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Gui M, Huang S, Li S, Chen Y, Cheng F, Liu Y, Wang JA, Wang Y, Guo R, Lu Y, Cao P, Zhou G. Integrative single-cell transcriptomic analyses reveal the cellular ontological and functional heterogeneities of primary and metastatic liver tumors. J Transl Med 2024; 22:206. [PMID: 38414027 PMCID: PMC10898050 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-04947-9] [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] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The global cellular landscape of the tumor microenvironment (TME) combining primary and metastatic liver tumors has not been comprehensively characterized. METHODS Based on the scRNA-seq and spatial transcriptomic data of non-tumor liver tissues (NTs), primary liver tumors (PTs) and metastatic liver tumors (MTs), we performed the tissue preference, trajectory reconstruction, transcription factor activity inference, cell-cell interaction and cellular deconvolution analyses to construct a comprehensive cellular landscape of liver tumors. RESULTS Our analyses depicted the heterogeneous cellular ecosystems in NTs, PTs and MTs. The activated memory B cells and effector T cells were shown to gradually shift to inhibitory B cells, regulatory or exhausted T cells in liver tumors, especially in MTs. Among them, we characterized a unique group of TCF7+ CD8+ memory T cells specifically enriched in MTs that could differentiate into exhausted T cells likely driven by the p38 MAPK signaling. With regard to myeloid cells, the liver-resident macrophages and inflammatory monocyte/macrophages were markedly replaced by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), with TREM2+ and UBE2C+ TAMs enriched in PTs, while SPP1+ and WDR45B+ TAMs in MTs. We further showed that the newly identified WDR45B+ TAMs exhibit an M2-like polarization and are associated with adverse prognosis in patients with liver metastases. Additionally, we addressed that endothelial cells display higher immune tolerance and angiogenesis capacity, and provided evidence for the source of the mesenchymal transformation of fibroblasts in tumors. Finally, the malignant hepatocytes and fibroblasts were prioritized as the pivotal cell populations in shaping the microenvironments of PTs and MTs, respectively. Notably, validation analyses by using spatial or bulk transcriptomic data in clinical cohorts concordantly emphasized the clinical significance of these findings. CONCLUSIONS This study defines the ontological and functional heterogeneities in cellular ecosystems of primary and metastatic liver tumors, providing a foundation for future investigation of the underlying cellular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menghui Gui
- School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences at Beijing, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850, People's Republic of China
| | - Shilin Huang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, 530021, People's Republic of China
| | - Shizhou Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, 530021, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuying Chen
- Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, People's Republic of China
| | - Furong Cheng
- Institute of Life Science and Green Development, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, People's Republic of China
| | - Yulin Liu
- Mudanjiang Medical College, Mudanjiang, 157011, People's Republic of China
| | - Ji-Ao Wang
- Institute of Life Science and Green Development, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuting Wang
- College of Chemistry & Environmental Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Guo
- Institute of Life Science and Green Development, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiming Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences at Beijing, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850, People's Republic of China
| | - Pengbo Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences at Beijing, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850, People's Republic of China.
| | - Gangqiao Zhou
- School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, People's Republic of China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Proteomics, National Center for Protein Sciences at Beijing, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, 27 Taiping Road, Beijing, 100850, People's Republic of China.
- Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, People's Republic of China.
- Institute of Life Science and Green Development, College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, People's Republic of China.
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Wen Y, Wang H, Tian D, Wang G. TH17 cell: a double-edged sword in the development of inflammatory bowel disease. Therap Adv Gastroenterol 2024; 17:17562848241230896. [PMID: 38390028 PMCID: PMC10883129 DOI: 10.1177/17562848241230896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic nonspecific inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, and its pathogenesis has not been fully understood. Extensive dysregulation of the intestinal mucosal immune system is critical in the development and progression of IBD. T helper (Th) 17 cells have the characteristics of plasticity. They can transdifferentiate into subpopulations with different functions in response to different factors in the surrounding environment, thus taking on different roles in regulating the intestinal immune responses. In this review, we will focus on the plasticity of Th17 cells as well as the function of Th17 cells and their related cytokines in IBD. We will summarize their pathogenic and protective roles in IBD under different conditions, respectively, hoping to further deepen the understanding of the pathological mechanisms underlying IBD and provide insights for future treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Han Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Dean Tian
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, China
| | - Ge Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, China
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Gao L, Zhang W, Zhang L, Gromova B, Chen G, Csizmadia E, Cagle C, Nastasio S, Ma Y, Bonder A, Patwardhan V, Robson SC, Jiang S, Longhi MS. Silencing of aryl hydrocarbon receptor repressor restrains Th17 cell immunity in autoimmune hepatitis. J Autoimmun 2024; 143:103162. [PMID: 38142533 PMCID: PMC10981568 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2023.103162] [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] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Th17-cells play a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Dysregulation of Th17-cells in AIH is linked to defective response to aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor (AhR) activation. AhR modulates adaptive immunity and is regulated by aryl-hydrocarbon-receptor-repressor (AHRR), which inhibits AhR transcriptional activity. In this study, we investigated whether defective Th17-cell response to AhR derives from aberrant AHRR regulation in AIH. Th17-cells, obtained from the peripheral blood of AIH patients (n = 30) and healthy controls (n = 30) were exposed to AhR endogenous ligands, and their response assessed in the absence or presence of AHRR silencing. Therapeutic effects of AHRR blockade were tested in a model of Concanavalin-A (Con-A)-induced liver injury in humanized mice. AHRR was markedly upregulated in AIH Th17-cells, following exposure to l-kynurenine, an AhR endogenous ligand. In patients, silencing of AHRR boosted Th17-cell response to l-kynurenine, as reflected by increased levels of CYP1A1, the main gene controlled by AhR; and decreased IL17A expression. Blockade of AHRR limited the differentiation of naïve CD4-cells into Th17 lymphocytes; and modulated Th17-cell metabolic profile by increasing the levels of uridine via ATP depletion or pyrimidine salvage. Treatment with 2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-d-arabinonucleic acid (FANA) oligonucleotides to silence human AHRR in vivo, reduced ALT levels, attenuated lymphocyte infiltration on histology, and heightened frequencies of regulatory immune subsets in NOD/scid/gamma mice, reconstituted with human CD4 cells, and exposed to Con-A. In conclusion, blockade of AHRR in AIH restores Th17-cell response to AHR, and limits Th17-cell differentiation through generation of uridine. In vivo, silencing of AHRR attenuates liver damage in NOD/scid/gamma mice. Blockade of AHRR might therefore represent a novel therapeutic strategy to modulate effector Th17-cell immunity and restore homeostasis in AIH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Gao
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, China.
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan, Shandong, China.
| | - Lina Zhang
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; School of Arts and Sciences, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.
| | - Barbora Gromova
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Institute of Molecular Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
| | - Guanqing Chen
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Eva Csizmadia
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Cortney Cagle
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Silvia Nastasio
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Yun Ma
- Institute of Liver Studies, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Alan Bonder
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Vilas Patwardhan
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Simon C Robson
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Sizun Jiang
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Maria Serena Longhi
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Cui Y, Wu C, Li L, shi H, Li C, Yin S. Toward nanotechnology-enabled application of bilirubin in the treatment and diagnosis of various civilization diseases. Mater Today Bio 2023; 20:100658. [PMID: 37214553 PMCID: PMC10196858 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Bilirubin, an open chain tetrapyrrole, has powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immuno-suppressive, metabolic-modulating and anti-proliferative activities. Bilirubin is a natural molecule that is produced and metabolized within the human body, making it highly biocompatible and well suited for clinical use. However, the use of bilirubin has been hampered by its poor water solubility and instability. With advanced construction strategies, bilirubin-derived nanoparticles (BRNPs) have not only overcome the disadvantages of bilirubin but also enhanced its therapeutic effects by targeting damaged tissues, passing through physiological barriers, and ensuring controlled sustained release. We review the mechanisms underlying the biological activities of bilirubin, BRNP preparation strategies and BRNP applications in various disease models. Based on their superior performance, BRNPs require further exploration of their efficacy, biodistribution and long-term biosafety in nonhuman primate models that recapitulate human disease to promote their clinical translation.
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Huang W, Rui K, Wang X, Peng N, Zhou W, Shi X, Lu L, Hu D, Tian J. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor in immune regulation and autoimmune pathogenesis. J Autoimmun 2023; 138:103049. [PMID: 37229809 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2023.103049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
As a ligand-activated transcription factor, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is activated by structurally diverse ligands derived from the environment, diet, microorganisms, and metabolic activity. Recent studies have demonstrated that AhR plays a key role in modulating both innate and adaptive immune responses. Moreover, AhR regulates innate immune and lymphoid cell differentiation and function, which is involved in autoimmune pathogenesis. In this review, we discuss recent advances in understanding the mechanism of activation of AhR and its mediated functional regulation in various innate immune and lymphoid cell populations, as well as the immune-regulatory effect of AhR in the development of autoimmune diseases. In addition, we highlight the identification of AhR agonists and antagonists that may serve as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of autoimmune disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Huang
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Ke Rui
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
| | - Xiaomeng Wang
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Na Peng
- Department of Rheumatology and Nephrology, The Second People's Hospital, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China
| | - Wenhao Zhou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Xiaofei Shi
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital and School of Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, China
| | - Liwei Lu
- Department of Pathology and Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Chongqing International Institute for Immunology, China
| | - Dajun Hu
- Department of Rheumatology and Nephrology, The Second People's Hospital, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China.
| | - Jie Tian
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China; Department of Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.
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