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Xiao C, Fan T, Zheng Y, Tian H, Deng Z, Liu J, Li C, He J. H3K4 trimethylation regulates cancer immunity: a promising therapeutic target in combination with immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:e005693. [PMID: 37553181 PMCID: PMC10414074 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
With the advances in cancer immunity regulation and immunotherapy, the effects of histone modifications on establishing antitumor immunological ability are constantly being uncovered. Developing combination therapies involving epigenetic drugs (epi-drugs) and immune checkpoint blockades or chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapies are promising to improve the benefits of immunotherapy. Histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) is a pivotal epigenetic modification in cancer immunity regulation, deeply involved in modulating tumor immunogenicity, reshaping tumor immune microenvironment, and regulating immune cell functions. However, how to integrate these theoretical foundations to create novel H3K4 trimethylation-based therapeutic strategies and optimize available therapies remains uncertain. In this review, we delineate the mechanisms by which H3K4me3 and its modifiers regulate antitumor immunity, and explore the therapeutic potential of the H3K4me3-related agents combined with immunotherapies. Understanding the role of H3K4me3 in cancer immunity will be instrumental in developing novel epigenetic therapies and advancing immunotherapy-based combination regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu Xiao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Fan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yujia Zheng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - He Tian
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ziqin Deng
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jingjing Liu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Chunxiang Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jie He
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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Ortega VE, Daya M, Szefler SJ, Bleecker ER, Chinchilli VM, Phipatanakul W, Mauger D, Martinez FD, Herrera-Luis E, Pino-Yanes M, Hawkins GA, Ampleford EJ, Kunselman SJ, Cox C, Bacharier LB, Cabana MD, Cardet JC, Castro M, Denlinger LC, Eng C, Fitzpatrick AM, Holguin F, Hu D, Jackson DJ, Jarjour N, Kraft M, Krishnan JA, Lazarus SC, Lemanske RF, Lima JJ, Lugogo N, Mak A, Moore WC, Naureckas ET, Peters SP, Pongracic JA, Sajuthi SP, Seibold MA, Smith LJ, Solway J, Sorkness CA, Wenzel S, White SR, Burchard EG, Barnes K, Meyers DA, Israel E, Wechsler ME. Pharmacogenetic studies of long-acting beta agonist and inhaled corticosteroid responsiveness in randomised controlled trials of individuals of African descent with asthma. THE LANCET. CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH 2021; 5:862-872. [PMID: 34762840 PMCID: PMC8787857 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-4642(21)00268-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pharmacogenetic studies in asthma cohorts, primarily made up of White people of European descent, have identified loci associated with response to inhaled beta agonists and corticosteroids (ICSs). Differences exist in how individuals from different ancestral backgrounds respond to long-acting beta agonist (LABA) and ICSs. Therefore, we sought to understand the pharmacogenetic mechanisms regulating therapeutic responsiveness in individuals of African descent. METHODS We did ancestry-based pharmacogenetic studies of children (aged 5-11 years) and adolescents and adults (aged 12-69 years) from the Best African Response to Drug (BARD) trials, in which participants with asthma uncontrolled with low-dose ICS (fluticasone propionate 50 μg in children, 100 μg in adolescents and adults) received different step-up combination therapies. The hierarchal composite outcome of pairwise superior responsiveness in BARD was based on asthma exacerbations, a 31-day difference in annualised asthma-control days, or a 5% difference in percentage predicted FEV1. We did whole-genome admixture mapping of 15 159 ancestral segments within 312 independent regions, stratified by the two age groups. The two co-primary outcome comparisons were the step up from low-dose ICS to the quintuple dose of ICS (5 × ICS: 250 μg twice daily in children and 500 μg twice daily in adolescents and adults) versus double dose (2-2·5 × ICS: 100 μg twice daily in children, 250 μg twice daily in adolescents and adults), and 5 × ICS versus 100 μg fluticasone plus a LABA (salmeterol 50 μg twice daily). We used a genome-wide significance threshold of p<1·6 × 10-4, and tested for replication using independent cohorts of individuals of African descent with asthma. FINDINGS We included 249 unrelated children and 267 unrelated adolescents and adults in the BARD pharmacogenetic analysis. In children, we identified a significant admixture mapping peak for superior responsiveness to 5 × ICS versus 100 μg fluticasone plus salmeterol on chromosome 12 (odds ratio [ORlocal African] 3·95, 95% CI 2·02-7·72, p=6·1 × 10-5) fine mapped to a locus adjacent to RNFT2 and NOS1 (rs73399224, ORallele dose 0·17, 95% CI 0·07-0·42, p=8·4 × 10-5). In adolescents and adults, we identified a peak for superior responsiveness to 5 × ICS versus 2·5 × ICS on chromosome 22 (ORlocal African 3·35, 1·98-5·67, p=6·8 × 10-6) containing a locus adjacent to TPST2 (rs5752429, ORallele dose 0·21, 0·09-0·52, p=5·7 × 10-4). We replicated rs5752429 and nominally replicated rs73399224 in independent African American cohorts. INTERPRETATION BARD is the first genome-wide pharmacogenetic study of LABA and ICS response in clinical trials of individuals of African descent to detect and replicate genome-wide significant loci. Admixture mapping of the composite BARD trial outcome enabled the identification of novel pharmacogenetic variation accounting for differential therapeutic responses in people of African descent with asthma. FUNDING National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor E Ortega
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section for Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Immunologic Diseases, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
| | - Michelle Daya
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Stanley J Szefler
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Eugene R Bleecker
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Genetics, Genomics, and Precision Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Vernon M Chinchilli
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Wanda Phipatanakul
- Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dave Mauger
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Fernando D Martinez
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona Health Sciences, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Esther Herrera-Luis
- Department of Biochemistry, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Microbiology, Cell Biology, and Genetics, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Genomics and Health Group, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Maria Pino-Yanes
- Department of Biochemistry, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Microbiology, Cell Biology, and Genetics, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Genomics and Health Group, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gregory A Hawkins
- Department of Biochemistry, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Elizabeth J Ampleford
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section for Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Immunologic Diseases, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Susan J Kunselman
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Corey Cox
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Leonard B Bacharier
- Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael D Cabana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Juan Carlos Cardet
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Mario Castro
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Loren C Denlinger
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Celeste Eng
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Fernando Holguin
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Donglei Hu
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel J Jackson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Nizar Jarjour
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Monica Kraft
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Genetics, Genomics, and Precision Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Jerry A Krishnan
- Breathe Chicago Center, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Allergy, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Stephen C Lazarus
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert F Lemanske
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - John J Lima
- Center for Pharmacogenomics and Translational Research, Nemours Children's Health System, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Njira Lugogo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Angel Mak
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Wendy C Moore
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section for Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Immunologic Diseases, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | | | - Stephen P Peters
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section for Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Immunologic Diseases, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Jacqueline A Pongracic
- Department of Pediatrics, Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Satria P Sajuthi
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Max A Seibold
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA; Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Lewis J Smith
- Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Julian Solway
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Christine A Sorkness
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sally Wenzel
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Steven R White
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Esteban G Burchard
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Kathleen Barnes
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Deborah A Meyers
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Genetics, Genomics, and Precision Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Elliot Israel
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Allergy and Immunology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Maes K, Mondino A, Lasarte JJ, Agirre X, Vanderkerken K, Prosper F, Breckpot K. Epigenetic Modifiers: Anti-Neoplastic Drugs With Immunomodulating Potential. Front Immunol 2021; 12:652160. [PMID: 33859645 PMCID: PMC8042276 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.652160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells are under the surveillance of the host immune system. Nevertheless, a number of immunosuppressive mechanisms allow tumors to escape protective responses and impose immune tolerance. Epigenetic alterations are central to cancer cell biology and cancer immune evasion. Accordingly, epigenetic modulating agents (EMAs) are being exploited as anti-neoplastic and immunomodulatory agents to restore immunological fitness. By simultaneously acting on cancer cells, e.g. by changing expression of tumor antigens, immune checkpoints, chemokines or innate defense pathways, and on immune cells, e.g. by remodeling the tumor stroma or enhancing effector cell functionality, EMAs can indeed overcome peripheral tolerance to transformed cells. Therefore, combinations of EMAs with chemo- or immunotherapy have become interesting strategies to fight cancer. Here we review several examples of epigenetic changes critical for immune cell functions and tumor-immune evasion and of the use of EMAs in promoting anti-tumor immunity. Finally, we provide our perspective on how EMAs could represent a game changer for combinatorial therapies and the clinical management of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken Maes
- Laboratory for Hematology and Immunology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Center for Medical Genetics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universiteit Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Anna Mondino
- Lymphocyte Activation Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy
| | - Juan José Lasarte
- Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada, IDISNA, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Xabier Agirre
- Laboratory of Cancer Epigenetics, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cáncer (CIBERONC), Pamplona, Spain.,Hemato-oncology Program, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada, IDISNA, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Karin Vanderkerken
- Laboratory for Hematology and Immunology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Felipe Prosper
- Laboratory of Cancer Epigenetics, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cáncer (CIBERONC), Pamplona, Spain.,Hemato-oncology Program, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada, IDISNA, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.,Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Karine Breckpot
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Boukhaled GM, Corrado M, Guak H, Krawczyk CM. Chromatin Architecture as an Essential Determinant of Dendritic Cell Function. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1119. [PMID: 31214161 PMCID: PMC6557980 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetics has widespread implications in a variety of cellular processes ranging from cell identity and specification, to cellular adaptation to environmental stimuli. While typically associated with heritable changes in gene expression, epigenetic mechanisms are now appreciated to regulate dynamic changes in gene expression—even in post-mitotic cells. Cells of the innate immune system, including dendritic cells (DC), rapidly integrate signals from their microenvironment and respond accordingly, undergoing massive changes in transcriptional programming. This dynamic transcriptional reprogramming relies on epigenetic changes mediated by numerous enzymes and their substrates. This review highlights our current understanding of epigenetic regulation of DC function. Epigenetic mechanisms contribute to the maintenance of the steady state and are important for precise responses to proinflammatory stimuli. Interdependence between epigenetic modifications and the delicate balance of metabolites present another layer of complexity. In addition, dynamic regulation of the expression of proteins that modify chromatin architecture in DCs significantly impacts DC function. Environmental factors, including inflammation, aging, chemicals, nutrients, and lipid mediators, are increasingly appreciated to affect the epigenome in DCs, and, in doing so, regulate host immunity. Our understanding of how epigenetic mechanisms regulate DC function is in its infancy, and it must be expanded in order to discern the mechanisms underlying the balance between health and disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giselle M Boukhaled
- Department of Physiology, Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mario Corrado
- Department of Physiology, Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Hannah Guak
- Department of Physiology, Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Connie M Krawczyk
- Department of Physiology, Goodman Cancer Research Center, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Center for Cancer and Cell Biology, Program in Metabolic and Nutritional Programming, Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
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