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Bennion KB, Liu D, Dawood AS, Wyatt MM, Alexander KL, Abdel-Hakeem MS, Paulos CM, Ford ML. CD8 + T cell-derived Fgl2 regulates immunity in a cell-autonomous manner via ligation of FcγRIIB. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5280. [PMID: 38902261 PMCID: PMC11190225 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49475-8] [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: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The regulatory circuits dictating CD8+ T cell responsiveness versus exhaustion during anti-tumor immunity are incompletely understood. Here we report that tumor-infiltrating antigen-specific PD-1+ TCF-1- CD8+ T cells express the immunosuppressive cytokine Fgl2. Conditional deletion of Fgl2 specifically in mouse antigen-specific CD8+ T cells prolongs CD8+ T cell persistence, suppresses phenotypic and transcriptomic signatures of T cell exhaustion, and improves control of the tumor. In a mouse model of chronic viral infection, PD-1+ CD8+ T cell-derived Fgl2 also negatively regulates virus-specific T cell responses. In humans, CD8+ T cell-derived Fgl2 is associated with poorer survival in patients with melanoma. Mechanistically, the dampened responsiveness of WT Fgl2-expressing CD8+ T cells, when compared to Fgl2-deficient CD8+ T cells, is underpinned by the cell-intrinsic interaction of Fgl2 with CD8+ T cell-expressed FcγRIIB and concomitant caspase 3/7-mediated apoptosis. Our results thus illuminate a cell-autonomous regulatory axis by which PD-1+ CD8+ T cells both express the receptor and secrete its ligand in order to mediate suppression of anti-tumor and anti-viral immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey B Bennion
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Cancer Biology PhD Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Danya Liu
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Abdelhameed S Dawood
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Pathology Advanced Translational Research Unit (PATRU), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Megan M Wyatt
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Cancer Biology PhD Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Katie L Alexander
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis PhD Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mohamed S Abdel-Hakeem
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Pathology Advanced Translational Research Unit (PATRU), Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Chrystal M Paulos
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Cancer Biology PhD Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mandy L Ford
- Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory Winship Cancer Institute, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Cancer Biology PhD Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis PhD Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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2
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Galpin KJC, Rodriguez GM, Maranda V, Cook DP, Macdonald E, Murshed H, Zhao S, McCloskey CW, Chruscinski A, Levy GA, Ardolino M, Vanderhyden BC. FGL2 promotes tumour growth and attenuates infiltration of activated immune cells in melanoma and ovarian cancer models. Sci Rep 2024; 14:787. [PMID: 38191799 PMCID: PMC10774293 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51217-1] [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: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The tumour microenvironment is infiltrated by immunosuppressive cells, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs), which contribute to tumour escape and impede immunotherapy outcomes. Soluble fibrinogen-like protein 2 (sFGL2), a Treg effector protein, inhibits immune cell populations, via receptors FcγRIIB and FcγRIII, leading to downregulation of CD86 in antigen presenting cells and limiting T cell activation. Increased FGL2 expression is associated with tumour progression and poor survival in several different cancers, such as glioblastoma multiforme, lung, renal, liver, colorectal, and prostate cancer. Querying scRNA-seq human cancer data shows FGL2 is produced by cells in the tumour microenvironment (TME), particularly monocytes and macrophages as well as T cells and dendritic cells (DCs), while cancer cells have minimal expression of FGL2. We studied the role of FGL2 exclusively produced by cells in the TME, by leveraging Fgl2 knockout mice. We tested two murine models of cancer in which the role of FGL2 has not been previously studied: epithelial ovarian cancer and melanoma. We show that absence of FGL2 leads to a more activated TME, including activated DCs (CD86+, CD40+) and T cells (CD25+, TIGIT+), as well as demonstrating for the first time that the absence of FGL2 leads to more activated natural killer cells (DNAM-1+, NKG2D+) in the TME. Furthermore, the absence of FGL2 leads to prolonged survival in the B16F10 melanoma model, while the absence of FGL2 synergizes with oncolytic virus to prolong survival in the ID8-p53-/-Brca2-/- ovarian cancer model. In conclusion, targeting FGL2 is a promising cancer treatment strategy alone and in combination immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristianne J C Galpin
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Galaxia M Rodriguez
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Vincent Maranda
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - David P Cook
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Macdonald
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Humaira Murshed
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Shan Zhao
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Curtis W McCloskey
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Andrzej Chruscinski
- Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gary A Levy
- Multi-Organ Transplant Program, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Barbara C Vanderhyden
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
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3
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Yu M, Su Z, Huang X, Wang X. Single-Cell Sequencing Reveals the Novel Role of Ezh2 in NK Cell Maturation and Function. Front Immunol 2021; 12:724276. [PMID: 34764950 PMCID: PMC8576367 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.724276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes primarily involved in innate immunity and exhibit important functional properties in antimicrobial and antitumoral responses. Our previous work indicated that the enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2) is a negative regulator of early NK cell differentiation and function through trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3). Here, we deleted Ezh2 from immature NK cells and downstream progeny to explore its role in NK cell maturation by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). We identified six distinct NK stages based on the transcriptional signature during NK cell maturation. Conditional deletion of Ezh2 in NK cells resulted in a maturation trajectory toward NK cell arrest in CD11b SP stage 5, which was clustered with genes related to the activating function of NK cells. Mechanistically, we speculated that Ezh2 plays a critical role in NK development by activating AP-1 family gene expression independent of PRC2 function. Our results implied a novel role for the Ezh2-AP-1-Klrg1 axis in altering the NK cell maturation trajectory and NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghang Yu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Beijing Key Laboratory for Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Department of Oncology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ziyang Su
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Beijing Key Laboratory for Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Department of Oncology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuefeng Huang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Beijing Key Laboratory for Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Department of Oncology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xi Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Beijing Key Laboratory for Cancer Invasion and Metastasis, Department of Oncology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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4
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Fincham REA, Delvecchio FR, Goulart MR, Yeong JPS, Kocher HM. Natural killer cells in pancreatic cancer stroma. World J Gastroenterol 2021; 27:3483-3501. [PMID: 34239264 PMCID: PMC8240050 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v27.i24.3483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer remains one of medicine's largest areas of unmet need. With five-year survival rates of < 8%, little improvement has been made in the last 50 years. Typically presenting with advance stage disease, treatment options are limited. To date, surgery remains the only potentially curative option, however, with such late disease presentation, the majority of patients are unresectable. Thus, new therapeutic options and a greater understanding of the complex stromal interactions within the tumour microenvironment are sorely needed to revise the dismal outlook for pancreatic cancer patients. Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial effector units in cancer immunosurveillance. Often used as a prognostic biomarker in a range of malignancies, NK cells have received much attention as an attractive target for immunotherapies, both as cell therapy and as a pharmaceutical target. Despite this interest, the role of NK cells in pancreatic cancer remains poorly defined. Nevertheless, increasing evidence of the importance of NK cells in this dismal prognosis disease is beginning to come to light. Here, we review the role of NK cells in pancreatic cancer, examine the complex interactions of these crucial effector units within pancreatic cancer stroma and shed light on the increasingly attractive use of NK cells as therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Elizabeth Ann Fincham
- Barts Cancer Institute-CRUK Centre of Excellence, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Romana Delvecchio
- Barts Cancer Institute-CRUK Centre of Excellence, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle R Goulart
- Barts Cancer Institute-CRUK Centre of Excellence, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom
| | - Joe Poe Sheng Yeong
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Hemant M Kocher
- Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute-CRUK Centre of Excellence, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom
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5
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Yu J, Li J, Shen J, Du F, Wu X, Li M, Chen Y, Cho CH, Li X, Xiao Z, Zhao Y. The role of Fibrinogen-like proteins in Cancer. Int J Biol Sci 2021; 17:1079-1087. [PMID: 33867830 PMCID: PMC8040309 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.56748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibrinogen-associated protein (FREP) family is a family of proteins with a fibrin domain at the carboxyl terminus. Recent investigations illustrated that two members of FREP family, fibrinogen-like protein-1 (FGL1) and fibrinogen-like protein-2 (FGL2), play crucial roles in cancer by regulating the proliferation, invasion, and migration of tumor cells, or regulating the functions of immune cells in tumor microenvironment. Meanwhile, they are potential targets for medical intervention of tumor development. In this review, we discussed the structure, and the roles of FGL1 and FGL2 in tumors, especially the roles in regulating immune cell functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yu
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, Hospital (T.C.M) Affiliated to Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Jing Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Fukuan Du
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Xu Wu
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Mingxing Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Chi Hin Cho
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaobing Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhangang Xiao
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yueshui Zhao
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.,Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
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