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Huang S, Li Y, Wang B, Zhou Z, Li Y, Shen L, Cong J, Han L, Xiang X, Xia J, He D, Zhao Z, Zhou Y, Li Q, Dai G, Shen H, Lin T, Wu A, Jia J, Xiao D, Li J, Zhao W, Lin X. Hepatocyte-specific METTL3 ablation by Alb-iCre mice (GPT), but not by Alb-Cre mice (JAX), resulted in acute liver failure (ALF) and postnatal lethality. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:7217-7248. [PMID: 38656880 PMCID: PMC11087113 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
AIM In 2019, to examine the functions of METTL3 in liver and underlying mechanisms, we generated mice with hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous knockout (METTL3Δhep) by simultaneously crossing METTL3fl/fl mice with Alb-iCre mice (GPT) or Alb-Cre mice (JAX), respectively. In this study, we explored the potential reasons why hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous disruption by Alb-iCre mice (GPT), but not by Alb-Cre mice (JAX), resulted in acute liver failure (ALF) and then postnatal lethality. MAIN METHODS Mice with hepatocyte-specific METTL3 knockout were generated by simultaneously crossing METTL3fl/fl mice with Alb-iCre mice (GPT; Strain No. T003814) purchased from the GemPharmatech Co., Ltd., (Nanjing, China) or with Alb-Cre mice (JAX; Strain No. 003574) obtained from The Jackson Laboratory, followed by combined-phenotype analysis. The publicly available RNA-sequencing data deposited in the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database under the accession No.: GSE198512 (postnatal lethality), GSE197800 (postnatal survival) and GSE176113 (postnatal survival) were mined to explore the potential reasons why hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous deletion by Alb-iCre mice (GPT), but not by Alb-Cre mice (JAX), leads to ALF and then postnatal lethality. KEY FINDINGS Firstly, we observed that hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous deficiency by Alb-iCre mice (GPT) or by Alb-Cre mice (JAX) caused liver injury, abnormal lipid accumulation and apoptosis. Secondly, we are surprised to find that hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous deletion by Alb-iCre mice (GPT), but not by Alb-Cre mice (JAX), led to ALF and then postnatal lethality. Our findings clearly demonstrated that METTL3Δhep mice (GPT), which are about to die, exhibited the severe destruction of liver histological structure, suggesting that METTL3Δhep mice (GPT) nearly lose normal liver function, which subsequently contributes to ALF, followed by postnatal lethality. Finally, we unexpectedly found that as the compensatory growth responses of hepatocytes to liver injury induced by METTL3Δhep (GPT), the proliferation of METTL3Δhep hepatocytes (GPT), unlike METTL3Δhep hepatocytes (JAX), was not evidenced by the significant increase of Ki67-positive hepatocytes, not accompanied by upregulation of cell-cycle-related genes. Moreover, GO analysis revealed that upregulated genes in METTL3Δhep livers (GPT), unlike METTL3Δhep livers (JAX), are not functionally enriched in terms associated with cell cycle, cell division, mitosis, microtubule cytoskeleton organization, spindle organization, chromatin segregation and organization, and nuclear division, consistent with the loss of compensatory proliferation of METTL3Δhep hepatocytes (GPT) observed in vivo. Thus, obviously, the loss of the compensatory growth capacity of METTL3Δhep hepatocytes (GPT) in response to liver injury might contribute to, at least partially, ALF and subsequently postnatal lethality of METTL3Δhep mice (GPT). SIGNIFICANCE These findings from this study and other labs provide strong evidence that these phenotypes (i.e., ALF and postnatal lethality) of METTL3Δhep mice (GPT) might be not the real functions of METTL3, and closely related with Alb-iCre mice (GPT), suggesting that we should remind researchers to use Alb-iCre mice (GPT) with caution to knockout gene in hepatocytes in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shihao Huang
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yingchun Li
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Southern Medical University Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510315, China
| | - Bingjie Wang
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Zhihao Zhou
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yonglong Li
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Lingjun Shen
- Department of Tuberculosis, Yunnan Clinical Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, The Third People's Hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Jinge Cong
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Liuxin Han
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, The Third People’s Hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Xudong Xiang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University), Kunming 650118, China
| | - Jiawei Xia
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, The Third People’s Hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Danhua He
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Zhanlin Zhao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University), Kunming 650118, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Qiwen Li
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Guanqi Dai
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Hanzhang Shen
- Yunnan Clinical Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, The Third People’s Hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Taoyan Lin
- Department of Pharmacy, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Aibing Wu
- Central People’s Hospital of Zhanjiang, Zhanjiang 524000, China
| | - Junshuang Jia
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Dong Xiao
- Cancer Research Institute, Experimental Education and Administration Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jing Li
- Radiotherapy Center, the First People’s Hospital of Chenzhou, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou 423000, China
| | - Wentao Zhao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital Yunnan (Yunnan Cancer Hospital, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University), Kunming 650118, China
| | - Xiaolin Lin
- Southern Medical University Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510315, China
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Lin TY, Jia JS, Luo WR, Lin XL, Xiao SJ, Yang J, Xia JW, Zhou C, Zhou ZH, Lin SJ, Li QW, Yang ZZ, Lei Y, Yang WQ, Shen HF, Huang SH, Wang SC, Chen LB, Yang YL, Xue SW, Li YL, Dai GQ, Zhou Y, Li YC, Wei F, Rong XX, Luo XJ, Zhao BX, Huang WH, Xiao D, Sun Y. ThermomiR-377-3p-induced suppression of Cirbp expression is required for effective elimination of cancer cells and cancer stem-like cells by hyperthermia. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:62. [PMID: 38419081 PMCID: PMC10903011 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-02983-3] [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: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, the development of adjunctive therapeutic hyperthermia for cancer therapy has received considerable attention. However, the mechanisms underlying hyperthermia resistance are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the roles of cold‑inducible RNA binding protein (Cirbp) in regulating hyperthermia resistance and underlying mechanisms in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, tumor sphere formation assay, qRT-PCR, Western blot were employed to examine the effects of hyperthermia (HT), HT + oridonin(Ori) or HT + radiotherapy (RT) on the proliferation and stemness of NPC cells. RNA sequencing was applied to gain differentially expressed genes upon hyperthermia. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments were used to evaluate the effects of RNAi-mediated Cirbp silencing or Cirbp overexpression on the sensitivity or resistance of NPC cells and cancer stem-like cells to hyperthermia by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, tumorsphere formation assay and apoptosis assay, and in subcutaneous xenograft animal model. miRNA transient transfection and luciferase reporter assay were used to demonstrate that Cirbp is a direct target of miR-377-3p. The phosphorylation levels of key members in ATM-Chk2 and ATR-Chk1 pathways were detected by Western blot. RESULTS Our results firstly revealed that hyperthermia significantly attenuated the stemness of NPC cells, while combination treatment of hyperthermia and oridonin dramatically increased the killing effect on NPC cells and cancer stem cell (CSC)‑like population. Moreover, hyperthermia substantially improved the sensitivity of radiation‑resistant NPC cells and CSC‑like cells to radiotherapy. Hyperthermia noticeably suppressed Cirbp expression in NPC cells and xenograft tumor tissues. Furthermore, Cirbp inhibition remarkably boosted anti‑tumor‑killing activity of hyperthermia against NPC cells and CSC‑like cells, whereas ectopic expression of Cirbp compromised tumor‑killing effect of hyperthermia on these cells, indicating that Cirbp overexpression induces hyperthermia resistance. ThermomiR-377-3p improved the sensitivity of NPC cells and CSC‑like cells to hyperthermia in vitro by directly suppressing Cirbp expression. More importantly, our results displayed the significantly boosted sensitization of tumor xenografts to hyperthermia by Cirbp silencing in vivo, but ectopic expression of Cirbp almost completely counteracted hyperthermia-mediated tumor cell-killing effect against tumor xenografts in vivo. Mechanistically, Cirbp silencing-induced inhibition of DNA damage repair by inactivating ATM-Chk2 and ATR-Chk1 pathways, decrease in stemness and increase in cell death contributed to hyperthermic sensitization; conversely, Cirbp overexpression-induced promotion of DNA damage repair, increase in stemness and decrease in cell apoptosis contributed to hyperthermia resistance. CONCLUSION Taken together, these findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for Cirbp in positively regulating hyperthermia resistance and suggest that thermomiR-377-3p and its target gene Cirbp represent promising targets for therapeutic hyperthermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao-Yan Lin
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Jun-Shuang Jia
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Wei-Ren Luo
- Cancer Research Institute, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518112, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Lin
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
- Cancer Center, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510315, China
| | - Sheng-Jun Xiao
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, 541199, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
- Department of Imaging, Central Hospital of Shaoyang, Shaoyang, 422000, China
| | - Jia-Wei Xia
- The Third People's Hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming, 650041, China
| | - Chen Zhou
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, 541199, China
| | - Zhi-Hao Zhou
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Shu-Jun Lin
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Qi-Wen Li
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Zhi-Zhi Yang
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Ye Lei
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Wen-Qing Yang
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Hong-Fen Shen
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Shi-Hao Huang
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Sheng-Chun Wang
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, 523808, China
| | - Lin-Bei Chen
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yu-Lin Yang
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Shu-Wen Xue
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yong-Long Li
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Guan-Qi Dai
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Ying-Chun Li
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Fang Wei
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Xiao-Xiang Rong
- Department of Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guang‑zhou, 510515, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Luo
- Cancer Center, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510315, China
| | - Bing-Xia Zhao
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
| | - Wen-Hua Huang
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Translation of Medical 3D Printing Application, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Biomechanics, National Key Discipline of Human Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
- Guangdong Medical Innovation Platform for Translation of 3D Printing Application, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510000, China.
- Orthopaedic Center, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, 524001, China.
| | - Dong Xiao
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
- Guangzhou Southern Medical Laboratory Animal Sci.&Tech. Co.,Ltd, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Education of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
- Department of Stomatology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
| | - Yan Sun
- Laboratory Animal Management Center, Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
- Medical Research Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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Gao X, Zuo S. Immune landscape and immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma: focus on innate and adaptive immune cells. Clin Exp Med 2023; 23:1881-1899. [PMID: 36773210 PMCID: PMC10543580 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-023-01015-2] [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: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is responsible for roughly 90% of all cases of primary liver cancer, and the cases are on the rise. The treatment of advanced HCC is a serious challenge. Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has marked a watershed moment in the history of HCC systemic treatment. Atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab has been approved as a first-line treatment for advanced HCC since 2020; however, the combination therapy is only effective in a limited percentage of patients. Considering that the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) has a great impact on immunotherapies for HCC, an in-depth understanding of the immune landscape in tumors and the current immunotherapeutic approaches is extremely necessary. We elaborate on the features, functions, and cross talk of the innate and adaptive immune cells in HCC and highlight the benefits and drawbacks of various immunotherapies for advanced HCC, as well as future projections. HCC consists of a heterogeneous group of cancers with distinct etiologies and immune microenvironments. Almost all the components of innate and adaptive immune cells in HCC have altered, showing a decreasing trend in the number of tumor suppressor cells and an increasing trend in the pro-cancer cells, and there is also cross talk between various cell types. Various immunotherapies for HCC have also shown promising efficacy and application prospect. There are multilayered interwoven webs among various immune cell types in HCC, and emerging evidence demonstrates the promising prospect of immunotherapeutic approaches for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqiang Gao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, No. 28, Guiyi Street, Guiyang, 550000, Guizhou, China
- Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Shi Zuo
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, No. 28, Guiyi Street, Guiyang, 550000, Guizhou, China.
- Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
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4
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Lei Y, Shen HF, Li QW, Yang S, Xie HT, Li XF, Chen ML, Xia JW, Wang SC, Dai GQ, Zhou Y, Li YC, Huang SH, He DH, Zhou ZH, Cong JG, Lin XL, Lin TY, Wu AB, Xiao D, Xiao SJ, Zhang XK, Jia JS. Hairy gene homolog increases nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell stemness by upregulating Bmi-1. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:204742. [PMID: 37219449 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204742] [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: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (Bmi-1) is overexpressed in various cancer types. We found that Bmi-1 mRNA levels were elevated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines. In immunohistochemical analyses, high Bmi-1 levels were observed in not only 5 of 38 non-cancerous nasopharyngeal squamous epithelial biopsies, but also in 66 of 98 NPC specimens (67.3%). High Bmi-1 levels were detected more frequently in T3-T4, N2-N3 and stage III-IV NPC biopsies than in T1-T2, N0-N1 and stage I-II NPC samples, indicating that Bmi-1 is upregulated in advanced NPC. In 5-8F and SUNE1 NPC cells, stable depletion of Bmi-1 using lentiviral RNA interference greatly suppressed cell proliferation, induced G1-phase cell cycle arrest, reduced cell stemness and suppressed cell migration and invasion. Likewise, knocking down Bmi-1 inhibited NPC cell growth in nude mice. Both chromatin immunoprecipitation and Western blotting assays demonstrated that Hairy gene homolog (HRY) upregulated Bmi-1 by binding to its promoter, thereby increasing the stemness of NPC cells. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed that HRY expression correlated positively with Bmi-1 expression in a cohort of NPC biopsies. These findings suggested that HRY promotes NPC cell stemness by upregulating Bmi-1, and that silencing Bmi-1 can suppress NPC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Lei
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Guangzhou Southern Medical Laboratory Animal Sci and Tech Co. Ltd., Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Hong-Fen Shen
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Qi-Wen Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Sheng Yang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Hong-Ting Xie
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xu-Feng Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530000, China
| | - Mei-Ling Chen
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jia-Wei Xia
- The Third People’s Hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Sheng-Chun Wang
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523808, China
| | - Guan-Qi Dai
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Ying-Chun Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Shi-Hao Huang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Dan-Hua He
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Zhi-Hao Zhou
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jin-Ge Cong
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Guangzhou Southern Medical Laboratory Animal Sci and Tech Co. Ltd., Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Lin
- Cancer Center, Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510315, China
| | - Tao-Yan Lin
- Department of Pharmacy, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Ai-Bing Wu
- Central People’s Hospital of Zhanjiang, Zhanjiang 524000, China
| | - Dong Xiao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- Guangzhou Southern Medical Laboratory Animal Sci and Tech Co. Ltd., Guangzhou 510515, China
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Education of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Sheng-Jun Xiao
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541199, China
| | - Xin-Ke Zhang
- Department of Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, China
| | - Jun-Shuang Jia
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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Cytokine chemokine network in tumor microenvironment: Impact on CSC properties and therapeutic applications. Cytokine 2022; 156:155916. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2022.155916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Mechanism of cancer stemness maintenance in human liver cancer. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:394. [PMID: 35449193 PMCID: PMC9023565 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04848-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Primary liver cancer mainly includes the following four types: hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), hepatoblastoma (HB), and combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC-CCA). Recent studies have indicated that there are differences in cancer stem cell (CSC) properties among different types of liver cancer. Liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs), also called liver tumor-initiating cells, have been viewed as drivers of tumor initiation and metastasis. Many mechanisms and factors, such as mitophagy, mitochondrial dynamics, epigenetic modifications, the tumor microenvironment, and tumor plasticity, are involved in the regulation of cancer stemness in liver cancer. In this review, we analyze cancer stemness in different liver cancer types. Moreover, we further evaluate the mechanism of cancer stemness maintenance of LCSCs and discuss promising treatments for eradicating LCSCs.
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Lawal G, Xiao Y, Rahnemai-Azar AA, Tsilimigras DI, Kuang M, Bakopoulos A, Pawlik TM. The Immunology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9101184. [PMID: 34696292 PMCID: PMC8538643 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9101184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary malignant tumor of the liver. Liver resection or transplantation offer the only potentially curative options for HCC; however, many patients are not candidates for surgical resection, either due to presentation at advanced stages or poor liver function and portal hypertension. Liver transplantation is also limited to patients with certain characteristics, such as those that meet the Milan criteria (one tumor ≤ 5 cm, or up to three tumors no larger than 3 cm, along with the absence of gross vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread). Locoregional therapies, such as ablation (radiofrequency, ethanol, cryoablation, microwave), trans-arterial therapies like chemoembolization (TACE) or radioembolization (TARE), and external beam radiation therapy, have been used mainly as palliative measures with poor prognosis. Therefore, emerging novel systemic treatments, such as immunotherapy, have increasingly become popular. HCC is immunogenic, containing infiltrating tumor-specific T-cell lymphocytes and other immune cells. Immunotherapy may provide a more effective and discriminatory targeting of tumor cells through induction of a tumor-specific immune response in cancer cells and can improve post-surgical recurrence-free survival in HCC. We herein review evidence supporting different immunomodulating cell-based technology relative to cancer therapy in vaccines and targeted therapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma among patients with advanced disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gbemisola Lawal
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Cancer Center, California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA 92324, USA; (G.L.); (A.A.R.-A.)
| | - Yao Xiao
- Department of Liver Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; (Y.X.); (M.K.)
| | - Amir A. Rahnemai-Azar
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Cancer Center, California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA 92324, USA; (G.L.); (A.A.R.-A.)
| | - Diamantis I. Tsilimigras
- Department of Surgery, The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-215-987-9177
| | - Ming Kuang
- Department of Liver Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; (Y.X.); (M.K.)
| | - Anargyros Bakopoulos
- Department of Surgery, Attikon University Hospital, University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece;
| | - Timothy M. Pawlik
- Department of Surgery, The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
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8
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Liu Y, Li YQ, Huang SH, Li YL, Xia JW, Jia JS, Wei F, Wang JH, Dai GQ, Wang YC, Li XY, Han LX, Zhang XL, Xiang XD, Zhao WT, Xiao D, Lin XL. Liver-specific over-expression of Cripto-1 in transgenic mice promotes hepatocyte proliferation and deregulated expression of hepatocarcinogenesis-related genes and signaling pathways. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:21155-21190. [PMID: 34517344 PMCID: PMC8457585 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the role of embryonic gene Cripto-1 (CR-1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using hepatocyte-specific CR-1-overexpressing transgenic mice. The expression of truncated 1.7-kb CR-1 transcript (SF-CR-1) was significantly higher than the full-length 2.0-kb CR-1 transcript (FL-CR-1) in a majority of HCC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, CR-1 mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher in HCC tissues than adjacent normal liver tissues. Hepatocyte-specific over-expression of CR-1 in transgenic mice enhanced hepatocyte proliferation after 2/3 partial hepatectomy (2/3 PHx). CR-1 over-expression significantly increased in vivo xenograft tumor growth of HCC cells in nude mice and in vitro HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. CR-1 over-expression in the transgenic mouse livers deregulated HCC-related signaling pathways such as AKT, Wnt/β-catenin, Stat3, MAPK/ERK, JNK, TGF-β and Notch, as well as expression of HCC-related genes such as CD5L, S100A8, S100A9, Timd4, Orm2, Orm3, PDK4, DMBT1, G0S2, Plk2, Plk3, Gsta1 and Gsta2. However, histological signs of precancerous lesions, hepatocyte dysplasia or HCC formation were not observed in the livers of 3-, 6- or 8-month-old hepatocyte-specific CR-1-overexpressing transgenic mice. These findings demonstrate that liver-specific CR-1 overexpression in transgenic mice deregulates signaling pathways and genes associated with HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yan-Qing Li
- Department of Hematology, Central Hospital of Xuhui District, Shanghai 200030, China
| | - Shi-Hao Huang
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yong-Long Li
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jia-Wei Xia
- The Third People's Hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Jun-Shuang Jia
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Fang Wei
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Jia-Hong Wang
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Guan-Qi Dai
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yu-Cai Wang
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiao-Yan Li
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Liu-Xin Han
- The Third People's Hospital of Kunming (The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Dali University), Kunming 650041, China
| | - Xiao-Ling Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541004, China
| | - Xu-Dong Xiang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Center), Kunming 650118, China
| | - Wen-Tao Zhao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (Yunnan Cancer Hospital, Yunnan Cancer Center), Kunming 650118, China
| | - Dong Xiao
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Lin
- Cancer Research Institute, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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9
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The Immune Privilege of Cancer Stem Cells: A Key to Understanding Tumor Immune Escape and Therapy Failure. Cells 2021; 10:cells10092361. [PMID: 34572009 PMCID: PMC8469208 DOI: 10.3390/cells10092361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are broadly considered immature, multipotent, tumorigenic cells within the tumor mass, endowed with the ability to self-renew and escape immune control. All these features contribute to place CSCs at the pinnacle of tumor aggressiveness and (immune) therapy resistance. The immune privileged status of CSCs is induced and preserved by various mechanisms that directly affect them (e.g., the downregulation of the major histocompatibility complex class I) and indirectly are induced in the host immune cells (e.g., activation of immune suppressive cells). Therefore, deeper insights into the immuno-biology of CSCs are essential in our pursuit to find new therapeutic opportunities that eradicate cancer (stem) cells. Here, we review and discuss the ability of CSCs to evade the innate and adaptive immune system, as we offer a view of the immunotherapeutic strategies adopted to potentiate and address specific subsets of (engineered) immune cells against CSCs.
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10
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Wang W, Bai L, Xu D, Li W, Cui J. Immunotherapy: A Potential Approach to Targeting Cancer Stem Cells. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2021; 21:117-131. [PMID: 32364076 DOI: 10.2174/1568009620666200504111914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Tumor recurrence and drug resistance are two of the key factors affecting the prognosis of cancer patients. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a group of cells with infinite proliferation potential which are not sensitive to traditional therapies, including radio- and chemotherapy. These CSCs are considered to be central to tumor recurrence and the development of drug resistance. In addition, CSCs are important targets in cancer immunotherapy because of their expression of novel tumorassociated antigens, which result from mutations in cancer cells over the course of treatment. Emerging immunotherapies, including cancer vaccines, checkpoint blockade therapies, and transferred immune cell therapies, have all been shown to be more effective when they selectively target CSCs. Such therapies may also provide novel additions to the current therapeutic milieu and may offer new therapeutic combinations for treatment. This review summarizes the relationships between various immunotherapies and CSCs and provides novel insights into potential therapeutic applications for these approaches in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Wang
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China
| | - Ling Bai
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China
| | - Dongsheng Xu
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China
| | - Wei Li
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Cancer Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin, China
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11
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Donini C, Rotolo R, Proment A, Aglietta M, Sangiolo D, Leuci V. Cellular Immunotherapy Targeting Cancer Stem Cells: Preclinical Evidence and Clinical Perspective. Cells 2021; 10:cells10030543. [PMID: 33806296 PMCID: PMC8001974 DOI: 10.3390/cells10030543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The term “cancer stem cells” (CSCs) commonly refers to a subset of tumor cells endowed with stemness features, potentially involved in chemo-resistance and disease relapses. CSCs may present peculiar immunogenic features influencing their homeostasis within the tumor microenvironment. The susceptibility of CSCs to recognition and targeting by the immune system is a relevant issue and matter of investigation, especially considering the multiple emerging immunotherapy strategies. Adoptive cellular immunotherapies, especially those strategies encompassing the genetic redirection with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR), hold relevant promise in several tumor settings and might in theory provide opportunities for selective elimination of CSC subsets. Initial dedicated preclinical studies are supporting the potential targeting of CSCs by cellular immunotherapies, indirect evidence from clinical studies may be derived and new studies are ongoing. Here we review the main issues related to the putative immunogenicity of CSCs, focusing on and highlighting the existing evidence and opportunities for cellular immunotherapy approaches with T and non-T antitumor lymphocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Donini
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy; (C.D.); (A.P.); (M.A.)
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS, Str. Prov. 142, km 3,95, 10060 Candiolo (TO), Italy; (R.R.); (V.L.)
| | - Ramona Rotolo
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS, Str. Prov. 142, km 3,95, 10060 Candiolo (TO), Italy; (R.R.); (V.L.)
| | - Alessia Proment
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy; (C.D.); (A.P.); (M.A.)
| | - Massimo Aglietta
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy; (C.D.); (A.P.); (M.A.)
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS, Str. Prov. 142, km 3,95, 10060 Candiolo (TO), Italy; (R.R.); (V.L.)
| | - Dario Sangiolo
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, Italy; (C.D.); (A.P.); (M.A.)
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS, Str. Prov. 142, km 3,95, 10060 Candiolo (TO), Italy; (R.R.); (V.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-011-993-3503; Fax: +39-011-993-3522
| | - Valeria Leuci
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO–IRCCS, Str. Prov. 142, km 3,95, 10060 Candiolo (TO), Italy; (R.R.); (V.L.)
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12
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Atypical immunometabolism and metabolic reprogramming in liver cancer: Deciphering the role of gut microbiome. Adv Cancer Res 2020; 149:171-255. [PMID: 33579424 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Much recent research has delved into understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of HCC pathogenesis, which has revealed to be heterogenous and complex. Two major hallmarks of HCC include: (i) a hijacked immunometabolism and (ii) a reprogramming in metabolic processes. We posit that the gut microbiota is a third component in an entanglement triangle contributing to HCC progression. Besides metagenomic studies highlighting the diagnostic potential in the gut microbiota profile, recent research is pinpointing the gut microbiota as an instigator, not just a mere bystander, in HCC. In this chapter, we discuss mechanistic insights on atypical immunometabolism and metabolic reprogramming in HCC, including the examination of tumor-associated macrophages and neutrophils, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (e.g., T-cell exhaustion, regulatory T-cells, natural killer T-cells), the Warburg effect, rewiring of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and glutamine addiction. We further discuss the potential involvement of the gut microbiota in these characteristics of hepatocarcinogenesis. An immediate highlight is that microbiota metabolites (e.g., short chain fatty acids, secondary bile acids) can impair anti-tumor responses, which aggravates HCC. Lastly, we describe the rising 'new era' of immunotherapies (e.g., immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive T-cell transfer) and discuss for the potential incorporation of gut microbiota targeted therapeutics (e.g., probiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation) to alleviate HCC. Altogether, this chapter invigorates for continuous research to decipher the role of gut microbiome in HCC from its influence on immunometabolism and metabolic reprogramming.
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13
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Chivu-Economescu M, Necula LG, Matei L, Dragu DL, Neagu AI, Alexiu I, Bleotu C, Diaconu CC. Gastrointestinal cancer stem cells as targets for innovative immunotherapy. World J Gastroenterol 2020; 26:1580-1593. [PMID: 32327907 PMCID: PMC7167409 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i14.1580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Revised: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of cancer stem cells in gastrointestinal cancer-associated death has been widely recognized. Gastrointestinal cancer stem cells (GCSCs) are considered to be responsible for tumor initiation, growth, resistance to cytotoxic therapies, recurrence and metastasis due to their unique properties. These properties make the current therapeutic trials against GCSCs ineffective. Moreover, recent studies have shown that targeting stem cell surface markers or stemness associated pathways might have an additional off-target effect on the immune system. Recent advances in oncology and precision medicine have opened alternative therapeutic strategies in the form of cancer immunotherapy. This approach differs from classical anti-cancer therapy through its mechanism of action involving the activation and use of a functional immune system against tumor cells, instead of aiming physically destruction of cancer cells through radio- or chemotherapy. New immunological approaches for GCSCs targeting involve the use of different immune cells and various immune mechanisms like targeting specific surface antigens, using innate immune cells like the natural killer and T cells, T-cell chimeric antigen receptor technology, dendritic cell vaccine, or immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this respect, better understandings of immune regulatory mechanisms that govern anti-tumor response bring new hope in obtaining long-term remission for cancer therapy.
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MESH Headings
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Biomarkers, Tumor/antagonists & inhibitors
- Biomarkers, Tumor/immunology
- Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism
- Cancer Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Combined Modality Therapy/methods
- Dendritic Cells/immunology
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/immunology
- Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/immunology
- Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/pathology
- Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/therapy
- Humans
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use
- Immunity, Innate/drug effects
- Immunity, Innate/immunology
- Immunotherapy/methods
- Killer Cells, Natural/drug effects
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Killer Cells, Natural/transplantation
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/immunology
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology
- Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/prevention & control
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/immunology
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/pathology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/drug effects
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/transplantation
- Tumor Escape/drug effects
- Tumor Escape/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela Chivu-Economescu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest 030304, Romania
| | - Laura G Necula
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest 030304, Romania
- Nicolae Cajal Institute, Titu Maiorescu University, Bucharest 040441, Romania
| | - Lilia Matei
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest 030304, Romania
| | - Denisa Laura Dragu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest 030304, Romania
| | - Ana I Neagu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest 030304, Romania
| | - Irina Alexiu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest 030304, Romania
| | - Coralia Bleotu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest 030304, Romania
| | - Carmen Cristina Diaconu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest 030304, Romania
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14
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Tsui YM, Chan LK, Ng IOL. Cancer stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma: mechanisms and translational potential. Br J Cancer 2020; 122:1428-1440. [PMID: 32231294 PMCID: PMC7217836 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-020-0823-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stemness, referring to the stem-cell-like phenotype of cancer cells, has been recognised to play important roles in different aspects of hepatocarcinogenesis. A number of well-established cell-surface markers already exist for liver cancer stem cells, with potential new markers of liver cancer stem cells being identified. Both genetic and epigenetic factors that affect various signalling pathways are known to contribute to cancer stemness. In addition, the tumour microenvironment—both physical and cellular—is known to play an important role in regulating cancer stemness, and the potential interaction between cancer stem cells and their microenvironment has provided insight into the regulation of the tumour-initiating ability as well as the cellular plasticity of liver CSCs. Potential specific therapeutic targeting of liver cancer stemness is also discussed. With increased knowledge, effective druggable targets might be identified, with the aim of improving treatment outcome by reducing chemoresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Man Tsui
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Lo-Kong Chan
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Irene Oi-Lin Ng
- Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong. .,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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15
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miR-26a promotes hepatocellular carcinoma invasion and metastasis by inhibiting PTEN and inhibits cell growth by repressing EZH2. J Transl Med 2019; 99:1484-1500. [PMID: 31201367 DOI: 10.1038/s41374-019-0270-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A previous study revealed that therapeutic miR-26a delivery suppresses tumorigenesis in a murine liver cancer model, whereas we found that forced miR-26a expression increased hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell migration and invasion, which prompted us to characterize the causes and mechanisms underlying enhanced invasion due to ectopic miR-26a expression. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that miR-26a promoted migration and invasion of BEL-7402 and HepG2 cells in vitro and positively modulated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-10 expression. In addition, exogenous miR-26a expression significantly enhanced the metastatic ability of HepG2 cells in vivo. miR-26a negatively regulated in vitro proliferation of HCC cells, and miR-26a overexpression suppressed HepG2 cell tumor growth in nude mice. Further studies revealed that miR-26a inhibited cell growth by repressing the methyltransferase EZH2 and promoted cell migration and invasion by inhibiting the phosphatase PTEN. Furthermore, PTEN expression negatively correlated with miR-26a expression in HCC specimens from patients with and without metastasis. Thus, our findings suggest for the first time that miR-26a promotes invasion/metastasis by inhibiting PTEN and inhibits cell proliferation by repressing EZH2 in HCC. More importantly, our data also suggest caution if miR-26a is used as a target for cancer therapy in the future.
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16
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Fu Y, Liu S, Zeng S, Shen H. From bench to bed: the tumor immune microenvironment and current immunotherapeutic strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2019; 38:396. [PMID: 31500650 PMCID: PMC6734524 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-019-1396-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 250] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ranks the most common primary liver malignancy and the third leading cause of tumor-related mortality worldwide. Unfortunately, despite advances in HCC treatment, less than 40% of HCC patients are eligible for potentially curative therapies. Recently, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as one of the most promising approaches for cancer treatment. It has been proven therapeutically effective in many types of solid tumors, such as non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma. As an inflammation-associated tumor, it's well-evidenced that the immunosuppressive microenvironment of HCC can promote immune tolerance and evasion by various mechanisms. Triggering more vigorous HCC-specific immune response represents a novel strategy for its management. Pre-clinical and clinical investigations have revealed that various immunotherapies might extend current options for needed HCC treatment. In this review, we provide the recent progress on HCC immunology from both basic and clinical perspectives, and discuss potential advances and challenges of immunotherapy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaojie Fu
- Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Shanshan Liu
- Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Shan Zeng
- Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.,Key Laboratory for Molecular Radiation Oncology of Hunan Province, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Hong Shen
- Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
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17
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Lin TY, Chen Y, Jia JS, Zhou C, Lian M, Wen YT, Li XY, Chen HW, Lin XL, Zhang XL, Xiao SJ, Sun Y, Xiao D. Loss of Cirbp expression is correlated with the malignant progression and poor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Cancer Manag Res 2019; 11:6959-6969. [PMID: 31413636 PMCID: PMC6662521 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s211389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: The correlation of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (Cirbp) expression with clinicopathological features including patient prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was investigated. Methods: The expression of Cirbp in NPC cell lines and tissue specimens was examined by qRT-PCR or immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) results showed that high Cirbp expression was detected in 61 of 61 non-cancerous nasopharyngeal squamous epithelial biopsies, whereas the significantly reduced expression of Cirbp was observed in NPC specimens. In addition, IHC assay for Cirbp protein illustrated that the cells of 177 NPC samples and nasopharyngeal squamous epithlial cells displayed strong signals in nuclei and faint signals in cytoplasm, whereas Cirbp protein is mainly detected in the cell’s cytoplasm in many other cancers. More importantly, TNM classification displayed that the low expression of Cirbp was more frequently observed in T3-T4, N2-N3, M1 and III-IV NPC biopsies, and undifferentiated carcinoma (UDC) than T1-T2, N0-N1, M0 and I-II tumors, and differentiated nonkeratinizing carcinoma (DNKC), suggesting that Cirbp loss is a key molecular event in advanced cases of NPC. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis indicated that NPC patients showing lower Cirbp expression had a significantly shorter overall survival time than those with high Cirbp expression. Multivariate analysis suggested that the level of Cirbp expression was an independent prognostic indicator for NPC survival. Finally, we revealed a significant positive association between Cirbp expression and E-cadherin, and a notable negative correlation between Cirbp expression and Ki67 labeling index in NPC biopsies. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings demonstrate that loss of Cirbp expression is correlated with malignant progression and poor prognosis in NPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao-Yan Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun-Shuang Jia
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Chen Zhou
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541199, People's Republic of China
| | - Mei Lian
- Institute of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue-Ting Wen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Yan Li
- Institute of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Heng-Wei Chen
- Institute of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Lin Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Ling Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541004, People's Republic of China
| | - Sheng-Jun Xiao
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guilin Medical University, Guilin 541199, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Sun
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China
| | - Dong Xiao
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy Research and Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine and Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
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18
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Bu S, Li B, Wang Q, Gu T, Dong Q, Miao X, Lai D. Epithelial ovarian cancer stem‑like cells are resistant to the cellular lysis of cytokine‑induced killer cells via HIF1A‑mediated downregulation of ICAM‑1. Int J Oncol 2019; 55:179-190. [PMID: 31059002 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2019.4794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal of all gynecologic tumors. Cancer spheroid culture is a widely used model to study cancer stem cells. Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of cytokine‑induced killer (CIK) cell‑based therapies against cancer and cancer stem cells. However, it is not clear how EOC spheroid cells respond to CIK‑mediated cellular lysis, and the mechanisms involved have never been reported before. A flow cytometry‑based method was used to evaluate the anti‑cancer effects of CIK cells against adherent A2780 cells and A2780 spheroids. To demonstrate the association between hypoxia inducible factor‑1α (HIF1A) and intercellular adhesion molecule‑1 (ICAM‑1), two HIF1A short hairpin RNA (shRNA) stable transfected cell lines were established. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of hypoxia/HIF1A‑associated signaling pathways were evaluated, including transforming growth factor‑β1 (TGF‑β1)/mothers against decapentaplegic homologs (SMADs) and nuclear factor‑κB (NF‑κB) signaling pathways, comparing A2780 adherent cells and cancer spheroids. Flow cytometry revealed that A2780 spheroid cells were more resistant to CIK‑mediated cellular lysis, which was partially reversed by an anti‑ICAM‑1 antibody. HIF1A was significantly upregulated in A2780 spheroids compared with adherent cells. Using HIF1A shRNA stable transfected cell lines and cobalt chloride, it was revealed that hypoxia/HIF1A contributed to downregulation of ICAM‑1 in A2780 spheroid cells and adherent cells. Furthermore, hypoxia/HIF1A‑associated signaling pathways, TGF‑β1/SMADs and NF‑κB, were activated in A2780 spheroid cells by using western blotting. The findings indicate that EOC stem‑like cells resist the CIK‑mediated cellular lysis via HIF1A‑mediated downregulation of ICAM‑1, which may be instructive for optimizing and enhancing CIK‑based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixia Bu
- The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Boning Li
- The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Qian Wang
- The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Tingting Gu
- The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Qianggang Dong
- Shanghai iCELL Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200333, P.R. China
| | - Xiaofei Miao
- Shanghai iCELL Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Shanghai 200333, P.R. China
| | - Dongmei Lai
- The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
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19
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Zhang W, Song Z, Xiao J, Liu X, Luo Y, Yang Z, Luo R, Li A. Blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in dendritic cell-stimulated Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells with pembrolizumab enhances their therapeutic effects against hepatocellular carcinoma. J Cancer 2019; 10:2578-2587. [PMID: 31258764 PMCID: PMC6584335 DOI: 10.7150/jca.26961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint therapies for cancer, like the anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) agent pembrolizumab, have gained considerable attention. However, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the context of adoptive immunotherapy is poorly characterized. We investigated the therapeutic efficacy of dendritic cell-stimulated CIK (DC-CIK) cells pretreated with pembrolizumab against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cytotoxicity assay in vitro and in a nude mouse xenograft model. We used time-lapse imaging to investigate tumor killing. We also performed a survival analysis based on lymphocyte subpopulation-specific mRNA signatures using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) HCC cohort (n=371 patients). The results indicated that PD-1 inhibition increased the anti-tumor effects of DC-CIK cells over those of DC-CIK cells alone, resulting in a survival benefit importantly. Time-lapse imaging revealed that DC-CIK cells appeared to be more effective and aggressive after anti-PD-1 treatment than after culture in control conditions. The PD-1 inhibitor also induced more effective immune cell infiltration of the tumor. Our analysis of the TCGA HCC cohort confirmed that a genetic signature consistent with a high degree of intratumoral CD8+ T cell infiltration is associated with good prognosis. These results suggest that blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in DC-CIK cells with a PD-1 inhibitor prior to infusion is a promising therapeutic strategy against HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan Zhang
- Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Cancer Center, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China
| | - Zhenghui Song
- Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Cancer Center, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China
| | - Jianpeng Xiao
- Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Cancer Center, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China
| | - Xinhui Liu
- Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Cancer Center, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Yue Luo
- Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Cancer Center, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China
| | - Zike Yang
- Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Cancer Center, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China
| | - Rongcheng Luo
- Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Cancer Center, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China
| | - Aimin Li
- Integrated Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Cancer Center, Southern Medical University Guangzhou, 510315, China.,Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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20
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Badrinath N, Yoo SY. Recent Advances in Cancer Stem Cell-Targeted Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11030310. [PMID: 30841635 PMCID: PMC6468501 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11030310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are one of the reasons for the relapse of cancer cells and metastasis. They have drug resistance against most chemotherapeutic agents. CSCs are also responsible for tumor cell heterogeneity and cause minimal residual disease. In order to achieve complete regression of tumors, CSCs have to be targeted. Recent advances in immunotherapies have shown promising outcomes in curing cancer, which are also applicable to target CSCs. CSCs express immune markers and exhibit specific immune characteristics in various cancers, which can be used in immunotherapies to target CSCs in the tumor microenvironment. Recently, various strategies have been used to target CSCs. Adaptive T-cells, dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines, oncolytic viruses, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and combination therapies are now being used to target CSCs. Here, we discuss the feasibility of these immunological approaches and the recent trends in immunotherapies to target CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narayanasamy Badrinath
- Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea.
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan 50612, Korea.
| | - So Young Yoo
- Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan 50612, Korea.
- BIO-IT Foundry Technology Institute, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea.
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21
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Direct conversion of pig fibroblasts to chondrocyte-like cells by c-Myc. Cell Death Discov 2019; 5:55. [PMID: 30675392 PMCID: PMC6338791 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-018-0136-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Unexpectedly, we found that c-Myc-expressing porcine embryonic fibroblasts (PEFs) subcutaneously implanted into nude mice formed cartilage-like tissues in vivo, while previous studies revealed the direct conversion of mouse and human somatic cells into chondrocytes by the combined use of several defined factors, including c-Myc, which prompted us to explore whether PEFs can be reprogrammed to become pig induced chondrocyte-like cells (piCLCs) via ectopic expression of c-Myc alone. In this study, c-Myc-expressing PEFs, designated piCLCs, which exhibited a significantly enhanced proliferation ability in vitro, displayed a chondrogenic phenotypes in vitro, as shown by the cell morphology, toluidine blue staining, alcian blue staining and chondrocyte marker gene expression. Additionally, piCLCs with a polygonal chondrocyte-like morphology were readily and efficiently converted from PEFs by enforced c-Myc expression within 10 days, while piCLCs maintained the chondrocytic phenotype and normal karyotype during long-term subculture. piCLC-derived single clones with a chondrogenic phenotype in vitro exhibited homogeneity in cell morphology and staining intensity compared with mixed piCLCs. Although the mixtures of cartilaginous tissues and tumorous tissues accounted for ~12% (6/51) of all xenografts (51), piCLCs generated stable, homogenous, hyaline cartilage-like tissues without tumour formation at 45 out of the 51 injected sites when subcutaneously injected into nude mice. The hyaline cartilage-like tissues remained for at least 16 weeks. Taken together, these findings demonstrate for the first time the direct induction of chondrocyte-like cells from PEFs with only c-Myc.
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22
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Xu L, Chen X, Shen M, Yang DR, Fang L, Weng G, Tsai Y, Keng PC, Chen Y, Lee SO. Inhibition of IL-6-JAK/Stat3 signaling in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells enhances the NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity via alteration of PD-L1/NKG2D ligand levels. Mol Oncol 2018; 12:269-286. [PMID: 28865178 PMCID: PMC5830627 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Revised: 08/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate whether IL‐6 signaling affects the susceptibility of castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells to cytotoxic action of natural killer (NK) cells, CRPC cell lines (having different IL‐6 levels) were developed by lentiviral transduction. While observing no secreted IL‐6 level in parental C4‐2 and CWR22Rv1 cells, we found the IL‐6 expression/secretion in these cells was induced after the transduction process and the IL‐6 level difference in C4‐2siIL‐6/sc and CWR22siIL‐6/sc cell CRPC cell sets could be detected. We then found that IL‐6‐knockdown cells were more susceptible to NK cell cytotoxicity than control cells due to lowered programmed death receptor ligand 1 (PD‐L1) and increased NK group 2D (NKG2D) ligand levels. In animal studies, to concur with the in vitro results, we found that IL‐6‐expressing cell‐derived tumors were more resistant to NK cell action than the tumors of IL‐6‐knockdown cells. Further, we discovered that JAK‐Stat3 is the most critical IL‐6 downstream signaling that modulates PD‐L1/NKG2D ligand levels in CRPC cells. Furthermore, inhibition of the JAK or Stat3 signaling effectively increased the susceptibility of C4‐2sc and CWRsc cells to NK cell cytotoxicity. We observed the most effective cytotoxicity when the PD‐L1 Ab and JAK inhibitor (or Stat 3 inhibitor) were used together. These results suggest that the strategy of targeting IL‐6 signaling (or its downstream signaling) may enhance the NK cell‐mediated immune action to CRPC tumors, thus yielding clinical implications in developing future immunotherapeutics of exploiting this strategy to treat patients with CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- LiJun Xu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - XiaoDong Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Urology, Ningbo Urology and Nephrology Hospital, China
| | - MingJing Shen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Dong-Rong Yang
- Department of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Laifu Fang
- Department of Pathology, Ningbo Yin Zhou Hospital, China
| | - Guobin Weng
- Department of Urology, Ningbo Urology and Nephrology Hospital, China
| | - Ying Tsai
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Peter C Keng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Yuhchyau Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Soo Ok Lee
- Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, NY, USA
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23
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Wang L, Liu Y, Li W, Song Z. Growth differentiation factor 15 promotes cell viability, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis in human liver carcinoma cell line HepG2. Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol 2017; 41:408-414. [PMID: 28161428 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinre.2016.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
AIM This study was aimed to explore the role of growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS Human liver carcinoma cell line HepG2 was used and transfected with vector and/or short hairpin RNA (shRNA) against GDF15. Then, the transfection efficiency was ascertained by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. Cell viability was measured by 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). Cell invasion and migration were measured by Transwell assay and Scratch assay. In addition, human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) tube formation assay was performed to analysis the angiogenesis. Further, the protein expressions of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related factors were measured by Western blot. RESULT We found that GDF15 overexpression significantly facilitated cell viability, cell invasion, migration, and angiogenesis (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The protein expressions of N-Cadherin, Vimentin and Twist1 were up-regulated by GDF15 overexpression, while E-Cadherin was down-regulated. Reciprocally, using a GDF15-shRNA strategy, we observed that GDF15 downregulation inhibited both basal and GDF15-induced cell viability, migration, invasion and angiogenesis in HepG2 cells. CONCLUSION GDF15 could promote cell viability, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis of HepG2 cells. GDF15 overexpression might be a potential risk factor of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Wang
- The Second Department of General Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, No. 16 Xinhua West Road, 061000 Cangzhou, Hebei, China.
| | - Yagang Liu
- The Second Department of General Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, No. 16 Xinhua West Road, 061000 Cangzhou, Hebei, China
| | - Wei Li
- The Second Department of General Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, No. 16 Xinhua West Road, 061000 Cangzhou, Hebei, China
| | - Zhe Song
- The Second Department of General Surgery, Cangzhou Central Hospital, No. 16 Xinhua West Road, 061000 Cangzhou, Hebei, China
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24
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Enhancing NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity to cisplatin-resistant lung cancer cells via MEK/Erk signaling inhibition. Sci Rep 2017; 7:7958. [PMID: 28801607 PMCID: PMC5554231 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-08483-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Major progress has been made clinically in inhibiting the programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 interaction to enhance T cell-mediated immune function, yet the effectiveness of anti-PD-L1/PD-1 agents in enhancing natural killer (NK) cell’s function remains largely unknown. Susceptibilities of cisplatin-resistant A549CisR and H157CisR cells vs. parental cells to the cytotoxic action of NK cells were examined. We found cisplatin-resistant cells more resistant to NK cell cytotoxicity than parental cells. There were constitutively higher expressions of PD-L1 in A549CisR and H157CisR cells than in parental cells in vitro, as well as in H157CisR cell-derived tumors than H157P cell-derived tumors. In contrast, we observed that the expression of PD-1 in NK cells was induced after co-culture with cisplatin-resistant cells. We also observed increased susceptibility of cisplatin-resistant cells to NK cell cytotoxicity when neutralizing antibody of PD-1 or PD-L1 was added. Further, we found that the NK group 2, member D (NKG2D) ligand levels were lower in A549CisR and H157CisR cells than in parental cells. Meanwhile, we discovered that the MEK/Erk signaling pathway played a significant role in this regulation, and the addition of a MEK/Erk pathway inhibitor significantly enhanced the PD-L1 Ab effect in enhancing NK cell cytotoxicity to cisplatin-resistant cells.
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25
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Shen MJ, Xu LJ, Yang L, Tsai Y, Keng PC, Chen Y, Lee SO, Chen Y. Radiation alters PD-L1/NKG2D ligand levels in lung cancer cells and leads to immune escape from NK cell cytotoxicity via IL-6-MEK/Erk signaling pathway. Oncotarget 2017; 8:80506-80520. [PMID: 29113321 PMCID: PMC5655216 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We investigated whether radiation influences the susceptibility of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells to NK cell mediated cytotoxicity. We found radiation treatment increased expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), but decreased NK group 2, member D (NKG2D) ligand expressions in A549 and H157 NSCLC cells. Both types of changes would have protected tumor cells from the cytotoxic action of NK cells. Consistently, we detected similar alteration in these molecules in radioresistant A549R26-1 and H157R24-1 subline cells. Higher PD-L1 level was also observed in tumors of A549R26-1 cell-derived xenografts than tumors of parental A549 (A549P) cell-derived xenografts. Accordingly, we found radioresistant cells were more resistant to the cytotoxic action of NK cells than parental cells, and such resistance was decreased when neutralizing antibody (Ab) of PD-L1 was added to the radioresistant cell/NK cell co-cultures. In mechanism studies, we found that IL-6-MEK/Erk signaling contributed most significantly to the up-regulation of PD-L1/down-regulation of NKG2D ligands in radioresistant cells. The addition of the MEK/Erk inhibitor increased the susceptibility of A549R26-1 and H157R24-1 cells to NK-cell cytotoxicity while no significant effect was observed in parental cells. Moreover, we detected enhanced NK-cell cytotoxicity to radioresistant cells when PD-L1 Ab and MEK/Erk inhibitor were added together to co-cultures of tumor/NK cells compared to when PD-L1 Ab was used alone. We suggest that combined use of PD-L1 Ab and MEK/Erk inhibitor may offer better therapeutic benefits than PD-L1 Ab alone to treat NSCLC patients who are receiving radiotherapy or who are at the radioresistant stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Jing Shen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.,Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
| | - Li Jun Xu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.,Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
| | - Li Yang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Ying Tsai
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Peter C Keng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Yongbing Chen
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215004, P.R. China
| | - Soo Ok Lee
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Yuhchyau Chen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
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26
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Gu Y, Lv H, Zhao J, Li Q, Mu G, Li J, Wuyang J, Lou G, Wang R, Zhang Y, Huang X. Influence of the number and interval of treatment cycles on cytokine-induced killer cells and their adjuvant therapeutic effects in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Int Immunopharmacol 2017; 50:263-269. [PMID: 28711032 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Revised: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells have important therapeutic effects in adoptive cell transfer (ACT) for the treatment of various malignancies. In this study, we focused on in vitro expansion of CIK cells and their clinical efficacy in combination with chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS A total of 64 patients with NSCLC (enrolled from 2011 to 2012), including 32 patients who received chemotherapy alone or with sequential radiotherapy (conventional treatment, control group) and 32 patients who received conventional treatment and sequential CIK infusion (study group), were retrospectively analyzed. The time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS) and adverse effects were analyzed and the phenotype of lymphocytes in CIK population was also determined by flow cytometry. RESULTS After in vitro expansion, the average percentage of CIK cells was 26.35%. During the 54-month follow up, the median OS and TTP were significantly longer in the study group than in the control group (P=0.0189 and P=0.0129, respectively). The median OS of the ACT≥4cycles subgroup was significantly longer than that of the ACT<4cycles subgroup (P=0.0316). The percentage of CIK cells in patients who received ≥4cycles of ACT was higher than that in patients treated with <4cycles of ACT (P=0.0376). Notably, CIK cells were difficult to expand in vitro in some patients after the first ACT cycle but became much easier as the treatment cycles increased monthly. Longer treatment interval negatively impacted the expansion of CIK cells. CONCLUSIONS Systematic immune levels can be increasingly boosted by reinfusion of ACT. Conventional treatment plus CIK cells is an effective therapeutic strategy to prevent progression and prolong survival of patients with advanced NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanlong Gu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Huimin Lv
- Biotherapy Center, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Juan Zhao
- Biotherapy Center, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Qi Li
- Biotherapy Center, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Guannan Mu
- Biotherapy Center, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Jiade Li
- Biotherapy Center, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Jiazi Wuyang
- Biotherapy Center, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Ge Lou
- Department of Gynecology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Ruitao Wang
- Department of Internal medicine, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Yanqiao Zhang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Xiaoyi Huang
- Biotherapy Center, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150081, China; Center of Translational Medicine, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, China.
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27
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Lin F, Dai C, Ge X, Tang W, Lin Y, Wang Y, Li J. Prognostic significance and functional implication of immune activating receptor NKG2D in gastric cancer. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 487:619-624. [PMID: 28433635 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.04.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
NKG2D, an activating receptor expressed on CD8+ T lymphocytes, serves as a co-stimulation molecule by engagement with its ligands MICA/B and ULBPs to trigger immune activation against tumors. Currently, the biological function and clinical significance of NKG2D in gastric cancer remains unexplored. The study aims to investigate the expression of NKG2D in gastric cancer in association with clinical prognosis and its biological function. Real-time PCR was used to analyze NKG2D expression in paired cancer and adjacent non-malignant tissues in 139 gastric cancer patients between 2007 and 2010 in Shanghai Cancer Center. NKG2D expression showed no association with any clinical characteristic parameters. High NKG2D level was significantly associated with better outcome (P = 0.018 for OS, P = 0.041 for DFS). Using univariate Cox regression model, high NKG2D mRNA resulted in 43% risk reduction in gastric cancer patients (HR = 0.57, CI (0.36-0.91), P = 0.019). High NKG2D level displayed a significant association with longer OS in the multivariate analysis (HR = 0.59, CI (0.363-0.96), P = 0.034), independent of other prognostic factors including Lauren classification, neural infiltration, vascular/lymphatic invasion, TNM stage. Upon co-incubation with cancer cells, NKG2D expression in CD8+ T cells was markedly down-regulated. Functional study suggested that either blocking NKG2D or its ligand ULBP-2 could suppress tumor-killing activity of CD8+ T cells. Our data showed that NKG2D receptor could be an independent favorable prognostic indicator for gastric cancer. Furthermore, decreased NKG2D expression might be the mechanism underlying immune evasion by tumors in gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengjuan Lin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China
| | - Congqi Dai
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China; Department of Oncology, Tongji University East Hospital, Tongji University, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Ge
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China; Department of Oncology, Tongji University East Hospital, Tongji University, China
| | - Wenbo Tang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China
| | - Ying Lin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China
| | - Jin Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, China; Department of Oncology, Tongji University East Hospital, Tongji University, China.
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28
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Liu J, Wang L, Wang Y, Zhang W, Cao Y. Phenotypic characterization and anticancer capacity of CD8+ cytokine-induced killer cells after antigen-induced expansion. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175704. [PMID: 28426690 PMCID: PMC5398541 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytokine-induced killer cells (CIK) have been used in clinic for adoptive immunotherapy in a variety of malignant tumors and have improved the prognosis of cancer patients. However, there are individual differences in the CIK cell preparations including the obvious differences in the ratio of effector CIK cells among different cancer patients. Infusion of such heterogeneous immune cell preparation is an important factor that would affect the therapeutic efficacy. We report here the enrichment and expansion of CD8+ cells from CIK cells cultured for one week using magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS). These enriched CD8+ CIK cells expressed T cell marker CD3 and antigen recognition receptor NKG2D. Phenotypic analysis showed that CD8+ CIK cells contained 32.4% of CD3+ CD56+ natural killer (NK)-like T cells, 23.6% of CD45RO+ CD28+, and 50.5% of CD45RA+ CD27+ memory T cells. In vitro cytotoxic activity assay demonstrated that the enriched CD8+ CIK cells had significant cytotoxic activity against K562 cells and five ovarian cancer cell lines. Intriguingly, CD8+ CIK cells had strong cytotoxic activity against OVCAR3 cells that has weak binding capability to NKG2D. Flow cytometry and quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that OVCAR3 cells expressed HLA-I and OCT4 and Sox2, suggesting that CD8+ CIK cells recognize surface antigen via specific T cell receptor and effectively kill the target cells. The results suggest that transplantation of such in vitro enriched and expanded OCT4-specific CD8+ CIK cells may improve the specific immune defense mechanism against cancer stem cells, providing a novel avenue of cancer stem cell targeted immunotherapy for clinical treatment of ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Liu
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaoling Wang
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjie Zhang
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (YC); (WZ)
| | - Yilin Cao
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- * E-mail: (YC); (WZ)
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Lin X, Jia J, Qin Y, Lin X, Li W, Xiao G, Li Y, Xie R, Huang H, Zhong L, Wu Q, Wang W, Huang W, Yao K, Xiao D, Sun Y. Simple and rapid determination of homozygous transgenic mice via in vivo fluorescence imaging. Oncotarget 2016; 6:39073-87. [PMID: 26472024 PMCID: PMC4766372 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.5535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Setting up breeding programs for transgenic mouse strains require to distinguish homozygous from the heterozygous transgenic animals. The combinational use of the fluorescence reporter transgene and small animal in-vivo imaging system might allow us to rapidly and visually determine the transgenic mice homozygous for transgene(s) by the in vivo fluorescence imaging. RLG, RCLG or Rm17LG transgenic mice ubiquitously express red fluorescent protein (RFP). To identify homozygous RLG transgenic mice, whole-body fluorescence imaging for all of newborn F2-generation littermates produced by mating of RFP-positive heterozygous transgenic mice (F1-generation) derived from the same transgenic founder was performed. Subsequently, the immediate data analysis of the in vivo fluorescence imaging was carried out, which greatly facilitated us to rapidly and readily distinguish RLG transgenic individual(s) with strong fluorescence from the rest of F2-generation littermates, followed by further determining this/these RLG individual(s) showing strong fluorescence to be homozygous, as strongly confirmed by mouse mating. Additionally, homozygous RCLG or Rm17LG transgenic mice were also rapidly and precisely distinguished by the above-mentioned optical approach. This approach allowed us within the shortest time period to obtain 10, 8 and 2 transgenic mice homozygous for RLG, RCLG and Rm17LG transgene, respectively, as verified by mouse mating, indicating the practicality and reliability of this optical method. Taken together, our findings fully demonstrate that the in vivo fluorescence imaging offers a visual, rapid and reliable alternative method to the traditional approaches (i.e., mouse mating and real-time quantitative PCR) in identifying homozygous transgenic mice harboring fluorescence reporter transgene under the control of a ubiquitous promoter in the situation mentioned in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Lin
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junshuang Jia
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yujuan Qin
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xia Lin
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei Li
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Gaofang Xiao
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanqing Li
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Raoying Xie
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hailu Huang
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lin Zhong
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qinghong Wu
- Institute of Comparative Medicine & Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wanshan Wang
- Institute of Comparative Medicine & Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenhua Huang
- Department of Anatomy, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Construction and Detection in Tissue Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kaitai Yao
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dong Xiao
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Institute of Comparative Medicine & Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Efficient Killing of High Risk Neuroblastoma Using Natural Killer Cells Activated by Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164401. [PMID: 27716850 PMCID: PMC5055353 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastoma (NB) remains a major therapeutic challenge despite the recent advent of disialoganglioside (GD2)-antibody treatment combined with interleukin (IL)-2 and granulocyte monocyte-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Indeed, more than one third of the patients still die from this disease. Here, we developed a novel approach to improve the current anti-GD2 immunotherapy based on NK cell stimulation using toll-like receptor (TLR)-activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). We demonstrated that this strategy led to the efficient killing of NB cells. When the expression of GD2 was heterogeneous on NB cells, the combination of pDC-mediated NK-cell activation and anti-GD2 treatment significantly increased the cytotoxicity of NK cells against NB cells. Activation by pDCs led to a unique NK-cell phenotype characterized by increased surface expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), with increased expression of CD69 on CD56dim cytotoxic cells, and strong interferon-γ production. Additionally, NB-cell killing was mediated by the TRAIL death-receptor pathway, as well as by the release of cytolytic granules via the DNAX accessory molecule 1 pathway. NK-cell activation and lytic activity against NB was independent of cell contact, depended upon type I IFN produced by TLR-9-activated pDCs, but was not reproduced by IFN-α stimulation alone. Collectively, these results highlighted the therapeutic potential of activated pDCs for patients with high-risk NB.
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Jia J, Lin X, Lin X, Lin T, Chen B, Hao W, Cheng Y, Liu Y, Dian M, Yao K, Xiao D, Gu W. R/L, a double reporter mouse line that expresses luciferase gene upon Cre-mediated excision, followed by inactivation of mRFP expression. Genome 2016; 59:816-826. [PMID: 27643679 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2016-0090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The Cre/loxP system has become an important tool for the conditional gene knockout and conditional gene expression in genetically engineered mice. The applications of this system depend on transgenic reporter mouse lines that provide Cre recombinase activity with a defined cell type-, tissue-, or developmental stage-specificity. To develop a sensitive assay for monitoring Cre-mediated DNA excisions in mice, we generated Cre-mediated excision reporter mice, designated R/L mice (R/L: mRFP(monomeric red fluorescent protein)/luciferase), express mRFP throughout embryonic development and adult stages, while Cre-mediated excision deletes a loxP-flanked mRFP reporter gene and STOP sequence, thereby activating the expression of the second reporter gene luciferase, as assayed by in vivo and ex vivo bioluminescence imaging. After germ line deletion of the floxed mRFP and STOP sequence in R/L mice by EIIa-Cre mice, the resulting luciferase transgenic mice in which the loxP-mRFP-STOP-loxP cassette is excised from all cells express luciferase in all tissues and organs examined. The expression of luciferase transgene was activated in liver of RL/Alb-Cre double transgenic mice and in brain of RL/Nestin-Cre double transgenic mice when R/L reporter mice were mated with Alb-Cre mice and Nestin-Cre mice, respectively. Our findings reveal that the double reporter R/L mouse line is able to indicate the occurrence of Cre-mediated excision from early embryonic to adult lineages. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the R/L mice serve as a sensitive reporter for Cre-mediated DNA excision both in living animals and in organs, tissues, and cells following necropsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junshuang Jia
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xiaolin Lin
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Xia Lin
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Taoyan Lin
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Bangzhu Chen
- b Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Weichao Hao
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yushuang Cheng
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Yu Liu
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Meijuan Dian
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Kaitai Yao
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Dong Xiao
- a Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunotherapy and Guangzhou Key Laboatory of Tumor Immunology Research, Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
- b Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Weiwang Gu
- b Laboratory Animal Center, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
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Ectopic expression of Cripto-1 in transgenic mouse embryos causes hemorrhages, fatal cardiac defects and embryonic lethality. Sci Rep 2016; 6:34501. [PMID: 27687577 PMCID: PMC5043281 DOI: 10.1038/srep34501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeted disruption of Cripto-1 in mice caused embryonic lethality at E7.5, whereas we unexpectedly found that ectopic Cripto-1 expression in mouse embryos also led to embryonic lethality, which prompted us to characterize the causes and mechanisms underlying embryonic death due to ectopic Cripto-1 expression. RCLG/EIIa-Cre embryos displayed complex phenotypes between embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5) and E17.5, including fatal hemorrhages (E14.5-E15.5), embryo resorption (E14.5-E17.5), pale body surface (E14.5-E16.5) and no abnormal appearance (E14.5-E16.5). Macroscopic and histological examination revealed that ectopic expression of Cripto-1 transgene in RCLG/EIIa-Cre embryos resulted in lethal cardiac defects, as evidenced by cardiac malformations, myocardial thinning, failed assembly of striated myofibrils and lack of heartbeat. In addition, Cripto-1 transgene activation beginning after E8.5 also caused the aforementioned lethal cardiac defects in mouse embryos. Furthermore, ectopic Cripto-1 expression in embryonic hearts reduced the expression of cardiac transcription factors, which is at least partially responsible for the aforementioned lethal cardiac defects. Our results suggest that hemorrhages and cardiac abnormalities are two important lethal factors in Cripto-1 transgenic mice. Taken together, these findings are the first to demonstrate that sustained Cripto-1 transgene expression after E11.5 causes fatal hemorrhages and lethal cardiac defects, leading to embryonic death at E14.5-17.5.
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