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Mu K, Fu J, Gai J, Ravichandran H, Zheng L, Sun WC. Genetic alterations in the neuronal development genes are associated with changes of the tumor immune microenvironment in pancreatic cancer. ANNALS OF PANCREATIC CANCER 2023; 6:10.21037/apc-23-13. [PMID: 38495381 PMCID: PMC10942730 DOI: 10.21037/apc-23-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis and is highly metastatic. Our prior studies have demonstrated the critical role of axon guidance pathway genes in PDAC and the connection between neuronal development and the tumor microenvironment. A recent study newly identified 20 neuronal development genes [disks large homolog 2 (DLG2), neuron-glial-related cell adhesion molecule (NRCAM), neurexin3 (NRXN3), mitogen-activated protein kinase 10 (MAPK10), platelet-derived growth factor D (PDGFD), protein kinase C epsilon (PRKCE), potassium calcium-activated channel subfamily M alpha 1 (KCNMA1), polycystic kidney and hepatic disease 1 (PKHD1), neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1), neuregulin-1 (NRG1), zinc finger protein 667 (ZNF667), cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), acyl-CoA medium-chain synthetase-3 (ACSM3), complement 6 (C6), protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type M (PTPRM), hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1A), adenylyl cyclase 5 (ADCY5), adherens junctions-associated protein 1 (AJAP1), neurobeachin (NBEA), sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 9 (SCN9A)] that are associated with perineural invasion and poor prognosis of PDAC. The relationship between genetic alterations in these 20 genes and tumor immune microenvironment (TME) has not previously been investigated. Methods We hence applied the sequential multiplex immunohistochemistry results of biopsy specimens from 63 PDAC patients to investigate this relationship. Results We found that, except for PTPRM and NBEA, genetic alterations involving these 20 genes are associated with significant changes in the densities of major immune cell subtypes. Except for AJAP1, the copy number loss involving this panel of neuronal development genes is significantly associated with changes in immune cell infiltrates. In contrast, the copy number gain in fewer genes, including NRXN3, ZNF667, ACSM3, C6, ADCY5, SCN9A, and PRKCE, is significantly associated with changes in immune cell infiltrates. Conclusions Our study suggested that neuronal development genes play a role in modulating TME in a pancreatic cancer setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiyi Mu
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Juan Fu
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jessica Gai
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Harshitha Ravichandran
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lei Zheng
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Wei-Chih Sun
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Tanaka T, Ekimoto T, Nagatomo M, Neyazaki M, Shimoji E, Yamane T, Kanagawa S, Oi R, Mihara E, Takagi J, Akashi S, Ikeguchi M, Nogi T. Hybrid in vitro/in silico analysis of low-affinity protein-protein interactions that regulate signal transduction by Sema6D. Protein Sci 2022; 31:e4452. [PMID: 36156831 PMCID: PMC9601788 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Semaphorins constitute a large family of secreted and membrane-bound proteins that signal through cell-surface receptors, plexins. Semaphorins generally use low-affinity protein-protein interactions to bind with their specific plexin(s) and regulate distinct cellular processes such as neurogenesis, immune response, and organogenesis. Sema6D is a membrane-bound semaphorin that interacts with class A plexins. Sema6D exhibited differential binding affinities to class A plexins in prior cell-based assays, but the molecular mechanism underlying this selectivity is not well understood. Therefore, we performed hybrid in vitro/in silico analysis to examine the binding mode of Sema6D to class A plexins and to identify residues that give rise to the differential affinities and thus contribute to the selectivity within the same class of semaphorins. Our biophysical binding analysis indeed confirmed that Sema6D has a higher affinity for Plexin-A1 than for other class A plexins, consistent with the binding selectivity observed in the previous cell-based assays. Unexpectedly, our present crystallographic analysis of the Sema6D-Plexin-A1 complex showed that the pattern of polar interactions is not interaction-specific because it matches the pattern in the prior structure of the Sema6A-Plexin-A2 complex. Thus, we performed in silico alanine scanning analysis and discovered hotspot residues that selectively stabilized the Sema6D-Plexin-A1 pair via Van der Waals interactions. We then validated the contribution of these hotspot residues to the variation in binding affinity with biophysical binding analysis and molecular dynamics simulations on the mutants. Ultimately, our present results suggest that shape complementarity in the binding interfaces is a determinant for binding selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsubasa Tanaka
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Toru Ekimoto
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Meri Nagatomo
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Makiko Neyazaki
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Erena Shimoji
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Tsutomu Yamane
- Center for Computational Science, RIKENYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Sakura Kanagawa
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Rika Oi
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Emiko Mihara
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka UniversitySuitaOsakaJapan
| | - Junichi Takagi
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka UniversitySuitaOsakaJapan
| | - Satoko Akashi
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Mitsunori Ikeguchi
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
- Center for Computational Science, RIKENYokohamaKanagawaJapan
| | - Terukazu Nogi
- Graduate School of Medical Life ScienceYokohama City UniversityYokohamaKanagawaJapan
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Abstract
Semaphorin 3A is a secreted glycoprotein, which was originally identified as axon guidance factor in the neuronal system, but it also possesses immunoregulatory properties. Here, the effect of semaphorin 3A on T-lymphocytes, myeloid dendritic cells and macrophages is systematically analyzed on the bases of all publications available in the literature for 20 years. Expression of semaphorin 3A receptors – neuropilin-1 and plexins A – in these cells is described in details. The data obtained on human and murine cells is described comparatively. A comprehensive overview of the interaction of semaphorin 3A with mononuclear phagocyte system is presented for the first time. Semaphorin 3A signaling mostly results in changes of the cytoskeletal machinery and cellular morphology that regulate pathways involved in migration, adhesion, and cell–cell cooperation of immune cells. Accumulating evidence indicates that this factor is crucially involved in various phases of immune responses, including initiation phase, antigen presentation, effector T cell function, inflammation phase, macrophage activation, and polarization. In recent years, interest in this field has increased significantly because semaphorin 3A is associated with many human diseases and therefore can be used as a target for their treatment. Its involvement in the immune responses is important to study, because semaphorin 3A and its receptors turn to be a promising new therapeutic tools to be applied in many autoimmune, allergic, and oncology diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina P Kiseleva
- Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Institute of Experimental Medicine", St. Petersburg, 197376, Russia.
- Mechnikov North-Western State Medical University, St. Petersburg, 195067, Russia
| | - Kristina V Rutto
- Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Institute of Experimental Medicine", St. Petersburg, 197376, Russia.
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Abstract
The global prevalence of metabolic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis, is rapidly increasing and has now reached epidemic proportions. Chronic tissue inflammation is a characteristic of these metabolic diseases, indicating that immune responses are closely involved in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying immunometabolic crosstalk in these diseases are not completely understood. Recent studies have revealed the multifaceted functions of semaphorins, originally identified as axon guidance molecules, in regulating tissue inflammation and metabolic disorders, thereby highlighting the functional coupling between semaphorin signaling and immunometabolism. In this review, we explore how semaphorin signaling transcends beyond merely guiding axons to controlling immune responses and metabolic diseases.
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