1
|
Rapoport BL, Anderson R. Strategies to optimize the promise of checkpoint-targeted anti-cancer therapy. Immunotherapy 2024; 16:565-568. [PMID: 38717385 PMCID: PMC11290365 DOI: 10.1080/1750743x.2024.2343271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/26/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo L Rapoport
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
- Medical Oncology Centre of Rosebank, Johannesburg, 2196, South Africa
| | - Ronald Anderson
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Fu YB, Liu CF, Wang JJ, Ji XL, Tang RH, Liao KY, Chen LY, Hong YZ, Fan BB, Wang SC, Liu WH. Immunomodulatory Function of Pien Tze Huang in T Cell-Mediated Anti-tumor Activity against B16-F10, MC38 and Hep1-6 Tumor Models. Chin J Integr Med 2024; 30:348-358. [PMID: 38212499 DOI: 10.1007/s11655-023-3749-2] [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] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the anti-tumor effects of Pien Tze Huang (PZH) in mouse models of B16-F10 melanoma, MC38 colorectal cancer, Hep1-6 hepatocellular carcinoma and chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma model. METHODS Various tumor models, including B16-F10, MC38 and Hep1-6 tumor hypodermic inoculation models, B16-F10 and Hep1-6 pulmonary metastasis models, Hep1-6 orthotopic implantation model, and chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma model, were utilized to evaluate the anti-tumor function of PZH. Tumor growth was assessed by measuring tumor size and weight of solid tumors isolated from C57BL/6 mice. For cell proliferation and death of tumor cells in vitro, as well as T cell activation markers, cytokine production and immune checkpoints analysis, single-cell suspensions were prepared from mouse spleen, lymph nodes, and tumors after PZH treatment. RESULTS PZH demonstrated significant therapeutic efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth (P<0.01). Treatment with PZH resulted in a reduction in tumor size in subcutaneous MC38 colon adenocarcinoma and B16-F10 melanoma models, and decreased pulmonary metastasis of B16-F10 melanoma and Hep1-6 hepatoma (P<0.01). However, in vitro experiments showed that PZH only had slight impact on the cell proliferation and survival of tumor cells (P>0.05). Nevertheless, PZH exhibited a remarkable ability to enhance T cell activation and the production of interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin 2 in CD4+ T cells in vitro (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Importantly, PZH substantially inhibited T cell exhaustion and boosted cytokine production by tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells (P<0.01 or P<0.05). CONCLUSION This study has confirmed a novel immunomodulatory function of PZH in T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity, indicating that PZH holds promise as a potential therapeutic agent for cancer treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Bing Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Chen-Feng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Jin-Jia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Rong-Han Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Kun-Yu Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Ling-Yue Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Ya-Zhen Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Bin-Bin Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China
| | - Shi-Cong Wang
- Fujian Pien Tze Huang Enterprise Key Laboratory of Natural Medicine Research and Development, Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, 363000, China
| | - Wen-Hsien Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, 361102, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Fu Y, Wang J, Liu C, Liao K, Gao X, Tang R, Fan B, Hong Y, Xiao N, Xiao C, Liu WH. Glycogen synthase kinase 3 controls T-cell exhaustion by regulating NFAT activation. Cell Mol Immunol 2023; 20:1127-1139. [PMID: 37553428 PMCID: PMC10541428 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-023-01075-0] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular immunity mediated by CD8+ T cells plays an indispensable role in bacterial and viral clearance and cancers. However, persistent antigen stimulation of CD8+ T cells leads to an exhausted or dysfunctional cellular state characterized by the loss of effector function and high expression of inhibitory receptors during chronic viral infection and in tumors. Numerous studies have shown that glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) controls the function and development of immune cells, but whether GSK3 affects CD8+ T cells is not clearly elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that mice with deletion of Gsk3α and Gsk3β in activated CD8+ T cells (DKO) exhibited decreased CTL differentiation and effector function during acute and chronic viral infection. In addition, DKO mice failed to control tumor growth due to the upregulated expression of inhibitory receptors and augmented T-cell exhaustion in tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Strikingly, anti-PD-1 immunotherapy substantially restored tumor rejection in DKO mice. Mechanistically, GSK3 regulates T-cell exhaustion by suppressing TCR-induced nuclear import of NFAT, thereby in turn dampening NFAT-mediated exhaustion-related gene expression, including TOX/TOX2 and PD-1. Thus, we uncovered the molecular mechanisms underlying GSK3 regulation of CTL differentiation and T-cell exhaustion in anti-tumor immune responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yubing Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
| | - Jinjia Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Chenfeng Liu
- Department of Cell Biology, School of Life Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
| | - Kunyu Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Xianjun Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Ronghan Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Binbin Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Yazhen Hong
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Nengming Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China
| | - Changchun Xiao
- Sanofi Institute for Biomedical Research, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215123, China
| | - Wen-Hsien Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, Fujian, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Li DD, Tang YL, Wang X. Challenges and exploration for immunotherapies targeting cold colorectal cancer. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2023; 15:55-68. [PMID: 36684057 PMCID: PMC9850757 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v15.i1.55] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have made significant breakthroughs in the treatment of various tumors, greatly improving clinical efficacy. As the fifth most common antitumor treatment strategy for patients with solid tumors after surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy, the therapeutic response to ICIs largely depends on the number and spatial distribution of effector T cells that can effectively identify and kill tumor cells, features that are also important when distinguishing malignant tumors from “cold tumors” or “hot tumors”. At present, only a small proportion of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) or who are microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) can benefit from ICI treatments because these patients have the characteristics of a “hot tumor”, with a high tumor mutational burden (TMB) and massive immune cell infiltration, making the tumor more easily recognized by the immune system. In contrast, a majority of CRC patients with proficient MMR (pMMR) or who are microsatellite stable (MSS) have a low TMB, lack immune cell infiltration, and have almost no response to immune monotherapy; thus, these tumors are “cold”. The greatest challenge today is how to improve the immunotherapy response of “cold tumor” patients. With the development of clinical research, immunotherapies combined with other treatment strategies (such as targeted therapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy) have now become potentially effective clinical strategies and research hotspots. Therefore, the question of how to promote the transformation of “cold tumors” to “hot tumors” and break through the bottleneck of immunotherapy for cold tumors in CRC patients urgently requires consideration. Only by developing an in-depth understanding of the immunotherapy mechanisms of cold CRCs can we screen out the immunotherapy-dominant groups and explore the most suitable treatment options for individuals to improve therapeutic efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dan-Dan Li
- Department of Abdominal Oncology/Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yuan-Ling Tang
- Department of Abdominal Oncology/Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Abdominal Oncology/Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
| |
Collapse
|