Targeting the MAGE A3 antigen in pancreatic cancer

Immunological and functional aspects of MAGEA3 cancer/testis antigen

Identification of ectopic gene activation in cancer cells serves as a basis for both gene signature-guided tumor targeting and unearthing of oncogenic mechanisms to expand the understanding of tumor biology/oncogenic process. Proteins expressed only in germ cells of testis and/or placenta (immunoprivileged organs) and in malignancies are called cancer testis antigens; they are antigenic because of the lack of antigen presentation by those specific cell types (germ cells), which limits the exposure of the proteins to the immune cells. Since the Cancer Testis Antigens (CTAs) are immunogenic and expressed in a wide variety of cancer types, CT antigens have become interesting target for immunotherapy against cancer. Among CT antigens MAGEA family is reported to have 12 members (MAGEA1 to MAGEA12). The current review highlights the studies on MAGEA3 which is a CT antigen and reported in almost all types of cancer. MAGEA3 is well tried for cancer immunotherapy. Recent advances on its functional and immunological aspect warranted much deliberation on effective therapeutic approach, thus making it a more interesting target for cancer therapy.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells infiltration in non-small-cell lung cancer tumor and MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1 expression

Cancer/testis antigens melanoma-associated antigen 4 (MAGE-A4) and New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1 (NY-ESO-1) are of clinical interest as biomarkers and present valuable targets for immunotherapy; however, they are poor prognostic markers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In addition, myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are recognized as a key element in tumor escape and progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1, and their association with MDSCs in NSCLC samples. The expression levels of MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1, and the infiltration of MDSCs (CD33⁺), were analyzed by immunohistochemistry of 67 tissue samples from patients with NSCLC. Overall, 58.33% of the NSCLC squamous cell carcinoma tissues and 94.7% of adenocarcinoma tissues were positive for MAGE-A4. NY-ESO-1 expression was observed in 52.78% of the squamous cell carcinoma tissues and 80% of the adenocarcinoma tissues. In primary adenocarcinoma tumor tissues, MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1 demonstrated a higher intensity of expression compared with the squamous cell carcinoma tissues. A total of 33 (91.7%) squamous cell carcinoma and 19 (95.0%) adenocarcinoma specimens were positive for CD33. The expression of MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1 antigens and infiltration of MDSCs was associated with poor prognosis of patients with NSCLC. Further studies investigating the association between these findings and underlying molecular mechanisms are required.

Functional and mechanistic studies reveal MAGEA3 as a pro-survival factor in pancreatic cancer cells

Background

In the era of personalized therapy, functional annotation of less frequent genetic aberrations will be instrumental in adapting effective therapeutic in clinic. Overexpression of Melanoma associated antigen A3 (MAGEA3) is reported in certain pancreatic cancer (PCA) patients. The major objective of the current study was to investigate the functional role of MAGEA3 in pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) growth and survival.

Methods

Using overexpression (tet-on regulated system and constitutive expression system) and knockdown (by siRNA and shRNA) approach, we dissected the mechanistic role of MAGEA3 in pancreatic cancer pathogenesis. We generated MAGEA3 expressing stable PCA cell lines and mouse primary pancreatic epithelial cells. MAGEA3 was also depleted in certain MAGEA3 positive PCCs by siRNA or shRNA. The stable cells were subjected to in vitro assays like proliferation and survival assays under growth factor deprivation or in the presence of cytotoxic drugs. The MAGEA3 overexpressing or depleted stable PCCs were evaluated in vivo using xenograft model to check the role of MAGEA3 in tumor progression. We also dissected the mechanism behind the MAGEA3 role in tumor progression using western blot analysis and CCL2 neutralization.

Results

MAGEA3 overexpression in PCA cells did not alter the cell proliferation but protected the cells during growth factor deprivation and also in the presence of cytotoxic drugs. However, depletion of MAGEA3 in MAGEA3 positive cells resulted in reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis upon growth factor deprivation and also in response to cytotoxic drugs. The in vivo xenograft study revealed that overexpression of MAGEA3 promoted tumor growth however depleting the same hindered the tumor progression. Mechanistically, our in vitro and in vivo study revealed that MAGEA3 has tumor-promoting role by reducing macro-autophagy and overexpressing pro-survival molecules like CCL2 and survivin.

Conclusion

Our data proves tumor-promoting role of MAGEA3 and provides the rationale to target MAGEA3 and/or its functional mediators like CCL2 for PCA, which may have a better impact in PCA therapy.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-019-1272-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Investigation into the expression levels of MAGEA6 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and esophageal adenocarcinoma tissues

Esophageal carcinoma (EC) is the sixth most deadly of all cancers. It is among the most malignant cancers due to its highly aggressive nature and low survival rate. The incidence of EC is high in Asia, particularly in Southern areas including China, Iran and Japan. There is a large body of evidence to suggest an association between the melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) family and the initiation of cancer; however, there is no clear evidence to suggest an association between EC and MAGE. Discovery of the chemical and physiological processes relevant to the occurrence of EC is vital for clinicians to diagnose and treat this highly aggressive cancer. The present study focused on the association of EC with the expression of MAGE family member A6 (MAGEA6) at the mRNA and protein levels using gene chip, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry. The expression of MAGEA6 in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) tissue samples were compared with those in paracancerous tissue. The result of the gene chip assay revealed that as the generation grew, there was a significant increase in MAGEA6 transcription in the esophageal epithelial cell line, SHEE Different ESC cell lines also exhibited a significantly higher transcription of MAGEA6 compared with the HaCaT cell line, as determined via reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. An higher positive rate of MAGEA6 expression in ESCC and EAC tissues was also revealed when compared with paracancerous tissues, as determined via immunohistochemistry. The results indicated that MAGEA6 is highly transcribed and expressed in the development of EC and may therefore serve as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis or treatment of EC.

Anticancer potential of naturally occurring immunoepigenetic modulators: A promising avenue?

The immune system represents the major primary defense line against carcinogenesis and acts by identifying and eradicating nascent transformed cells. A growing body of evidence is indicating that aberrant epigenetic reprogramming plays a key role in tumor immune escape through: 1) impaired efficient recognition of neoplastic cells by the immune system, resulting from a downregulation or loss of the expression of tumor-associated antigens, human leukocyte antigens, antigen processing and presenting machinery, and costimulatory molecule genes; 2) aberrant expression of immune checkpoint proteins and their ligands; and 3) modification of cytokine profiles and tumor-associated immune cell populations toward an immunosuppressive state in the tumor microenvironment. Consistent with the inherent reversibility of epigenetic alterations, epigenetic drugs, including DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase inhibitors, have the unique potential to favorably modify the tumor microenvironment, restore tumor recognition and stimulate an antitumor immune response. The objective of this review is to highlight selected, naturally occurring epigenetic modulators, namely, butyrate, curcumin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, resveratrol, romidepsin, and trichostatin A, with a special focus on their antitumor immune properties.

A sensitive and disposable indium tin oxide based electrochemical immunosensor for label-free detection of MAGE-1

MAGE-1 (MAGE, for melanoma antigen), was identified by virtue of its processing and cell surface expression as a tumor-specific peptide bound to major histocompatibility complexes which was reactive with autolytic T cells. 3-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (3-GOPS) is frequently employed for the preparation of dense heterometal hybrid polymers which are used, e.g., for hard coatings of organic polymers and contact lens materials in the optical industry. In this study, we have improved a new immunological biosensor with indium tin oxide (ITO). Then, Anti-MAGE-1 antibody was covalently immobilized with 3-GOPS which formed a self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on modified ITO electrodes. Analytical characteristics such as square wave voltammetry, linear determination range, repeatability, reproducibility and regeneration of biosensors are determined. All characterization steps are monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV). The developed biosensor has wide determination range (0.5fg-15fg/mL). To investigate long shelf life of the fabricated biosensor, the immunosensors were stored at 4°C for periods ten weeks. Futhermore, binding kinetics of MAGE1 to antiMAGE-1 is monitored by single frequency technique in real time. Additionally, Kramer's-Kronig transform was used to understand whether the impedance spectra of biosensor system are affected from the variation that occurred because of external factor. Morphological characteristics of constructed biosensor were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Real human serum samples were also analyzed by the proposed biosensor, successfully. A commercial ELISA kit was also used as a reference method to validate the results obtained by the biosensor. Finally, this biosensor was tried in real blood sample and that showed it could be utilized in clinical applications. This biosensor can be preferred due to it has a wide linear range and it can be prepared easily.

Prognostic value of MAGE-A9 expression in patients with colorectal cancer

MAGE-A9 is a novel member of the melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE) family and is expressed in testicular cancer. The present study investigated MAGE-A9 expression as a potential biomarker in colorectal cancer (CRC). Immunohistochemical analysis was used to determine the expression of MAGE-A9 in 201 cases CRC tissues. We used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis to further verify the results. The correlation between MAGE-A9 expression, clinicopathological features and prognosis of CRC patients was analyzed. The results showed that MAGE-A9 was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm of cancer cells and stromal cells. Compared to normal adjacent tissues, the high expression rate of MAGE-A9 in CRC tissues was significantly increased (P<0.001). High MAGE-A9 expression was significantly associated with venous invasion (P=0.008) and lymph node metastasis (P<0.001). The survival rate of the CRC patients who were positive for MAGE-A9 expression was significantly lower than that of CRC patients with negative MAGE-A9 expression. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses showed that high MAGE-A9 expression was a poor prognostic factor for CRC patients. Hence, MAGE-A9 is expected to become a new target for CRC treatment.

Induction of a specific CD8+ T-cell response to cancer/testis antigens by demethylating pre-treatment against osteosarcoma

Conventional non-surgical therapeutic regimens against osteosarcoma are subject to chemoresistance and tumor relapse, and immunotherapy may be promising for this tumor. However, it's hard to find satisfactory epitopes for immunotherapy against osteosarcoma. Cancer/testis antigens (CTAs), such as MAGE-A family and NY-ESO-1, the potential antigens that almost exclusively express in tumor cells and immune-privileged sites, have been found expressed in osteosarcoma also. Nevertheless, the expression of CTAs is downregulated in many tumors, constraining the application of immunotherapy. In this article, we demonstrate that the expression of MAGE-A family and NY-ESO-1 in osteosarcoma cells can be upregulated following treatment with demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and consequently induces a CTA specific CD8+ T-cell response against osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. The in vivo imaging was realized by using luciferase-transfected HOS cells and DiR labeled T-cells in severely combined immunodeficiency mouse models. Cytotoxic T cells specifically recognizing MAGE-A family and NY-ESO-1 clustered at the tumor site in mice pre-treated with DAC and resulted in tumor growth suppression, while it was not observed in mice without DAC pre-treatment. This study is important for more targeted therapeutic approaches and suggests that adoptive immunotherapy, combined with demethylating treatment, has the potential for non-surgical therapeutic strategy against osteosarcoma.

MAGE-A3: an immunogenic target used in clinical practice

Melanoma antigen family A, 3 (MAGE-A3) is a cancer-testis antigen whose expression has been demonstrated in a wide array of malignancies including melanoma, brain, breast, lung and ovarian cancer. In addition, its ability to elicit spontaneous humoral and cellular immune responses has been shown in cancer patients. As antigen-specific immune responses can be stimulated by immunization with MAGE-A3, several clinical trials have used MAGE-A3 vaccines to observe clinical responses. The frequent expressions of this antigen in various tumors and its immunogenicity in cancer patients have led to application of this antigen in cancer immunotherapy. However, the results of recent clinical trials indicate that there is a need for research in the vaccine design, adjuvant selection as well as patient selection criteria.

Frequent expression of zinc-finger protein ZNF165 in human urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma

The aim of the study is to evaluate mRNA/protein expression of zinc finger protein 165 (ZNF165) in transitional cell carcinomas (TCCs) of urinary bladder and correlate its expression with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients. In this study, the methods of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were utilized to evaluate mRNA/protein expression of ZNF165 in TCC. Independent Student's t test, ANOVA and Chi-square (χ(2)) were used to analyze the data statistically. We observed overexpression of ZNF165 mRNA in testis and majority (59.2%) of TCC patients. ZNF165 mRNA expression was also detected in adjacent noncancerous tissues (ANCTs) and some other normal tissues. Relative mean fold expression of ZNF165 mRNA was found to be significantly (p<0.01) higher in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) as compared to non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients. (12.11±9.57 vs. 5.72±2.61, p=0.009). ZNF165 protein expression was demonstrated on archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) bladder tissues using IHC and nuclear staining pattern was detected. No significant difference was observed in protein expression of ZNF165 between the two groups (NMIBC and MIBC patients) (61.1% vs. 55.2%, p=0.629). No significant protein expression of ZNF165 was observed among ANCTs and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) used as control. Our study results suggest that ZNF165 mRNA/protein expression was observed in TCC of human urinary bladder and might be used as a novel diagnostic biomarker and as well a vaccine target in development of urinary bladder cancer specific immunotherapy.

Simultaneous cytoplasmic and nuclear protein expression of melanoma antigen-A family and NY-ESO-1 cancer-testis antigens represents an independent marker for poor survival in head and neck cancer

The prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients remains poor. The identification of high-risk subgroups is needed for the development of custom-tailored therapies. The expression of cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) has been linked to a worse prognosis in other cancer types; however, their prognostic value in HNSCC is unclear because only few patients have been examined and data on CTA protein expression are sparse. A tissue microarray consisting of tumor samples from 453 HNSCC patients was evaluated for the expression of CTA proteins using immunohistochemistry. Frequency of expression and the subcellular expression pattern (nuclear, cytoplasmic, or both) was recorded. Protein expression of melanoma antigen (MAGE)-A family CTA, MAGE-C family CTA and NY-ESO-1 was found in approximately 30, 7 and 4% of tumors, respectively. The subcellular expression pattern in particular had a marked impact on the patients' prognosis. Median overall survival (OS) of patients with (i) simultaneous cytoplasmic and nuclear expression compared to (ii) either cytoplasmic or nuclear expression and (iii) negative patients was 23.0 versus 109.0 versus 102.5 months, for pan-MAGE (p < 0.0001), 46.6 versus 50.0 versus 109.0 for MAGE-A3/A4 (p = 0.0074) and 13.3 versus 50.0 versus 100.2 months for NY-ESO-1 (p = 0.0019). By multivariate analysis, these factors were confirmed as independent markers for poor survival. HNSCC patients showing protein expression of MAGE-A family members or NY-ESO-1 represent a subgroup with an extraordinarily poor survival. The development of immunotherapeutic strategies targeting these CTA may, therefore, be a promising approach to improve the outcome of HNSCC patients.

Epigenetic alterations in osteosarcoma: promising targets

Cancer is being reinterpreted due to recent discoveries related to epigenetic regulation during development, and the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in initiation and progression of cancer has been further highlighted by the recent explosion in medical information. Osteosarcoma is highly genetically unstable, and current therapeutic regimens are subject to chemoresistance and tumor relapse. Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms in the pathogenesis of osteosarcoma will provide novel avenues for cancer therapy. In this review, we examine the epigenetic alterations in gene expression in osteosarcoma, and discuss the utilization of epigenetic regulation therapy in treatment against osteosarcoma.

Epigenetic changes: a common theme in acute myelogenous leukemogenesis

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rather common disease, characterized by the presence of a clonal population of hematopoietic progenitor cells with impaired differentiation. Although traditionally AML has been considered the result of genetic alterations, more recently experimental evidence have demonstrated that epigenetic modifications are important in development and maintenance of leukemia cells. In this review we summarize current scientific knowledge of epigenetic alterations involved in leukemogenesis. We also highlight the developing of new technological strategies that are based on epigenetic processes and have been registered as Patents of Inventions in the United Nations dependent World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) and the main Patent offices worldwide.