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Kubo T, Asano S, Sasaki K, Murata K, Kanaseki T, Tsukahara T, Hirohashi Y, Torigoe T. Assessment of cancer cell-expressed HLA class I molecules and their immunopathological implications. HLA 2024; 103:e15472. [PMID: 38699870 DOI: 10.1111/tan.15472] [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: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has shown superior efficacy compared with conventional chemotherapy in certain cancer types, establishing immunotherapy as the fourth standard treatment alongside surgical intervention, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. In cancer immunotherapy employing ICIs, CD8-positive cytotoxic T lymphocytes are recognized as the primary effector cells. For effective clinical outcomes, it is essential that the targeted cancer cells express HLA class I molecules to present antigenic peptides derived from the tumor. However, cancer cells utilize various mechanisms to downregulate or lose HLA class I molecules from their surface, resulting in evasion from immune surveillance. Correlations between prognosis and the integrity of HLA class I molecules expressed by cancer cells have been consistently found across different types of cancer. This paper provides an overview of the regulatory mechanisms of HLA class I molecules and their role in cancer immunotherapy, with a particular emphasis on the significance of utilizing pathological tissues to evaluate HLA class I molecules expressed in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terufumi Kubo
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Shiori Asano
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kenta Sasaki
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kenji Murata
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kanaseki
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Tomohide Tsukahara
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Hirohashi
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Torigoe
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
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Huang J, Tsang WY, Fang XN, Zhang Y, Luo J, Gong LQ, Zhang BF, Wong CN, Li ZH, Liu BL, Huang JL, Yang YM, Liu S, Ban LX, Chan YH, Guan XY. FASN Inhibition Decreases MHC-I Degradation and Synergizes with PD-L1 Checkpoint Blockade in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancer Res 2024; 84:855-871. [PMID: 38486485 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) transformed the treatment landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unfortunately, patients with attenuated MHC-I expression remain refractory to ICIs, and druggable targets for upregulating MHC-I are limited. Here, we found that genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of fatty acid synthase (FASN) increased MHC-I levels in HCC cells, promoting antigen presentation and stimulating antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell cytotoxicity. Mechanistically, FASN inhibition reduced palmitoylation of MHC-I that led to its lysosomal degradation. The palmitoyltransferase DHHC3 directly bound MHC-I and negatively regulated MHC-I protein levels. In an orthotopic HCC mouse model, Fasn deficiency enhanced MHC-I levels and promoted cancer cell killing by tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. Moreover, the combination of two different FASN inhibitors, orlistat and TVB-2640, with anti-PD-L1 antibody robustly suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Multiplex IHC of human HCC samples and bioinformatic analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas data further illustrated that lower expression of FASN was correlated with a higher percentage of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. The identification of FASN as a negative regulator of MHC-I provides the rationale for combining FASN inhibitors and immunotherapy for treating HCC. SIGNIFICANCE Inhibition of FASN increases MHC-I protein levels by suppressing its palmitoylation and lysosomal degradation, which stimulates immune activity against hepatocellular carcinoma and enhances the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Huang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wai Ying Tsang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Xiao-Na Fang
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Jie Luo
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Lan-Qi Gong
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Clinical Oncology Center, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bai-Feng Zhang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Clinical Oncology Center, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ching Ngar Wong
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Zhi-Hong Li
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Bei-Lei Liu
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Clinical Oncology Center, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jin-Lin Huang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Yu-Ma Yang
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Shan Liu
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Liu-Xian Ban
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Clinical Oncology Center, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yiu Hong Chan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Xin-Yuan Guan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Clinical Oncology Center, Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Cancer Metastasis and Personalized Therapy, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Huizhou, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
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3
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Zhu Y, Meng M, Hou Z, Wang W, Li L, Guan A, Wang R, Tang W, Yang F, Zhao Y, Gao H, Xie H, Li R, Tan J. Impact of cytotoxic T lymphocytes immunotherapy on prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1122669. [PMID: 36726382 PMCID: PMC9885253 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1122669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Expansion and activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in vitro represents a promising immunotherapeutic strategy, and CTLs can be primed by dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) transformed by recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV). This study aimed to explore the impact of rAAV-DC-induced CTLs on prognosis of CRC and to explore factors associated with prognosis. Methods This prospective observational study included patients operated for CRC at Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University between 2016 and 2019. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS), secondary outcomes were overall survival (OS) and adverse events. Totally 49 cases were included, with 29 and 20 administered rAAV-DC-induced CTL and chemotherapy, respectively. Results After 37-69 months of follow-up (median, 54 months), OS (P=0.0596) and PFS (P=0.0788) were comparable between two groups. Mild fever occurred in 2 (6.9%) patients administered CTL infusion. All the chemotherapy group experienced mild-to-moderate adverse effects, including vasculitis (n=20, 100%), vomiting (n=5, 25%), nausea (n=17, 85%) and fatigue (n=17, 85%). Conclusions Lymphatic metastasis (hazard ratio [HR]=4.498, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.290-15.676; P=0.018) and lower HLA-I expression (HR=0.294, 95%CI: 0.089-0.965; P=0.044) were associated with poor OS in the CTL group. CTLs induced by rAAV-DCs might achieve comparable effectiveness in CRC patients compare to chemotherapy, cases with high tumor-associated HLA-I expression and no lymphatic metastasis were more likely to benefit from CTLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yankun Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Mingyao Meng
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment in Yunnan Province, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Zongliu Hou
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment in Yunnan Province, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Wenju Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment in Yunnan Province, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Lin Li
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment in Yunnan Province, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Aoran Guan
- Department of General Surgery, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Ruotian Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Weiwei Tang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment in Yunnan Province, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Fang Yang
- Department of Pathology, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Yiyi Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment in Yunnan Province, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Hui Gao
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment in Yunnan Province, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Hui Xie
- Department of General Surgery, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Ruhong Li
- Department of General Surgery, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China,*Correspondence: Ruhong Li, ; Jing Tan,
| | - Jing Tan
- Department of General Surgery, Yan’an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China,*Correspondence: Ruhong Li, ; Jing Tan,
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Wang L, Wang L, He P. Comprehensive analysis of immune-related gene signature based on ssGSEA algorithms in the prognosis and immune landscape of hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Genet 2022; 13:1064432. [PMID: 36568383 PMCID: PMC9780543 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1064432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to distinguish patients with HCC having distinct tumour immune microenvironment (TIME) features and construct an immune-related gene signature (IRGs) to assess prognosis and provide a basis for personalised therapies. Methods: Transcriptomic data of patients with HCC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. We assessed the immune cell infiltration in each HCC specimen using single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and classified all patients with HCC into high- and low-immune clusters using a hierarchical clustering algorithm. The ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT computational methods were employed to verify the stability and effectiveness of the immune clusters. Subsequently, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the high- and low-immune clusters and the immune-related genes intersected to obtain the immune-related DEGs. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was then employed to screen the optimal genes for the construction of a prognostic predictive signature and to divide patients into high- and low-risk subgroups. The predictive efficacy of the IRGs was further confirmed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves, univariate and multifactorial Cox regression and time-dependent ROC curves in the TCGA and GSE14520 validation cohorts. Furthermore, we developed a nomogram to predict the prognosis. Tumour mutation burden (TMB) was also analysed in the risk groups. Additionally, gene ontology and gene set variation analysis were used for biological function and pathway exploration. Lastly, drug sensitivity analyses were employed to investigate prospective therapeutics in the two risk populations. Results: Immune cluster analysis based on ssGSEA could well distinguish the TIME characteristics of patients with HCC. The stromal score, immune score and ESTIMATE score were all lower in the low-immune cluster. Meanwhile, most of the immune checkpoint-related genes and HLA family genes were overexpressed in the high-immune cluster, suggesting that this cluster could be a beneficial population for immune checkpoint inhibitors therapy. There were 1,617 DEGs between the two immune clusters, of which 414 genes intersected with immune-associated genes. Furthermore, Cox regression analysis revealed 49 DEGs that were associated with survival. Then, 19 DEGs were screened using the LASSO algorithm for IRGs construction and patients were classified into high- and low-risk groups. Both the constructed signature and nomogram had good prognostic predictive efficacy. The signature-based risk score was an independent prognostic predictor in both the TCGA and GSE14520 cohorts. Additionally, there was no significant difference in TMB between the two risk populations. Lastly, the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations of certain chemotherapeutic and targeted therapeutic agents differed between the two risk groups. Conclusion: Our study provides a personalized tool for predicting the prognosis and TIME landscape of HCC and a basis for developing personalised treatment regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangliang Wang
- Chemoradiotherapy Center of Oncology, The Affiliated People’s Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China,Department of Chemoradiotherapy, The Affiliated People’s Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, China,*Correspondence: Liangliang Wang,
| | - Li Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Ningbo Yinzhou No. 2 Hospital, Ningbo, China
| | - Peihong He
- Beilun Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Ningbo, China
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5
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Gong X, Karchin R. Pan-Cancer HLA Gene-Mediated Tumor Immunogenicity and Immune Evasion. Mol Cancer Res 2022; 20:1272-1283. [PMID: 35533264 PMCID: PMC9357147 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-21-0886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) expression contributes to the activation of antitumor immunity through interactions with T-cell receptors. Pan-cancer HLA-mediated immunogenicity and immunoediting mechanisms have not been systematically studied previously. In a retrospective analysis of 33 tumor types from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we characterized the differential expression of HLA class I and class II genes across various oncogenic pathways and immune subtypes. While HLA I genes were upregulated in all immunogenically hot tumors, HLA II genes were upregulated in an inflammatory immune subtype associated with best prognosis and were systematically downregulated in specific oncogenic pathways. A subset of immunogenically hot tumors which upregulated HLA class I but not class II genes exploited HLA-mediated escape strategies. Furthermore, with a machine learning model, we demonstrated that HLA gene expression data can be used to predict the immune subtypes of patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade and stratify patient survival. Interestingly, tumors with the highest immune infiltration did not have the best prognosis but showed significantly higher immune exhaustion. IMPLICATIONS Taken together, we highlight the prognostic potential of HLA genes in immunotherapies and suggest that higher tumor immunogenicity mediated by HLA expression may sometimes lead to tumor escape under strong selective pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xutong Gong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA,Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Rachel Karchin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA,Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA,Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA,corresponding author Rachel Karchin, Ph.D., 217A Hackerman Hall, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD USA 21218, ph: +1 410 516 5578, fax: +1 410 516 5294,
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Takahashi A, Umemura A, Yano K, Okishio S, Kataoka S, Okuda K, Seko Y, Yamaguchi K, Moriguchi M, Okanoue T, Itoh Y. Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Stimulate HLA Class I Expression by Augmenting the IFNγ/STAT1 Signaling in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells. Front Oncol 2021; 11:707473. [PMID: 34458148 PMCID: PMC8385668 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.707473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Combination treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and immunotherapies has shown efficacy in the treatment of multiple cancers, but the immunomodulatory effect of TKIs on the tumor cell phenotype remains unknown in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Given that human lymphocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) is essential for tumor antigen presentation and subsequent antitumor immunity, we examined the effects of regorafenib, as well as other TKIs (sorafenib, lenvatinib and cabozantinib) on HLA-I expression in HCC cell lines. Regorafenib increased cell surface HLA-I and β2-microglobulin protein expression in the presence of interferon γ (IFNγ). The expressions of various genes associated with the HLA-I antigen processing pathway and its transcriptional regulators were also upregulated by regorafenib. Furthermore, we found that regorafenib had an activating effect on signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 (STAT1), and that regorafenib-induced HLA-I expression was dependent on the augmented IFNγ/STAT1 signaling pathway. Trametinib, an inhibitor of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase MEK, also activated IFNγ/STAT1 signaling and increased HLA-I expression, whereas the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor buparlisib did not. Given that regorafenib directly inhibits Raf/MEK/ERK signaling, the downregulation of the MEK/ERK pathway appears to be one of the mechanisms by which regorafenib promotes STAT1 activation. Sorafenib, lenvatinib, and cabozantinib also showed the same effects as regorafenib, while regorafenib had most potent effects on HLA-I expression, possibly dependent on its stronger inhibitory activity against the MEK/ERK pathway. These results support the clinical combination of TKIs with immunotherapy for the treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya Takahashi
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Atsushi Umemura
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kota Yano
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shinya Okishio
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Seita Kataoka
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Keiichiro Okuda
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yuya Seko
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kanji Yamaguchi
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Michihisa Moriguchi
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takeshi Okanoue
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Saiseikai Suita Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshito Itoh
- Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
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Zhu D, Wu ZH, Xu L, Yang DL. Single sample scoring of hepatocellular carcinoma: A study based on data mining. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2021; 35:20587384211018389. [PMID: 34053310 PMCID: PMC8168165 DOI: 10.1177/20587384211018389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a high mortality malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Because the immune system plays a dual role by assisting the host barrier and tumor progression, there are complex interactions with considerable prognostic significance. Herein, we performed single-sample gene set enrichment (ssGSEA) to explore the tumor microenvironment (TME) and quantify the tumor-infiltrating immune cell (TIIC) subgroups of immune responses based on the HCC cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We evaluate molecular subpopulations, survival, function, and expression differential associations, as well as reveal potential targets, and biomarkers for immunotherapy. We combined the TME score and the 29 immune cell types in the low, medium, and high immunity groups. The stromal score, immune score, and ESTIMATE score were positively correlated with immune activity but negatively correlated with the tumor purity. There were 23 human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-related genes that were significantly different. However, KIAA1429 was not significant among the different immunity groups. Besides, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) expression increased with the increase of immune activity. This may provide valuable information for HCC immunotherapy. We also found that there was no significant difference in naïve B cells, macrophages M1, activated mast cells, resting natural killer (NK) cells, and T cells gamma delta among the different immunity groups. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis revealed that the differential proteins were mainly enriched in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) metabolism, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, glycosaminoglycan biosynthesis-heparan sulfate/heparin, glycosphingolipid biosynthesis-ganglio series and proteasome. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of the immune scene, uncovering remarkable immune infiltration patterns of various subtypes of HCC using ssGSEA. This study advances the understanding of immune response and provides a basis for research to enhance immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Zhu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Zeng-Hong Wu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Ling Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dong-Liang Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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8
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Akazawa Y, Saito Y, Yoshikawa T, Saito K, Nosaka K, Shimomura M, Mizuno S, Nakamoto Y, Nakatsura T. Efficacy of immunotherapy targeting the neoantigen derived from epidermal growth factor receptor T790M/C797S mutation in non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer Sci 2020; 111:2736-2746. [PMID: 32391625 PMCID: PMC7419036 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related deaths worldwide. Epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR‐TKI) often have good clinical activity against non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating EGFR mutations. Osimertinib, which is a third‐generation EGFR‐TKI, has a clinical effect even on NSCLC harboring the threonine to methionine change at codon 790 of EGFR (EGFR T790M) mutation that causes TKI resistance. However, most NSCLC patients develop acquired resistance to osimertinib within approximately 1 year, and 40% of these patients have the EGFR T790M and cysteine to serine change at codon 797 (C797S) mutations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of novel treatment strategies for NSCLC patients with the EGFR T790M/C797S mutation. In this study, we identified the EGFR T790M/C797S mutation‐derived peptide (790‐799) (MQLMPFGSLL) that binds the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐A*02:01, and successfully established EGFR T790M/C797S‐peptide‐specific CTL clones from human PBMC of HLA‐A2 healthy donors. One established CTL clone demonstrated adequate cytotoxicity against T2 cells pulsed with the EGFR T790M/C797S peptide. This CTL clone also had high reactivity against cancer cells that expressed an endogenous EGFR T790M/C797S peptide using an interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) enzyme‐linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay. In addition, we demonstrated using a mouse model that EGFR T790M/C797S peptide‐specific CTL were induced by EGFR T790M/C797S peptide vaccine in vivo. These findings suggest that an immunotherapy targeting a neoantigen derived from EGFR T790M/C797S mutation could be a useful novel therapeutic strategy for NSCLC patients with EGFR‐TKI resistance, especially those resistant to osimertinib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Akazawa
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan.,Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Yuki Saito
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Yoshikawa
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Keigo Saito
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Kazuto Nosaka
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Manami Shimomura
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Shoichi Mizuno
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Yasunari Nakamoto
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Nakatsura
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
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Akazawa Y, Nobuoka D, Takahashi M, Yoshikawa T, Shimomura M, Mizuno S, Fujiwara T, Nakamoto Y, Nakatsura T. Higher human lymphocyte antigen class I expression in early-stage cancer cells leads to high sensitivity for cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Cancer Sci 2019; 110:1842-1852. [PMID: 30973665 PMCID: PMC6549930 DOI: 10.1111/cas.14022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules play a central role in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL)‐based antitumor immunity. However, the expression rate of HLA class I in cancer cells remains a topic of discussion. We compared HLA class I expression levels between cancer cells and surrounding non–tumorous hepatocytes in 20 early‐stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients by immunohistochemistry using EMR 8‐5. The expression levels of HLA class I were classified as negative, incomplete positive or complete positive. Similarly, for various types of solid cancers, HLA class I expression was examined. For the HLA class I expression in cancer cells, among 20 HCC patients, 13 were complete positive, 3 were incomplete positive, and 4 were negative. In addition, 15 (75.0%) had higher expression levels of HLA class I in cancer cells compared with that in surrounding non–tumorous hepatocytes. An interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) enzyme‐linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay indicated that cancer cells with positive expression of HLA class I had strong sensitivity to antigen‐specific CTL. We suggested that HLA class I expression in cancer cells could be involved in the clinical prognosis of HCC patients. Similarly, 66.7%, 100.0%, 66.7% and 62.5% of patients with early‐stage pancreatic, gallbladder, esophageal and breast cancers, respectively, had higher expression levels of HLA class I in cancer cells than in surrounding normal tissue cells. We suggest that in several early‐stage solid cancers, including HCC, HLA class I expression levels in cancer cells are higher than that in surrounding normal tissue cells, which could result in the anti–tumor effect of CTL‐based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Akazawa
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan.,Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Daisuke Nobuoka
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Mari Takahashi
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Yoshikawa
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Manami Shimomura
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Shoichi Mizuno
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Toshiyoshi Fujiwara
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan
| | - Yasunari Nakamoto
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Nakatsura
- Division of Cancer Immunotherapy, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, Japan
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