1
|
Yu J, Yan Y, Li S, Xu Y, Parolia A, Rizvi S, Wang W, Zhai Y, Xiao R, Li X, Liao P, Zhou J, Okla K, Lin H, Lin X, Grove S, Wei S, Vatan L, Hu J, Szumilo J, Kotarski J, Freeman ZT, Skala S, Wicha M, Cho KR, Chinnaiyan AM, Schon S, Wen F, Kryczek I, Wang S, Chen L, Zou W. Progestogen-driven B7-H4 contributes to onco-fetal immune tolerance. Cell 2024:S0092-8674(24)00652-4. [PMID: 38968937 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.012] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Immune tolerance mechanisms are shared in cancer and pregnancy. Through cross-analyzing single-cell RNA-sequencing data from multiple human cancer types and the maternal-fetal interface, we found B7-H4 (VTCN1) is an onco-fetal immune tolerance checkpoint. We showed that genetic deficiency of B7-H4 resulted in immune activation and fetal resorption in allogeneic pregnancy models. Analogously, B7-H4 contributed to MPA/DMBA-induced breast cancer progression, accompanied by CD8+ T cell exhaustion. Female hormone screening revealed that progesterone stimulated B7-H4 expression in placental and breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, progesterone receptor (PR) bound to a newly identified -58 kb enhancer, thereby mediating B7-H4 transcription via the PR-P300-BRD4 axis. PR antagonist or BRD4 degrader potentiated immunotherapy in a murine B7-H4+ breast cancer model. Thus, our work unravels a mechanistic and biological connection of a female sex hormone (progesterone) to onco-fetal immune tolerance via B7-H4 and suggests that the PR-P300-BRD4 axis is targetable for treating B7-H4+ cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Yu
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yijian Yan
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shasha Li
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ying Xu
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Abhijit Parolia
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Syed Rizvi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan School of Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Weichao Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yiwen Zhai
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Rongxin Xiao
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Xiong Li
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peng Liao
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jiajia Zhou
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Karolina Okla
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Oncological Gynecology and Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Heng Lin
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Xun Lin
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Sara Grove
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shuang Wei
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Linda Vatan
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jiantao Hu
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Justyna Szumilo
- Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Jan Kotarski
- Department of Oncological Gynecology and Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Zachary T Freeman
- Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Stephanie Skala
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Max Wicha
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Kathleen R Cho
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Arul M Chinnaiyan
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Samantha Schon
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Fei Wen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan School of Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ilona Kryczek
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Shaomeng Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lieping Chen
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Weiping Zou
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Center of Excellence for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Graduate Program in Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Graduate Program in Cancer Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chen L, Zhou B, Tang M, Yao Y, Zhao Y, Hu Y, Lin Y, Ji J, Jiao Q. Aberrant expression of B7-H4 and B7-H5 contributes to the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Arch Dermatol Res 2024; 316:382. [PMID: 38850312 PMCID: PMC11162363 DOI: 10.1007/s00403-024-03095-w] [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: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is the second most common malignant tumor of the skin. B7 homolog 4 (B7-H4) and B7-H5 (B7 homolog 5) are associated with a variety of tumors. Investigate the potential role of B7-H4 and B7-H5 in regulating the tumorigenesis and progression of CSCC. B7-H4 and B7-H5 transcriptome data were collected from GEO and TCGA databases and subjected to bioinformatical analysis by protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, functional enrichment analysis, immune analysis, and drug-gene interaction prediction analysis. We characterized the expression of B7-H4 and B7-H5 in carcinoma tissues of CSCC patients by immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, the clinical correlation of B7-H4 and B7-H5 in CSCC was explored by statistical analysis. B7-H4 and B7-H5 genes were under-expressed in CSCC and correlated with tumor staging. According to GO and KEGG Pathway enrichment analysis, B7-H4, and B7-H5 can regulate the proliferation and activation of T cells, lymphocytes, and monocytes, and the expression of cytokines, such as IL-6 and IL-10, in CSCC. B7-H4 and B7-H5 are also jointly involved in the occurrence and development of CSCC via the JAK-STAT and Notch signaling pathways. We found that B7-H4 and B7-H5 proteins were abnormally highly expressed in CSCC tissue and correlated with tumor size and stage. Our findings offer new insights into the pathogenesis of CSCC and suggest that B7-H4 and B7-H5 are novel tissue biomarkers and promising therapeutic targets for CSCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lu Chen
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Road 188, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Sangxiang Road 1055, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Bin Zhou
- Jiangsu Institute of Clinical Immunology and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Minhui Tang
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Road 188, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Yuxu Yao
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Sangxiang Road 1055, Suzhou, 215004, China
| | - Yue Zhao
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Road 188, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Ying Hu
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Road 188, Suzhou, 215006, China
| | - Yuxin Lin
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Road 188, Suzhou, 215006, China
- Center for Systems Biology, Department of Bioinformatics, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Jiang Ji
- Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Sangxiang Road 1055, Suzhou, 215004, China.
| | - Qingqing Jiao
- Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Shizi Road 188, Suzhou, 215006, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Jin T, Yin T, Xu R, Liu H, Yuan S, Xue Y, Zhang J, Wang H. Exploring the role of disulfidptosis-related signatures in immune microenvironment, prognosis and therapeutic strategies of cervical cancer. Transl Oncol 2024; 44:101938. [PMID: 38492499 PMCID: PMC10955422 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2024.101938] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is characterized by a complex immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Disulfidptosis is a recently identified form of programmed cell death that has emerged as a crucial factor in tumorigenesis. However, the research on the specific involvement of disulfidptosis within the TME is still in its early stages. METHODS Under glucose starvation, SiHa and HeLa cells underwent experiments employing diverse cell death inhibitors and SLC7A11 knockdown to observe their impact on cell survival. TCGA-CESC cohort was subjected to consensus clustering for disulfidptosis-related clusters. Prognosis, function, immune infiltration, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) evaluations among clusters were compared. A prognostic model based on DEGs and disulfidptosis regulator genes (DRGs) was constructed and internally and externally validated. The correlation between YWHAG and clinicopathological characteristics in cervical cancer patients was investigated at both the mRNA and protein levels. Proliferation and migration assays were performed to uncover the roles of YWHAG in cervical cancer. RESULTS Experimental validation confirmed disulfidptosis in cervical cancer cell lines. Cervical cancer patients were classified into three clusters based on DRGs, showing notably improved prognosis and increased immune infiltration in cluster B. The developed disulfidptosis-related prognostic model effectively stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups. Low-risk patients exhibited more favorable responses to immunotherapy and improved overall prognosis. Additionally, YWHAG, recognized as a tumor-promoting gene, demonstrated active roles in enhancing the growth, migration, and invasion of cervical cancer cells. CONCLUSION Our research proposed a prognostic model for cervical cancer, probably contributing to tumor microenvironment traits and more potent immunotherapy strategy exploration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tianzhe Jin
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological Diseases, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China
| | - Taotao Yin
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological Diseases, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China
| | - Ruiyi Xu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological Diseases, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological Diseases, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China
| | - Shuo Yuan
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological Diseases, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China
| | - Yite Xue
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological Diseases, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China
| | - Jianwei Zhang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological Diseases, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China.
| | - Hui Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Therapy for Major Gynecological Diseases, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China; Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wescott EC, Sun X, Gonzalez-Ericsson P, Hanna A, Taylor BC, Sanchez V, Bronzini J, Opalenik SR, Sanders ME, Wulfkuhle J, Gallagher RI, Gomez H, Isaacs C, Bharti V, Wilson JT, Ballinger TJ, Santa-Maria CA, Shah PD, Dees EC, Lehmann BD, Abramson VG, Hirst GL, Brown Swigart L, van ˈt Veer LJ, Esserman LJ, Petricoin EF, Pietenpol JA, Balko JM. Epithelial Expressed B7-H4 Drives Differential Immunotherapy Response in Murine and Human Breast Cancer. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:1120-1134. [PMID: 38687247 PMCID: PMC11041871 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Combinations of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI, including anti-PD-1/PD-L1) and chemotherapy have been FDA approved for metastatic and early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but most patients do not benefit. B7-H4 is a B7 family ligand with proposed immunosuppressive functions being explored as a cancer immunotherapy target and may be associated with anti-PD-L1 resistance. However, little is known about its regulation and effect on immune cell function in breast cancers. We assessed murine and human breast cancer cells to identify regulation mechanisms of B7-H4 in vitro. We used an immunocompetent anti-PD-L1-sensitive orthotopic mammary cancer model and induced ectopic expression of B7-H4. We assessed therapy response and transcriptional changes at baseline and under treatment with anti-PD-L1. We observed B7-H4 was highly associated with epithelial cell status and transcription factors and found to be regulated by PI3K activity. EMT6 tumors with cell-surface B7-H4 expression were more resistant to immunotherapy. In addition, tumor-infiltrating immune cells had reduced immune activation signaling based on transcriptomic analysis. Paradoxically, in human breast cancer, B7-H4 expression was associated with survival benefit for patients with metastatic TNBC treated with carboplatin plus anti-PD-L1 and was associated with no change in response or survival for patients with early breast cancer receiving chemotherapy plus anti-PD-1. While B7-H4 induces tumor resistance to anti-PD-L1 in murine models, there are alternative mechanisms of signaling and function in human cancers. In addition, the strong correlation of B7-H4 to epithelial cell markers suggests a potential regulatory mechanism of B7-H4 independent of PD-L1. SIGNIFICANCE This translational study confirms the association of B7-H4 expression with a cold immune microenvironment in breast cancer and offers preclinical studies demonstrating a potential role for B7-H4 in suppressing response to checkpoint therapy. However, analysis of two clinical trials with checkpoint inhibitors in the early and metastatic settings argue against B7-H4 as being a mechanism of clinical resistance to checkpoints, with clear implications for its candidacy as a therapeutic target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Wescott
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Xiaopeng Sun
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Paula Gonzalez-Ericsson
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Ann Hanna
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Brandie C. Taylor
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Violeta Sanchez
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Juliana Bronzini
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Susan R. Opalenik
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Melinda E. Sanders
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Julia Wulfkuhle
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia
| | - Rosa I. Gallagher
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia
| | - Henry Gomez
- Department of Medical Oncology, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Lima, Perú
| | - Claudine Isaacs
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Vijaya Bharti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - John T. Wilson
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Tarah J. Ballinger
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | | | - Payal D. Shah
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Elizabeth C. Dees
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Brian D. Lehmann
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Vandana G. Abramson
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Gillian L. Hirst
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Lamorna Brown Swigart
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Laura J. van ˈt Veer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Laura J. Esserman
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Emanuel F. Petricoin
- Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia
| | - Jennifer A. Pietenpol
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Justin M. Balko
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Cancer Biology Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Karcini A, Mercier NR, Lazar IM. Proteomic Assessment of SKBR3/HER2+ Breast Cancer Cellular Response to Lapatinib and Investigational Ipatasertib Kinase Inhibitors. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.02.587656. [PMID: 38617302 PMCID: PMC11014527 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.02.587656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Modern cancer treatment approaches aim at achieving cancer remission by using targeted and personalized therapies, as well as harnessing the power of the immune system to recognize and eliminate the cancer cells. To overcome a relatively short-lived response due to the development of resistance to the administered drugs, combination therapies have been pursued, as well. To expand the outlook of combination therapies, the objective of this study was to use high-throughput data generation technologies such as mass spectrometry and proteomics to investigate the response of HER2+ breast cancer cells to a mixture of two kinase inhibitors that has not been adopted yet as a standard treatment regime. The broader landscape of biological processes that are affected by inhibiting two major pathways that sustain the growth and survival of cancer cells, i.e., EGFR and PI3K/AKT, was investigated by treating SKBR3/HER2+ breast cancer cells with Lapatinib or a mixture of Lapatinib/Ipatasertib small molecule drugs. Changes in protein expression and/or activity in response to the drug treatments were assessed by using two complementary quantitative proteomic approaches based on peak area and peptide spectrum match measurements. Over 900 proteins matched by three unique peptide sequences (FDR<0.05) were affected by the exposure of cells to the drugs. The work corroborated the anti-proliferative activity of Lapatinib and Ipatasertib, and, in addition to cell cycle and growth arrest processes enabled the identification of several multi-functional proteins with roles in cancer-supportive hallmark processes. Among these, immune response, adhesion and migration emerged as particularly relevant to the ability to effectively suppress the proliferation and dissemination of cancer cells. The supplementation of Lapatinib with Ipatasertib further affected the expression or activity of additional transcription factors and proteins involved in gene expression, trafficking, DNA repair, and development of multidrug resistance. Furthermore, over fifty of the affected proteins represented approved or investigational targets in the DrugBank database, which through their protein-protein interaction networks can inform the selection of effective therapeutic partners. Altogether, our findings exposed a broad plethora of yet untapped opportunities that can be further explored for enhancing the anti-cancer effects of each drug as well as of many other multi-drug therapies that target the EGFR/ERBB2 and PI3K/AKT pathways. The data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD051094.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arba Karcini
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Nicole R. Mercier
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Iulia M. Lazar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
- Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
- Division of Systems Biology, Virginia Tech, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
- Carilion School of Medicine, Virginia Tech, 1981 Kraft Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Gao L, Tian Y, Chen E. The Construction of a Multi-Gene Risk Model for Colon Cancer Prognosis and Drug Treatments Prediction. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3954. [PMID: 38612764 PMCID: PMC11011764 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073954] [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: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
In clinical practice, colon cancer is a prevalent malignant tumor of the digestive system, characterized by a complex and progressive process involving multiple genes and molecular pathways. Historically, research efforts have primarily focused on investigating individual genes; however, our current study aims to explore the collective impact of multiple genes on colon cancer and to identify potential therapeutic targets associated with these genes. For this research, we acquired the gene expression profiles and RNA sequencing data of colon cancer from TCGA. Subsequently, we conducted differential gene expression analysis using R, followed by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. To construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, we selected survival-related genes using the log-rank test and single-factor Cox regression analysis. Additionally, we performed LASSO regression analysis, immune infiltration analysis, mutation analysis, and cMAP analysis, as well as an investigation into ferroptosis. Our differential expression and survival analyses identified 47 hub genes, and subsequent LASSO regression analysis refined the focus to 23 key genes. These genes are closely linked to cancer metastasis, proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, signal transduction, cancer microenvironment, immunotherapy, and neurodevelopment. Overall, the hub genes discovered in our study are pivotal in colon cancer and are anticipated to serve as important biological markers for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liyang Gao
- Institute of Preventive Genomic Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Ye Tian
- Institute of Preventive Genomic Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Erfei Chen
- Institute of Preventive Genomic Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Regmi M, Wang Y, Liu W, Dai Y, Liu S, Ma K, Lin G, Yang J, Liu H, Wu J, Yang C. From glioma gloom to immune bloom: unveiling novel immunotherapeutic paradigms-a review. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:47. [PMID: 38342925 PMCID: PMC10860318 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-02973-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024] Open
Abstract
In tumor therapeutics, the transition from conventional cytotoxic drugs to targeted molecular therapies, such as those targeting receptor tyrosine kinases, has been pivotal. Despite this progress, the clinical outcomes have remained modest, with glioblastoma patients' median survival stagnating at less than 15 months. This underscores the urgent need for more specialized treatment strategies. Our review delves into the progression toward immunomodulation in glioma treatment. We dissect critical discoveries in immunotherapy, such as spotlighting the instrumental role of tumor-associated macrophages, which account for approximately half of the immune cells in the glioma microenvironment, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. The complex interplay between tumor cells and the immune microenvironment has been explored, revealing novel therapeutic targets. The uniqueness of our review is its exhaustive approach, synthesizing current research to elucidate the intricate roles of various molecules and receptors within the glioma microenvironment. This comprehensive synthesis not only maps the current landscape but also provides a blueprint for refining immunotherapy for glioma, signifying a paradigm shift toward leveraging immune mechanisms for improved patient prognosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Moksada Regmi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Center for Precision Neurosurgery and Oncology of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China
- Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science (AIMS), Zhengzhou, 450003, China
| | - Yingjie Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Center for Precision Neurosurgery and Oncology of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Weihai Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Center for Precision Neurosurgery and Oncology of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Yuwei Dai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Center for Precision Neurosurgery and Oncology of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Shikun Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Center for Precision Neurosurgery and Oncology of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Ke Ma
- Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Guozhong Lin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Center for Precision Neurosurgery and Oncology of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jun Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
- Center for Precision Neurosurgery and Oncology of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Hongyi Liu
- Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science (AIMS), Zhengzhou, 450003, China
- National Engineering Research Center for Ophthalmology, Beijing, 100730, China
- Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmic Equipment and Materials, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100730, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Jian Wu
- Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science (AIMS), Zhengzhou, 450003, China.
- National Engineering Research Center for Ophthalmology, Beijing, 100730, China.
- Engineering Research Center of Ophthalmic Equipment and Materials, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100730, China.
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Chenlong Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Peking University Third Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China.
- Center for Precision Neurosurgery and Oncology of Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China.
- Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science (AIMS), Zhengzhou, 450003, China.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Quail DF, Park M, Welm AL, Ekiz HA. Breast Cancer Immunity: It is TIME for the Next Chapter. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2024; 14:a041324. [PMID: 37188526 PMCID: PMC10835621 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Our ability to interrogate the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) at an ever-increasing granularity has uncovered critical determinants of disease progression. Not only do we now have a better understanding of the immune response in breast cancer, but it is becoming possible to leverage key mechanisms to effectively combat this disease. Almost every component of the immune system plays a role in enabling or inhibiting breast tumor growth. Building on early seminal work showing the involvement of T cells and macrophages in controlling breast cancer progression and metastasis, single-cell genomics and spatial proteomics approaches have recently expanded our view of the TIME. In this article, we provide a detailed description of the immune response against breast cancer and examine its heterogeneity in disease subtypes. We discuss preclinical models that enable dissecting the mechanisms responsible for tumor clearance or immune evasion and draw parallels and distinctions between human disease and murine counterparts. Last, as the cancer immunology field is moving toward the analysis of the TIME at the cellular and spatial levels, we highlight key studies that revealed previously unappreciated complexity in breast cancer using these technologies. Taken together, this article summarizes what is known in breast cancer immunology through the lens of translational research and identifies future directions to improve clinical outcomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela F Quail
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A3, Canada
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Morag Park
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A3, Canada
- Departments of Biochemistry, Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1Y6, Canada
| | - Alana L Welm
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
| | - H Atakan Ekiz
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology, Gulbahce, 35430 Urla, Izmir, Turkey
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Yu B, Geng C, Wu Z, Zhang Z, Zhang A, Yang Z, Huang J, Xiong Y, Yang H, Chen Z. A CIC-related-epigenetic factors-based model associated with prediction, the tumor microenvironment and drug sensitivity in osteosarcoma. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1308. [PMID: 38225273 PMCID: PMC10789798 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49770-2] [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: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma is generally considered a cold tumor and is characterized by epigenetic alterations. Although tumor cells are surrounded by many immune cells such as macrophages, T cells may be suppressed, be inactivated, or not be presented due to various mechanisms, which usually results in poor prognosis and insensitivity to immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is considered a promising anti-cancer therapy in osteosarcoma but requires more research, but osteosarcoma does not currently respond well to this therapy. The cancer immunity cycle (CIC) is essential for anti-tumor immunity, and is epigenetically regulated. Therefore, it is possible to modulate the immune microenvironment of osteosarcoma by targeting epigenetic factors. In this study, we explored the correlation between epigenetic modulation and CIC in osteosarcoma through bioinformatic methods. Based on the RNA data from TARGET and GSE21257 cohorts, we identified epigenetic related subtypes by NMF clustering and constructed a clinical prognostic model by the LASSO algorithm. ESTIMATE, Cibersort, and xCell algorithms were applied to analyze the tumor microenvironment. Based on eight epigenetic biomarkers (SFMBT2, SP140, CBX5, HMGN2, SMARCA4, PSIP1, ACTR6, and CHD2), two subtypes were identified, and they are mainly distinguished by immune response and cell cycle regulation. After excluding ACTR6 by LASSO regression, the prognostic model was established and it exhibited good predictive efficacy. The risk score showed a strong correlation with the tumor microenvironment, drug sensitivity and many immune checkpoints. In summary, our study sheds a new light on the CIC-related epigenetic modulation mechanism of osteosarcoma and helps search for potential drugs for osteosarcoma treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bin Yu
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment of Yunnan Province, Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
- Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Chengkui Geng
- Department of Orthopedics of Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Zhongxiong Wu
- Department of Orthopedics of Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Zhongzi Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics of Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Aili Zhang
- Department of Orthopedics of Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Ze Yang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment of Yunnan Province, Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Jiazheng Huang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment of Yunnan Province, Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Ying Xiong
- Department of Orthopedics of Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Huiqin Yang
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment of Yunnan Province, Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.
| | - Zhuoyuan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunological Prevention and Treatment of Yunnan Province, Yan'an Hospital Affiliated to Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Siqueira JM, Mitani Y, Hoff CO, Bonini F, Guimaraes de Sousa L, Marques-Piubelli ML, Purushothaman A, Mitani M, Dai H, Lin SY, Spiotto MT, Hanna EY, McGrail DJ, El-Naggar AK, Ferrarotto R. Analysis of B7-H4 Expression Across Salivary Gland Carcinomas Reveals Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma-Specific Prognostic Relevance. Mod Pathol 2024; 37:100371. [PMID: 38015043 DOI: 10.1016/j.modpat.2023.100371] [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: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
B7-H4 (VTCN1), a member of the B7 family, is overexpressed in several types of cancer. Here we investigated the pattern of expression of B7-H4 in salivary gland carcinomas (SGC) and assessed its potential as a prognostic marker and therapeutic target. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses were performed in a cohort of 340 patient tumors, composed of 124 adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC), 107 salivary duct carcinomas (SDC), 64 acinic cell carcinomas, 36 mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MEC), 9 secretory carcinomas (SC), as well as 20 normal salivary glands (controls). B7-H4 expression was scored and categorized into negative (<5% expression of any intensity), low (5%-70% expression of any intensity or >70% with weak intensity), or high (>70% moderate or strong diffuse intensity). The associations between B7-H4 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics, as well as overall survival, were assessed. Among all tumors, B7-H4 expression was more prevalent in ACC (94%) compared with those of SC (67%), MEC (44%), SDC (32%), and acinic cell carcinomas (0%). Normal salivary gland tissue did not express B7-H4. High expression of B7-H4 was found exclusively in ACC (27%), SDC (11%), and MEC (8%). In SDC, B7-H4 expression was associated with female gender (P = .002) and lack of androgen receptor expression (P = .012). In ACC, B7-H4 expression was significantly associated with solid histology (P < .0001) and minor salivary gland primary (P = .02). High B7-H4 expression was associated with a poorer prognosis in ACC, regardless of clinical stage and histologic subtype. B7-H4 expression was not prognostic in the non-ACC SGC evaluated. Our comparative study revealed distinct patterns of B7-H4 expression according to SGC histology, which has potential therapeutic implications. B7-H4 expression was particularly high in solid ACC and was an independent prognostic marker in this disease but not in the other SGC assessed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Mota Siqueira
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Department of Stomatology, Discipline of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Yoshitsugu Mitani
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Camilla Oliveira Hoff
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Flavia Bonini
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Luana Guimaraes de Sousa
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Mario L Marques-Piubelli
- Department of Translational Molecular Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Anurag Purushothaman
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Mutsumi Mitani
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Hui Dai
- Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Shiaw-Yih Lin
- Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael T Spiotto
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Ehab Y Hanna
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Daniel J McGrail
- Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Adel K El-Naggar
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Renata Ferrarotto
- Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Brami I, Zuckerman T, Ram R, Avni B, Peretz G, Ostrovsky D, Lior Y, Faour C, McElvaney O, McElvaney NG, Lewis EC. Altered Serum Alpha1-Antitrypsin Protease Inhibition before and after Clinical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Association with Risk for Non-Relapse Mortality. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:422. [PMID: 38203593 PMCID: PMC10779144 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010422] [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: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
α1-Antitrypsin (AAT), an acute-phase reactant not unsimilar to C-reactive protein (CRP), is a serine protease inhibitor that harbors tissue-protective and immunomodulatory attributes. Its concentrations appropriately increase during conditions of extensive tissue injury, and it induces immune tolerance, in part, by inhibiting the enzymatic activity of the inflammatory serine protease, proteinase 3 (PR3). Typically administered to patients with genetic AAT deficiency, AAT treatment was recently shown to improve outcomes in patients with steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). GVHD represents a grave outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), a potentially curative intervention for hematological diseases. The procedure requires radio/chemotherapy conditioning of the prospective marrow recipient, a cytotoxic process that causes vast tissue injury and, in some formats, interferes with liver production of AAT. To date, changes in the functional profile of AAT during allogeneic HSCT, and during the cytotoxic intervention that precedes HSCT, are unknown. The present study followed 53 patients scheduled for allogeneic HSCT (trial registration NCT03188601). Serum samples were tested before and after HSCT for AAT and CRP levels and for intrinsic anti-proteolytic activity. The ex vivo response to clinical-grade AAT was tested on circulating patient leukocytes and on a human epithelial cell line treated with patient sera in a gap closure assay. According to the ex vivo experiments, circulating leukocytes responded to AAT with a favorable immune-regulated profile, and epithelial gap closure was enhanced by AAT in sera from GVHD-free patients but not in sera from patients who developed GVHD. According to serum collected prior to HSCT, non-relapse mortality was reliably predicted by combining three components: AAT and CRP levels and serum anti-proteolytic activity. Taken together, HSCT outcomes are significantly affected by the anti-proteolytic function of circulating AAT, supporting early AAT augmentation therapy for allogeneic HSCT patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ido Brami
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er-Sheva 8410501, Israel;
| | - Tsila Zuckerman
- Hematology Department and Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa 3109601, Israel;
| | - Ron Ram
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, The Division of Hematology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv 6423906, Israel;
| | - Batia Avni
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunotherapy, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem 9112001, Israel;
| | - Galit Peretz
- Department of Hematology, Soroka University Medical Center, Be’er-Sheva 8410101, Israel;
| | - Daniel Ostrovsky
- Clinical Research Center, Soroka University Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er-Sheva 8410101, Israel;
| | - Yotam Lior
- Division of Anesthesiology, Pain and Intensive Care, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv 6423906, Israel;
| | - Caroline Faour
- Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Israeli Institute of Technology, Haifa 3109601, Israel;
| | - Oisin McElvaney
- The Irish Centre for Genetic Lung Disease, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland; (O.M.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Noel G. McElvaney
- The Irish Centre for Genetic Lung Disease, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, D02 YN77 Dublin, Ireland; (O.M.); (N.G.M.)
| | - Eli C. Lewis
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er-Sheva 8410501, Israel;
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Olejarz W, Basak G. Emerging Therapeutic Targets and Drug Resistance Mechanisms in Immunotherapy of Hematological Malignancies. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5765. [PMID: 38136311 PMCID: PMC10741639 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245765] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
CAR-T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies with high remission rates in the case of ALL and NHL. This therapy has some limitations such as long manufacturing periods, persistent restricted cell sources and high costs. Moreover, combination regimens increase the risk of immune-related adverse events, so the identification new therapeutic targets is important to minimize the risk of toxicities and to guide more effective approaches. Cancer cells employ several mechanisms to evade immunosurveillance, which causes resistance to immunotherapy; therefore, a very important therapeutic approach is to focus on the development of rational combinations of targeted therapies with non-overlapping toxicities. Recent progress in the development of new inhibitory clusters of differentiation (CDs), signaling pathway molecules, checkpoint inhibitors, and immunosuppressive cell subsets and factors in the tumor microenvironment (TME) has significantly improved anticancer responses. Novel strategies regarding combination immunotherapies with CAR-T cells are the most promising approach to cure cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wioletta Olejarz
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
- Centre for Preclinical Research, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Basak
- Department of Hematology, Transplantation and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland;
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Yi M, Li T, Niu M, Mei Q, Zhao B, Chu Q, Dai Z, Wu K. Exploiting innate immunity for cancer immunotherapy. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:187. [PMID: 38008741 PMCID: PMC10680233 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01885-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment paradigms of various types of cancers. However, most of these immunomodulatory strategies focus on harnessing adaptive immunity, mainly by inhibiting immunosuppressive signaling with immune checkpoint blockade, or enhancing immunostimulatory signaling with bispecific T cell engager and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell. Although these agents have already achieved great success, only a tiny percentage of patients could benefit from immunotherapies. Actually, immunotherapy efficacy is determined by multiple components in the tumor microenvironment beyond adaptive immunity. Cells from the innate arm of the immune system, such as macrophages, dendritic cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and unconventional T cells, also participate in cancer immune evasion and surveillance. Considering that the innate arm is the cornerstone of the antitumor immune response, utilizing innate immunity provides potential therapeutic options for cancer control. Up to now, strategies exploiting innate immunity, such as agonists of stimulator of interferon genes, CAR-macrophage or -natural killer cell therapies, metabolic regulators, and novel immune checkpoint blockade, have exhibited potent antitumor activities in preclinical and clinical studies. Here, we summarize the latest insights into the potential roles of innate cells in antitumor immunity and discuss the advances in innate arm-targeted therapeutic strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Yi
- Cancer Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Science, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030032, People's Republic of China
- Department of Breast Surgery, College of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianye Li
- Department of Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengke Niu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi Mei
- Cancer Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Science, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030032, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of Breast Surgery, College of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Chu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhijun Dai
- Department of Breast Surgery, College of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kongming Wu
- Cancer Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Science, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030032, People's Republic of China.
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Sanuki F, Mikami Y, Nishimura H, Fujita Y, Monobe Y, Nomura T, Taira N, Moriya T. Immunohistological analysis of B7-H4, IDO1, and PD-L1 expression and tumor immune microenvironment based on triple-negative breast cancer subtypes. Breast Cancer 2023; 30:1041-1053. [PMID: 37642903 DOI: 10.1007/s12282-023-01498-7] [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: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND B7 homolog 4 (B7-H4) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO1) are factors involved in the inhibition of antitumor activity and are new therapeutic targets for immune checkpoint therapy. Our study aimed to simultaneously investigate the interrelationship among B7-H4, IDO1 and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), including tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and TNBC subtypes. METHODS Immunostaining for PD-L1, B7-H4, and IDO1 was performed on whole-slide sections of 119 cases of TNBC. The TIME was evaluated based on stromal tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs; %), pattern classification of TILs, tumor-stroma ratio (TSR), and tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS). TNBC subtypes were also determined by immunohistochemistry analysis of cytokeratin 5/6 and androgen receptor (AR) expression. RESULTS B7-H4 expression was significantly higher in cases with a combined positive score cutoff of 5 for PD-L1 (clone 28-8; p = 0.021), inflamed TIL pattern (p = 0.007), and TLS ≥ 4 (p = 0.006). B7-H4 expression was higher in case of CK5/6 ≥ 10 (p = 0.035). The H-scores of AR and B7-H4 were inversely correlated (ρ = - 0.509, p < 0.001). B7-H4 and IDO1 expression levels were inversely correlated in cases with AR < 10 (ρ = - 0.354, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that considering the TIL pattern and TLS and identifying the expression of PD-L1 and the basal-like type are useful for estimating B7-H4 expression. In addition, luminal androgen receptor (LAR)-type is frequently deficient in B7-H4 expression. In non-LAR types, B7-H4 and IDO1 expression are exclusive.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Sanuki
- Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, 701-0192, Japan
| | - Yuka Mikami
- Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, 701-0192, Japan
| | - Hirotake Nishimura
- Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, 701-0192, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Fujita
- Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, 701-0192, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Monobe
- Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School General Medical Center, Okayama, Japan
| | - Tsunehisa Nomura
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Naruto Taira
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Takuya Moriya
- Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki, 701-0192, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Zhou L, Wu J, Ruan M, Xiao Y, Lan H, Wu Q, Yu CW, Zhang Q. The loss of B7-H4 expression in breast cancer cells escaping from T cell cytotoxicity contributes to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Breast Cancer Res 2023; 25:115. [PMID: 37794509 PMCID: PMC10548745 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-023-01721-5] [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: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND B7 homology 4 (B7-H4), a potential target for cancer therapy, has been demonstrated to inhibit T cell cytotoxicity in the early stages of breast cancer. However, B7-H4 manipulating breast tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in the tumor progression remains unknown. METHODS We engineered T cells with B7-H4-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and performed a T cell co-culture assay to characterize B7-H4 expression level in breast cancer cells escaping from T cell cytotoxicity. We generated B7-H4 knockout (KO) and overexpression (OE) breast cancer cells to determine the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness characteristics in vitro and in vivo, including tumor proliferation, migration, metastasis and chemoresistance. The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer database was accessed to investigate the correlation between B7-H4 expression levels and EMT characteristics in patients with breast cancer. RESULTS Our result found that B7-H4 expression level was significantly reduced in a subset of breast cancer cells that escaped from the cytotoxicity of B7-H4 CAR-T cells. Compared with wild type cells, B7-H4 KO cells prompt EMT and stemness characteristics, including migration, invasion and metastasis, and OE cells vice versa. The increase in H3K27me3 in KO cells confirmed the epigenetic reprogramming of cancer stem cells. The IC50 of doxorubicin or oxaliplatin significantly increased in KO cells, which was in agreement with a decrease in OE cells. Moreover, a trend of downregulated B7-H4 from stage I to stage II breast cancer patients indicates that the low-expressing B7-H4 breast cancer cells escaping from TIME have spread to nearby breast lymph nodes in the cancer progression. CONCLUSIONS Our study illuminates the novel role of renouncing B7-H4 in breast cancer cells through immune escape, which contributes to EMT processes and provides new insights for breast cancer treatments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Zhou
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jichun Wu
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Mei Ruan
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Yonglei Xiao
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Hailin Lan
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Qiongwen Wu
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chen-Wei Yu
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
- Department of Statistics and Information Science, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
| | - Qiuyu Zhang
- Institute of Immunotherapy, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Urade R, Chang WT, Ko CC, Li RN, Yang HM, Chen HY, Huang LY, Chang MY, Wu CY, Chiu CC. A fluorene derivative inhibits human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by ROS-mediated apoptosis, anoikis and autophagy. Life Sci 2023; 329:121835. [PMID: 37295712 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.121835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Fluorene was previously reported to have anticancer activity against human cancer cells. In this study, we examined the in vitro function of 9-methanesulfonylmethylene-2, 3-dimethoxy-9 H -fluorene (MSDF), a novel fluorene derivative, its anticancer potential in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and its underlying molecular mechanism. The disruption of cellular homeostasis caused by MSDF was found to promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, leading to the activation of cellular apoptosis. As a survival strategy, cells undergo autophagy during oxidative stress. MSDF-induced apoptosis occurred through both receptor-mediated extrinsic and mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic routes. The development of acidic vesicular organelles and the accumulation of LC3-II protein suggest an increase in the autophagic process. Apoptosis was detected by double staining. The MAPK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways were indeed suppressed during treatment. Along with elevated ROS generation and apoptosis, MSDF also caused anoikis and cell death by causing cells to lose contact with their extracellular matrix. ROS production was induced by MSDF and sustained by an NAC scavenger. MSDF-induced apoptosis led to increased autophagy, as shown by the suppression of apoptosis by Z-VAD-FMK. However, inhibition of autophagy by inhibitor 3-MA increased MSDF-induced apoptosis. More evidence shows that MSDF downregulated the expression of immune checkpoint proteins, suggesting that MSDF could be used in the future as an adjuvant to improve the effectiveness of HCC immunotherapy. Altogether, our results highlight the potential of MSDF as a multitarget drug for the treatment of HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ritesh Urade
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan; Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Tsan Chang
- Division of General and Digestive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Chung Ko
- Department of Medical Imaging, Chi Mei Medical Center, Tainan 71004, Taiwan; Department of Health and Nutrition, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan717, Taiwan
| | - Ruei-Nian Li
- Department of Biomedical Science and Environment Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Min Yang
- Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Hsuan-Yu Chen
- Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Lin-Ya Huang
- Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Yang Chang
- Department of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Chang-Yi Wu
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan; Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| | - Chien-Chih Chiu
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan; Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; National Laboratory Animal Center, National Applied Research Laboratories, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Bao W, Song Z, Wan H, Yu X, Chen Z, Jiang Y, Chen X, Le K. Model for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy based on CD +8 T cells infiltration in neuroblastoma. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:9839-9855. [PMID: 37248319 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-04897-7] [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: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma (NBL) is an extracranial malignant tumor in children deriving from the neural crest in the sympathetic nervous system. Although various immunotherapy interventions have made significant breakthroughs in many adult cancers, the efficacy of these immunotherapies was still limited in NBL. NBL has low immunogenicity which results in a lack of tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Moreover, tumor cells can wield many immune evasion strategies both in the TME and systemically to impede lymphocyte infiltration and activation. All these factors hamper the anti-tumor effects of CD8+ T cells during immunotherapy and the levels of infiltrating CD8+ T cells correlate with therapy response. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, we utilized multidimensional bioinformatic methods to establish a risk model based on CD8+ T cells -related genes (CD8+ TRGs). RESULTS We obtained 33 CD8+ TRGs with well-predictive ability for prognosis in both GSE49711 and E-MTAB-8248 cohorts. Then, 12 CD8+ TRGs including HK2, RP2, HPSE, ELL2, GFI1, SLC22A16, FCGR3A, CTSS, SH2D1A, RBP5, ATF5, and ADAM9 were finally identified for risk model construction and validation. This model revealed a stable performance in prognostic prediction of the overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) in patients with NBL. Additionally, our research indicated that the immune and stromal scores, immune-related pathways, immune cell infiltration, the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and immune checkpoint molecules, immunotherapy response, and drug susceptibility revealed significant differences between high and low-risk groups. CONCLUSIONS According to our analyses, the constructed CD8+ TRGs-based risk model may be promising for the clinical prediction of anti-tumor therapy responses and prognoses in NBL.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Bao
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Zhiping Song
- Department of Anesthesia, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Hao Wan
- Department of General Surgery, Jiangxi Provincial Children's Hospital, No.122 Yangming Road, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Xiaoping Yu
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Zhaoyan Chen
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Yaqing Jiang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
| | - Xiao Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China.
| | - Kai Le
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, No.17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi Province, China.
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Rd, Hong Kong S.A.R., China.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
de Sousa LG, McGrail DJ, Neto FL, Li K, Marques-Piubelli ML, Ferri-Borgogno S, Dai H, Mitani Y, Burr NS, Cooper ZA, Kinneer K, Cortez MA, Lin SY, Bell D, El-Naggar A, Burks J, Ferrarotto R. Spatial Immunoprofiling of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Reveals B7-H4 Is a Therapeutic Target for Aggressive Tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:3162-3171. [PMID: 37256648 PMCID: PMC10526680 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-0514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a heterogeneous malignancy, and no effective systemic therapy exists for metastatic disease. We previously described two prognostic ACC molecular subtypes with distinct therapeutic vulnerabilities, ACC-I and ACC-II. In this study, we explored the ACC tumor microenvironment (TME) using RNA-sequencing and spatial biology to identify potential therapeutic targets. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Tumor samples from 62 ACC patients with available RNA-sequencing data that had been collected as part of previous studies were stained with a panel of 28 validated metal-tagged antibodies. Imaging mass cytometry (IMC) was performed using the Fluidigm Helios CyTOF instrument and analyzed with Visiopharm software. The B7-H4 antibody-drug conjugate AZD8205 was tested in ACC patient-derived xenografts (PDX). RESULTS RNA deconvolution revealed that most ACCs are immunologically "cold," with approximately 30% being "hot." ACC-I tumors with a poor prognosis harbored a higher density of immune cells; however, spatial analysis by IMC revealed that ACC-I immune cells were significantly restricted to the stroma, characterizing an immune-excluded TME. ACC-I tumors overexpressed the immune checkpoint B7-H4, and the degree of immune exclusion was directly correlated with B7-H4 expression levels, an independent predictor of poor survival. Two ACC-I/B7-H4-high PDXs obtained 90% complete responses to a single dose of AZD8205, but none were observed with isotype-conjugated payload or in an ACC-II/B7-H4 low PDX. CONCLUSIONS Spatial analysis revealed that ACC subtypes have distinct TMEs, with enrichment of ACC-I immune cells that are restricted to the stroma. B7-H4 is highly expressed in poor-prognosis ACC-I subtype and is a potential therapeutic target.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luana G de Sousa
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, United States
| | | | | | - Kaiyi Li
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, United States
| | | | - Sammy Ferri-Borgogno
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
| | - Hui Dai
- The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Yoshitsugu Mitani
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | | | - Zachary A Cooper
- AstraZeneca (United States), Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States
| | - Krista Kinneer
- AstraZeneca (United States), Gaithersburg, MD, United States
| | | | - Shiaw-Yih Lin
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Diana Bell
- City of Hope Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Adel El-Naggar
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jared Burks
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Renata Ferrarotto
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, United States
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Strizova Z, Benesova I, Bartolini R, Novysedlak R, Cecrdlova E, Foley L, Striz I. M1/M2 macrophages and their overlaps - myth or reality? Clin Sci (Lond) 2023; 137:1067-1093. [PMID: 37530555 PMCID: PMC10407193 DOI: 10.1042/cs20220531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Macrophages represent heterogeneous cell population with important roles in defence mechanisms and in homoeostasis. Tissue macrophages from diverse anatomical locations adopt distinct activation states. M1 and M2 macrophages are two polarized forms of mononuclear phagocyte in vitro differentiation with distinct phenotypic patterns and functional properties, but in vivo, there is a wide range of different macrophage phenotypes in between depending on the microenvironment and natural signals they receive. In human infections, pathogens use different strategies to combat macrophages and these strategies include shaping the macrophage polarization towards one or another phenotype. Macrophages infiltrating the tumours can affect the patient's prognosis. M2 macrophages have been shown to promote tumour growth, while M1 macrophages provide both tumour-promoting and anti-tumour properties. In autoimmune diseases, both prolonged M1 activation, as well as altered M2 function can contribute to their onset and activity. In human atherosclerotic lesions, macrophages expressing both M1 and M2 profiles have been detected as one of the potential factors affecting occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. In allergic inflammation, T2 cytokines drive macrophage polarization towards M2 profiles, which promote airway inflammation and remodelling. M1 macrophages in transplantations seem to contribute to acute rejection, while M2 macrophages promote the fibrosis of the graft. The view of pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages and M2 macrophages suppressing inflammation seems to be an oversimplification because these cells exploit very high level of plasticity and represent a large scale of different immunophenotypes with overlapping properties. In this respect, it would be more precise to describe macrophages as M1-like and M2-like.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Strizova
- Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, 15006, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Benesova
- Department of Immunology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, 15006, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Robin Bartolini
- Chemokine Research Group, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TT, U.K
| | - Rene Novysedlak
- Third Department of Surgery, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, V Uvalu 84, 15006, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Cecrdlova
- Department of Clinical and Transplant Immunology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lily Koumbas Foley
- Chemokine Research Group, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TT, U.K
| | - Ilja Striz
- Department of Clinical and Transplant Immunology, Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Prague, Czech Republic
- Institute of Immunology and Microbiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Lu Y, Gu D, Zhao C, Sun Y, Li W, He L, Wang X, Kou Z, Su J, Guo F. Genomic landscape and expression profile of consensus molecular subtype four of colorectal cancer. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1160052. [PMID: 37404825 PMCID: PMC10315486 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1160052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Compared to other subtypes, the CMS4 subtype is associated with lacking of effective treatments and poorer survival rates. Methods A total of 24 patients with CRC were included in this study. DNA and RNA sequencing were performed to acquire somatic mutations and gene expression, respectively. MATH was used to quantify intratumoral heterogeneity. PPI and survival analyses were performed to identify hub DEGs. Reactome and KEGG analyses were performed to analyze the pathways of mutated or DEGs. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis and Xcell were used to categorize the infiltration of immune cells. Results The CMS4 patients had a poorer PFS than CMS2/3. CTNNB1 and CCNE1 were common mutated genes in the CMS4 subtype, which were enriched in Wnt and cell cycle signaling pathways, respectively. The MATH score of CMS4 subtype was lower. SLC17A6 was a hub DEG. M2 macrophages were more infiltrated in the tumor microenvironment of CMS4 subtype. The CMS4 subtype tended to have an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Conclusion This study suggested new perspectives for exploring therapeutic strategies for the CMS4 subtype CRC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Lu
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Dingyi Gu
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chenyi Zhao
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ying Sun
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Wenjing Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Lulu He
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zhongyang Kou
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Jiang Su
- Department of General Surgery, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| | - Feng Guo
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, Gusu School, Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Han D, Wang L, Jiang S, Yang Q. The ubiquitin-proteasome system in breast cancer. Trends Mol Med 2023:S1471-4914(23)00096-5. [PMID: 37328395 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2023.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is a selective proteolytic system that is associated with the expression or function of target proteins and participates in various physiological and pathological processes of breast cancer. Inhibitors targeting the 26S proteasome in combination with other drugs have shown promising therapeutic effects in the clinical treatment of breast cancer. Moreover, several inhibitors/stimulators targeting other UPS components are also effective in preclinical studies, but have not yet been applied in the clinical treatment of breast cancer. Therefore, it is vital to comprehensively understand the functions of ubiquitination in breast cancer and to identify potential tumor promoters or tumor suppressors among UPS family members, with the aim of developing more effective and specific inhibitors/stimulators targeting specific components of this system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dianwen Han
- Department of Breast Surgery, General Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Lijuan Wang
- Pathology Tissue Bank, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Shan Jiang
- Department of Breast Surgery, General Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China
| | - Qifeng Yang
- Department of Breast Surgery, General Surgery, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China; Pathology Tissue Bank, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China; Research Institute of Breast Cancer, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Han J, Dong L, Wu M, Ma F. Dynamic polarization of tumor-associated macrophages and their interaction with intratumoral T cells in an inflamed tumor microenvironment: from mechanistic insights to therapeutic opportunities. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1160340. [PMID: 37251409 PMCID: PMC10219223 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1160340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has brought a paradigm shift in the treatment of tumors in recent decades. However, a significant proportion of patients remain unresponsive, largely due to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play crucial roles in shaping the TME by exhibiting dual identities as both mediators and responders of inflammation. TAMs closely interact with intratumoral T cells, regulating their infiltration, activation, expansion, effector function, and exhaustion through multiple secretory and surface factors. Nevertheless, the heterogeneous and plastic nature of TAMs renders the targeting of any of these factors alone inadequate and poses significant challenges for mechanistic studies and clinical translation of corresponding therapies. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the mechanisms by which TAMs dynamically polarize to influence intratumoral T cells, with a focus on their interaction with other TME cells and metabolic competition. For each mechanism, we also discuss relevant therapeutic opportunities, including non-specific and targeted approaches in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and cellular therapies. Our ultimate goal is to develop macrophage-centered therapies that can fine-tune tumor inflammation and empower immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiashu Han
- 4+4 Medical Doctor Program, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Dongcheng, Beijing, China
| | - Luochu Dong
- 4+4 Medical Doctor Program, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Dongcheng, Beijing, China
| | - Mengwei Wu
- Department of General Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (CAMS), Beijing, China
| | - Fei Ma
- Center for National Cancer, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Yu L, Ji Kim H, Kim B, Jung Byun H, Minh Nguyen T, Ji Kim E, Huy Phùng H, Hyeon Kim Y, Rahman M, Yun Jang J, Bae Rho S, Jin Kang G, Lee H, Lee K, Kyung Han H, Kyung Park M, Hoon Lee C. Ethacrynic acid suppresses B7-H4 expression involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lung adenocarcinoma cells via inhibiting STAT3 pathway. Biochem Pharmacol 2023; 212:115537. [PMID: 37019184 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Lung cancer is characterized by high incidence and mortality. 90% of cancer deaths are caused by metastases. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in cancer cells is a prerequisite for the metastatic process. Ethacrynic acid (ECA) is a loop diuretic that inhibits the EMT process in lung cancer cells. EMT has been related to the tumour immunemicroenvironment. However, the effect of ECA on immune checkpoint molecules in the context of cancer has not been fully identified. In the present study, we found that sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) and TGF-β1, awell-known EMT inducer, induced the expression of B7-H4 in lung cancer cells. We also investigated the involvement of B7-H4 in the SPC-induced EMT process. Knockdown of B7-H4 suppressed SPC-induced EMT, while B7-H4 overexpression enhanced EMT of lung cancer cells. ECA inhibited SPC/TGF-β1-induced B7-H4 expression via suppression of STAT3 activation. Moreover, ECA inhibits the colonization of mice lung by tail vein-injected LLC1 cells. ECA-treated mice increased the CD4-positive T cells in lung tumour tissues. In summary, these results suggested that ECA inhibits B7-H4 expression via STAT3 inhibition, leading to SPC/TGF-β1-induced EMT. Therefore, ECA might be an immune oncological drug for B7-H4-positive cancer, especially lung cancer.
Collapse
|
24
|
Li Y, Xiang S, Pan W, Wang J, Zhan H, Liu S. Targeting tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment for pancreatic cancer immunotherapy: Current research and future perspective. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1166860. [PMID: 37064113 PMCID: PMC10090519 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1166860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most malignant tumors with increased incidence rate. The effect of surgery combined with chemoradiotherapy on survival of patients is unsatisfactory. New treatment strategy such as immunotherapy need to be investigated. The accumulation of desmoplastic stroma, infiltration of immunosuppressive cells including myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), tumor associated macrophages (TAMs), cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and regulatory T cells (Tregs), as well as tumor associated cytokine such as TGF-β, IL-10, IL-35, CCL5 and CXCL12 construct an immunosuppressive microenvironment of pancreatic cancer, which presents challenges for immunotherapy. In this review article, we explore the roles and mechanism of immunosuppressive cells and lymphocytes in establishing an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer. In addition, immunotherapy strategies for pancreatic cancer based on tumor microenvironment including immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeting extracellular matrix (ECM), interfering with stromal cells or cytokines in TME, cancer vaccines and extracellular vesicles (EVs) are also discussed. It is necessary to identify an approach of immunotherapy in combination with other modalities to produce a synergistic effect with increased response rates in pancreatic cancer therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- Department of Blood Transfusion, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Shuai Xiang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Wenjun Pan
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Operating Room, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Hanxiang Zhan
- Department of General Surgery, Qilu hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
- *Correspondence: Shanglong Liu, ; Hanxiang Zhan,
| | - Shanglong Liu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
- *Correspondence: Shanglong Liu, ; Hanxiang Zhan,
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Zhou J, Tian Y, Qu Y, Williams M, Yuan Y, Karvas RM, Sheridan MA, Schulz LC, Ezashi T, Roberts MR, Schust DJ. The immune checkpoint molecule, VTCN1/B7-H4, guides differentiation and suppresses proinflammatory responses and MHC class I expression in an embryonic stem cell-derived model of human trophoblast. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1069395. [PMID: 37008954 PMCID: PMC10062451 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1069395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The placenta acts as a protective barrier to pathogens and other harmful substances present in the maternal circulation throughout pregnancy. Disruption of placental development can lead to complications of pregnancy such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth retardation and preterm birth. In previous work, we have shown that expression of the immune checkpoint regulator, B7-H4/VTCN1, is increased upon differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to an in vitro model of primitive trophoblast (TB), that VTCN1/B7-H4 is expressed in first trimester but not term human placenta and that primitive trophoblast may be uniquely susceptible to certain pathogens. Here we report on the role of VTCN1 in trophoblast lineage development and anti-viral responses and the effects of changes in these processes on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I expression and peripheral NK cell phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhou
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Yuchen Tian
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Ying Qu
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Madyson Williams
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Ye Yuan
- Research Department, Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, United States
| | - Rowan M. Karvas
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Megan A. Sheridan
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Laura C. Schulz
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Toshihiko Ezashi
- Research Department, Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO, United States
| | - Michael R. Roberts
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Danny J. Schust
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Jin X, Zhao X. A new immune checkpoint-associated nine-gene signature for prognostic prediction of glioblastoma. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e33150. [PMID: 36862886 PMCID: PMC9981394 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000033150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly malignant neurological tumor that has a poor prognosis. While pyroptosis affects cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration, function of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in GBM as well as the prognostic significance of PRGs remain obscure. By analyzing the mechanisms involved in the association between pyroptosis and GBM, our study hopes to provide new insights into the treatment of GBM. Here, 32 out of 52 PRGs were identified as the differentially expressed genes between GBM tumor versus normal tissues. And all GBM cases were assigned to 2 groups according to the expression of the differentially expressed genes using comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis led to the construction of a 9-gene signature, and the cancer genome atlas cohort of GBM patients were categorized into high risk and low risk subgroups. A significant increase in the survival possibility was found in low risk patients in comparison with the high risk ones. Consistently, low risk patients of a gene expression omnibus cohort displayed a markedly longer overall survival than the high risk counterparts. The risk score calculated using the gene signature was found to be an independent predictor of survival of GBM cases. Besides, we observed significant differences in the expression levels of immune checkpoints between the high risk versus low risk GBM cases, providing instructive suggestions for immunotherapy of GBM. Overall, the present study developed a new multigene signature for prognostic prediction of GBM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Jin
- The Personnel Department, Dongfang Hospital Affiliated to Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Fengtai District, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
- * Correspondence: Xiang Zhao, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No.155, North Nanjing Street, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, China (e-mail: )
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Wang Y, Li M, Wang G, Wu H. Role of B7 family members in glioma: Promising new targets for tumor immunotherapy. Front Oncol 2023; 12:1091383. [PMID: 36741734 PMCID: PMC9890054 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1091383] [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: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioma, is a representative type of intracranial tumor among adults, usually has a weak prognosis and limited treatment options. Traditional therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, have had little impact on patient survival time. Immunotherapies designed to target the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) signaling pathway have successfully treated various human cancers, informing the development of similar therapies for glioma. However, anti-PD-L1 response rates remain limited in glioma patients. Thus, exploring novel checkpoints targeting additional immunomodulatory pathways for activating durable antitumor immune responses and improving glioma outcomes is needed. Researchers have identified other B7 family checkpoint molecules, including PD-L2, B7-H2, B7-H3, B7-H4, and B7-H6. The current review article evaluates the expression of all 10 reported members of the B7 family in human glioma using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) data, as well as summarizes studies evaluating the clinical meanings and functions of B7 family molecules in gliomas. B7 family checkpoints may contribute to different immunotherapeutic management options for glioma patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Third People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Mengxi Li
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Third People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Gang Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Third People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, Henan, China,*Correspondence: Gang Wang, ; Hui Wu,
| | - Hui Wu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China,*Correspondence: Gang Wang, ; Hui Wu,
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Xiao L, Guan X, Xiang M, Wang Q, Long Q, Yue C, Chen L, Liu J, Liao C. B7 family protein glycosylation: Promising novel targets in tumor treatment. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1088560. [PMID: 36561746 PMCID: PMC9763287 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1088560] [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: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy, including the inhibition of immune checkpoints, improves the tumor immune microenvironment and is an effective tool for cancer therapy. More effective and alternative inhibitory targets are critical for successful immune checkpoint blockade therapy. The interaction of the immunomodulatory ligand B7 family with corresponding receptors induces or inhibits T cell responses by sending co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory signals respectively. Blocking the glycosylation of the B7 family members PD-L1, PD-L2, B7-H3, and B7-H4 inhibited the self-stability and receptor binding of these immune checkpoint proteins, leading to immunosuppression and rapid tumor progression. Therefore, regulation of glycosylation may be the "golden key" to relieve tumor immunosuppression. The exploration of a more precise glycosylation regulation mechanism and glycan structure of B7 family proteins is conducive to the discovery and clinical application of antibodies and small molecule inhibitors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Xiao
- Department of Orthodontics II, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China,Oral Disease Research Key Laboratory of Guizhou Tertiary Institution, School of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Xiaoyan Guan
- Department of Orthodontics II, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China,Oral Disease Research Key Laboratory of Guizhou Tertiary Institution, School of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Mingli Xiang
- Department of Orthodontics II, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China,Oral Disease Research Key Laboratory of Guizhou Tertiary Institution, School of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Oral Disease Research Key Laboratory of Guizhou Tertiary Institution, School of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Qian Long
- Department of Orthodontics II, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China,Oral Disease Research Key Laboratory of Guizhou Tertiary Institution, School of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Chaoyi Yue
- School of Medicine and Technology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Lulu Chen
- Department of Orthodontics II, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China,Oral Disease Research Key Laboratory of Guizhou Tertiary Institution, School of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Jianguo Liu
- Oral Disease Research Key Laboratory of Guizhou Tertiary Institution, School of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China,*Correspondence: Chengcheng Liao, ; Jianguo Liu,
| | - Chengcheng Liao
- Department of Orthodontics II, Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China,Oral Disease Research Key Laboratory of Guizhou Tertiary Institution, School of Stomatology, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China,*Correspondence: Chengcheng Liao, ; Jianguo Liu,
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Chen X, Li J, Chen Y, Que Z, Du J, Zhang J. B7 Family Members in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Attractive Targets for Cancer Immunotherapy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315005. [PMID: 36499340 PMCID: PMC9740860 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 5-10%. The immune checkpoint blockade represented by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors has been effective in a variety of solid tumors but has had little clinical response in pancreatic cancer patients. The unique suppressive immune microenvironment is the primary reason for this outcome, and it is essential to identify key targets to remodel the immune microenvironment. Some B7 family immune checkpoints, particularly PD-L1, PD-L2, B7-H3, B7-H4, VISTA and HHLA2, have been identified as playing a significant role in the control of tumor immune responses. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the recent research progress of some members of the B7 family in pancreatic cancer, which revealed that they can be involved in tumor progression through immune-dependent and non-immune-dependent pathways, highlighting the mechanisms of their involvement in tumor immune escape and assessing the prospects of their clinical application. Targeting B7 family immune checkpoints is expected to result in novel immunotherapeutic treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xin Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Function Imaging, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jie Li
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yue Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Ziting Que
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jiawei Du
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Function Imaging, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jianqiong Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Function Imaging, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-25-83272314
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Zhang X, Zhao L, Zhang H, Zhang Y, Ju H, Wang X, Ren H, Zhu X, Dong Y. The immunosuppressive microenvironment and immunotherapy in human glioblastoma. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1003651. [PMID: 36466873 PMCID: PMC9712217 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1003651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant intracranial tumor in adults, characterized by extensive infiltrative growth, high vascularization, and resistance to multiple therapeutic approaches. Among the many factors affecting the therapeutic effect, the immunosuppressive GBM microenvironment that is created by cells and associated molecules via complex mechanisms plays a particularly important role in facilitating evasion of the tumor from the immune response. Accumulating evidence is also revealing a close association of the gut microbiota with the challenges in the treatment of GBM. The gut microbiota establishes a connection with the central nervous system through bidirectional signals of the gut-brain axis, thus affecting the occurrence and development of GBM. In this review, we discuss the key immunosuppressive components in the tumor microenvironment, along with the regulatory mechanism of the gut microbiota involved in immunity and metabolism in the GBM microenvironment. Lastly, we concentrate on the immunotherapeutic strategies currently under investigation, which hold promise to overcome the hurdles of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and improve the therapeutic outcome for patients with GBM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xuehua Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Leilei Zhao
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - He Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar, China
| | - Yurui Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - Huanyu Ju
- Department of Immunology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaoyu Wang
- Department of Neurology, Hongda Hospital, Jinxiang, China
| | - Huan Ren
- School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiao Zhu
- School of Computer and Control Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai, China
| | - Yucui Dong
- Department of Immunology, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Zhou S, Szöllősi AG, Huang X, Chang-Chien YC, Hajdu A. A Novel Immune-Related Gene Prognostic Index (IRGPI) in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (PAAD) and Its Implications in the Tumor Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14225652. [PMID: 36428747 PMCID: PMC9688924 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14225652] [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: 05/14/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is one of the most lethal malignancies, with less than 10% of patients surviving more than 5 years. Existing biomarkers for reliable survival rate prediction need to be enhanced. As a result, the objective of this study was to create a novel immune-related gene prognostic index (IRGPI) for estimating overall survival (OS) and to analyze the molecular subtypes based on this index. Materials and procedures: RNA sequencing and clinical data were retrieved from publicly available sources and analyzed using several R software packages. A unique IRGPI and optimum risk model were developed using a machine learning algorithm. The prediction capability of our model was then compared to that of previously proposed models. A correlation study was also conducted between the immunological tumor microenvironment, risk groups, and IRGPI genes. Furthermore, we classified PAAD into different molecular subtypes based on the expression of IRGPI genes and investigated their features in tumor immunology using the K-means clustering technique. RESULTS A 12-gene IRGPI (FYN, MET, LRSAM1, PSPN, ERAP2, S100A1, IL20RB, MAP3K14, SEMA6C, PRKCG, CXCL11, and GH1) was established, and verified along with a risk model. OS prediction by our model outperformed previous gene signatures. According to the findings of our correlation studies, different risk groups and IRGPI genes were found to be tightly related to tumor microenvironments, and PAAD could be further subdivided into immunologically distinct molecular subtypes based on the expression of IRGPI genes. CONCLUSION The current study constructed and verified a unique IRGPI. Furthermore, our findings revealed a connection between the IRGPI and the immunological microenvironment of tumors. PAAD was differentiated into several molecular subtypes that might react differently to immunotherapy. These findings could provide new insights for precision and translational medicine for more innovative immunotherapy strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shujing Zhou
- Department Data Science and Visualization, Faculty of Informatics, University of Debrecen, 4028 Debrecen, Hungary
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Attila Gábor Szöllősi
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Xufeng Huang
- Department Data Science and Visualization, Faculty of Informatics, University of Debrecen, 4028 Debrecen, Hungary
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Yi-Che Chang-Chien
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- Correspondence: (Y.-C.C.-C.); (A.H.)
| | - András Hajdu
- Department Data Science and Visualization, Faculty of Informatics, University of Debrecen, 4028 Debrecen, Hungary
- Correspondence: (Y.-C.C.-C.); (A.H.)
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
GAO Z, LING X, SHI C, WANG Y, LIN A. Tumor immune checkpoints and their associated inhibitors. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2022; 23:823-843. [PMID: 36226537 PMCID: PMC9561405 DOI: 10.1631/jzus.b2200195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Immunological evasion is one of the defining characteristics of cancers, as the immune modification of an immune checkpoint (IC) confers immune evasion capabilities to tumor cells. Multiple ICs, such as programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4), can bind to their respective receptors and reduce tumor immunity in a variety of ways, including blocking immune cell activation signals. IC blockade (ICB) therapies targeting these checkpoint molecules have demonstrated significant clinical benefits. This is because antibody-based IC inhibitors and a variety of specific small molecule inhibitors can inhibit key oncogenic signaling pathways and induce durable tumor remission in patients with a variety of cancers. Deciphering the roles and regulatory mechanisms of these IC molecules will provide crucial theoretical guidance for clinical treatment. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the functional and regulatory mechanisms of these IC molecules at multiple levels, including epigenetic regulation, transcriptional regulation, and post-translational modifications. In addition, we provide a summary of the medications targeting various nodes in the regulatory pathway, and highlight the potential of newly identified IC molecules, focusing on their potential implications for cancer diagnostics and immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zerui GAO
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Key Laboratory for Cell and Gene Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310058, China,Chu Kochen Honors College of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China
| | - Xingyi LING
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Key Laboratory for Cell and Gene Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310058, China
| | - Chengyu SHI
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Key Laboratory for Cell and Gene Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310058, China
| | - Ying WANG
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Key Laboratory for Cell and Gene Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310058, China
| | - Aifu LIN
- MOE Laboratory of Biosystem Homeostasis and Protection, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Cancer Center, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310058, China,Key Laboratory for Cell and Gene Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou310058, China,Breast Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou310003, China,International School of Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu322000, China,ZJU-QILU Joint Research Institute, Hangzhou310058, China,Aifu LIN,
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Chen Y, Zheng A, Zhang Y, Xiao M, Zhao Y, Wu X, Li M, Du F, Chen Y, Chen M, Li W, Li X, Sun Y, Gu L, Xiao Z, Shen J. Dysregulation of B7 family and its association with tumor microenvironment in uveal melanoma. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1026076. [PMID: 36311731 PMCID: PMC9615147 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1026076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Uveal melanoma (UVM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults with a poor prognosis. B7 family is an important modulator of the immune response. However, its dysregulation and underlying molecular mechanism in UVM still remains unclear. Methods Data were derived from TCGA and GEO databases. The prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curve. The ESTIMATE algorithm, CIBERSORT algorithm, and TIMER database were used to demonstrate the correlation between B7 family and tumor immune microenvironment in UVM. Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to detect the expression levels of the B7 family in different cell types of UVM. UVM was classified into different types by consistent clustering. Enrichment analysis revealed downstream signaling pathways of the B7 family. The interaction between different cell types was visualized by cell chat. Results The expression level of B7 family in UVM was significantly dysregulated and negatively correlated with methylation level. The expression of B7 family was associated with prognosis and immune infiltration, and B7 family plays an important role in the tumor microenvironment (TME). B7 family members were highly expressed in monocytes/macrophages of UVM compared with other cell types. Immune response and visual perception were the main functions affected by B7 family. The result of cell chat showed that the interaction between photoreceptor cells and immune-related cells was mainly generated by HLA-C-CD8A. CABP4, KCNJ10 and RORB had the strongest correlation with HLA-C-CD8A, and their high expression was significantly correlated with poor prognosis. CABP4 and RORB were specifically expressed in photoreceptor cells. Conclusions Dysregulation of the B7 family in UVM is associated with poor prognosis and affects the tumor immune microenvironment. CABP4 and RORB can serve as potential therapeutic targets for UVM, which can be regulated by the B7 family to affect the visual perception and immune response function of the eye, thus influencing the prognosis of UVM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yao Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Pidu District People’s Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Anfu Zheng
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yao Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Mintao Xiao
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yueshui Zhao
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Xu Wu
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Mingxing Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Fukuan Du
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Meijuan Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Wanping Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaobing Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuhong Sun
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Li Gu
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhangang Xiao
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Jing Shen, ; Zhangang Xiao,
| | - Jing Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- *Correspondence: Jing Shen, ; Zhangang Xiao,
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Yan X, Hong B, Feng J, Jin Y, Chen M, Li F, Qian Y. B7-H4 is a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer and correlates with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:1053. [PMID: 36217128 PMCID: PMC9549643 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-10159-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As a negative co-stimulatory molecule of the B7 family, B7-H4 has recently attracted increased attention. However, the clinical value of B7-H4 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains controversial and requires further investigation. This study aimed to investigate the role of B7-H4 in the clinical diagnosis and survival prognosis of CRC. Methods The relationships between B7-H4 expression, immune cell infiltration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), clinicopathological features, and survival prognosis were determined through the TCGA database and verified in a large CRC cohort (n = 1118). Results The results showed the level of B7-H4 mRNA expression was significantly increased in the CRC tumor tissues compared with normal tissues (P < 0.001). Immunohistochemistry showed that B7-H4 protein expression was also up-regulated in CRC. The positive rate of B7-H4 in CRC tumor tissues was 76.38%, which was significantly higher than that in non-tumor tissues (P < 0.001). Overexpression of B7-H4 was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis, advanced TNM stage, and poor tumor differentiation (P = 0.012; 0.009; 0.014). Prognostic analysis showed high B7-H4 expression was associated with significantly shorter OS. Multivariate analysis demonstrated the risk of death in CRC patients with high B7-H4 expression is 1.487 times that of low B7-H4 expression. In addition, B7-H4 expression was negatively correlated with the epithelial marker E-cadherin (P < 0.001) and positively correlated with the mesenchymal marker vimentin (P < 0.001) in CRC tissues. However, B7-H4 expression was not associated with the immunosuppressive microenvironment in CRC. Conclusion B7-H4 may represent a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of CRC and enhance CRC invasion by promoting EMT. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-10159-5.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotian Yan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, 166 North Qiutao Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310006, China
| | - Bo Hong
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jie Feng
- Department of Blood Transfusion, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yuanqing Jin
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Mengting Chen
- School of Medical Technology and Information Engineering, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Fugang Li
- Shanghai Upper Bio Tech Pharma Company Limited, Shanghai, 201201, China
| | - Yun Qian
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, 166 North Qiutao Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310006, China.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Wang J, Du L, Chen X. Adenosine signaling: Optimal target for gastric cancer immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1027838. [PMID: 36189223 PMCID: PMC9523428 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1027838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancy and leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Due to asymptomatic or only nonspecific early symptoms, GC patients are usually in the advanced stage at first diagnosis and miss the best opportunity of treatment. Immunotherapies, especially immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have dramatically changed the landscape of available treatment options for advanced-stage cancer patients. However, with regards to existing ICIs, the clinical benefit of monotherapy for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) is quite limited. Therefore, it is urgent to explore an optimal target for the treatment of GC. In this review, we summarize the expression profiles and prognostic value of 20 common immune checkpoint-related genes in GC from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database, and then find that the adenosinergic pathway plays an indispensable role in the occurrence and development of GC. Moreover, we discuss the pathophysiological function of adenosinergic pathway in cancers. The accumulation of extracellular adenosine inhibits the normal function of immune effector cells and facilitate the effect of immunosuppressive cells to foster GC cells proliferation and migration. Finally, we provide insights into potential clinical application of adenosinergic-targeting therapies for GC patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junqing Wang
- School of the 1St Clinical Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Linyong Du
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education of China, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiangjian Chen, ; Linyong Du,
| | - Xiangjian Chen
- School of the 1St Clinical Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Xiangjian Chen, ; Linyong Du,
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Yu L, Sun M, Zhang Q, Zhou Q, Wang Y. Harnessing the immune system by targeting immune checkpoints: Providing new hope for Oncotherapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:982026. [PMID: 36159789 PMCID: PMC9498063 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.982026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With the goal of harnessing the host’s immune system to provide long-lasting remission and cures for various cancers, the advent of immunotherapy revolutionized the cancer therapy field. Among the current immunotherapeutic strategies, immune checkpoint blockades have greatly improved the overall survival rates in certain patient populations. Of note, CTLA4 and PD-1/PD-L1 are two major non-redundant immune checkpoints implicated in promoting cancer immune evasion, and ultimately lead to relapse. Antibodies or inhibitors targeting these two c+heckpoints have achieved some encouraging clinical outcomes. Further, beyond the canonical immune checkpoints, more inhibitory checkpoints have been identified. Herein, we will summarize recent progress in immune checkpoint blockade therapies, with a specific focus on key pre-clinical and clinical results of new immune checkpoint therapies for cancer. Given the crucial roles of immune checkpoint blockade in oncotherapy, drugs targeting checkpoint molecules expressed by both cancer and immune cells are in clinical trials, which will be comprehensively summarized in this review. Taken together, investigating combinatorial therapies targeting immune checkpoints expressed by cancer cells and immune cells will greatly improve immunotherapies that enhance host elimination of tumors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lu Yu
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Minghan Sun
- Central of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiao Zhou
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Clinical Immunology Translational Medicine Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Institute of Organ Transplantation, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Qiao Zhou, ; Yi Wang,
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Qiao Zhou, ; Yi Wang,
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Mishra AK, Ali A, Dutta S, Banday S, Malonia SK. Emerging Trends in Immunotherapy for Cancer. Diseases 2022; 10:60. [PMID: 36135216 PMCID: PMC9498256 DOI: 10.3390/diseases10030060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in cancer immunology have enabled the discovery of promising immunotherapies for various malignancies that have shifted the cancer treatment paradigm. The innovative research and clinical advancements of immunotherapy approaches have prolonged the survival of patients with relapsed or refractory metastatic cancers. Since the U.S. FDA approved the first immune checkpoint inhibitor in 2011, the field of cancer immunotherapy has grown exponentially. Multiple therapeutic approaches or agents to manipulate different aspects of the immune system are currently in development. These include cancer vaccines, adoptive cell therapies (such as CAR-T or NK cell therapy), monoclonal antibodies, cytokine therapies, oncolytic viruses, and inhibitors targeting immune checkpoints that have demonstrated promising clinical efficacy. Multiple immunotherapeutic approaches have been approved for specific cancer treatments, while others are currently in preclinical and clinical trial stages. Given the success of immunotherapy, there has been a tremendous thrust to improve the clinical efficacy of various agents and strategies implemented so far. Here, we present a comprehensive overview of the development and clinical implementation of various immunotherapy approaches currently being used to treat cancer. We also highlight the latest developments, emerging trends, limitations, and future promises of cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alok K. Mishra
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Amjad Ali
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Shubham Dutta
- MassBiologics, UMass Chan Medical School, Boston, MA 02126, USA
| | - Shahid Banday
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Sunil K. Malonia
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
V-set domain containing T-cell activation inhibitor-1 (VTCN1): A potential target for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Immunobiology 2022; 227:152274. [PMID: 36095871 DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2022.152274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmunity eventuates when the immune system attacks self-molecules as a result of the breakdown in immune tolerance. Targeting autoimmune diseases via immunomodulation has become an essential strategy in today's era. A B7 superfamily member immune checkpoint, the V-set domain containing T-cell activation inhibitor-1 (VTCN1), also known as B7-H4, B7S1, and B7x, is involved in negatively regulating T-cell activation. VTCN1 transcript has been reported in various lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues, but its protein expression is restricted, indicating its translational regulation. Dysregulation of VTCN1 has resulted in the exacerbation of various autoimmune diseases. Moreover, increased soluble form of VTCN1 in the patient's sera positively correlates with the disease progression and severity. The current review summarizes all the reports till date, unfolding the role of VTCN1 in various autoimmune diseases and its therapeutic potential.
Collapse
|
39
|
Exosomal B7-H4 from irradiated glioblastoma cells contributes to increase FoxP3 expression of differentiating Th1 cells and promotes tumor growth. Redox Biol 2022; 56:102454. [PMID: 36044789 PMCID: PMC9440073 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of primary brain tumor. Although numerous postoperative therapeutic strategies have already been developed, including radiotherapy, tumors inevitably recur after several years of treatment. The coinhibitory molecule B7–H4 negatively regulates T cell immune responses and promotes immune escape. Exosomes mediate intercellular communication and initiate immune evasion in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Objective This study aimed to determine whether B7–H4 is upregulated by radiation and loaded into exosomes, thus contributing to immunosuppression and enhancing tumor growth. Methods Iodixanol density-gradient centrifugation and flow cytometry were used to verify exosomal B7–H4. Naïve T cells were differentiated into Th1 cells, with or without exosomes. T cell-secreted cytokines and markers of T cell subsets were measured. Mechanistically, the roles of B7–H4, and ALIX in GBM were analyzed using databases and tissue samples. Co‐immunoprecipitation, and pull-down assays were used to tested the direct interactions between ATM and ALIX or STAT3. In vitro ATM kinase assays, western blotting, and site-directed mutation were used to assess ATM-mediated STAT3 phosphorylation. Finally, the contribution of exosomal B7–H4 to immunosuppression and tumor growth was investigated in vivo. Results Exosomes from irradiated GBM cells decreased the anti-tumor immune response of T cell in vitro and in vivo via delivered B7–H4. Mechanistically, irradiation promoted exosome biogenesis by increasing the ATM-ALIX interaction. Furthermore, the ATM-phosphorylated STAT3 was found to directly binds to the B7–H4 promoter to increase its expression. Finally, the radiation-induced increase in exosomal B7–H4 induced FoxP3 expression during Th1 cell differentiation via the activated STAT1 pathway. In vivo, exosomal B7–H4 decreased the radiation sensitivity of GBM cells, and reduced the survival of GBM mice model. Conclusion This study showed that radiation-enhanced exosomal B7–H4 promoted immunosuppression and tumor growth, hence defining a direct link between irradiation and anti-tumor immune responses. Our results suggest that co-administration of radiotherapy with anti-B7-H4 therapy could improve local tumor control and identify exosomal B7–H4 as a potential tumor biomarker.
Collapse
|
40
|
Song J, Ruze R, Chen Y, Xu R, Yin X, Wang C, Xu Q, Zhao Y. Construction of a novel model based on cell-in-cell-related genes and validation of KRT7 as a biomarker for predicting survival and immune microenvironment in pancreatic cancer. BMC Cancer 2022; 22:894. [PMID: 35974300 PMCID: PMC9380297 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-022-09983-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly malignant tumor featured with high intra-tumoral heterogeneity and poor prognosis. Cell-in-cell (CIC) structures have been reported in multiple cancers, and their presence is associated with disease progression. Nonetheless, the prognostic values and biological functions of CIC-related genes in PC remain poorly understood. Methods The sequencing data, as well as corresponding clinicopathological information of PC were collected from public databases. Random forest screening, least absolute shrinkage, and selection operator (LASSO) regression and multivariate Cox regression analysis were performed to construct a prognostic model. The effectiveness and robustness of the model were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, survival analysis and establishing the nomogram model. Functional enrichment analyses were conducted to annotate the biological functions. The immune infiltration levels were evaluated by ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms. The expression of KRT7 (Keratin 7) was validated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. The CIC formation, cell clusters, cell proliferation, migration and invasion assays were applied to investigate the effects of silencing the expression of KRT7. Results A prognostic model based on four CIC-related genes was constructed to stratify the patients into the low- and high-risk subgroups. The high-risk group had a poorer prognosis, higher tumor mutation burden and lower immune cell infiltration than the low-risk group. Functional enrichment analyses showed that numerous terms and pathways associated with invasion and metastasis were enriched in the high-risk group. KRT7, as the most paramount risk gene in the prognostic model, was significantly associated with a worse prognosis of PC in TCGA dataset and our own cohort. High expression of KRT7 might be responsible for the immunosuppression in the PC microenvironment. KRT7 knockdown was significantly suppressed the abilities of CIC formation, cell cluster, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in PC cell lines. Conclusions Our prognostic model based on four CIC-related genes has a significant potential in predicting the prognosis and immune microenvironment of PC, which indicates that targeting CIC processes could be a therapeutic option with great interests. Further studies are needed to reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms and biological implications of CIC phenomenon and related genes in PC progression. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09983-6.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianlu Song
- Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Rexiati Ruze
- Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Ruiyuan Xu
- Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Xinpeng Yin
- Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Chengcheng Wang
- Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China
| | - Qiang Xu
- Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Yupei Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Hassanian H, Asadzadeh Z, Baghbanzadeh A, Derakhshani A, Dufour A, Rostami Khosroshahi N, Najafi S, Brunetti O, Silvestris N, Baradaran B. The expression pattern of Immune checkpoints after chemo/radiotherapy in the tumor microenvironment. Front Immunol 2022; 13:938063. [PMID: 35967381 PMCID: PMC9367471 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.938063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As a disease with the highest disease-associated burden worldwide, cancer has been the main subject of a considerable proportion of medical research in recent years, intending to find more effective therapeutic approaches with fewer side effects. Combining conventional methods with newer biologically based treatments such as immunotherapy can be a promising approach to treating different tumors. The concept of "cancer immunoediting" that occurs in the field of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is the aspect of cancer therapy that has not been at the center of attention. One group of the role players of the so-called immunoediting process are the immune checkpoint molecules that exert either co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory effects in the anti-tumor immunity of the host. It involves alterations in a wide variety of immunologic pathways. Recent studies have proven that conventional cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of them, i.e., chemoradiotherapy, alter the "immune compartment" of the TME. The mentioned changes encompass a wide range of variations, including the changes in the density and immunologic type of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the alterations in the expression patterns of the different immune checkpoints. These rearrangements can have either anti-tumor immunity empowering or immune attenuating sequels. Thus, recognizing the consequences of various chemo(radio)therapeutic regimens in the TME seems to be of great significance in the evolution of therapeutic approaches. Therefore, the present review intends to summarize how chemo(radio)therapy affects the TME and specifically some of the most important, well-known immune checkpoints' expressions according to the recent studies in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Hassanian
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Zahra Asadzadeh
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Amir Baghbanzadeh
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Afshin Derakhshani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- McCaig Insitute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Antoine Dufour
- McCaig Insitute, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | | | - Souzan Najafi
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Oronzo Brunetti
- Medical Oncology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Tumori Giovanni Paolo II, Bari, Italy
| | - Nicola Silvestris
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Human Pathology “G. Barresi” University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Behzad Baradaran
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Liu Z, Jin K, Zeng H, Shao F, Chang Y, Wang Y, Xu L, Wang Z, Cui X, Zhu Y, Xu J. B7-H4 correlates with clinical outcome and immunotherapeutic benefit in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Eur J Cancer 2022; 171:133-142. [PMID: 35717821 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AIM B7-H4, a sibling to PD-L1 in B7 family, has been reported to be a novel immune checkpoint that is prevalent among non-inflamed tumors. Herein, we attempt to explore the potential of B7-H4 in survival prediction and therapeutic guidance in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients. METHODS This study included 391 patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and 122 patients from Zhongshan (ZS) Hospital. The evaluation of response to PD-L1 inhibitors was based on 270 patients in IMvigor210 cohort. Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariate analyses were performed to assess clinical outcomes in three cohorts. The correlation of B7-H4 expression with immune contexture and genomic alterations was analyzed based on immunohistochemistry, Microenvironment Cell Populations-counter (MCP-counter) tool, and whole-exome sequencing. RESULTS MIBC patients with the high level of B7-H4 expression (B7-H4high) were found to possess an inferior overall and recurrence-free survival. Nonetheless, substantial clinical benefits of cisplatin-based chemotherapy and anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy were observed in these patients. After identifying a positive correlation between B7-H4 and tumor mutation burden (TMB), clinical benefits in B7-H4high TMBhigh subgroup were found to be the most upon PD-L1 blockade. Further studies revealed that B7-H4high subgroup was featured by non-inflamed immune contexture and cell cycle-related gene alterations. CONCLUSIONS Despite adverse clinical outcomes, B7-H4high patients possessed superior responsiveness to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. B7-H4 stratification could also synergize with TMB to pinpoint the patients who benefited most from immunotherapy. The clinical exploration of B7-H4 as a companion predictor could allow clinicians to direct proper therapeutic agents to patients.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhaopei Liu
- Department of Urology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Kaifeng Jin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Han Zeng
- Department of Urology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Shao
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuan Chang
- Department of Urology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiwei Wang
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Le Xu
- Department of Urology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zewei Wang
- Department of Urology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xingang Cui
- Department of Urology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yu Zhu
- Department of Urology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jiejie Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
The Role of Autophagy in Tumor Immune Infiltration in Colorectal Cancer. Anal Cell Pathol (Amst) 2022; 2022:2055676. [PMID: 35321516 PMCID: PMC8938087 DOI: 10.1155/2022/2055676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective. This study is aimed at exploring the association between autophagy and tumor immune infiltration (TII) in colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods and Materials. We downloaded the transcriptome profiling and clinical data for CRC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and obtained the normal colon transcriptome profiling data from Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx) database. The list of autophagy-related signatures was obtained from the Human Autophagy Database. We isolated the autophagy-related genes from the CRC gene expression matrix and constructed an autophagy-related prognostic (ARP) risk model. Then, we constructed a multiROC curve to validate the prognostic ability of the ARP risk model. CIBERSORT was used to determine the fractions of 22 immune cells in each CRC sample, and the association between these TII cells and CRC clinical variables was further investigated. Finally, we estimated the association of 3 hub-ARP signatures and 20 different types of TII cell distribution. Results. We classified 447 CRC patients into 224 low-risk and 223 high-risk patients using the median ARP risk score. According to the univariate survival test results, except for gender (
), age (
), cancer stage, and pathological stage T, M, and N were closely correlated with the prognosis of CRC patients (
). Multivariate survival analysis results indicate that age and rescore were the only independent prognostic indicators with significant differences (
). After merging the immune cell distribution (by CIBERSORT) with the CRC clinical data, the results indicate that activated macrophage M0 cells exhibited the highest clinical response, which included cancer stage and stage T, N, and M. Additionally, six immune cells were closely associated with cancer stage, including regulatory T cells (Tregs), gamma delta T cells, follicular helper T cells, activated memory CD4 T cells, activated NK cells, and resting dendritic cells. Finally, we evaluated the correlation of ARP signatures with TII cell distribution. Compared with the other correlation, NRG1 and plasma cells (↑), risk score and macrophage M1 (↑), NRG1 and dendritic cell activated (↑), CDKN2A and T cell CD4 memory resting (↓), risk score and T cell CD8 (↑), risk score and T cell CD4 memory resting (↓), and DAPK1 and T cell CD4 memory activated (↓) exhibited a stronger association (
). Conclusions. In summary, we explored the correlation between the risk of autophagy and the TII microenvironment in CRC patients. Furthermore, we integrated different CAR signatures with tumor-infiltrating immune cells and found robust associations between different levels of CAR signature expression and immune cell infiltrating density.
Collapse
|
44
|
Alcaraz-Sanabria A, Cabañas Morafraile E, Fernández-Hinojal G, Velasco G, Pérez-Segura P, Pandiella A, Győrffy B, Ocaña A. Transcriptomic Mapping of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer K-RAS p.G12C Mutated Tumors: Identification of Surfaceome Targets and Immunologic Correlates. Front Immunol 2022; 12:786069. [PMID: 35178045 PMCID: PMC8843839 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.786069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeting K-RAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with novel inhibitors has shown promising results with the recent approval of sotorasib in this indication. However, progression to this agent is expected, as it has previously been observed with other inhibitors. Recently, new immune therapeutics, including vectorized compounds with antibodies or modulators of the host immune response, have demonstrated clinical activity. By interrogating massive datasets, including TCGA, we identified genes that code for surface membrane proteins that are selectively expressed in K-RAS mutated NSCLC and that could be used to vectorize novel therapies. Two genes, CLDN10 and TMPRSS6, were selected for their clear differentiation. In addition, we discovered immunologic correlates of outcome that were clearly de-regulated in this particular tumor type and we matched them with immune cell populations. In conclusion, our article describes membrane proteins and immunologic correlates that could be used to better select and optimize current therapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Alcaraz-Sanabria
- Translational Oncology Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Castilla-La Mancha University (CRIB-UCLM), Albacete, Spain
| | - Esther Cabañas Morafraile
- Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Oncología Centro (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain.,Center for Biological Research Margarita Salas (CIB-CSIC), Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Fernández-Hinojal
- Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Oncología Centro (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Guillermo Velasco
- Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Oncología Centro (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Pérez-Segura
- Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Oncología Centro (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Atanasio Pandiella
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CSIC), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica Salamanca (IBSAL) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Oncología (CIBERONC), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Balázs Győrffy
- Department of Bioinformatics and 2nd Department of Paediatrics, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Research Centre for Natural Sciences (TTK) Lendület Cancer Biomarker Research Group, Institute of Enzymology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Alberto Ocaña
- Translational Oncology Laboratory, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Castilla-La Mancha University (CRIB-UCLM), Albacete, Spain.,Experimental Therapeutics Unit, Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos (HCSC), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Oncología Centro (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Kerrison WGJ, Lee ATJ, Thway K, Jones RL, Huang PH. Current Status and Future Directions of Immunotherapies in Soft Tissue Sarcomas. Biomedicines 2022; 10:573. [PMID: 35327375 PMCID: PMC8945421 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy in soft tissue sarcoma (STS) has experienced a surge of interest in the past decade, contributing to an expanding number of therapeutic options for this extremely heterogenous group of rare malignancies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) targeting the PD-1 and CTLA-4 axes have demonstrated promising responses in a select number of STS subtypes, including rarer subtypes, such as alveolar soft part sarcoma, SWI/SNF-deficient sarcomas, clear cell sarcoma, and angiosarcoma. Multiple pan-subtype sarcoma trials have facilitated the study of possible predictive biomarkers of the CPI response. It has also become apparent that certain therapies, when combined with CPIs, can enhance response rates, although the specific mechanisms of this possible synergy remain unconfirmed in STS. In addition to CPIs, several other immune targeting agents, including anti-tumour-associated macrophage and antigen-directed therapies, are now under assessment in STS with promising efficacy in some subtypes. In this article, we review the state of the art in immunotherapy in STS, highlighting the pre-clinical and clinical data available for this promising therapeutic strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William G. J. Kerrison
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK; (W.G.J.K.); (K.T.)
| | | | - Khin Thway
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK; (W.G.J.K.); (K.T.)
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK;
| | - Robin L. Jones
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6JJ, UK;
- Division of Clinical Studies, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Paul H. Huang
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton SM2 5NG, UK; (W.G.J.K.); (K.T.)
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Yadav D, Kwak M, Chauhan PS, Puranik N, Lee PCW, Jin JO. Cancer immunotherapy by immune checkpoint blockade and its advanced application using bio-nanomaterials. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:909-922. [PMID: 35181474 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Traditional approaches, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have been the main cancer therapeutic modalities in recent years. Cancer immunotherapy is a novel therapeutic modality that potentiates the immune responses of patients against malignancy. Immune checkpoint proteins expressed on T cells or tumor cells serve as a target for inhibiting T cell overactivation, maintaining the balance between self-reactivity and autoimmunity. Tumors essentially hijack the immune checkpoint pathway in order to survive and spread. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are being developed as a result to reactivate the anti-tumor immune response. Recent advances in nanotechnology have contributed to the development of successful, safe, and efficient anticancer drug systems based on nanoparticles. Nanoparticle-based cancer immunotherapy overcomes numerous challenges and offers novel strategies for improving conventional immunotherapies. The fundamental and physiochemical properties of nanoparticles depend on various cancer therapeutic strategies, such as chemotherapeutics, nucleic acid-based treatments, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic agents. The review discusses the use of nanoparticles as carriers for delivering immune checkpoint inhibitors and their efficacy in cancer combination therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dhananjay Yadav
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, South Korea; Research Institute of Cell Culture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, South Korea
| | - Minseok Kwak
- Department of Chemistry and Industry 4.0 Convergence Bionics Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea
| | | | - Nidhi Puranik
- Biological Sciences Department, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, 641046, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Peter C W Lee
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, ASAN Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea.
| | - Jun-O Jin
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, South Korea; Research Institute of Cell Culture, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 38541, South Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Yang K, Wu Z, Zhang H, Zhang N, Wu W, Wang Z, Dai Z, Zhang X, Zhang L, Peng Y, Ye W, Zeng W, Liu Z, Cheng Q. Glioma targeted therapy: insight into future of molecular approaches. Mol Cancer 2022; 21:39. [PMID: 35135556 PMCID: PMC8822752 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-022-01513-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 267] [Impact Index Per Article: 133.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gliomas are the common type of brain tumors originating from glial cells. Epidemiologically, gliomas occur among all ages, more often seen in adults, which males are more susceptible than females. According to the fifth edition of the WHO Classification of Tumors of the Central Nervous System (WHO CNS5), standard of care and prognosis of gliomas can be dramatically different. Generally, circumscribed gliomas are usually benign and recommended to early complete resection, with chemotherapy if necessary. Diffuse gliomas and other high-grade gliomas according to their molecule subtype are slightly intractable, with necessity of chemotherapy. However, for glioblastoma, feasible resection followed by radiotherapy plus temozolomide chemotherapy define the current standard of care. Here, we discuss novel feasible or potential targets for treatment of gliomas, especially IDH-wild type glioblastoma. Classic targets such as the p53 and retinoblastoma (RB) pathway and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene alteration have met failure due to complex regulatory network. There is ever-increasing interest in immunotherapy (immune checkpoint molecule, tumor associated macrophage, dendritic cell vaccine, CAR-T), tumor microenvironment, and combination of several efficacious methods. With many targeted therapy options emerging, biomarkers guiding the prescription of a particular targeted therapy are also attractive. More pre-clinical and clinical trials are urgently needed to explore and evaluate the feasibility of targeted therapy with the corresponding biomarkers for effective personalized treatment options.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keyang Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhijing Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,One-Third Lab, College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Wantao Wu
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Oncology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zeyu Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ziyu Dai
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xun Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Liyang Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yun Peng
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Geriatrics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Teaching and Research Section of Clinical Nursing, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Weijie Ye
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wenjing Zeng
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhixiong Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
| | - Quan Cheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Lin YZ, Liu SH, Wu WR, Shen YC, Wang YL, Liao CC, Lin PL, Chang H, Liu LC, Cheng WC, Wang SC. miR-4759 suppresses breast cancer through immune checkpoint blockade. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:241-251. [PMID: 35024096 PMCID: PMC8718579 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/ programmed cell death protein ligand 1 (PD-L1) is the key immune checkpoint governing evasion of advanced cancer from immune surveillance. Immuno-oncology (IO) therapy targeting PD-1/PD-L1 with traditional antibodies is a promising approach to multiple cancer types but to which the response rate remains moderate in breast cancer, calling for the need of exploring alternative IO targeting approaches. A miRNA-gene network was integrated by a bioinformatics approach and corroborated with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to screen miRNAs regulating immune checkpoint genes and associated with patient survival. Here we show the identification of a novel microRNA miR-4759 which repressed RNA expression of the PD-L1 gene. miR-4759 targeted the PD-L1 gene through two binding motifs in the 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR) of PD-L1. Reconstitution of miR-4759 inhibited PD-L1 expression and sensitized breast cancer cells to killing by immune cells. Treatment with miR-4759 suppressed tumor growth of orthotopic xenografts and promoted tumor infiltration of CD8+ T lymphocytes in immunocompetent mice. In contrast, miR-4759 had no effect to tumor growth in immunodeficient mice. In patients with breast cancer, expression of miR-4759 was preferentially downregulated in tumors compared to normal tissues and was associated with poor overall survival. Together, our results demonstrated miR-4759 as a novel non-coding RNA which promotes anti-tumor immunity of breast cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- You-Zhe Lin
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Hsuan Liu
- Research Center for Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Rong Wu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Chun Shen
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Liang Wang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.,Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Ching Liao
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Le Lin
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Han Chang
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Liang-Chih Liu
- Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chung Cheng
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.,Research Center for Cancer Biology, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.,Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery Ph.D. Program, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
| | - Shao-Chun Wang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.,Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.,Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan.,Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA.,Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery Ph.D. Program, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.,Department of Biotechnology, Asia University, Taichung 41354, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Expression of Immune Checkpoints in Malignant Tumors: Therapy Targets and Biomarkers for the Gastric Cancer Prognosis. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:diagnostics11122370. [PMID: 34943606 PMCID: PMC8700640 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11122370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
To increase the effectiveness of anticancer therapy based on immune checkpoint (IC) inhibition, some ICs are being investigated in addition to those used in clinic. We reviewed data on the relationship between PD-L1, B7-H3, B7-H4, IDO1, Galectin-3 and -9, CEACAM1, CD155, Siglec-15 and ADAM17 expression with cancer development in complex with the results of clinical trials on their inhibition. Increased expression of the most studied ICs—PD-L1, B7-H3, and B7-H4—is associated with poor survival; their inhibition is clinically significant. Expression of IDO1, CD155, and ADAM17 is also associated with poor survival, including gastric cancer (GC). The available data indicate that CD155 and ADAM17 are promising targets for immune therapy. However, the clinical trials of anti-IDO1 antibodies have been unsatisfactory. Expression of Galectin-3 and -9, CEACAM1 and Siglec-15 demonstrates a contradictory relationship with patient survival. The lack of satisfactory results of these IC inhibitor clinical trials additionally indicates the complex nature of their functioning. In conclusion, in many cases it is important to analyze the expression of other participants of the immune response besides target IC. The PD-L1, B7-H3, B7-H4, IDO1 and ADAM17 may be considered as candidates for prognosis markers for GC patient survival.
Collapse
|
50
|
Immune Regulatory Processes of the Tumor Microenvironment under Malignant Conditions. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222413311. [PMID: 34948104 PMCID: PMC8706102 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a critical regulator of tumor growth, progression, and metastasis. Since immune cells represent a large fraction of the TME, they play a key role in mediating pro- and anti-tumor immune responses. Immune escape, which suppresses anti-tumor immunity, enables tumor cells to maintain their proliferation and growth. Numerous mechanisms, which have been intensively studied in recent years, are involved in this process and based on these findings, novel immunotherapies have been successfully developed. Here, we review the composition of the TME and the mechanisms by which immune evasive processes are regulated. In detail, we describe membrane-bound and soluble factors, their regulation, and their impact on immune cell activation in the TME. Furthermore, we give an overview of the tumor/antigen presentation and how it is influenced under malignant conditions. Finally, we summarize novel TME-targeting agents, which are already in clinical trials for different tumor entities.
Collapse
|