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Richter F, Paget C, Apetoh L. STING-driven activation of T cells: relevance for the adoptive cell therapy of cancer. Cell Stress 2023; 7:95-104. [PMID: 37970489 PMCID: PMC10642958 DOI: 10.15698/cst2023.11.291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) can successfully treat hematopoietic cancers but lacks efficacy against solid tumors. This is due to insufficient T cell infiltration, high tumor heterogeneity, frequent antigen loss with subsequent tumor escape, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Alternative methods to boost the anticancer efficacy of adoptively transferred cells are actively pursued. Among adjuvants that are utilized to stimulate anticancer immune responses, ligands of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway have received increasing attention. STING activation can trigger dendritic cell (DC) activation and endogenous immune responses, thereby preventing tumor escape. Activation of the STING pathway in the context of ACT was accordingly associated with improved T cell trafficking and persistence in the TME combined with the reduced presence of immunosuppressive cells. Recent findings also suggest cell-intrinsic effects of STING ligands on T cells. Activation of the STING signaling pathway was in this regard shown to enhance effector functions of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, suggesting that the STING signaling could be exploited to harness T cell anticancer functions. In this review, we will discuss how the STING signaling can be used to enhance the anticancer efficacy of ACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Richter
- Centre d'Étude des Pathologies Respiratoires, U1100, INSERM, Tours, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Christophe Paget
- Centre d'Étude des Pathologies Respiratoires, U1100, INSERM, Tours, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Lionel Apetoh
- Brown Center for Immunotherapy, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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Vinokurova D, Apetoh L. The Emerging Role of IL-9 in the Anticancer Effects of Anti-PD-1 Therapy. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13040670. [PMID: 37189417 DOI: 10.3390/biom13040670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
PD-1 blockade rescues failing anticancer immune responses, resulting in durable remissions in some cancer patients. Cytokines such as IFNγ and IL-2 contribute to the anti-tumor effect of PD-1 blockade. IL-9 was identified over the last decade as a cytokine demonstrating a potent ability to harness the anticancer functions of innate and adaptive immune cells in mice. Recent translational investigations suggest that the anticancer activity of IL-9 also extends to some human cancers. Increased T cell-derived IL-9 was proposed to predict the response to anti-PD-1 therapy. Preclinical investigations accordingly revealed that IL-9 could synergize with anti-PD-1 therapy in eliciting anticancer responses. Here, we review the findings suggesting an important contribution of IL-9 in the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy and discuss their clinical relevance. We will also discuss the role of host factors like the microbiota and TGFβ in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in the regulation of IL-9 secretion and anti-PD-1 treatment efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Vinokurova
- UMR 1231, Lipides Nutrition Cancer, INSERM, 21000 Dijon, France
- UFR des Sciences de Santé, Université de Bourgogne, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Lionel Apetoh
- Brown Center for Immunotherapy, Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
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Benoit-Lizon I, Jacquin E, Rivera Vargas T, Richard C, Roussey A, Dal Zuffo L, Martin T, Melis A, Vinokurova D, Shahoei SH, Baeza Garcia A, Pignol C, Giorgiutti S, Carapito R, Boidot R, Végran F, Flavell RA, Ryffel B, Nelson ER, Soulas-Sprauel P, Lawrence T, Apetoh L. CD4 T cell-intrinsic STING signaling controls the differentiation and effector functions of TH1 and TH9 cells. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003459. [PMID: 35091453 PMCID: PMC8804688 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While stimulator of interferon genes (STING) activation in innate immune cells of the tumor microenvironment can result in CD8 T cell-dependent antitumor immunity, whether STING signaling affects CD4 T-cell responses remains elusive. Methods Here, we tested whether STING activation modulated the effector functions of CD4 T cells in vivo by analyzing tumor-infiltrating CD4 T cells and evaluating the contribution of the CD4 T cell-derived cytokines in the antitumor activity of the STING ligand 2′3′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP) in two mouse tumor models. We performed ex vivo experiments to assess the impact of STING activation on CD4 T-cell differentiation and investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms. Finally, we tested whether STING activation enhances TH9 cell antitumor activity against mouse melanoma upon adoptive transfer. Results We found that activation of STING signaling cell-intrinsically enhances the differentiation and antitumor functions of TH1 and TH9 cells by increasing their respective production of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-9. IRF3 and type I interferon receptors (IFNARs) are required for the STING-driven enhancement of TH1 cell differentiation. However, STING activation favors TH9 cell differentiation independently of the IFNARs/IRF3 pathway but through mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, underscoring that STING activation differentially affects the fate of distinct CD4 T-cell subsets. The therapeutic effect of STING activation relies on TH1 and TH9-derived cytokines, and STING activation enhances the antitumor activity of TH9 cells upon adoptive transfer. Conclusion Our results reveal the STING signaling pathway as a therapeutic target to boost CD4 T-cell effector functions and antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isis Benoit-Lizon
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Elise Jacquin
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- INSERM, UMR-S 1193, Université Paris-Saclay, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Thaiz Rivera Vargas
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Corentin Richard
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Aurélie Roussey
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Ludivine Dal Zuffo
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Tiffany Martin
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Andréa Melis
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Daria Vinokurova
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Sayyed Hamed Shahoei
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Alvaro Baeza Garcia
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Cassandre Pignol
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Stéphane Giorgiutti
- INSERM UMR - S1109, Department of Clinical Immunology and Internal Medicine, National Reference Center for Systemic Autoimmune Diseases (CNR RESO), Tertiary Center for Primary Immunodeficiency, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Raphaël Carapito
- Laboratoire d'ImmunoRhumatologie Moléculaire, GENOMAX platform, INSERM UMR_S 1109, Faculté de Médecine, Fédération Hospitalo-Universitaire OMICARE, Fédération de Médecine Translationnelle de Strasbourg (FMTS), LabEx TRANSPLANTEX, Strasbourg, France
| | - Romain Boidot
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Department of Biology and Pathology of Tumors, Centre Georges François Leclerc, Dijon, France
| | - Frédérique Végran
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- Department of Biology and Pathology of Tumors, Centre Georges François Leclerc, Dijon, France
| | - Richard A Flavell
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Heaven, CT, USA
| | - Bernhard Ryffel
- UMR 7355, Experimental and Molecular Immunology and Neurogenetics, CNRS, Orléans, France
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Eric R Nelson
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
- Anticancer Discovery from Pets to People Theme, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Cancer Center at Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Illinois, USA
- University of Illinois Cancer Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Pauline Soulas-Sprauel
- INSERM UMR-S1109, Department of Clinical Immunology and Internal Medicine, National Reference Center for Systemic Autoimmune Diseases (CNR RESO), Tertiary Center for Primary Immunodeficiency, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Toby Lawrence
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Université Aix-Marseille, INSERM, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Lionel Apetoh
- INSERM, U1231, Dijon, France
- UFR Sciences de Santé, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
- INSERM, U1100, Tours, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université de Tours, Tours, France
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