiwen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Drug Research & Center of Pharmaceutics, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China
- Yantai Key Laboratory of Nanomedicine & Advanced Preparations, Yantai Institute of Materia Medica, Yantai 264000, China
- School of Pharmacy, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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7
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Bai X, Zhou Y, Yokota Y, Matsumoto Y, Zhai B, Maarouf N, Hayashi H, Carlson R, Zhang S, Sousa A, Sun B, Ghanbari H, Dong X, Wands JR. Adaptive antitumor immune response stimulated by bio-nanoparticle based vaccine and checkpoint blockade. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:132. [PMID: 35392977 PMCID: PMC8991500 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02307-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interactions between tumor and microenvironment determine individual response to immunotherapy. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have exhibited suboptimal responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH), an oncofetal protein and tumor associated antigen (TAA), is a potential target for immunotherapy. METHODS Subcutaneous HCC and orthotopic TNBC murine models were established in immunocompetent BALB/c mice with injection of BNL-T3 and 4 T1 cells, respectively. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, H&E, flow cytometry, ELISA and in vitro cytotoxicity assays were performed. RESULTS The ASPH-MYC signaling cascade upregulates PD-L1 expression on breast and liver tumor cells. A bio-nanoparticle based λ phage vaccine targeting ASPH was administrated to mice harboring syngeneic HCC or TNBC tumors, either alone or in combination with PD-1 blockade. In control, autocrine chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13)-C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5) axis promoted tumor development and progression in HCC and TNBC. Interactions between PD-L1+ cancer cells and PD-1+ T cells resulted in T cell exhaustion and apoptosis, causing immune evasion of cancer cells. In contrast, combination therapy (Vaccine+PD-1 inhibitor) significantly suppressed primary hepatic or mammary tumor growth (with distant pulmonary metastases in TNBC). Adaptive immune responses were attributed to expansion of activated CD4+ T helper type 1 (Th1)/CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) that displayed enhanced effector functions, and maturation of plasma cells that secreted high titers of ASPH-specific antibody. Combination therapy significantly reduced tumor infiltration of immunosuppressive CD4+/CD25+/FOXP3+ Tregs. When the PD-1/PD-L1 signal was inhibited, CXCL13 produced by ASPH+ cancer cells recruited CXCR5+/CD8+ T lymphocytes to tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), comprising effector and memory CTLs, T follicular helper cells, B cell germinal center, and follicular dendritic cells. TLSs facilitate activation and maturation of DCs and actively recruit immune subsets to tumor microenvironment. These CTLs secreted CXCL13 to recruit more CXCR5+ immune cells and to lyse CXCR5+ cancer cells. Upon combination treatment, formation of TLSs predicts sensitivity to ICI blockade. Combination therapy substantially prolonged overall survival of mice with HCC or TNBC. CONCLUSIONS Synergistic antitumor efficacy attributable to a λ phage vaccine specifically targeting ASPH, an ideal TAA, combined with ICIs, inhibits tumor growth and progression of TNBC and HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuewei Bai
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanmei Zhou
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuki Yokota
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
| | - Yoshihiro Matsumoto
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
| | - Bo Zhai
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Nader Maarouf
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
| | - Hikaru Hayashi
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
| | - Rolf Carlson
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
| | - Songhua Zhang
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
| | - Aryanna Sousa
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA
| | - Bei Sun
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Hossein Ghanbari
- Currently at Athanor Biosciences Inc., Halethorpe, MD, 21227, USA
| | - Xiaoqun Dong
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA.
| | - Jack R Wands
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, RI, 02903, Providence, USA.
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Babich M, Sharma A, Li T, Radosevich JA. Labyrinthin: A distinct pan-adenocarcinoma diagnostic and immunotherapeutic tumor specific antigen. Heliyon 2022; 8:e08988. [PMID: 35252607 PMCID: PMC8891966 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Structural analysis and detection of optimal cell surface localization of labyrinthin, a pan-adenocarcinoma target, was studied with respect to adenocarcinoma specificity vs. normal and non-adenocarcinoma cells. Patient-derived tissue microarray immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on 729 commercially prepared tissue blocks of lung, colon, breast, pancreas, prostate, and ovary cancers combined, plus a National Cancer Institute (NCI) tissue microarray derived from another 236 cases. The results confirmed that anti-labyrinthin mouse monoclonal MCA 44-3A6 antibody recognized adenocarcinomas, but not normal or non-adenocarcinoma cancer cells. The consensus of multiple topology analysis programs on labyrinthin (255 amino acids) estimate a type II cell membrane associated protein with an N-terminus signal peptide. However, because the labyrinthin sequence is enveloped within the 758 amino acids of the intracellular aspartyl/asparaginyl beta-hydroxylase (ASPH), a purported tumor associated antigen, standard IHC methods that permeabilize cells can expose common epitopes. To circumvent antibody cross-reactivity, cell surface labyrinthin was distinguished from intracellular ASPH by FACS analysis of permeabilized vs non-permeabilized cells. All permeabilized normal, adeno-and non-adenocarcinoma cells produced a strong MCA 44-3A6 binding signal, likely reflecting co-recognition of intracellular ASPH proteins along with internalized labyrinthin, but in non-permeabilized cells only adenocarcinoma cells were positive for labyrinthin. Confocal microscopy confirmed the FACS results. Labyrinthin as a functional cell-surface marker was suggested when: 1) WI-38 normal lung fibroblasts transfected with labyrinthin sense cDNA displayed a cancerous phenotype; 2) antisense transfection of A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells appeared more normal; and 3) MCA44-3A6 suppressed A549 cell proliferation. Collectively, the data indicate that labyrinthin is a unique, promising adenocarcinoma tumor-specific antigen and therapeutic target. The study also raises a controversial issue on the extent, specificity, and usefulness of ASPH as an adenocarcinoma tumor-associated antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Babich
- LabyRx Immunologic Therapeutics (USA) Limited, University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Ankit Sharma
- LabyRx Immunologic Therapeutics (USA) Limited, University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Tianhong Li
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - James A. Radosevich
- LabyRx Immunologic Therapeutics (USA) Limited, University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
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9
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Holtzman NG, Lebowitz MS, Koka R, Baer MR, Malhotra K, Shahlaee A, Ghanbari HA, Bentzen SM, Emadi A. Aspartate β-Hydroxylase (ASPH) Expression in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Potential Novel Therapeutic Target. Front Oncol 2022; 11:783744. [PMID: 35004304 PMCID: PMC8727599 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.783744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is an embryonic transmembrane protein aberrantly upregulated in cancer cells, associated with malignant transformation and, in some reports, with poor clinical prognosis. Objective To report the expression patterns of ASPH in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Methods Cell surface expression of ASPH was measured via 8-color multiparameter flow cytometry in 41 AML patient samples (31 bone marrow, 10 blood) using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated anti-ASPH antibody, SNS-622. A mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of 10 was used as a cutoff for ASPH surface expression positivity. Data regarding patient and disease characteristics were collected. Results ASPH surface expression was found on AML blasts in 16 samples (39%). Higher ASPH expression was seen in myeloblasts of African American patients (p=0.02), but no correlation was found between ASPH expression and other patient or disease characteristics. No association was found between ASPH status and CR rate (p=0.53), EFS (p=0.87), or OS (p=0.17). Conclusions ASPH is expressed on blasts in approximately 40% of AML cases, and may serve as a new therapeutically targetable leukemia-associated antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa G Holtzman
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Immune Deficiency Cellular Therapy Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | | | - Rima Koka
- Department of Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Maria R Baer
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Kanam Malhotra
- Sensei Biotherapeutics Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, United States
| | - Amir Shahlaee
- Sensei Biotherapeutics Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, United States
| | | | - Søren M Bentzen
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Ashkan Emadi
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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10
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Zhou Q, Lin J, Yan Y, Meng S, Liao H, Chen R, He G, Zhu Y, He C, Mao K, Wang J, Zhang J, Zhou Z, Xiao Z. INPP5F translocates into cytoplasm and interacts with ASPH to promote tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:13. [PMID: 34996491 PMCID: PMC8740451 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-021-02216-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Increasing evidence has suggested inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase family contributes to tumorigenesis and tumor progression. However, the role of INPP5F in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its underlying mechanisms is unclear. Methods The expression of INPP5F in HCC was analyzed in public databases and our clinical specimens. The biological functions of INPP5F were investigated in vitro and vivo. The molecular mechanism of INPP5F in regulating tumor growth were studied by transcriptome-sequencing analysis, mass spectrometry analysis, immunoprecipitation assay and immunofluorescence assay. Results High expression of INPP5F was found in HCC tissues and was associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. Overexpression of INPP5F promoted HCC cell proliferation, and vice versa. Knockdown of INPP5F suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Results from transcriptome-sequencing analysis showed INPP5F not only regulated a series of cell cycle related genes expression (c-MYC and cyclin E1), but also promoted many aerobic glycolysis related genes expression. Further studies confirmed that INPP5F could enhance lactate production and glucose consumption in HCC cell. Mechanistically, INPP5F activated Notch signaling pathway and upregulated c-MYC and cyclin E1 in HCC via interacting with ASPH. Interestingly, INPP5F was commonly nuclear-located in cells of adjacent non-tumor tissues, while in HCC, cytoplasm-located was more common. LMB (nuclear export inhibitor) treatment restricted INPP5F in nucleus and was associated with inhibition of Notch signaling and cell proliferation. Sequence of nuclear localization signals (NLSs) and nuclear export signals (NESs) in INPP5F aminoacidic sequence were then identified. Alteration of the NLSs or NESs influenced the localization of INPP5F and the expression of its downstream molecules. Furthermore, we found INPP5F interacted with both exportin and importin through NESs and NLSs, respectively, but the interaction with exportin was stronger, leading to cytoplasmic localization of INPP5F in HCC. Conclusion These findings indicate that INPP5F functions as an oncogene in HCC via a translocation mechanism and activating ASPH-mediated Notch signaling pathway. INPP5F may serve as a potential therapeutic target for HCC patients. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-021-02216-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianlei Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Department of Thyroid Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Jianhong Lin
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Yongcong Yan
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Shiyu Meng
- Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Department of Anesthesiology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Hao Liao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Ruibin Chen
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Gui He
- Cellular & Molecular Diagnostics Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Yue Zhu
- Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Department of Thyroid Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Chuanchao He
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Kai Mao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Jianlong Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China. .,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
| | - Zhenyu Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China. .,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
| | - Zhiyu Xiao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China. .,Guangdong Province Key laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
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11
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Hao X, Sun G, Zhang Y, Kong X, Rong D, Song J, Tang W, Wang X. Targeting Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment of HCC: New Opportunities and Challenges. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:775462. [PMID: 34869376 PMCID: PMC8633569 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.775462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune associated cells in the microenvironment have a significant impact on the development and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and have received more and more attention. Different types of immune-associated cells play different roles, including promoting/inhibiting HCC and several different types that are controversial. It is well known that immune escape of HCC has become a difficult problem in tumor therapy. Therefore, in recent years, a large number of studies have focused on the immune microenvironment of HCC, explored many mechanisms worth identifying tumor immunosuppression, and developed a variety of immunotherapy methods as targets, laying the foundation for the final victory in the fight against HCC. This paper reviews recent studies on the immune microenvironment of HCC that are more reliable and important, and provides a more comprehensive view of the investigation of the immune microenvironment of HCC and the development of more immunotherapeutic approaches based on the relevant summaries of different immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaopei Hao
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guangshun Sun
- Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yao Zhang
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiangyi Kong
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Dawei Rong
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jinhua Song
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Weiwei Tang
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xuehao Wang
- Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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12
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Bai X, Zhou Y, Lin Q, Huang CK, Zhang S, Carlson RI, Ghanbari H, Sun B, Wands JR, Dong X. Bio-nanoparticle based therapeutic vaccine induces immunogenic response against triple negative breast cancer. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:4141-4174. [PMID: 34659881 PMCID: PMC8493397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is more aggressive and has a poorer prognosis than other sub-types of breast tumors. This study elucidates how aspartate beta-hydroxylase (ASPH) network promotes drug resistance, and immunotherapy targeting ASPH may improve the efficacy of Doxorubicin (DOX) therapy. An orthotopic model of breast cancer generated by 4T1 cells in immunocompetent mice was used to explore efficacy of immunotherapy in combination with DOX chemotherapy. We evaluated mRNA and protein expression in cultured tumor cells and tissue, as well as assessed cell proliferation, apoptosis, soluble factors/cytokine production, immune cell population diversity and function. We observed that ASPH expression enables TNBC cells to exhibit primary resistance to DOX induced single-/double-strand breaks (SSB/DSB) and enhanced proliferation and survival. Specific bio-nanoparticle based therapeutic vaccine (BNP-TV) promoted ASPH uptake by and maturation of DCs. This BNP-TV combined with DOX induces immunogenic cell death (ICD) in orthotopic xenograft tumors and significantly suppressed primary mammary tumor growth and distant multi-organ metastases. Immunogenic cell death induced by BNP-TV targeting ASPH combined with DOX provides opportunities to treat a highly resistant and metastatic form of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuewei Bai
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbin 150081, Heilongjiang Province, P. R. China
| | - Yanmei Zhou
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbin 150081, Heilongjiang Province, P. R. China
| | - Qiushi Lin
- Yurogen Biosystems LLC1 Innovation Dr Suite 115, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Chiung-Kuei Huang
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Songhua Zhang
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Rolf I Carlson
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Hossein Ghanbari
- Athanor Biosciences, Inc.1448 S. Rolling Rd., Suite 021, Halethorpe, MD 21227, USA
| | - Bei Sun
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHarbin 150081, Heilongjiang Province, P. R. China
| | - Jack R Wands
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Xiaoqun Dong
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
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13
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Lin Q, Chen X, Meng F, Ogawa K, Li M, Song R, Zhang S, Zhang Z, Kong X, Xu Q, He F, Liu D, Bai X, Sun B, Hung MC, Liu L, Wands JR, Dong X. Multi-organ metastasis as destination for breast cancer cells guided by biomechanical architecture. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:2537-2567. [PMID: 34249415 PMCID: PMC8263653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A majority of breast cancer patients die of widespread aggressive multidrug-resistant tumors. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is an α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase and oncofetal antigen involved in embryogenesis. To illustrate if ASPH could be targeted for metastatic breast cancer, embedded and on-top three-dimensional (3-D) cultures, 3-D invasion, mammosphere formation, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, Western blot, co-IP and microarray were conducted. In vitro metastasis was developed to imitate how cancer cells invade basement membrane at the primary site, transendothelially migrate, consequently colonize and outgrow at distant sites. Orthotopic and experimental pulmonary metastatic (tail vein injection) murine models were established using stable breast cancer cell lines. Cox proportional hazards regression models and Kaplan-Meier plots were applied to assess clinical outcome of breast cancer patients. In adult non-cancerous breast tissue, ASPH is undetectable. Pathologically, ASPH expression re-emerged at ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), and enhanced with disease progression, from early-stage invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) to late-stage carcinoma. ASPH at moderate to high levels contribute to aggressive molecular subtypes, early relapse or more frequent progression and metastases, whereas substantially shortened overall survival and disease-free survival of breast cancer patients. Through direct physical interactions with A disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein (ADAM)-12/ADAM-15, ASPH could activate SRC cascade, thus upregulating downstream components attributed to multifaceted metastasis. ASPH-SRC axis initiated pro-invasive invadopodium formation causing breakdown/disorganization of extracellular matrix (ECM), simultaneously potentiated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), induced cancer stem cell markers (CD44 and EpCAM), enhanced mammosphere formation and intensified 3-dimentional invasion. Oncogenic SRC upregulated matrix metallopeptidases (MMPs) were assembled by invadopodia, acting as executive effectors for multi-step metastasis. ASPH-SRC signal guided multi-organ metastases (to lungs, liver, bone, spleen, lymph nodes, mesentery or colon) in immunocompromised mice. Malignant phenotypes induced by ASPH-SRC axis were reversed by the third-generation small molecule inhibitor (SMI) specifically against β-hydroxylase activity of ASPH in pre-clinical models of metastatic breast cancer. Collectively, ASPH could activate ADAMs-SRC-MMPs cascades to promote breast cancer tumor progression and metastasis. ASPH could direct invadopodium construction as a biomechanical sensor and pro-metastatic outlet. ASPH-mediated cancer progression could be specifically/efficiently subverted by SMIs of β-hydroxylase activity. Therefore, ASPH emerges as a therapeutic target for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiushi Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterOK 731014, USA
| | - Xuesong Chen
- Department of Internal Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer HospitalHeilongjiang Province, P. R. China
| | - Fanzheng Meng
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of EducationHarbin, P. R. China
| | - Kosuke Ogawa
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Min Li
- Immunobiology & Transplant Science Center, Houston Methodist Research InstituteHouston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Ruipeng Song
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of EducationHarbin, P. R. China
| | - Shugeng Zhang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of EducationHarbin, P. R. China
| | - Ziran Zhang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of EducationHarbin, P. R. China
| | - Xianglu Kong
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of EducationHarbin, P. R. China
| | - Qinggang Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterOK 731014, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu UniversityJiangsu Province, P. R. China
| | - Fuliang He
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterOK 731014, USA
- Department of Interventional Therapy, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, The 9 Affiliated Hospital of Peking UniversityP. R. China
| | - Dan Liu
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityHenan Province, P. R. China
| | - Xuewei Bai
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery; Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education; The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHeilongjiang Province, P. R. China
| | - Bei Sun
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery; Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education; The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical UniversityHeilongjiang Province, P. R. China
| | - Mien-Chie Hung
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical UniversityTaichung 404, Taiwan
| | - Lianxin Liu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of EducationHarbin, P. R. China
- Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The University of Sciences and Technology of ChinaAnhui Province, P. R. China
| | - Jack R Wands
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Xiaoqun Dong
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterOK 731014, USA
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI 02903, USA
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14
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Zheng W, Wang X, Hu J, Bai B, Zhu H. Diverse molecular functions of aspartate β‑hydroxylase in cancer (Review). Oncol Rep 2020; 44:2364-2372. [PMID: 33125119 PMCID: PMC7610305 DOI: 10.3892/or.2020.7792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Aspartate/asparagine β-hydroxylase (AspH) is a type II transmembrane protein that catalyzes the post-translational hydroxylation of definite aspartyl and asparaginyl residues in epidermal growth factor-like domains of substrates. In the last few decades, accumulating evidence has indicated that AspH expression is upregulated in numerous types of human malignant cancer and is associated with poor survival and prognosis. The AspH protein aggregates on the surface of tumor cells, which contributes to inducing tumor cell migration, infiltration and metastasis. However, small-molecule inhibitors targeting hydroxylase activity can markedly block these processes, both in vitro and in vivo. Immunization of tumor-bearing mice with a phage vaccine fused with the AspH protein can substantially delay tumor growth and progression. Additionally, AspH antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were identified in the spleen of tumor-bearing mice. Therefore, these agents may be used as novel strategies for cancer treatment. The present review summarizes the current progress on the underlying mechanisms of AspH expression in cancer development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqian Zheng
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
| | - Xiaowei Wang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
| | - Jinhui Hu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
| | - Bingjun Bai
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
| | - Hongbo Zhu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
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15
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Dehbarez FM, Nezafat N, Mahmoodi S. In Silico Design of a Novel Multi-Epitope Peptide Vaccine Against Hepatocellular Carcinoma. LETT DRUG DES DISCOV 2020. [DOI: 10.2174/1570180817999200502030038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Background:
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent cancer in the world. As
yet, there is no medication for complete treatment of HCC.
Objective:
There is a critical need to search for an innovative therapy for HCC. Recently, multiepitope
vaccines have been introduced as effective immunotherapy approach against HCC.
Methods:
In this research, several immunoinformatics methods were applied to create an original
multi-epitope vaccine against HCC consisting of CD8+ cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs) epitopes
selected from α- fetoprotein (AFP), glypican-3 (GPC3), aspartyl-β-hydroxylase (ASPH); CD4+
helper T lymphocytes (HTLs) epitopes from tetanus toxin fragment C (TTFC), and finally, two tandem
repeats of HSP70407-426 were used which stimulated strong innate and adaptive immune responses.
All the mentioned parts were connected together by relevant linkers.
Results:
According to physicochemical, structural, and immunological results, the designed
vaccine is stable, non-allergen, antigen; it also has a high-quality 3D structure, and numerous linear
and conformational B cell epitopes, whereby this vaccine may stimulate efficient humoral immunity.
Conclusion:
Center on the collected results, the designed vaccine potentially can induce cellular and
humoral immune responses in HCC cases; nonetheless, the efficiency of vaccine must be approved
within in vitro and in vivo immunological analyzes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Motamedi Dehbarez
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
| | - Navid Nezafat
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Shirin Mahmoodi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
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16
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Peng H, Guo Q, Xiao Y, Su T, Jiang TJ, Guo LJ, Wang M. ASPH Regulates Osteogenic Differentiation and Cellular Senescence of BMSCs. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:872. [PMID: 33015050 PMCID: PMC7494742 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Osteogenesis and senescence of BMSCs play great roles in age-related bone loss. However, the causes of these dysfunctions remain unclear. In this study, we identified a differentially expressed ASPH gene in middle-aged and elderly aged groups which were obtained from GSE35955. Subsequent analysis in various databases, such as TCGA, GTEx, and CCLE, revealed that ASPH had positive correlations with several osteogenic markers. The depletion of mouse Asph suppressed the capacity of osteogenic differentiation in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Notably, the expression of ASPH in vitro decreased during aging and senescence. The deficiency of Asph accelerated cellular senescence in BMSCs. Conversely, the overexpression of Asph enhanced the capacity of osteogenic differentiation and inhibited cellular senescence. Mechanistically, ASPH regulated Wnt signaling mediated by Gsk3β. Taken together, our data established that ASPH was potentially involved in the pathogenesis of age-related bone loss through regulating cellular senescence and osteogenic differentiation, which provides some new insights to treat age-related bone loss.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Min Wang
- Department of Endocrinology, Endocrinology Research Center, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
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17
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Kanwal M, Smahel M, Olsen M, Smahelova J, Tachezy R. Aspartate β-hydroxylase as a target for cancer therapy. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2020; 39:163. [PMID: 32811566 PMCID: PMC7433162 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-020-01669-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
As metastasis is a major cause of death in cancer patients, new anti-metastatic strategies are needed to improve cancer therapy outcomes. Numerous pathways have been shown to contribute to migration and invasion of malignant tumors. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is a key player in the malignant transformation of solid tumors by enhancing cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. ASPH also promotes tumor growth by stimulation of angiogenesis and immunosuppression. These effects are mainly achieved via the activation of Notch and SRC signaling pathways. ASPH expression is upregulated by growth factors and hypoxia in different human tumors and its inactivation may have broad clinical impact. Therefore, small molecule inhibitors of ASPH enzymatic activity have been developed and their anti-metastatic effect confirmed in preclinical mouse models. ASPH can also be targeted by monoclonal antibodies and has also been used as a tumor-associated antigen to induce both cluster of differentiation (CD) 8+ and CD4+ T cells in mice. The PAN-301-1 vaccine against ASPH has already been tested in a phase 1 clinical trial in patients with prostate cancer. In summary, ASPH is a promising target for anti-tumor and anti-metastatic therapy based on inactivation of catalytic activity and/or immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madiha Kanwal
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Smahel
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic.
| | - Mark Olsen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy - Glendale, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA
- Crenae Therapeutics, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Jana Smahelova
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Ruth Tachezy
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
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18
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Ogawa K, Lin Q, Li L, Bai X, Chen X, Chen H, Kong R, Wang Y, Zhu H, He F, Xu Q, Liu L, Li M, Zhang S, Nagaoka K, Carlson R, Safran H, Charpentier K, Sun B, Wands J, Dong X. Prometastatic secretome trafficking via exosomes initiates pancreatic cancer pulmonary metastasis. Cancer Lett 2020; 481:63-75. [PMID: 32145343 PMCID: PMC7309190 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2020.02.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
To demonstrate multifaceted contribution of aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) pathogenesis, in vitro metastasis assay and patient derived xenograft (PDX) murine models were established. ASPH propagates aggressive phenotypes characterized by enhanced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), 2-D/3-D invasion, extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation/remodeling, angiogenesis, stemness, transendothelial migration and metastatic colonization/outgrowth at distant sites. Mechanistically, ASPH activates Notch cascade through direct physical interactions with Notch1/JAGs and ADAMs. The ASPH-Notch axis enables prometastatic secretome trafficking via exosomes, subsequently initiates MMPs mediated ECM degradation/remodeling as an effector for invasiveness. Consequently, ASPH fosters primary tumor development and pulmonary metastasis in PDX models, which was blocked by a newly developed small molecule inhibitor (SMI) specifically against ASPH's β-hydroxylase activity. Clinically, ASPH is silenced in normal pancreas, progressively upregulated from pre-malignant lesions to invasive/advanced stage PDAC. Relatively high levels of ASPH-Notch network components independently/jointly predict curtailed overall survival (OS) in PDAC patients (log-rank test, Ps < 0.001; Cox proportional hazards regression, P < 0.001). Therefore, ASPH-Notch axis is essential for propagating multiple-steps of metastasis and predicts prognosis of PDAC patients. A specific SMI targeting ASPH offers a novel therapeutic approach to substantially retard PDAC development/progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Ogawa
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Qiushi Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | - Le Li
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Xuewei Bai
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA; Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Xuesong Chen
- Department of Internal Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Hua Chen
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Rui Kong
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Yongwei Wang
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Hong Zhu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Fuliang He
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA; Department of Interventional Therapy, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, The 9th Affiliated Hospital of Peking University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Qinggang Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA; Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, PR China
| | - Lianxin Liu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, Harbin, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The University of Sciences and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Hefei City 230001, An Hui Province, PR China
| | - Min Li
- Immunobiology & Transplant Science Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Songhua Zhang
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Katsuya Nagaoka
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Rolf Carlson
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Howard Safran
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Rhode Island Hospital/The Miriam Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Kevin Charpentier
- Department of Surgery, Rhode Island Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, USA
| | - Bei Sun
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, PR China.
| | - Jack Wands
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
| | - Xiaoqun Dong
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
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Ogawa K, Lin Q, Li L, Bai X, Chen X, Chen H, Kong R, Wang Y, Zhu H, He F, Xu Q, Liu L, Li M, Zhang S, Nagaoka K, Carlson R, Safran H, Charpentier K, Sun B, Wands J, Dong X. Aspartate β-hydroxylase promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma metastasis through activation of SRC signaling pathway. J Hematol Oncol 2019; 12:144. [PMID: 31888763 PMCID: PMC6937817 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-019-0837-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Signaling pathways critical for embryonic development re-emerge in adult pancreas during tumorigenesis. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) drives embryonic cell motility/invasion in pancreatic development/differentiation. We explored if dysregulated ASPH is critically involved in pancreatic cancer pathogenesis. METHODS To demonstrate if/how ASPH mediates malignant phenotypes, proliferation, migration, 2-D/3-D invasion, pancreatosphere formation, immunofluorescence, Western blot, co-immunoprecipitation, invadopodia formation/maturation/function, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and self-developed in vitro metastasis assays were performed. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were established to illustrate in vivo antitumor effects of the third-generation small molecule inhibitor specifically against ASPH's β-hydroxylase activity. Prognostic values of ASPH network components were evaluated with Kaplan-Meier plots, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards regression models. RESULTS ASPH renders pancreatic cancer cells more aggressive phenotypes characterized by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), 2-D/3-D invasion, invadopodia formation/function as demonstrated by extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, stemness (cancer stem cell marker upregulation and pancreatosphere formation), transendothelial migration (mimicking intravasation/extravasation), and sphere formation (mimicking metastatic colonization/outgrowth at distant sites). Mechanistically, ASPH activates SRC cascade through direct physical interaction with ADAM12/ADAM15 independent of FAK. The ASPH-SRC axis enables invadopodia construction and initiates MMP-mediated ECM degradation/remodeling as executors for invasiveness. Pharmacologic inhibition of invadopodia attenuates in vitro metastasis. ASPH fosters primary tumor development and pulmonary metastasis in PDX models of PDAC, which is blocked by a leading compound specifically against ASPH enzymatic activity. ASPH is silenced in normal pancreas, progressively upregulated from pre-malignant lesions to invasive/advanced stages of PDAC. Expression profiling of ASPH-SRC network components independently/jointly predicts clinical outcome of PDAC patients. Compared to a negative-low level, a moderate-very high level of ASPH, ADAM12, activated SRC, and MMPs correlated with curtailed overall survival (OS) of pancreatic cancer patients (log-rank test, ps < 0.001). The more unfavorable molecules patients carry, the more deleterious prognosis is destinated. Patients with 0-2 (n = 4), 3-5 (n = 8), 6-8 (n = 24), and 9-12 (n = 73) unfavorable expression scores of the 5 molecules had median survival time of 55.4, 15.9, 9.7, and 5.0 months, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Targeting the ASPH-SRC axis, which is essential for propagating multi-step PDAC metastasis, may specifically/substantially retard development/progression and thus improve prognosis of PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Ogawa
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Qiushi Lin
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 731014, USA
| | - Le Li
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery; Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuewei Bai
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI, 02903, USA.,Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery; Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Xuesong Chen
- Department of Internal Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, 150040, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Hua Chen
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery; Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Kong
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery; Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongwei Wang
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery; Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong Zhu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Fuliang He
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 731014, USA.,Department of Interventional Therapy, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, The 9th Affiliated Hospital of Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qinggang Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 731014, USA.,Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, People's Republic of China
| | - Lianxin Liu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.,Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The University of Sciences and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Hefei City, 230001, An Hui Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Li
- Immunobiology & Transplant Science Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Songhua Zhang
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Katsuya Nagaoka
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Rolf Carlson
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Howard Safran
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Rhode Island Hospital/The Miriam Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Kevin Charpentier
- Department of Surgery, Rhode Island Hospital, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Bei Sun
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery; Key Laboratory of Hepatosplenic Surgery, Ministry of Education, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jack Wands
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI, 02903, USA.
| | - Xiaoqun Dong
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI, 02903, USA. .,Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 731014, USA. .,Department of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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20
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Zhou Y, Li C, Shi G, Xu X, Luo X, Zhang Y, Fu J, Chen L, Zeng A. Dendritic cell-based vaccine targeting aspartate-β-hydroxylas represents a promising therapeutic strategy for HCC. Immunotherapy 2019; 11:1399-1407. [PMID: 31608722 DOI: 10.2217/imt-2019-0081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Dendritic cells (DCs)-mediated immunotherapy has been considered as a promising antitumor method. Aspartate-β-hydroxylase (AAH) is a potential immunotherapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials & methods: C57BL/6 mice were immunized by AAH-DCs vaccine constructed ex vivo. Killing tumor cells effect of active T cells induced by AAH-DCs vaccine on HCC cells were measured in vitro and vivo. The underlying mechanism was preliminarily investigated. Results: T cells response when activated by AAH-DCs vaccine showed a significant inhibition effect on HCC cells in vitro and in tumor-bearing mice models when compared with controls. Additionally, compared with the control group, increased expressions of Caspase8, Caspase 3 and Bax, and declined expression of Bcl-2 were observed in AAH-DCs vaccine group. Conclusion: AAH-DCs vaccine could stimulate T cell responses against HCC, which was possibly achieved via pro-apoptosis mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujiao Zhou
- Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Chengmin Li
- Department of Gastroenterology,The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Guo Shi
- Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaolei Xu
- Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xue Luo
- Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yuanling Zhang
- Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jingjie Fu
- Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Limin Chen
- Toronto General Research Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M2J4A6, Canada
| | - Aizhong Zeng
- Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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21
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Nagaoka K, Bai X, Ogawa K, Dong X, Zhang S, Zhou Y, Carlson RI, Jiang ZG, Fuller S, Lebowitz MS, Ghanbari H, Wands JR. Anti-tumor activity of antibody drug conjugate targeting aspartate-β-hydroxylase in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Cancer Lett 2019; 449:87-98. [PMID: 30768955 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an extremely aggressive malignancy with very limited treatment options. Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are promising cytotoxic agents capable of highly selective delivery. Aspartate-β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is a type II transmembrane protein highly expressed in PDACs (97.1%) but not normal pancreas. We investigated anti-tumor effects of an ADC guided by a human monoclonal antibody (SNS-622) against ASPH in human PDAC cell lines and derived subcutaneous (s.c.) xenograft as well as a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) murine model with spontaneous pulmonary metastasis. The cytotoxic effects exhibited by several candidate payloads linked to SNS-622 antibody targeting ASPH+ PDACs were analyzed. After i.v. administration of SNS-622-emtansine (DM1) ADC, the primary PDAC tumor growth and progression (number and size of pulmonary metastases) were determined. The PDAC cell lines, s.c. and PDX tumors treated with ADC were tested for cell proliferation, cytotoxicity and apoptosis by MTS and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays. SNS-622-DM1 construct has demonstrated optimal anti-tumor effects in vitro. In the PDX model of human PDAC, SNS-622-DM1 ADC exerted substantially inhibitory effects on tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis through attenuating proliferation and promoting apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsuya Nagaoka
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Xuewei Bai
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Kosuke Ogawa
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Xiaoqun Dong
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Songhua Zhang
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Yanmei Zhou
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, Heilongjiang Province, PR China
| | - Rolf I Carlson
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Jack R Wands
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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22
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Hou G, Xu B, Bi Y, Wu C, Ru B, Sun B, Bai X. Recent advances in research on aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) in pancreatic cancer: A brief update. Bosn J Basic Med Sci 2018; 18:297-304. [PMID: 30179586 DOI: 10.17305/bjbms.2018.3539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly aggressive tumor, often difficult to diagnose and treat. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is a type II transmembrane protein and the member of α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase family, found to be overexpressed in different cancer types, including PC. ASPH appears to be involved in the regulation of proliferation, invasion and metastasis of PC cells through multiple signaling pathways, suggesting its role as a tumor biomarker and therapeutic target. In this review, we briefly summarize the possible mechanisms of action of ASPH in PC and recent progress in the therapeutic approaches targeting ASPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guofang Hou
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China.
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23
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Zou Q, Hou Y, Wang H, Wang K, Xing X, Xia Y, Wan X, Li J, Jiao B, Liu J, Huang A, Wu D, Xiang H, Pawlik TM, Wang H, Lau WY, Wang Y, Shen F. Hydroxylase Activity of ASPH Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis Through Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition Pathway. EBioMedicine 2018; 31:287-298. [PMID: 29764768 PMCID: PMC6013968 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Over-expression of aspartyl (asparagynal)-β-hydroxylase (ASPH) contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) invasiveness, but the role of ASPH hydroxylase activity in this process remains to be defined. As such, the current study investigated the role of ASPH hydroxylase activity in downstream signalling of HCC tumorgenesis and, specifically, metastasis development. Over-expression of wild-type ASPH, but not a hydroxylase mutant, promoted HCC cell migration in vitro, as well as intrahepatic and distant metastases in vivo. The enhanced migration and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) activation was notably absent in response to hydroxylase activity blockade. Vimentin, a regulator of EMT, interacted with ASPH and likely mediated the effect of ASPH hydroxylase activity with cell migration. The enhanced hydroxylase activity in tumor tissues predicted worse prognoses of HCC patients. Collectively, the hydroxylase activity of ASPH affected HCC metastasis through interacting with vimentin and regulating EMT. As such, ASPH might be a promising therapeutic target of HCC. Over-expression of ASPH promoted HCC intrahepatic and distant metastases in vivo. ASPH interacts with vimentin to promote HCC cell migration. Enhanced hydroxylase activity in tumor predicted worse prognoses of HCC patients.
Hepatocellular carcinoma has aggressive invasiveness and high metastatic rate. The reason for metastasis is largely unknown and the effective treatment is still lacking. Although over-expression of ASPH has been demonstrated to enhance hepatocellular carcinoma invasiveness, whether its hydroxylase activity is necessary remains uncharacterized. Here, we found the hydroxylase activity was critical to promote hepatocellular carcinoma invasiveness in vitro and metastasis in vivo, and associated with post-surgery survival. ASPH hydroxylase activity play an important role in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition through interacting with vimentin. Our findings imply that ASPH antagonists might be promising in developing novel therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qifei Zou
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Hou
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China; Laboratory of Neural Signal Transduction, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Haibo Wang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kui Wang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xianglei Xing
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yong Xia
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuying Wan
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Binghua Jiao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingfeng Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Mengchao Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Aimin Huang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Mengchao Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Dong Wu
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongjun Xiang
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Timothy M Pawlik
- Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Hongyang Wang
- National Scientific Center for Liver Cancer, Shanghai, China
| | - Wan Yee Lau
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China; Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Yizheng Wang
- Laboratory of Neural Signal Transduction, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai, China.
| | - Feng Shen
- Department of Hepatic Surgery, The Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
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Construction and Characterization of Adenovirus Vectors Encoding Aspartate- β-Hydroxylase to Preliminary Application in Immunotherapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Immunol Res 2018; 2018:9832467. [PMID: 30116759 PMCID: PMC6079451 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9832467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) harboring tumor-associated antigen are supposed to be a potential immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aspartate-β-hydroxylase (AAH), an overexpressed tumor-associated cell surface protein, is considered as a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC. In this study, we constructed adenovirus vector encoding AAH gene by gateway recombinant cloning technology and preliminarily explored the antitumor effects of DC vaccines harboring AAH. Firstly, the total AAH mRNA was extracted from human HCC tissues; the cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR, verified, and sequenced after TA cloning. Gateway technology was used and the obtained 18T-AAH was used as a substrate, to yield the final expression vector Ad-AAH-IRES2-EGFP. Secondly, bone marrow-derived DCs were infected by Ad-AAH-IRES2-EGFP to yield AAH-DC vaccines. Matured DCs were demonstrated by increased expression of CD11c, CD80, and MHC-II costimulatory molecules. A dramatically cell-killing effect of T lymphocytes coculturing with AAH-DCs on HepG2 HCC cell line was demonstrated by CCK-8 and FCM assays in vitro. More importantly, in an animal experiment, the lysis effect of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) on HepG2 cells in the AAH-DC group was stronger than that in the control groups. In conclusion, the gateway recombinant cloning technology is a powerful method of constructing adenovirus vector, and the product Ad-AAH-IRES2-EGFP may present as a potential candidate for DC-based immunotherapy of HCC.
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Zhao L, Niu C, Shi X, Xu D, Li M, Cui J, Li W, Xu J, Jin H. Dendritic cells loaded with the lysate of tumor cells infected with Newcastle Disease Virus trigger potent anti-tumor immunity by promoting the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-2 from T cells. Oncol Lett 2018; 16:1180-1188. [PMID: 30061941 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that are pivotal in the generation and sustainability of antitumor immune responses. Whole tumor cell lysates (TCLs) have been used as sources of tumor antigens for the development of DC vaccines. However, the clinical outcomes of the use of TCL-based DC vaccines have so far been unsatisfactory because of the weak immunogenicity of tumor cells. To improve the efficacy of TCL-based DC vaccines, viruses have been used to enhance the immunity of TCLs and to further enhance the antigen delivery and antigen-presenting ability of DCs. The aim of the present study was to improve the antigen-presenting ability of DCs and to use them to effectively activate T lymphocytes. The present study demonstrated that DCs loaded with the lysate of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV)-infected tumor cells (NDV-TCL) have increased levels of cluster of differentiation 80 (CD80), CD86, CD83 and human leukocyte antigen-antigen D-associated expression, compared with those loaded with TCL alone. The DCs loaded with the NDV-TCL promoted T-cell proliferation and antitumor cytokine secretion from T cells. These results indicated that loading DCs with NDV-TCL could enhance the antigen-presenting ability of the DCs. On the basis of the results of the present study, we hypothesize that this method of loading DCs with NDV-TCL can be used to develop novel DC vaccines for tumor immunotherapy in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lianjing Zhao
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.,State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130012, P.R. China
| | - Chao Niu
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Xiumin Shi
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Dongsheng Xu
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Min Li
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Wei Li
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Jianting Xu
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Haofan Jin
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
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Yao WF, Liu JW, Huang DS. MiR-200a inhibits cell proliferation and EMT by down-regulating the ASPH expression levels and affecting ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways in human hepatoma cells. Am J Transl Res 2018; 10:1117-1130. [PMID: 29736205 PMCID: PMC5934571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The primary objective of this study was to investigate the role of miR-200a in cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through regulating targeting aspartate-β-hydroxylase (ASPH), which may further affect the activation of ERK/PI3K/Akt pathway. Liver cancer and adjacent tissues were collected from 72 cases of liver cancer patients with surgery in our hospital. In this study, the mRNA expression level of miR-200a was significantly decreased by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) detection. ASPH expressions, however, had an opposite tendency compared to that of miR-200a. We found a significantly negative correlation between miR-200a expressions and ASPH expressions. The survival rate of liver cancer patients with the low expressed ASPH was significantly higher than those with the high expressed ASPH. RT-PCR and Western blot results showed that low expressed miR-200a and highexpressed ASPH were found in liver cancer cell lines. Further research discovered that miR-200a transfection could significantly decrease the relative luciferase activity when it was integrated with ASPH 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) in HepG2 cells. Cell Counting Kit (CCK-8) detection showed that treatment with miR-200a mimics reduced cell viability, while the over-expressed ASPH increased cell viability by regulating the c-mycmrna (c-Myc) and Cyclin-D1 expressions. The EMT-related genes including E-Cadherin, N-Cadherin and Vimentin expressions were significantly increased, whereas the over-expressed ASPH exerted the opposite effects. In addition, extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) and serine threonine kinase (AKT) were suppressed by miR-200a mimics. In conclusion, miR-200a inhibits cell proliferation and EMT in human hepatoma cells by targeting ASPH and affecting ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Feng Yao
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College Hangzhou 310014, P.R. China
| | - Jun-Wei Liu
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College Hangzhou 310014, P.R. China
| | - Dong-Sheng Huang
- Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College Hangzhou 310014, P.R. China
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Iwagami Y, Casulli S, Nagaoka K, Kim M, Carlson RI, Ogawa K, Lebowitz MS, Fuller S, Biswas B, Stewart S, Dong X, Ghanbari H, Wands JR. Lambda phage-based vaccine induces antitumor immunity in hepatocellular carcinoma. Heliyon 2017; 3:e00407. [PMID: 28971150 PMCID: PMC5619992 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 05/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a difficult to treat tumor with a poor prognosis. Aspartate β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is a highly conserved enzyme overexpressed on the cell surface of both murine and human HCC cells. METHODS We evaluated therapeutic effects of nanoparticle lambda (λ) phage vaccine constructs against ASPH expressing murine liver tumors. Mice were immunized before and after subcutaneous implantation of a syngeneic BNL HCC cell line. Antitumor actively was assessed by generation of antigen specific cellular immune responses and the identification of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. RESULTS Prophylactic and therapeutic immunization significantly delayed HCC growth and progression. ASPH-antigen specific CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes were identified in the spleen of tumor bearing mice and cytotoxicity was directed against ASPH expressing BNL HCC cells. Furthermore, vaccination generated antigen specific Th1 and Th2 cytokine secretion by immune cells. There was widespread necrosis with infiltration of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells in HCC tumors of λ phage vaccinated mice compared to controls. Moreover, further confirmation of anti-tumor effects on ASPH expressing tumor cell growth were obtained in another murine syngeneic vaccine model with pulmonary metastases. CONCLUSIONS These observations suggest that ASPH may serve as a highly antigenic target for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshifumi Iwagami
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Sarah Casulli
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Katsuya Nagaoka
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Miran Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Rolf I Carlson
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | - Kosuke Ogawa
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
| | | | - Steve Fuller
- Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877, USA
| | | | | | - Xiaoqun Dong
- Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA
| | | | - Jack R Wands
- Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
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Sturla LM, Tong M, Hebda N, Gao J, Thomas JM, Olsen M, de la Monte SM. Aspartate-β-hydroxylase (ASPH): A potential therapeutic target in human malignant gliomas. Heliyon 2016; 2:e00203. [PMID: 27981247 PMCID: PMC5144823 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2016.e00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite therapeutic advances, survival with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remains below 15 months from diagnosis due to GBM's highly infiltrative nature which precludes complete surgical resection. Patient outcomes could potentially be improved by targeting genes and pathways that drive neoplastic cell motility and invasiveness, including hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α), NOTCH, and aspartate-β-hydroxylase (ASPH). METHODS Human astrocytoma biopsy specimens (n = 37), WHO Grades II-IV, were analyzed for levels and distributions of ASPH and HIF-1α immunoreactivity by immunohistochemical staining, and ASPH, Notch, JAG, HES1, HEY1 and HIF1α mRNA expression by quantigene multiplex analysis. The effects of small molecule inhibitors on ASPH's catalytic activity, cell viability and directional motility were examined in vitro in established GBM cell lines and primary tumor cells from an invasive mouse model of GBM. RESULTS The highest grade astrocytoma, i.e. GBM was associated with the highest levels of ASPH and HIF1α, and both proteins were more abundantly distributed in hypoxic compared with normoxic regions of tumor. Furthermore, mining of the TCGA database revealed higher levels of ASPH expression in the mesenchymal subtype of GBM, which is associated with more aggressive and invasive behavior. In contrast, lower grade astrocytomas had low expression levels of ASPH and HIF1α. In vitro experiments demonstrated that small molecule inhibitors targeting ASPH's catalytic activity significantly reduced GBM viability and directional motility. Similar effects occurred in GBM cells that were transduced with a lentiviral sh-ASPH construct. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that increased ASPH expression could serve as a prognostic biomarker of gliomas and may assist in assigning tumor grade when biopsy specimens are scant. In addition, the findings suggest that GBM treatment strategies could be made more effective by including small molecule inhibitors of ASPH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa-Marie Sturla
- Liver Research Center, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Pathology, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Neurology, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Medicine, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Ming Tong
- Liver Research Center, Providence, RI, United States; Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Nick Hebda
- Department of Neurology, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Jinsong Gao
- Department of Medicine, Providence, RI, United States; Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - John-Michael Thomas
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy-Glendale, Midwestern University, United States
| | - Mark Olsen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy-Glendale, Midwestern University, United States
| | - Suzanne M de la Monte
- Liver Research Center, Providence, RI, United States; Division of Gastroenterology, Providence, RI, United States; Division of Neuropathology, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Pathology, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Neurology, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Neurosurgery, Providence, RI, United States; Department of Medicine, Providence, RI, United States; Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
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Tomimaru Y, Mishra S, Safran H, Charpentier KP, Martin W, De Groot AS, Gregory SH, Wands JR. Aspartate-β-hydroxylase induces epitope-specific T cell responses in hepatocellular carcinoma. Vaccine 2015; 33:1256-66. [PMID: 25629522 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2014] [Revised: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor prognosis due to high recurrence rate. Aspartate-β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is a highly conserved transmembrane protein, which is over expressed in HCC and promotes a malignant phenotype. The capability of ASPH protein-derived HLA class I and II peptides to generate antigen specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) immune responses is unknown. Therefore, these studies aim to define the epitope specific components required for a peptide based candidate vaccine. Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) generated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HCC patients were loaded with ASPH protein. Helper CD4(+) T cells and CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) were co-incubated with the DCs; T cell activation was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis. Immunoinformatics tools were used to predict HLA class I- and class II-restricted ASPH sequences, and the corresponding peptides were synthesized. The immunogenicity of each peptide in cultures of human PBMCs was determined by IFN-γ ELISpot assay. ASPH protein-loaded DCs activated both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells contained within the PBMC population derived from HCC patients. Furthermore, the predicted HLA class I- and class II-restricted ASPH peptides were significantly immunogenic. Both HLA class I- and class II-restricted peptides derived from ASPH induce T cell activation in HCC. We observed that ASPH protein and related peptides were highly immunogenic in patients with HCC and produce the type of cellular immune responses required for generation of anti-tumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshito Tomimaru
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Sasmita Mishra
- Department of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Howard Safran
- Department of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Kevin P Charpentier
- Department of Surgery, Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | | | | | - Stephen H Gregory
- Department of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Jack R Wands
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA; Department of Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
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Aihara A, Huang CK, Olsen MJ, Lin Q, Chung W, Tang Q, Dong X, Wands JR. A cell-surface β-hydroxylase is a biomarker and therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology 2014; 60:1302-13. [PMID: 24954865 PMCID: PMC4176525 DOI: 10.1002/hep.27275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor prognosis as a result of widespread intra- and extrahepatic metastases. There is an urgent need to understand signaling cascades that promote disease progression. Aspartyl-(asparaginyl)-β-hydroxylase (ASPH) is a cell-surface enzyme that generates enhanced cell motility, migration, invasion, and metastatic spread in HCC. We hypothesize that inhibition of its enzymatic activity could have antitumor effects. Small molecule inhibitors (SMIs) were developed based on the crystal structure of the ASPH catalytic site followed by computer-assisted drug design. Candidate compounds were tested for inhibition of β-hydroxylase activity and selected for their capability to modulate cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation in vitro and to inhibit HCC tumor growth in vivo using orthotopic and subcutaneous murine models. The biological effects of SMIs on the Notch signaling cascade were evaluated. The SMI inhibitor, MO-I-1100, was selected because it reduced ASPH enzymatic activity by 80% and suppressed HCC cell migration, invasion, and anchorage-independent growth. Furthermore, substantial inhibition of HCC tumor growth and progression was observed in both animal models. The mechanism(s) for this antitumor effect was associated with reduced activation of Notch signaling both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS These studies suggest that the enzymatic activity of ASPH is important for hepatic oncogenesis. Reduced β-hydroxylase activity generated by the SMI MO-I-1100 leads to antitumor effects through inhibiting Notch signaling cascade in HCC. ASPH promotes the generation of an HCC malignant phenotype and represents an attractive molecular target for therapy of this fatal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arihiro Aihara
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Chiung-Kuei Huang
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Mark J. Olsen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Midwestern University-College of Pharmacy Glendale, 19555 N. 59 Ave., Glendale, AZ 85308 USA
| | - Qiushi Lin
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, The University of Rhode Island, Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881 USA
| | - Waihong Chung
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI 02903, USA
| | - Qi Tang
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, The University of Rhode Island, Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881 USA
| | - Xiaoqun Dong
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, The University of Rhode Island, Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881 USA,Corresponding Author: Jack R. Wands, MD, Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick St., Providence, RI 02903, Tel: 401-444-2795; Fax: 401-444-2939; . Xiaoqun Dong, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Rhode Island, Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881. Phone: 401-874-4805; Fax: 401-874-5787;
| | - Jack R. Wands
- Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick Street, 4th Fl., Providence, RI 02903, USA,Corresponding Author: Jack R. Wands, MD, Liver Research Center, Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 55 Claverick St., Providence, RI 02903, Tel: 401-444-2795; Fax: 401-444-2939; . Xiaoqun Dong, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Rhode Island, Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Road, Kingston, RI 02881. Phone: 401-874-4805; Fax: 401-874-5787;
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Ortiz V, Wands JR. Chronic ethanol diet increases regulatory T-cell activity and inhibits hepatitis C virus core-specific cellular immune responses in mice. Hepatol Res 2014; 44:788-97. [PMID: 23710581 PMCID: PMC3883867 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.12173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2013] [Revised: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
AIM Chronic ethanol consumption is associated with persistent hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection. This study explores the role of the host cellular immune response to HCV core protein in a murine model and how chronic ethanol consumption alters T-cell regulatory (Treg) populations. METHODS BALB/c mice were fed an isocaloric control or ethanol liquid diet. Dendritic cells (DC) were isolated after expansion with a hFl3tL-expression plasmid and subsequently transfected with HCV core protein. Core-containing DC (1 × 10(6) ) were s.c. injected (×3) in mice every 2 weeks. Splenocytes from immunized mice were isolated and stimulated with HCV core protein to measure generation of viral antigen-specific Treg, as well as secretion of interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-4. Cytotoxicity was measured by lactate dehydrogenase release from HCV core-expressing syngeneic SP2/19 myeloma cells. RESULTS Splenocytes from mice immunized with ethanol-derived and HCV core-loaded DC exhibited significantly lower in vitro cytotoxicity compared to mice immunized with HCV core-loaded DC derived from isocaloric pair-fed controls. Stimulation with HCV core protein triggered higher IL-2, TNF-α and IL-4 release in splenocytes following immunization with core-loaded DC derived from controls as compared to chronic ethanol-fed mice. Splenocytes derived from mice immunized with core-loaded DC isolated from ethanol-fed mice exhibited a significantly higher CD25(+) FOXP3(+) and CD4(+) FOXP3(+) Treg population. CONCLUSION These results suggest that immunization with HCV core-containing DC from ethanol-fed mice induces an increase in the CD25(+) FOXP3(+) and CD4(+) FOXP3(+) Treg population and may suppress HCV core-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Ortiz
- Department of Medicine; Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center; Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Providence Rhode Island USA
| | - Jack R. Wands
- Department of Medicine; Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Research Center; Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Providence Rhode Island USA
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Aref AM, Hoa NT, Ge L, Agrawal A, Dacosta-Iyer M, Lambrecht N, Ouyang Y, Cornforth AN, Jadus MR. HCA519/TPX2: a potential T-cell tumor-associated antigen for human hepatocellular carcinoma. Onco Targets Ther 2014; 7:1061-70. [PMID: 24966688 PMCID: PMC4063820 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s61442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Immunotherapy for human hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is slowly making progress towards treating these fatal cancers. The identification of new antigens can improve this approach. We describe a possible new antigen, hepatocellular carcinoma‐associated antigen‐519/targeting protein for Xklp‐2 (HCA519/TPX2), for HCC that might be beneficial for T‐cell specific HCC immunotherapy. Methods HCC was studied for the expression for 15 tumor‐associated antigens considered useful for immunotherapy within three HCC cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, and PLC/PRF/5), lymphocytes, non‐cancerous livers, and clinical HCC. The expression of tumor antigenic precursor proteins (TAPPs) messenger RNA was first screened by reverse transcriptase quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Results Four antigens (alpha fetoprotein, aspartyl/asparaginyl βhydroxylase, glypican3 and HCA519/TPX2) proved to be the best expressed TAPPs within the HCC specimens by molecular analyses. HCA519/TPX2 was detected by intracellular cell flow cytometry within HCC cell lines by using a specific antibody towards this TAPP. This antibody also detected the protein within primary HCCs. We synthesized two HCA519/TPX2 peptides (HCA519464–472 and HCA519351–359) which can bind to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐A*0201. Dendritic cells pulsed with these peptides stimulated cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs). These killer T‐cells lysed HLA‐A*0201+ T2 cells exogenously loaded with the correct specific peptide. The CTLs killed HepG2 (HLA‐A2+ and HCA519+), but not the Hep3B and PLC/PRF/5 cell lines, which are HCA519+ but HLA‐A2‐negative. In silico analysis reveals that HCA519/TPX2 has the inherent ability to bind to a very wide variety of HLA antigens. Conclusion HCA519/TPX2 is a viable immunotarget that should be further investigated within HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed M Aref
- Biological Science Department, Modern Sciences and Arts University, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo, Egypt ; Southern California Institute for Research and Education, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Long Beach, CA, USA ; Research Health Care Group, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Neil T Hoa
- Research Health Care Group, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Lisheng Ge
- Research Health Care Group, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - Anshu Agrawal
- Department of Medicine, Division of Basic and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Maria Dacosta-Iyer
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Long Beach, CA, USA ; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Nils Lambrecht
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Long Beach, CA, USA ; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Yi Ouyang
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Long Beach, CA, USA ; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | | | - Martin R Jadus
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department, Veterans Affairs Medical Center Long Beach, CA, USA ; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA ; Neuro-Oncology Program, Chao Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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Wirth TC. Spontaneous and therapeutic immune responses in hepatocellular carcinoma: implications for current and future immunotherapies. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2014; 8:101-10. [PMID: 24410473 DOI: 10.1586/17474124.2014.862497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents a major health problem in the world, ranking fifth in incidence and third in cancer-related deaths. Due to the unique immunosuppressive microenvironment of the liver, HCC develops in an immunotolerant niche posing an important obstacle to immunotherapy. A number of studies, however, have shown immunogenic properties of HCC by demonstrating spontaneous adaptive immune responses during tumor formation and progression. Furthermore, studies examining immune responses during HCC therapy have revealed that conventional treatments such as surgical resection, locoregional therapy and systemic therapy with antibodies, small molecules or chemotherapy induce adaptive immune responses that contribute to therapeutic effects. These observations have provided a basis for clinical trials involving adoptive transfers of T cells or natural killer cells, peptide and dendritic cell vaccinations or, more recently, virotherapy and inhibition of co-inhibitory molecules. Here, spontaneous and therapeutic immune responses in HCC and their implication for current and future immunotherapies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas C Wirth
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Medical School Hannover, 30625 Hannover, Germany
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Cheng JW, Lv Y. New progress of non-surgical treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma. Med Oncol 2013; 30:381. [PMID: 23292867 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-012-0381-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Many non-surgical treatments of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have significantly improved in the last few decades and have shown survival benefits for selected patients with HCC. Today ablation can improve survival in individuals diagnosed in early HCC and even offer a curative treatment in selected candidates. Patients with intermediate-stage HCC benefit from transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). Drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) has shown a better combined ischemic and cytotoxic effect locally and less system toxicity when compared with conventional TACE. Those diagnosed at advanced stage benefit from sorafenib. In addition to TACE and sorafenib which could improve survival for selected patients, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy treatment (3-DCRT), selection internal radiation therapy and systemic chemotherapy have also shown anti-tumor activity in the treatment of advanced HCC, but their survival benefit have not been proven. The limited effects of single therapy suggested that the combination would enhance the overall treatment effect. Other potential non-surgical therapies like gene therapy and immunotherapy are still in testing phases, except for some small-scale clinical trials which have been reported to show some beneficial effect. Here, we review the current non-surgical treatments in HCC and the new advances in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Wen Cheng
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, 76 Yanta West Road, Xi'an 710061, People's Republic of China.
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