Mast cells and histamine enhance the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer cells

Oncogenic fatty acid oxidation senses circadian disruption in sleep-deficiency-enhanced tumorigenesis

Circadian disruption predicts poor cancer prognosis, yet how circadian disruption is sensed in sleep-deficiency (SD)-enhanced tumorigenesis remains obscure. Here, we show fatty acid oxidation (FAO) as a circadian sensor relaying from clock disruption to oncogenic metabolic signal in SD-enhanced lung tumorigenesis. Both unbiased transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses reveal that FAO senses SD-induced circadian disruption, as illustrated by continuously increased palmitoyl-coenzyme A (PA-CoA) catalyzed by long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (ACSL1). Mechanistically, SD-dysregulated CLOCK hypertransactivates ACSL1 to produce PA-CoA, which facilitates CLOCK-Cys194 S-palmitoylation in a ZDHHC5-dependent manner. This positive transcription-palmitoylation feedback loop prevents ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of CLOCK, causing FAO-sensed circadian disruption to maintain SD-enhanced cancer stemness. Intriguingly, timed β-endorphin resets rhythmic Clock and Acsl1 expression to alleviate SD-enhanced tumorigenesis. Sleep quality and serum β-endorphin are negatively associated with both cancer development and CLOCK/ACSL1 expression in patients with cancer, suggesting dawn-supplemented β-endorphin as a potential chronotherapeutic strategy for SD-related cancer.

H2 antihistamines: May be useful for combination therapies in cancer?

Cancer morbimortality is still a great concern despite advances in research and therapies. Histamine and its receptors' ligands can modulate different biological responses according to the cell type and the receptor subtype involved. Besides the wide variety of histamine functions in normal tissues, diverse roles in the acquisition of hallmarks of cancer such as sustained proliferative signaling, resistance to cell death, angiogenesis, metastasis, altered immunity and modified microenvironment have been described. This review summarizes the present knowledge of the various roles of histamine H2 receptor (H2R) ligands in neoplasias. A bioinformatic analysis of human tumors showed dissimilar results in the expression of the H2R gene according to tumor type when comparing malignant versus normal tissues. As well, the relationship between patients' survival parameters and H2R gene expression levels also varied, signaling important divergences in the role of H2R in neoplastic progression in different cancer types. Revised experimental evidence showed multiple effects of H2R antihistamines on several of the cited hallmarks of cancer. Interventional and retrospective clinical studies evaluated different H2R antihistamines in cancer patients with two main adjuvant uses: improving antitumor efficacy (which includes regulation of immune response) and preventing toxic adverse effects produced by chemo or radiotherapy. While there is a long path to go, research on H2R antihistamines may provide new opportunities for developing more refined combination therapeutic strategies for certain cancer types to improve patients' survival and health-related quality of life.

The interaction of mast cells with membranes from lung cancer cells induces the release of extracellular vesicles with a unique miRNA signature

Mast cells (MCs) are immune cells that play roles in both normal and abnormal processes. They have been linked to tumor progression in several types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the exact role of MCs in NSCLC is still unclear. Some studies have shown that the presence of a large number of MCs is associated with poor prognosis, while others have suggested that MCs have protective effects. To better understand the role of MCs in NSCLC, we aimed to identify the initial mechanisms underlying the communication between MCs and lung cancer cells. Here, we recapitulated cell-to-cell contact by exposing MCs to membranes derived from lung cancer cells and confirming their activation, as evidenced by increased phosphorylation of the ERK and AKT kinases. Profiling of the microRNAs that were selectively enriched in the extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by the lung cancer-activated MCs revealed that they contained significantly increased amounts of miR-100-5p and miR-125b, two protumorigenic miRNAs. We explored the pathways regulated by these miRNAs via enrichment analysis using the KEGG database, demonstrating that these two miRNAs regulate p53 signaling, cancer pathways, and pathways associated with apoptosis and the cell cycle.

Trafficking of carbonic anhydrase 12 and bicarbonate transporters by histamine stimulation mediates intracellular acidic scenario in lung cancer cells

Carbonic anhydrase 12 is considered an oncogenic and acidic microenvironmental factor in cancer cells. To verify the role of histamine signalling as an anti-cancer signal, we determined the roles of CA12 and its associated bicarbonate transporters. In this study, histamine stimulation mediated mislocalization of CA12 in lung cancer cells. Histamine receptor activation-mediated CA12 endocytosis and pH were restored by CaMKII inhibition. CA12-associated AE2 expression was enhanced, whereas NBCn1 expression and its activity were reduced by histamine stimulation. Histamine receptor activation-mediated acidification was induced by internalised CA12 and NBCn1 and, at the same time by increased bicarbonate efflux through enhanced AE2 expression. Inhibition of protein trafficking by bafilomycin restored CA12 and AE2 localisation and diminished cellular acidosis. Thus, we verified that histamine stimulation induced an acidic scenario, which revealed trafficking of CA12 and its associated bicarbonate transporters in lung cancer cells and its dysregulated pH modulation may be involved in the histamine signalling-mediated anti-cancer process.

A novel defined risk signature of cuproptosis-related long non-coding RNA for predicting prognosis, immune infiltration, and immunotherapy response in lung adenocarcinoma

Background: Cuproptosis is a newly discovered non-apoptotic form of cell death that may be related to the development of tumors. Nonetheless, the potential role of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in tumor immunity formation and patient-tailored treatment optimization of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is still unclear. Methods: RNA sequencing and survival data of LUAD patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database for model training. The patients with LUAD in GSE29013, GSE30219, GSE31210, GSE37745, and GSE50081 were used for validation. The proofed cuproptosis-related genes were extracted from the previous studies. The Pearson correlation was applied to select cuproptosis-related lncRNAs. We chose differentially expressed cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in the tumor and normal tissues and allowed them to go to a Cox regression and a LASSO regression for a lncRNA signature that predicts the LUAD prognosis. Kaplan-Meier estimator, Cox model, ROC, tAUC, PCA, nomogram predictor, decision curve analysis, and real-time PCR were further deployed to confirm the model's accuracy. We examined this model's link to other regulated cell death forms. Applying TMB, immune-related signatures, and TIDE demonstrated the immunotherapeutic capabilities of signatures. We evaluated the relationship of our signature to anticancer drug sensitivity. GSEA, immune infiltration analysis, and function experiments further investigated the functional mechanisms of the signature and the role of immune cells in the prognostic power of the signature. Results: An eight-lncRNA signature (TSPOAP1-AS1, AC107464.3, AC006449.7, LINC00324, COLCA1, HAGLR, MIR4435-2HG, and NKILA) was built and demonstrated owning prognostic power by applied to the validation cohort. Each signature gene was confirmed differentially expressed in the real world by real-time PCR. The eight-lncRNA signature correlated with 2321/3681 (63.05%) apoptosis-related genes, 11/20 (55.00%) necroptosis-related genes, 34/50 (68.00%) pyroptosis-related genes, and 222/380 (58.42%) ferroptosis-related genes. Immunotherapy analysis suggested that our signature may have utility in predicting immunotherapy efficacy in patients with LUAD. Mast cells were identified as key players that support the predicting capacity of the eight-lncRNA signature through the immune infiltrating analysis. Conclusion: In this study, an eight-lncRNA signature linked to cuproptosis was identified, which may improve LUAD management strategies. This signature may possess the ability to predict the effect of LUAD immunotherapy. In addition, infiltrating mast cells may affect the signature's prognostic power.

A novel signature incorporating lipid metabolism- and immune-related genes to predict the prognosis and immune landscape in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is a highly malignant tumor with high metastasis and recurrence rates. Due to the relation between lipid metabolism and the tumor immune microenvironment is constantly being elucidated, this work is carried out to produce a new prognostic gene signature that incorporates immune profiles and lipid metabolism of LIHC patients.

Methods

We used the "DEseq2" R package and the "Venn" R package to identify differentially expressed genes related to lipid metabolism (LRDGs) in LIHC. Additionally, we performed unsupervised clustering of LIHC patients based on LRDGs to identify their subgroups and immuno-infiltration and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis on the subgroups. Next, we employed multivariate, LASSO and univariate Cox regression analyses to determine variables and to create a prognostic profile on the basis of immune- and lipid metabolism-related differential genes (IRDGs and LRDGs). We separated patients into low- and high-risk groups in accordance with the best cut-off value of risk score. We conducted Decision Curve Analysis (DCA), Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis as a function of time as well as Survival Analysis to evaluate this signature's prognostic value. We incorporated the clinical characteristics of patients into the risk model to obtain a nomogram prognostic model. GEO14520 and ICGC-LIRI JP datasets were employed to externally confirm the accuracy and robustness of signature. The gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were applied for investigating the underlying mechanisms. Immune infiltration analysis was implemented to examine the differences in immune between both risk groups. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-SEQ) was utilized to characterize the genes that were involved in the distribution of signature and expression characteristics of different LIHC cell types. The patients' sensitivity in both risk groups to commonly used chemotherapeutic agents and semi-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of the drugs was assessed using the GDSC database. On the basis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the two groups, the CMAP database was adopted for the prediction of potential small-molecule compounds. Small-molecule compounds were molecularly docked with prognostic markers. Lastly, we investigated the prognostic gene expression levels in normal and LIHC tissues with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).

Results

We built and verified a prognostic signature with seven genes that incorporated immune profiles and lipid metabolism. Patients were classified as low- and high-risk groups depending on their prognostic profiles. The overall survival (OS) was markedly lower in the high-risk group as compared to low-risk group. Time-dependent ROC curves more precisely predicted patients' survival at 1, 3 and 5 years; the area under the ROC curve was 0.81 (1 year), 0.75 (3 years) and 0.77 (5 years). The DCA curves showed the value of the prognostic genes in this signature for clinical applications. We included the patients' clinical characteristics in the risk model for both multivariate and univariate Cox regression analyses, and the findings revealed that the risk model represents an independent factor that influences OS in LIHC patients. With immune analysis, GSVA and GSEA, we identified that there are remarkable differences between the two risk groups in immune pathways, lipid metabolism, tumor development, immune cell infiltration and immune microenvironment, response to immunotherapy, and sensitivity to chemotherapy. Moreover, those with higher risk scores presented greater sensitivity to the chemotherapeutic agents. Experiments in vitro further elucidated the roles of SPP1 and FLT3 in the LIHC immune microenvironment. Furthermore, four small-molecule drugs that could target LIHC were screened. In vitro qRT-PCR , IHC revealed that the SPP1,KIF18A expressions were raised in LIHC in tumor samples, whereas FLT3,SOCS2 showed the opposite trend.

Conclusions

We developed and verified a new signature comprising immune- and lipid metabolism-associated markers and to assess the prognosis and the immune status of LIHC patients. This signature can be applied to survival prediction, individualized chemotherapy, and immunotherapeutic guidance for patients with liver cancer. This study also provides potential targeted therapeutics and novel ideas for the immune evasion and progression of LIHC.

Role of Histamine and Related Signaling in Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Pathogenesis and Oncogenesis

Although Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) has been reported to cause several human cancers including Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), the mechanisms of KSHV-induced tumorigenesis, especially virus-host interaction network, are still not completely understood, which therefore hinders the development of effective therapies. Histamine, together with its receptors, plays an important role in various allergic diseases by regulating different inflammation and immune responses. Our previous data showed that antagonists targeting histamine receptors effectively repressed KSHV lytic replication. In the current study, we determined that histamine treatment increased cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth abilities of KSHV-infected cells. Furthermore, histamine treatment affected the expression of some inflammatory factors from KSHV-infected cells. For clinical relevance, several histamine receptors were highly expressed in AIDS-KS tissues when compared to normal skin tissues. We determined that histamine treatment promoted KSHV-infected lymphoma progression in immunocompromised mice models. Therefore, besides viral replication, our data indicate that the histamine and related signaling are also involved in other functions of KSHV pathogenesis and oncogenesis.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel colchicine-magnolol hybrid for inhibiting the growth of Lewis lung carcinoma in Vitro and in Vivo

Colchicine is a bioactive alkaloid originally from Colchicum autumnale and possesses excellent antiproliferative activity. However, colchicine-associated severe toxicity, gastrointestinal side effects in particular, limits its further therapeutic use. In the current study, we thus designed and synthesized a novel hybrid (CMH) by splicing colchicine and magnolol, a multifunctional polyphenol showing favorable gastrointestinal protection. The antitumor activity of CMH in Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) was then evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Biologically, CMH inhibited the growth of LLC cells with an IC₅₀ of 0.26 μM, 100 times more potently than cisplatin (26.05 μM) did. Meanwhile, the cytotoxicity of CMH was 10-fold lower than that of colchicine in normal human lung cells (BEAS-2B). In C57BL/6 mice xenograft model, CMH (0.5 mg/kg) worked as efficacious as colchicine (0.5 mg/kg) to inhibit tumor growth and 2 times more potently than cisplatin (1 mg/kg). In terms of mortality, 7 out of 10 mice died in colchicine group (0.75 mg/kg), while no death was observed in groups receiving CMH or cisplatin at 0.75 mg/kg. Mechanistic studies using Western blot revealed that CMH dose-dependently suppressed the protein expression of phosphorylated ERK. Molecular docking analysis further indicated that CMH was well fitted in the colchicine binding site of tubulin and formed several hydrogen bonds with tubulin protein. These results enable our novel hybrid CMH as a potential antineoplastic agent with lower toxicity, and provide perquisites for further investigation to confirm the therapeutic potentiality of this novel hybrid.

Controversial role of mast cells in NSCLC tumor progression and angiogenesis

Mast cells (MCs) are multifunctional immune cells implicated in both physiological and pathological processes. Among the latter, MCs play a crucial role in cancer. Many studies have shown a correlation between MCs and tumor progression in several solid and hematological malignancies. In particular, MCs can directly promote tumor growth via c-kit/stem cell factor-dependent signaling and via the release of histamine, which modulate tumor growth through H1 and H2 receptors. At the same time, MCs can increase tumor progression by stimulating angiogenesis via both proangiogenic cytokines stored in their cytoplasm, and by acting on the tumor microenvironment and extracellular matrix. With regard to NSCLC, the role of MCs has not yet been established, with studies showing a correlation with a poor prognosis on the one hand and suggesting a protective effect of MCs on the other hand. These controversial evidences are at least, in part, due to the heterogeneity of the studies exploring the role of MCs in NSCLC, with some studies describing only the MC count without specification of the activation and degranulation state, and without reporting the intratumoral localization and the proximity to other immune and cancer cells. A better knowledge of the role of MCs in NSCLC is mandatory, not only to define their prognostic and predictive proprieties but also because targeting them could be a possible therapeutic strategy.

A more novel and powerful prognostic gene signature of lung adenocarcinoma determined from the immune cell infiltration landscape

Background

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the leading histological subtype of lung cancer worldwide, causing high mortality each year. The tumor immune cell infiltration (ICI) is closely associated with clinical outcome with LUAD patients. The present study was designed to construct a gene signature based on the ICI of LUAD to predict prognosis.

Methods

Downloaded the raw data of three cohorts of the TCGA-LUAD, GSE72094, and GSE68465 and treat them as training cohort, validation cohort one, and validation cohort two for this research. Unsupervised clustering detailed grouped LUAD cases of the training cohort based on the ICI profile. The univariate Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier was adopted to identify potential prognostic genes from the differentially expressed genes recognized from the ICI clusters. A risk score-based prognostic signature was subsequently developed using LASSO-penalized Cox regression analysis. The Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox analysis, ROC, IAUC, and IBS were constructed to assess the ability to predict the prognosis and effects of clinical variables in another two independent validation cohorts. More innovatively, we searched similar papers in the most recent year and made comprehensive comparisons with ours. GSEA was used to discover the related signaling pathway. The immune relevant signature correlation identification and immune infiltrating analysis were used to evaluate the potential role of the signature for immunotherapy and recognize the critical immune cell that can influence the signature's prognosis capability.

Results

A signature composed of thirteen gene including ABCC2, CCR2, CERS4, CMAHP, DENND1C, ECT2, FKBP4, GJB3, GNG7, KRT6A, PCDH7, PLK1, and VEGFC, was identified as significantly associated with the prognosis in LUAD patients. The thirteen-gene signature exhibited independence in evaluating the prognosis of LUAD patients in our training and validation cohorts. Compared to our predecessors, our model has an advantage in predictive power. Nine well know immunotherapy targets, including TBX2, TNF, CTLA4, HAVCR2, GZMB, CD8A, PRF1, GZMA, and PDCD1 were recognized correlating with our signature. The mast cells were found to play vital parts in backing on the thirteen-gene signature's outcome predictive capacity.

Conclusions

Collectively, the current study indicated a robust thirteen-gene signature that can accurately predict LUAD prognosis, which is superior to our predecessors in predictive ability. The immune relevant signatures, TBX2, TNF, CTLA4, HAVCR2, GZMB, CD8A, PRF1, GZMA, PDCD1, and mast cells infiltrating were found closely correlate with the thirteen-gene signature's power.

Identification of Two Novel Immune Subtypes Characterized by Distinct Prognosis and Tumor Microenvironment in Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a kind of primary malignant tumor of bone. In recent years, its therapeutic effect and prognostic survival are dissatisfactory. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) reflects immune status of patients, but it is little known in osteosarcoma. Therefore, this study attempts to conduct a comprehensive analysis to explore TIME of osteosarcoma and identify TIME-related subtypes for clinical management and treatment. We successfully established two novel tumor immune infiltration clusters (TIIC) which are characterized by difference of microenvironment and immune-related biological processes. High tumor immune infiltration cluster (H-TIIC) subtypes with higher immune infiltration score shows a better overall survival. Further, the two immune subtypes are shown to differ in immunotherapy and chemotherapy. The results would be helpful for clinical decision in osteosarcoma.

Association between use of antacid medications (proton pump inhibitors and histamine-2 receptor antagonists) and the incidence of lung cancer: A population-based cohort analysis

This study investigated the association between antacid administration and lung cancer incidence in a real-world setting. This was a nationwide, retrospective cohort study. The cohort comprised random samples (n = 1,031,392) from the entire South Korean population in 2002. The duration of antacid administration between January 2006 and December 2010 was recorded for each participant. Newly developed lung cancers were counted during the 5-year observation period (January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010). A total of 437,370 participants aged ≥ 40 years were included, of whom 301,201 (68.9%) had antacid exposure before the diagnosis of lung cancer. A total of 1230 (0.28%) antacid-exposed patients developed lung cancer. Among patients with no antacid exposure or underexposure (n = 136,171), 597 (0.44%) developed lung cancer. In the multivariable analysis, antacid exposure before the diagnosis of lung cancer was independently associated with a reduced incidence of lung cancer (hazard ratio: 0.64; 95% confidence interval: 0.55-0.74; P < .001). Antacid use might be independently associated with a decreased risk of lung cancer development in this cohort study.

Comprehensive analysis of a novel signature incorporating lipid metabolism and immune-related genes for assessing prognosis and immune landscape in lung adenocarcinoma

Background

As the crosstalk between metabolism and antitumor immunity continues to be unraveled, we aim to develop a prognostic gene signature that integrates lipid metabolism and immune features for patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Methods

First, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to lipid metabolism in LUAD were detected, and subgroups of LUAD patients were identified via the unsupervised clustering method. Based on lipid metabolism and immune-related DEGs, variables were determined by the univariate Cox and LASSO regression, and a prognostic signature was established. The prognostic value of the signature was evaluated by the Kaplan–Meier method, time-dependent ROC, and univariate and multivariate analyses. Five independent GEO datasets were employed for external validation. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), gene set variation analysis (GSVA), and immune infiltration analysis were performed to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The sensitivity to common chemotherapeutic drugs was estimated based on the GDSC database. Finally, we selected PSMC1 involved in the signature, which has not been reported in LUAD, for further experimental validation.

Results

LUAD patients with different lipid metabolism patterns exhibited significant differences in overall survival and immune infiltration levels. The prognostic signature incorporated 10 genes and stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups by median value splitting. The areas under the ROC curves were 0.69 (1-year), 0.72 (3-year), 0.74 (5-year), and 0.74 (10-year). The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed a significantly poorer overall survival in the high-risk group in the TCGA cohort (p < 0.001). In addition, both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that the prognostic model was the individual factor affecting the overall survival of LUAD patients. Through GSEA and GSVA, we found that tumor progression and inflammatory and immune-related pathways were enriched in the high-risk group. Additionally, patients with high-risk scores showed higher sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs. The in vitro experiments further confirmed that PSMC1 could promote the proliferation and migration of LUAD cells.

Conclusions

We developed and validated a novel signature incorporating both lipid metabolism and immune-related genes for all-stage LUAD patients. This signature can be applied not only for survival prediction but also for guiding personalized chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimens.

Lamin-A/C Is Modulated by the Involvement of Histamine-Mediated Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase II in Lung Cancer Cells

Lamins are nuclear envelope proteins involved in various cellular functions, such as DNA modulation, cellular differentiation, and development. In this study, we investigate the role of histamine in lung cancer biology. Since it is known that lamin-A/C is negatively regulated in lung cancer, we hypothesize that histamine signaling is related to nuclear lamin-A/C regulation and cancer progression. Our findings reveal that histamine stimulation enhances lamin-A/C expression in lung cancer cells. Lamin-A/C expression is dependent on histamine-mediated intracellular calcium signaling and subsequent calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (Ca/CaMKII) activation. The nuclear protein nestin, which stabilizes lamin-A/C expression, is also modulated by Ca/CaMKII. However, histamine-mediated lamin-A/C expression is independent of Akt/focal adhesion kinase or autophagy signaling. Histamine stimulation attenuates lung cancer motility in the presence of enhanced lamin-A/C expression. In conclusion, we propose a regulatory mechanism that accounts for the modulation of lamin-A/C levels through the involvement of Ca/CaMKII in cancer cells and provides molecular evidence of histamine signaling in lamin-A/C biology.

Host-Related Factors as Targetable Drivers of Immunotherapy Response in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Despite some significant therapeutic breakthroughs leading to immunotherapy, a high percentage of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) do not respond to treatment on relapse, thus experiencing poor prognosis and survival. The unsatisfying results could be related to the features of the tumor immune microenvironment and the dynamic interactions between a tumor and immune infiltrate. Host-tumor interactions strongly influence the course of disease and response to therapies. Thus, targeting host-associated factors by restoring their physiologic functions altered by the presence of a tumor represents a new therapeutic approach to control tumor development and progression. In NSCLC, the immunogenic tumor balance is shifted negatively toward immunosuppression due to the release of inhibitory factors as well as the presence of immunosuppressive cells. Among these cells, there are myeloid-derived suppressor cells, regulatory T cells that can generate a tumor-permissive milieu by reprogramming the cells of the hosts such as tumor-associated macrophages, tumor-associated neutrophils, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, and mast cells that acquire tumor-supporting phenotypes and functions. This review highlights the current knowledge of the involvement of host-related factors, including innate and adaptive immunity in orchestrating the tumor cell fate and the primary resistance mechanisms to immunotherapy in NSCLC. Finally, we discuss combinational therapeutic strategies targeting different aspects of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) to prime the host response. Further research dissecting the characteristics and dynamic interactions within the interface host-tumor is necessary to improve a patient fitness immune response and provide answers regarding the immunotherapy efficacy, with the aim to develop more successful treatments for NSCLC.

Histamine in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Current status and new perspectives

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and its incidence and mortality are rapidly increasing worldwide. The dynamic interaction of immune cells and tumor cells determines the clinical outcome of cancer. Immunotherapy comes to the forefront of cancer treatments, resulting in impressive and durable responses but only in a fraction of patients. Thus, understanding the characteristics and profiles of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a necessary step to move forward in the design of new immunomodulatory strategies that can boost the immune system to fight cancer. Histamine produces a complex and fine-tuned regulation of the phenotype and functions of the different immune cells, participating in multiple regulatory responses of the innate and adaptive immunity. Considering the important actions of histamine-producing immune cells in the TME, in this review we first address the most important immunomodulatory roles of histamine and histamine receptors in the context of cancer development and progression. In addition, this review highlights the current progress and foundational developments in the field of cancer immunotherapy in combination with histamine and pharmacological compounds targeting histamine receptors.

The emerging role of mast cells in skin cancers: involved cellular and molecular mechanisms

Skin cancers are the most common cancers worldwide. They can be divided into nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC) including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and less common lymphomas and merkel cell carcinoma, and melanomas. Melanomas comprise less than 5% of skin cancer rate but are responsible for more than 90% of skin cancer death. Mast cells (MCs) are multifunctional cells that play an important role in inflammatory and allergic reactions. They attract other key players of the immune system by releasing cytokines. Healthy human skin comprises MCs under physiological status, and the number can increase under certain conditions including skin malignancies postulating their possible role in pathogenesis of and immunity against skin cancers. MCs respond to cytokines released by tumor stromal cells, release mediators (including histamine and tryptase), and induce the neovascularization, degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM), and induce mitogenesis. However, MCs may use molecular mechanisms to exert immunosuppressive activity including releasing complement C3, lower expression of CD40L, and overexpression of enzymes with vitamin D3 metabolizing activity including CYP27A1 and CYP27B1. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the role of MCs in pathogenesis and immunity against skin cancers.

Responses of Mast Cells to Pathogens: Beneficial and Detrimental Roles

Mast cells (MCs) are strategically located in tissues close to the external environment, being one of the first immune cells to interact with invading pathogens. They are long living effector cells equipped with different receptors that allow microbial recognition. Once activated, MCs release numerous biologically active mediators in the site of pathogen contact, which induce vascular endothelium modification, inflammation development and extracellular matrix remodeling. Efficient and direct antimicrobial mechanisms of MCs involve phagocytosis with oxidative and non-oxidative microbial destruction, extracellular trap formation, and the release of antimicrobial substances. MCs also contribute to host defense through the attraction and activation of phagocytic and inflammatory cells, shaping the innate and adaptive immune responses. However, as part of their response to pathogens and under an impaired, sustained, or systemic activation, MCs may contribute to tissue damage. This review will focus on the current knowledge about direct and indirect contribution of MCs to pathogen clearance. Antimicrobial mechanisms of MCs are addressed with special attention to signaling pathways involved and molecular weapons implicated. The role of MCs in a dysregulated host response that can increase morbidity and mortality is also reviewed and discussed, highlighting the complexity of MCs biology in the context of host-pathogen interactions.

Comprehensive analysis of competitive endogenous RNA associated with immune infiltration in lung adenocarcinoma

To identify the prognostic biomarker of the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) and explore the tumor infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) which might be the potential prognostic factors in lung adenocarcinoma. In addition, we also try to explain the crosstalk between the ceRNA and TIICs to explore the molecular mechanisms involved in lung adenocarcinoma. The transcriptome data of lung adenocarcinoma were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and the hypergeometric correlation of the differently expressed miRNA-lncRNA and miRNA-mRNA were analyzed based on the starBase. In addition, the Kaplan–Meier survival and Cox regression model analysis were used to identify the prognostic ceRNA network and TIICs. Correlation analysis was performed to analysis the correlation between the ceRNA network and TIICs. In the differently expressed RNAs between tumor and normal tissue, a total of 190 miRNAs, 224 lncRNAs and 3024 mRNAs were detected, and the constructed ceRNA network contained 5 lncRNAs, 92 mRNAs and 10 miRNAs. Then, six prognostic RNAs (FKBP3, GPI, LOXL2, IL22RA1, GPR37, and has-miR-148a-3p) were viewed as the key members for constructing the prognostic prediction model in the ceRNA network, and three kinds of TIICs (Monocytes, Macrophages M1, activated mast cells) were identified to be significantly related with the prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma. Correlation analysis suggested that the FKBP3 was associated with Monocytes and Macrophages M1, and the GPI was obviously related with Monocytes and Macrophages M1. Besides, the LOXL2 was associated with Monocytes and Activated mast cells, and the IL22RA1 was significantly associated with Monocytes and Macrophages M1, while the GPR37 and Macrophages M1 was closely related. The constructed ceRNA network and identified Monocytes, Macrophages M1 and activated Mast cells are all prognostic factors for lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, the crosstalk between the ceRNA network and TIICs might be a potential molecular mechanism involved.

OPALS: A New Osimertinib Adjunctive Treatment of Lung Adenocarcinoma or Glioblastoma Using Five Repurposed Drugs

Background: Pharmacological targeting aberrant activation of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase signaling is an established approach to treating lung adenocarcinoma. Osimertinib is a tyrosine kinase approved and effective in treating lung adenocarcinomas that have one of several common activating mutations in epidermal growth factor receptor. The emergence of resistance to osimertinib after a year or two is the rule. We developed a five-drug adjuvant regimen designed to increase osimertinib’s growth inhibition and thereby delay the development of resistance. Areas of Uncertainty: Although the assembled preclinical data is strong, preclinical data and the following clinical trial results can be discrepant. The safety of OPALS drugs when used individually is excellent. We have no data from humans on their tolerability when used as an ensemble. That there is no data from the individual drugs to suspect problematic interaction does not exclude the possibility. Data Sources: All relevant PubMed.org articles on the OPALS drugs and corresponding pathophysiology of lung adenocarcinoma and glioblastoma were reviewed. Therapeutic Opinion: The five drugs of OPALS are in wide use in general medicine for non-oncology indications. OPALS uses the anti-protozoal drug pyrimethamine, the antihistamine cyproheptadine, the antibiotic azithromycin, the antihistamine loratadine, and the potassium sparing diuretic spironolactone. We show how these inexpensive and generically available drugs intersect with and inhibit lung adenocarcinoma growth drive. We also review data showing that both OPALS adjuvant drugs and osimertinib have data showing they may be active in suppressing glioblastoma growth.

Chemokine-Cytokine Networks in the Head and Neck Tumor Microenvironment

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are aggressive diseases with a dismal patient prognosis. Despite significant advances in treatment modalities, the five-year survival rate in patients with HNSCC has improved marginally and therefore warrants a comprehensive understanding of the HNSCC biology. Alterations in the cellular and non-cellular components of the HNSCC tumor micro-environment (TME) play a critical role in regulating many hallmarks of cancer development including evasion of apoptosis, activation of invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, response to therapy, immune escape mechanisms, deregulation of energetics, and therefore the development of an overall aggressive HNSCC phenotype. Cytokines and chemokines are small secretory proteins produced by neoplastic or stromal cells, controlling complex and dynamic cell-cell interactions in the TME to regulate many cancer hallmarks. This review summarizes the current understanding of the complex cytokine/chemokine networks in the HNSCC TME, their role in activating diverse signaling pathways and promoting tumor progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance development.

LSD1-mediated stabilization of SEPT6 protein activates the TGF-β1 pathway and regulates non-small-cell lung cancer metastasis

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a prevalent cancer with unfavorable prognosis. Over the past decade accumulating studies have reported an involvement of lysine-specific histone demethylase 1 (LSD1) in NSCLC development. Here, we aimed to explore whether LSD1 affects the metastasis of NSCLC by mediating Septin 6 (SEPT6) through the TGF-β1 pathway. RT-qPCR was used to determine LSD1 and SEPT6 expression in NSCLC tissues and cells. Interactions between LSD1, SEPT6, and TGF-β1 were detected using lentivirus-mediated silencing of LSD1 and overexpression of SEPT6. The role of LSD1 and SEPT6 in mediating the biological behavior of NSCLC cells was determined using the EdU proliferation assay, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry. Thereafter, transplanted cell tumors into nude mice were used to explore the in vivo effects of LSD1 and SEPT6 on metastasis of NSCLC. LSD1 and SEPT6 were overexpressed in NSCLC tissue and cell samples. LSD1 could demethylate the promoter of the SEPT6 to positively regulate SEPT6 expression. LSD1 promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion, while suppressing the apoptosis of NSCLC cells by increasing SEPT6 expression. LSD1-mediated SEPT6 accelerated in vivo NSCLC metastasis through the TGF-β1/Smad pathway. Collectively, LSD1 demethylates SEPT6 promoter to upregulate SEPT6, which activates TGF-β1 pathway, thereby promoting metastasis of NSCLC.

Role of neuraxial drug delivery in cancer pain therapy

Opioids have long been the mainstay of cancer pain treatment and have been used without any consideration for their effect on cancer growth and long-term prognosis. There is now growing evidence that the continued use of opioids for this indication should be reviewed and even reconsidered. Although current evidence and literature covering this subject is mixed and does not yet allow for a clear determination to be made about safety, there is enough data to support the search for new treatment paradigms, beginning with anesthesia for oncologic surgery and management of cancer pain over the disease course.

The characteristic of tumor immune microenvironment in pulmonary carcinosarcoma

Pulmonary carcinosarcoma (PCS) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm, due to late diagnosis and early metastasis. Surgery combined with radiotherapy is a standard treatment. However, PCS features an easy relapse after surgery resection and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Tumor immune microenvironment reflects tumor immunophenotyping and affects immunotherapy efficiency. This review summarized current studies on the characteristic of tumor immune microenvironment in PCS and discussed the potential of immunotherapy combined with other regimes strategy as a candidate for treatments in PCS.

Histamine receptors and cancer pharmacology: an update

In the present review, we will discuss the recent advances in the understanding of the role of histamine and histamine receptors in cancer biology. The controversial role of the histaminergic system in different neoplasias including gastric, colorectal, oesophageal, oral, pancreatic, liver, lung, skin, blood and breast cancers will be reviewed. The expression of histamine receptor subtypes, with special emphasis on the histamine H4 receptor, in different cell lines and human tumours, the signal transduction pathways and the associated biological responses as well as the in vivo treatment of experimental tumours with pharmacological ligands will be described. The presented evidence demonstrates that histamine regulates cancer-associated biological processes during cancer development in multiple cell types, including neoplastic cells and cells in the tumour micro-environment. The outcome will depend on tumour cell type, the level of expression of histamine receptors, signal transduction associated with these receptors, tumour micro-environment and histamine metabolism, reinforcing the complexity of cancer disease. Findings show the pivotal role of H4 receptors in the development and progression of many types of cancers, and considering its immunomodulatory properties, the H4 receptor appears to be the most promising molecular therapeutic target for cancer treatment within the histamine receptor family. Furthermore, the H4 receptor is differentially expressed in tumours compared with normal tissues, and in most cancer types in which data are available, H4 receptor expression is associated with clinicopathological characteristics, suggesting that H4 receptors might represent a novel cancer biomarker. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on New Uses for 21st Century. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v177.3/issuetoc.

Lung cancer-derived extracellular vesicles: a possible mediator of mast cell activation in the tumor microenvironment

Activated mast cells are often found in the tumor microenvironment. They have both pro- and anti-tumorigenic roles, depending on the tumor type. Several lines of evidence suggest that the tumor microenvironment contains multiple soluble factors that can drive mast cell recruitment and activation. However, it is not yet clear how mast cells are activated by tumor cells. In this study, we explored whether tumor-derived microvesicles (TMV) from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells interact with human mast cells, activate them to release cytokines, and affect their migratory ability. PKH67-labelled TMV isolated from NSCLC cell lines were found to be internalized by mast cells. This internalization was first noticed after 4 h and peaked within 24 h of co-incubation. Furthermore, internalization of TMV derived from NSCLC cell lines or from surgical lung tissue specimens resulted in ERK phosphorylation, enhanced mast cell migratory ability and increased release of cytokines and chemokines, such as TNF-α and MCP-1. Our data are thus, consistent with the conclusion that TMV have the potential to influence mast cell activity and thereby, affect tumorigenesis.

Mast Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment

Mast cells are tissue-resident, innate immune cells that play a key role in the inflammatory response and tissue homeostasis. Mast cells accumulate in the tumor stroma of different human cancer types, and increased mast cell density has been associated to either good or poor prognosis, depending on the tumor type and stage. Mast cells play a multifaceted role in the tumor microenvironment by modulating various events of tumor biology, such as cell proliferation and survival, angiogenesis, invasiveness, and metastasis. Moreover, tumor-associated mast cells have the potential to shape the tumor microenvironment by establishing crosstalk with other tumor-infiltrating cells. This chapter reviews the current understanding of the role of mast cells in the tumor microenvironment. These cells have received much less attention than other tumor-associated immune cells but are now recognized as critical components of the tumor microenvironment and could hold promise as a potential target to improve cancer immunotherapy.

Metabolomic, transcriptomic and genetic integrative analysis reveals important roles of adenosine diphosphate in haemostasis and platelet activation in non-small-cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related deaths in the world. The most prevalent subtype, accounting for 85% of cases, is non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) are the most common subtypes. Despite recent advances in treatment, the low 5‐year survival rate of NSCLC patients (approximately 13%) reflects the lack of early diagnostic biomarkers and incomplete understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms. We hypothesized that integration of metabolomic, transcriptomic and genetic profiles of tumours and matched normal tissues could help to identify important factors and potential therapeutic targets that contribute to tumorigenesis. We integrated omics profiles in tumours and matched adjacent normal tissues of patients with LUSC (N = 20) and LUAD (N = 17) using multiple system biology approaches. We confirmed the presence of previously described metabolic pathways in NSCLC, particularly those mediating the Warburg effect. In addition, through our combined omics analyses we found that metabolites and genes that contribute to haemostasis, angiogenesis, platelet activation and cell proliferation were predominant in both subtypes of NSCLC. The important roles of adenosine diphosphate in promoting cancer metastasis through platelet activation and angiogenesis suggest this metabolite could be a potential therapeutic target.

Pathophysiological Role of Histamine H4 Receptor in Cancer: Therapeutic Implications

Cancer is a leading cause of death in both developed and developing countries. Although advances in cancer research lead to improved anti-neoplastic therapies, they continue to have unfavorable outcomes, including poor response and severe toxicity. Thus, the challenge for the new therapeutic approaches is to increase anti-tumor efficacy by targeting different molecules encompassed in the tumor and its microenvironment, as well as their specific interactions. The histamine H4 receptor (H4R) is the last discovered histamine receptor subtype and it modulates important immune functions in innate and in adaptive immune responses. Several ligands have been developed and some of them are being used in clinical trials for immune disorders with promising results. When searched in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, human H4R gene was found to be expressed in bladder cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and skin cancer. In the present work, we aimed to briefly summarize current knowledge in H4R's pharmacology and in the clinical use of H4R ligands before focusing on recent data reporting the expression of H4R and its pathophysiological role in cancer, representing a potential molecular target for cancer therapeutics. H4R gene and protein expression in different types of cancers compared with normal tissue as well as its relationship with patient prognosis in terms of survival will be described.

Interleukin-1β provided by KIT-competent mast cells is required for KRAS-mutant lung adenocarcinoma

Mast cells (MC) have been identified in human lung adenocarcinoma (LADC) tissues, but their functional role has not been investigated in vivo. For this, we applied three mouse models of KRAS-mutant LADC to two different MC-deficient mouse strains (cKit^Wsh and Cpa3.Cre). Moreover, we derived MC gene signatures from murine bone marrow-derived MC and used them to interrogate five human cohorts of LADC patients. Tumor-free cKit^Wsh and Cpa3.Cre mice were deficient in alveolar and skin KIT-dependent (KIT+) MC, but cKit^Wsh mice retained normal KIT-independent (KIT-) MC in the airways. Both KIT+ and KIT- MC infiltrated murine LADC to varying degrees, but KIT+ MC were more abundant and promoted LADC initiation and progression through interleukin-1β secretion. KIT+ MC and their transcriptional signature were significantly enriched in human LADC compared to adjacent normal tissue, especially in the subset of patients with KRAS mutations. Importantly, MC density increased with tumor stage and high overall expression of the KIT+ MC signature portended poor survival. Collectively, our results indicate that KIT+ MC foster LADC development and represent marked therapeutic targets.

Effect of tumor microenvironment on pathogenesis of the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is comprised of many different cell populations, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts and various infiltrating immune cells, and non-cell components of extracellular matrix. These crucial parts of the surrounding stroma can function as both positive and negative regulators of all hallmarks of cancer development, including evasion of apoptosis, induction of angiogenesis, deregulation of the energy metabolism, resistance to the immune detection and destruction, and activation of invasion and metastasis. This review represents a summary of recent studies focusing on describing these effects of microenvironment on initiation and progression of the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, focusing on oral squamous cell carcinoma, since it is becoming clear that an investigation of differences in stromal composition of the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma microenvironment and their impact on cancer development and progression may help better understand the mechanisms behind different responses to therapy and help define possible targets for clinical intervention.

Tumor-infiltrating mast cells predict prognosis and gemcitabine-based adjuvant chemotherapeutic benefit in biliary tract cancer patients

Background

Recent studies have reported TIMs play an important role in tumors progression or regression, but the effect of TIMs in biliary tract cancer remains unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic value of tumor infiltrating mast cells (TIMs) and its influence on gemcitabine-based adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) benefits in biliary tract cancer patients after surgery.

Methods

TIMs were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of tryptase in 250 patients with resected gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) or extrahepatic bile duct carcinoma (EBDC) from Zhongshan Hospital. The relationships between TIMs and clinicopathological factors and postoperative prognosis were analyzed respectively.

Results

High TIMs infiltration was significantly correlated with prolonged overall survival (OS). Furthermore, multivariate analysis indicated TNM stage and TIMs as independent prognostic factors for OS. Patients with high TIMs infiltration appeared to significantly benefit from Gemcitabine-based ACT in the discovery and validation cohorts. Spearman analysis identified that TIMs infiltration were positively correlated with anti-tumor CD8+ T cells.

Conclusion

TIMs infiltration is an independent favorable prognostic factor in GBC and EBDC patients, which could better stratify patients with different prognosis and predict benefit from gemcitabine-based ACT.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-018-4220-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

HAT1 induces lung cancer cell apoptosis via up regulating Fas

The dysfunction of apoptosis is one of the factors contributing to lung cancer (LC) growth. Histone acetyltransferase HAT1 can up regulate cell apoptosis. This study aims to investigate the mechanism by which HAT1 induces LC cell (LCC) apoptosis via up regulating the expression of Fas. In this study, the surgically removed human LC tissues were collected. LCCs were isolated from the LC tissues and analyzed for the expression of HAT1 and Fas by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. We observed that the expression of Fas was negatively correlated with PAR2 in LCCs. Activation of PAR2 suppressed the expression of Fas in normal lung epithelial cells. The expression of HAT1 was lower and positively correlated with Fas expression and negatively correlated with PAR2 expression in LCCs. Activation of PAR2 suppressed Fas expression in lung epithelial cells via inhibiting HAT1. Restoration of HAT1 expression restored Fas expression in LCCs and induced LCC apoptosis. In conclusion, less expression of HAT1 in LCCs was associated with the pathogenesis of LC. Up regulation of HAT1 expression in LCCs can induce LCCs apoptosis, which may be a potential novel therapy for the treatment of LC.

AllergoOncology - the impact of allergy in oncology: EAACI position paper

Th2 immunity and allergic immune surveillance play critical roles in host responses to pathogens, parasites and allergens. Numerous studies have reported significant links between Th2 responses and cancer, including insights into the functions of IgE antibodies and associated effector cells in both antitumour immune surveillance and therapy. The interdisciplinary field of AllergoOncology was given Task Force status by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 2014. Affiliated expert groups focus on the interface between allergic responses and cancer, applied to immune surveillance, immunomodulation and the functions of IgE-mediated immune responses against cancer, to derive novel insights into more effective treatments. Coincident with rapid expansion in clinical application of cancer immunotherapies, here we review the current state-of-the-art and future translational opportunities, as well as challenges in this relatively new field. Recent developments include improved understanding of Th2 antibodies, intratumoral innate allergy effector cells and mediators, IgE-mediated tumour antigen cross-presentation by dendritic cells, as well as immunotherapeutic strategies such as vaccines and recombinant antibodies, and finally, the management of allergy in daily clinical oncology. Shedding light on the crosstalk between allergic response and cancer is paving the way for new avenues of treatment.

Proliferative Effects of Histamine on Primary Human Pterygium Fibroblasts

Purpose. It has been confirmed that inflammatory cytokines are involved in the progression of pterygium. Histamine can enhance proliferation and migration of many cells. Therefore, we intend to investigate the proliferative and migratory effects of histamine on primary culture of human pterygium fibroblasts (HPFs). Methods. Pterygium and conjunctiva samples were obtained from surgery, and toluidine blue staining was used to identify mast cells. 3-[4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) was performed to evaluate the proliferative rate of HPFs and human conjunctival fibroblasts (HCFs); ki67 expression was also measured by immunofluorescence analysis. Histamine receptor-1 (H1R) antagonist (Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride) and histamine receptor-2 (H2R) antagonist (Nizatidine) were added to figure out which receptor was involved. Wound healing model was used to evaluate the migratory ability of HPFs. Results. The numbers of total mast cells and degranulated mast cells were both higher in pterygium than in conjunctiva. Histamine had a proliferative effect on both HPFs and HCFs, the effective concentration (10 μmol/L) on HPFs was lower than on HCFs (100 μmol/L), and the effect could be blocked by H1R antagonist. Histamine showed no migratory effect on HPFs. Conclusion. Histamine may play an important role in the proliferation of HPFs and act through H1R.

Immune Therapy

Lung cancer has long been considered an unsuitable target for immunotherapy due to its proposed immunoresistant properties. However, recent evidence has shown that anti-tumor immune responses can occur in lung cancer patients, paving the way for lung cancer as a novel target for immunotherapy. In order to take full advantage of the potential of immunotherapy, research is focusing on the presence and function of various immunological cell types in the tumor microenvironment. Immune cells which facilitate or inhibit antitumor responses have been identified and their prognostic value in lung cancer has been established. Knowledge regarding these pro- and anti-tumor immune cells and their mechanisms of action has facilitated the identification of numerous potential immunotherapeutic strategies and opportunities for intervention. A plethora of immunotherapeutic approaches is currently being developed and studied in lung cancer patients and phase 3 clinical trials are ongoing. Many different immunotherapies have shown promising clinical effects in patients with limited and advanced stage lung cancer, however, future years will have to tell whether immunotherapy will earn its place in the standard treatment of lung cancer.

Registered report: Discovery and preclinical validation of drug indications using compendia of public gene expression data

The Science Translational Medicine in 2011 (Sirota et al., 2011). The key experiments being replicated include Figure 4C and D and Supplemental Figure 1. In these figures, Sirota and colleagues. tested a proof of concept experiment validating their prediction that cimetidine, a histamine-2 (H2) receptor agonist commonly used to treat peptic ulcers (Kubecova et al., 2011), would be effective against lung adenocarcinoma (Figure 4C and D). As a control they also tested the effects of cimetidine against renal carcinoma, for which it was not predicted to be efficacious (Supplemental Figure 1). The Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology is a collaboration between the eLife.

Mast Cells in Lung Homeostasis: Beyond Type I Hypersensitivity

Lungs are indispensable organs for the respiratory process, and maintaining their homeostasis is essential for human health and survival. However, during the lifetime of an individual, the lungs suffer countless insults that put at risk their delicate organization and function. Many cells of the immune system participate to maintain this equilibrium and to keep functional lungs. Among these cells, mast cells have recently attracted attention because of their ability to rapidly secrete many chemical and biological mediators that modulate different processes like inflammation, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, etc. In this review, we focus on recent advances in the understanding of the role that mast cells play in lung protection during infections, and of the relation of mast cell responses to type I hypersensitivity-associated pathologies. Furthermore, we discuss the potential role of mast cells during wound healing in the lung and its association with lung cancer, and how mast cells could be exploited as therapeutic targets in some diseases

Mast cell exosomes promote lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation - role of KIT-stem cell factor signaling

Background

Human cells release nano-sized vesicles called exosomes, containing mRNA, miRNA and specific proteins. Exosomes from one cell can be taken up by another cell, which is a recently discovered cell-to-cell communication mechanism. Also, exosomes can be taken up by different types of cancer cells, but the potential functional effects of mast cell exosomes on tumor cells remain unknown.

Methods and results

Exosomes were isolated from the human mast cell line, HMC-1, and uptake of PKH67-labelled exosomes by the lung epithelial cell line, A549, was examined using flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. The RNA cargo of the exosomes was analyzed with a Bioanalyzer and absence or presence of the c-KIT mRNA was determined by RT-PCR. The cell proliferation was determined in a BrdU incorporation assay, and proteins in the KIT-SCF signaling pathway were detected by Western blot. Our result demonstrates that exosomes from mast cells can be taken up by lung cancer cells. Furthermore, HMC-1 exosomes contain and transfer KIT protein, but not the c-KIT mRNA to A549 cells and subsequently activate KIT-SCF signal transduction, which increase cyclin D1 expression and accelerate the proliferation in the human lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that exosomes can transfer KIT as a protein to tumor cells, which can affect recipient cell signaling events through receptor-ligand interactions.

Histamine-2 receptor antagonists and risk of lung cancer in diabetic patients – an exploratory analysis

PURPOSE

Histamine-2 receptor blockers (H2RBs) might have anti-tumorogenic effect, but the clinical effect on lung cancer occurrence was unclear.

METHODS

A total of 640,173 type 2 diabetic patients were identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance claims database in 2000. Patients were followed from cohort entry to the earliest of cancer diagnosis, death, disenrollment from the national health insurance, or 31 December 2007. For each participant, H2RB use during the follow-up period was ascertained from the outpatient pharmacy prescription database. Patients with incident squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma were included as cases and up to four age- and sex-matched controls were selected by risk-set sampling. Conditional logistic regression models were applied to estimate the association between H2RBs and lung cancer incidence.

RESULTS

A total of 1182 incident SCC and 2345 adenocarcinoma cases were identified, and 13,108 matched controls were selected. An increased risk was observed for H2RBs use <1 year with adjusted OR of 1.33 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.22–1.44). After excluding all exposures occurring in the year before lung cancer diagnosis, H2RBs use with cumulative dosage ≥ 360 “defined daily doses” was associated with a significantly decreased risk of lung cancer (OR: 0.60; 95% CI: 0.38–0.96). When we stratified on types of lung cancer, the protective association of higher cumulative use of H2RBs seemed more evident for lung adenocarcinoma, with an adjusted OR of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.26–0.90).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher cumulative use of H2RBs might be associated with a reduced risk for non-small cell lung cancer in diabetic patients.

Histamine inhibits adrenocortical cell proliferation but does not affect steroidogenesis

Histamine (HA) is a neurotransmitter synthesized in most mammalian tissues exclusively by histidine decarboxylase enzyme. Among the plethora of actions mediated by HA, the modulatory effects on steroidogenesis and proliferation in Leydig cells (LCs) have been described recently. To determine whether the effects on LCs reported could be extrapolated to all steroidogenic systems, in this study, we assessed the effect of this amine on adrenal proliferation and steroidogenesis, using two adrenocortical cell lines as experimental models, murine Y1 cells and human NCI-H295R cells. Even when steroidogenesis was not modified by HA in adrenocortical cells, the biogenic amine inhibited the proliferation of H295R cells. This action was mediated by the activation of HRH1 subtype and an increase in the production of inositol phosphates as second messengers, causing cell-cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. These results indicate a new role for HA in the proliferation of human adrenocortical cells that could contribute to a better understanding of tumor pathology as well as to the development of new therapeutic agents.

Activation of histamine H4 receptors decreases epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition progress by inhibiting transforming growth factor-β1 signalling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer

Previous investigations found that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was an important character of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and it was also suggested that histamine H4 receptors may have a role in preventing EMT progress in certain kind of tumours. However, the effect of H4 receptor activation on EMT progress of NSCLC and its potential mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, we performed both in vitro and in vivo experiments to explore the effects of specific H4 receptor agonist 4-methylhistamine and antagonist JNJ7777120 on EMT progress. We showed the expression of H4 receptors in NSCLC and found that 4-methylhistamine increased the expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin and decreased the expression of Vimentin, the mesenchymal marker, in both NSCLC cell lines and xenograft NSCLC tumours. Pretreatment with JNJ7777120 or H4 receptor gene silencing decreased while overexpression of H4 receptors facilitated this effect of 4-methylhistamine. Furthermore, we showed that down-regulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was the secondary signalling after H4 receptor activation, which in turn resulted in inactivation of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) pathway and down-regulation of several important EMT inducing factors such as ZEB1, Snail and Slug. In conclusion, these findings revealed the anti-EMT effect of histamine H4 receptor activation in NSCLC, which provide novel insight into the development mechanism of NSCLC; and H4 receptors may be a new therapeutic target for NSCLC treatment.

Gene expression data reveal common pathways that characterize the unifocal nature of ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to evaluate the biological validity of ovarian cancer (OVCA) screening and early detection efforts and to characterize signaling pathways associated with human cancer metastasis and patient survival.

STUDY DESIGN

Using genome-wide expression profiling and deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing, we compared pelvic and matched extrapelvic implants from 30 patients with advanced-stage OVCA for expression of molecular signaling pathways and p53 gene mutations. Differentially expressed pathways were further evaluated in a series of primary or early-stage vs metastatic or recurrent cancer samples from 389 ovarian, prostate, and oral cancer patients. Metastasis pathways were also evaluated for associations with survival in 9 independent clinicogenomic datasets from 1691 ovarian, breast, colon, brain, and lung cancer and leukemia patients. The inhibitory effects of 1 pathway (transforming growth factor [TGF]-WNT) on in vitro OVCA cell migration were studied.

RESULTS

Pelvic and extrapelvic OVCA implants demonstrated similar patterns of signaling pathway expression and identical p53 mutations. However, we identified 3 molecular pathways/cellular processes that were differentially expressed between pelvic and extrapelvic OVCA samples and between primary/early-stage and metastatic/advanced or recurrent ovarian, oral, and prostate cancers. Furthermore, their expression was associated with overall survival from ovarian cancer (P = .006), colon cancer (1 pathway at P = .005), and leukemia (P = .05). Artesunate-induced TGF-WNT pathway inhibition impaired OVCA cell migration.

CONCLUSION

Advanced-stage OVCA has a unifocal origin in the pelvis. Molecular pathways associated with extrapelvic OVCA spread are also associated with metastasis from other human cancers and with overall patient survival. Such pathways represent appealing therapeutic targets for patients with metastatic disease.

Mast cells as a potential prognostic marker in prostate cancer

Despite years of intensive investigation that has been made in understanding prostate cancer, it remains one of the major men's health issues and the leading cause of death worldwide. It is now ascertained that prostate cancer emerges from multiple spontaneous and/or inherited alterations that induce changes in expression patterns of genes and proteins that function in complex networks controlling critical cellular events. It is now accepted that several innate and adaptive immune cells, including T- and B-lymphocytes, macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils, eosinophils, and mast cells (MCs), infiltrate the prostate cancer. All of these cells are irregularly scattered within the tumor and loaded with an assorted array of cytokines, chemokines, and inflammatory and cytotoxic mediators. This complex framework reflects the diversity in tumor biology and tumor-host interactions. MCs are well-established effector cells in Immunoglobulin-E (Ig-E) associated immune responses and potent effector cells of the innate immune system; however, their clinical significance in prostate cancer is still debated. Here, these controversies are summarized, focusing on the implications of these findings in understanding the roles of MCs in primary prostate cancer.

Patient-tailored modulation of the immune system may revolutionize future lung cancer treatment

Cancer research has devoted most of its energy over the past decades on unraveling the control mechanisms within tumor cells that govern its behavior. From this we know that the onset of cancer is the result of cumulative genetic mutations and epigenetic alterations in tumor cells leading to an unregulated cell cycle, unlimited replicative potential and the possibility for tissue invasion and metastasis. Until recently it was often thought that tumors are more or less undetected or tolerated by the patient’s immune system causing the neoplastic cells to divide and spread without resistance. However, it is without any doubt that the tumor environment contains a wide variety of recruited host immune cells. These tumor infiltrating immune cells influence anti-tumor responses in opposing ways and emerges as a critical regulator of tumor growth. Here we provide a summary of the relevant immunological cell types and their complex and dynamic roles within an established tumor microenvironment. For this, we focus on both the systemic compartment as well as the local presence within the tumor microenvironment of late-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), admitting that this multifaceted cellular composition will be different from earlier stages of the disease, between NSCLC patients. Understanding the paradoxical role that the immune system plays in cancer and increasing options for their modulation may alter the odds in favor of a more effective anti-tumor immune response. We predict that the future standard of care of lung cancer will involve patient-tailor-made combination therapies that associate (traditional) chemotherapeutic drugs and biologicals with immune modulating agents and in this way complement the therapeutic armamentarium for this disease.

Increased numbers of gastric-infiltrating mast cells and regulatory T cells are associated with tumor stage in gastric adenocarcinoma patients

Mast cells (MCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the important components of the inflammatory infiltrating leukocytes in most malignant tumors. Our study was designed to investigate the infiltrating correlation between MCs and Tregs and clarify their prognostic significance in gastric cancer (GC). A total of 60 fresh GC tissues were collected and tumor-infiltrating leukocytes were isolated by gradient centrifugation. Tryptase and Foxp3 were used as markers for MCs and Tregs, respectively. The expression of tryptase and Foxp3 was determined in tumor-infiltrating leukocytes using flow cytometry. The expression of tryptase and Foxp3 were positively correlated. The increased infiltration of MCs correlated significantly with advanced stage of GC. The infiltration of MCs into the tumor may increase the number of Tregs. Tryptase is a promising marker to stratify GC patients into different risk groups.

A lack of correlation between mast cells, angiogenesis, and outcome in non-small cell lung cancer

Although a direct association between mast cells and cancer tumors is generally accepted, the exact nature of this relationship appears contradictory. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of mast cells on tumor angiogenesis and outcome in Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The tissue specimens evaluated were from patients with NSCLC who had undergone resection with curative intent at the Medical University of Bialystok Hospital. Of the 90 patients studied, 67 were men. Average age at surgery was 59.68 years. Study population included 29 cases of adenocarcinoma, 44 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, and 17 cases of large cell carcinoma. The authors counted mast cells and microvessels in tumor sections. Mast cells were observed in small groups around vessels and in the cancer parenchyma. At a magnification of 200×, the number of mast cells was 28.90 ± 16.6. Intramural microvessels in endothelial cells were found in small groups, mostly at the margin. At a magnification of 200×, the number of microvessels was 221.69 ± 120.36. Spearman correlation was observed in patients with adenocarcinoma, and also in patients with stage II disease. This study did not show correlation between mast cells count and survival rate, and correlation between microvessel count and survival rate. In this study, mast cells infiltration of the tumor islets was not associated with patients' survival. The authors did not find correlation between mast cells count and angiogenesis, except only in patients with adenocarcinoma, and in patients with stage II disease.

Mast cells: an expanding pathophysiological role from allergy to other disorders

The mast cells are multi-effector cells with wide distribution in the different body parts and traditionally their role has been well-defined in the development of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions including bronchial asthma. Due to the availability of genetically modified mast cell-deficient mice, the broadened pathophysiological role of mast cells in diverse diseases has been revealed. Mast cells exert different physiological and pathophysiological roles by secreting their granular contents, including vasoactive amines, cytokines and chemokines, and various proteases, including tryptase and chymase. Furthermore, mast cells also synthesize plasma membrane-derived lipid mediators, including prostaglandins and leukotrienes, to produce diverse biological actions. The present review discusses the pathophysiological role of mast cells in different diseases, including atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, ischemia-reperfusion injury, male infertility, autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, bladder pain syndrome (interstitial cystitis), anxiety, Alzheimer's disease, nociception, obesity and diabetes mellitus.

Immune alterations and emerging immunotherapeutic approaches in lung cancer

INTRODUCTION

Subjects with lung cancer were shown to present a variety of immune abnormalities including cellular immune dysfunction, cytokine alterations, and antigen presentation defects. As discouraging results are commonly seen with the existing therapies in lung cancer, more innovative treatment strategies are needed.

AREAS COVERED

The authors review comprehensively the immune abnormalities in individuals with lung cancer, describe the lung cancer immunotherapy candidates that are most advanced in their clinical development, and summarize recent data from clinical trials of these agents.

EXPERT OPINION

Enhancing the immune system represents an appealing avenue for lung cancer therapy. Several immunomodulating agents have activity in this regard including ipilimumab, a monoclonal antibody against the CTLA-4, and talactoferrin, a dendritic cell activator. In addition, a significant activity was shown with belagenpumatucel-L, a whole-cell-based vaccine that blocks the action of TGF-β2. Other promising vaccines are protein-specific vaccines against tumor antigens such as MAGE-A3, EGF, and MUC1. Although some of these immunotherapies may have lackluster performance as single agents in advanced disease, more impressive results are seen in combination with chemotherapy agents. Given their proven activity in lung cancer, these immunotherapies may soon become a powerful addition to the oncologist's toolbox.