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Perrino M, Voulaz E, Balin S, Cazzato G, Fontana E, Franzese S, Defendi M, De Vincenzo F, Cordua N, Tamma R, Borea F, Aliprandi M, Airoldi M, Cecchi LG, Fazio R, Alloisio M, Marulli G, Santoro A, Di Tommaso L, Ingravallo G, Russo L, Da Rin G, Villa A, Della Bella S, Zucali PA, Mavilio D. Autoimmunity in thymic epithelial tumors: a not yet clarified pathologic paradigm associated with several unmet clinical needs. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1288045. [PMID: 38629065 PMCID: PMC11018877 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1288045] [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: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare mediastinal cancers originating from the thymus, classified in two main histotypes: thymoma and thymic carcinoma (TC). TETs affect a primary lymphoid organ playing a critical role in keeping T-cell homeostasis and ensuring an adequate immunological tolerance against "self". In particular, thymomas and not TC are frequently associated with autoimmune diseases (ADs), with Myasthenia Gravis being the most common AD present in 30% of patients with thymoma. This comorbidity, in addition to negatively affecting the quality and duration of patients' life, reduces the spectrum of the available therapeutic options. Indeed, the presence of autoimmunity represents an exclusion criteria for the administration of the newest immunotherapeutic treatments with checkpoint inhibitors. The pathophysiological correlation between TETs and autoimmunity remains a mystery. Several studies have demonstrated the presence of a residual and active thymopoiesis in adult patients affected by thymomas, especially in mixed and lymphocytic-rich thymomas, currently known as type AB and B thymomas. The aim of this review is to provide the state of art in regard to the histological features of the different TET histotype, to the role of the different immune cells infiltrating tumor microenvironments and their impact in the break of central immunologic thymic tolerance in thymomas. We discuss here both cellular and molecular immunologic mechanisms inducing the onset of autoimmunity in TETs, limiting the portfolio of therapeutic strategies against TETs and greatly impacting the prognosis of associated autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Perrino
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuele Voulaz
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Simone Balin
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Gerardo Cazzato
- Section of Pathology, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Elena Fontana
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Milan, Italy
- Human Genome and Biomedical Technologies Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Franzese
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Martina Defendi
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio De Vincenzo
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Nadia Cordua
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Tamma
- Section of Human Anatomy and Histology, Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neurosciences (DiBraiN), University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Federica Borea
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Aliprandi
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Airoldi
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Giovanni Cecchi
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Fazio
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Alloisio
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Marulli
- Division of Thoracic Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Armando Santoro
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Di Tommaso
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ingravallo
- Section of Pathology, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Bari, Italy
| | - Laura Russo
- Clinical Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Da Rin
- Clinical Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Villa
- Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Milan, Italy
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Della Bella
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Andrea Zucali
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
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Song Y, Xing C, Lu T, Liu C, Wang W, Wang S, Feng X, Bi J, Wang Q, Lai C. Aberrant Dendritic Cell Subsets in Patients with Myasthenia Gravis and Related Clinical Features. Neuroimmunomodulation 2023; 30:69-80. [PMID: 36780882 DOI: 10.1159/000529626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Dendritic cells (DCs) play critical roles in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis (MG), and a series of DC-based experimental strategies for MG have recently been developed. However, the definite roles of different DC subsets in the mechanism of MG have scarcely been covered by previous studies. The present study aimed to investigate the levels of three main DC subsets, plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) (CD303 positive) and two distinct subsets of conventional DCs (cDCs), namely CD1c+ cDCs and CD141+ cDCs, in MG patients and analyze related clinical features. METHODS From January 2016 to December 2020, 160 newly diagnosed MG patients and matched healthy controls (n = 160) were included in the study, and their clinical data were collected. The blood samples from MG patients before treatment and controls were collected for flow cytometry analysis. A total of 14 MG thymoma, 24 control thymoma, and 3 thymic cysts were used to immunostain the DC subsets. RESULTS The flow cytometry analysis showed a significantly higher frequency of circulating pDCs, CD1c+ cDCs, and CD141+ cDCs in MG patients than in healthy controls (p < 0.001 for all). Patients with early-onset MG (<50 years old) had a lower frequency of circulating pDCs but a higher frequency of circulating CD1c+ cDCs than those with late-onset MG (≥50 years old) (p = 0.014 and p = 0.025, respectively). The frequency of circulating pDCs was positively associated with the clinical severity of late-onset MG patients (r = 0.613, p < 0.001). 64.3% (9/14) of MG thymoma is of type B2 under the World Health Organization classification, which is higher than that in control thymoma (33.3%, 8/24) (p = 0.019). For type B2 thymoma, there were significantly more pDCs but fewer CD1c+ cDCs in MG thymoma than in the controls. CONCLUSION The distribution of aberrant pDCs, CD1c+ cDCs, and CD141+ cDCs in MG patients displayed age- and thymoma-related differences, which may contribute to the impaired immune tolerance and lead to the onset of MG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Song
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Chunye Xing
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Tianyang Lu
- Department of Public Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Chen Liu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Shaoqiang Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Xungang Feng
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining, China
| | - Jianzhong Bi
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Lai
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China
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Chen P, Li Y, Huang H, Li Y, Huang X, Chen Z, Liu X, Qiu L, Ou C, Huang Z, Lin Z, Ran H, Liu W. Imbalance of the two main circulating dendritic cell subsets in patients with myasthenia gravis. Clin Immunol 2018; 205:130-137. [PMID: 30359772 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2018.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/20/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Although it is well documented that circulating dendritic cells (DCs) have specialized features during many kinds of physiological and pathological conditions, there are few reports about the features of DCs in the peripheral blood of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients. We investigated the quantitative and component features of DCs and their implications in MG. Peripheral blood samples from different kinds of MG patients were collected and their clinical characteristics were recorded. Using flow cytometry, we distinguished circulating DC subsets [plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) and myeloid DCs (mDCs)] and enumerated their densities in peripheral blood. Absolute numbers of circulating pDCs were significantly decreased in naïve MG patients compared with healthy controls, resulting in a markedly lower ratio of the pDC to mDC percentage in total circulating DCs (pDCs/mDCs), suggesting an imbalance in the proportions of the two main circulating DC subsets. The clinical status of MG patients was improved after drug treatment, together with increased pDCs/mDCs. In a longitudinal follow-up, we observed that circulating mDCs were significantly reduced after 1 month of therapy with a corticosteroid and immunosuppressant, resulting in recovery of pDCs/mDCs. Although the exact meaning of the proportion change in circulating DC subsets is unknown, pDCs/mDCs might reflect the balance between the autoimmune response and immune tolerance of a patient. Moreover, changes in pDCs/mDCs during treatment might be a promising marker to predict the efficacy of a specific drug used for MG patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Chen
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yingkai Li
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Hao Huang
- Department of Neurology, The First People's Hospital of Nanning, Nanning 530000, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhenguang Chen
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Xiaoxi Liu
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Li Qiu
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Changyi Ou
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhidong Huang
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhongqiang Lin
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Hao Ran
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Weibin Liu
- Department of Neurology, National Key Clinical Department and Key Discipline of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
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