CD73 controls Myosin II-driven invasion, metastasis, and immunosuppression in amoeboid pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma microenvironment: Soluble factors and cancer associated fibroblasts as modulators of NK cell functions

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most frequent pancreatic cancer and represents one of the most aggressive human neoplasms. Typically identified at advance stage disease, most PDAC tumors are unresectable and resistant to standard therapies. The immunosuppressive microenvironment in PDAC impedes tumor control but a greater understanding of the complex stromal interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and the development of strategies capable of restoring antitumor effector immune responses could be crucial to fight this aggressive tumor and its spread. Natural Killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in cancer immunosurveillance and represent an attractive target for immunotherapies, both as cell therapy and as a pharmaceutical target. This review describes some crucial components of the PDAC TME (collagens, soluble factors and fibroblasts) that can influence the presence, phenotype and function of NK cells in PDAC patients tumor tissue. This focused overview highlights the therapeutic relevance of dissecting the complex stromal composition to define new strategies for NK cell-based immunotherapies to improve the treatment of PDAC.

Hybrid adipocyte-derived exosome nano platform for potent chemo-phototherapy in targeted hepatocellular carcinoma

The high prevalence and severity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) present a significant menace to human health. Despite the significant advancements in nanotechnology-driven antineoplastic agents, there remains a conspicuous gap in the development of targeted chemotherapeutic agents specifically designed for HCC. Consequently, there is an urgent need to explore potent drug delivery systems for effective HCC treatment. Here we have exploited the interplay between HCC and adipocyte to engineer a hybrid adipocyte-derived exosome platform, serving as a versatile vehicle to specifically target HCC and exsert potent antitumor effect. A lipid-like prodrug of docetaxel (DSTG) with a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-cleavable linker, and a lipid-conjugated photosensitizer (PPLA), spontaneously co-assemble into nanoparticles, functioning as the lipid cores of the hybrid exosomes (HEMPs and NEMPs). These nanoparticles are further encapsuled within adipocyte-derived exosome membranes, enhancing their affinity towards HCC cancer cells. As such, cancer cell uptakes of hybrid exosomes are increased up to 5.73-fold compared to lipid core nanoparticles. Our in vitro and in vivo experiments have demonstrated that HEMPs not only enhance the bioactivity of the prodrug and extend its circulation in the bloodstream but also effectively inhibit tumor growth by selectively targeting hepatocellular carcinoma tumor cells. Self-facilitated synergistic drug release subsequently promoting antitumor efficacy, inducing significant inhibition of tumor growth with minimal side effects. Our findings herald a promising direction for the development of targeted HCC therapeutics.

RhoA activation promotes glucose uptake to elevate proliferation in MAPK inhibitor resistant melanoma cells

Cutaneous melanomas harboring a B-RafV600E mutation are treated with immune check point inhibitors or kinase inhibitor combination therapies relying on MAPK inhibitors (MAPKi) Dabrafenib and Trametinib (Curti and Faries, 2021). However, cells become resistant to treatments over the timespan of a few months. Resistance to MAPKi has been associated with adoption of an aggressive amoeboid phenotype characterized by elevated RhoA signaling, enhanced contractility and thick cortical filamentous actin (F-actin) structures (Kim et al., 2016; Misek et al., 2020). Targeting active RhoA through Rho-kinase (ROCK) inhibitors, either alone or in combination with immunotherapies, reverts MAPKi-resistance (Misek et al., 2020; Orgaz et al., 2020). Yet, the mechanisms for this behavior remain largely unknown. Given our recent findings of cytoskeleton's role in cancer cell proliferation (Mohan et al., 2019), survival (Weems et al., 2023), and metabolism (Park et al., 2020), we explored possibilities by which RhoA-driven changes in cytoskeleton structure may confer resistance. We confirmed elevated activation of RhoA in a panel of MAPKi-resistant melanoma cell lines, leading to a marked increase in the presence of contractile F-actin bundles. Moreover, these cells had increased glucose uptake and glycolysis, a phenotype disrupted by pharmacological perturbation of ROCK. However, glycolysis was unaffected by disruption of F-actin bundles, indicating that glycolytic stimulation in MAPKi-resistant melanoma is independent of F-actin organization. Instead, our findings highlight a mechanism in which elevated RhoA signaling activates ROCK, leading to the activation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) and P85 of the PI3K pathway, which promotes cell surface expression of GLUT1 and elevated glucose uptake. Application of ROCK inhibitor GSK269962A results in reduced glucose uptake and glycolysis, thus impeding cell proliferation. Our study adds a mechanism to the proposed use of ROCK inhibitors for long-term treatments on MAPKi-resistant melanomas.

Associations between HIFs and tumor immune checkpoints: mechanism and therapy

Hypoxia, which activates a variety of signaling pathways to enhance tumor cell growth and metabolism, is among the primary features of tumor cells. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) have a substantial impact on a variety of facets of tumor biology, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metabolic reprogramming, angiogenesis, and improved radiation resistance. HIFs induce hypoxia-adaptive responses in tumor cells. Many academics have presented preclinical and clinical research targeting HIFs in tumor therapy, highlighting the potential applicability of targeted HIFs. In recent years, the discovery of numerous pharmacological drugs targeting the regulatory mechanisms of HIFs has garnered substantial attention. Additionally, HIF inhibitors have attained positive results when used in conjunction with traditional oncology radiation and/or chemotherapy, as well as with the very promising addition of tumor immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs), which are employed in a range of cancer treatments over the past decades, are essential in tumor immunotherapy. Nevertheless, the use of immunotherapy has been severely hampered by tumor resistance and treatment-related toxicity. According to research, HIF inhibitors paired with CPIs may be game changers for multiple malignancies, decreasing malignant cell plasticity and cancer therapy resistance, among other things, and opening up substantial new pathways for immunotherapy drug development. The structure, activation mechanisms, and pharmacological sites of action of the HIF family are briefly reviewed in this work. This review further explores the interactions between HIF inhibitors and other tumor immunotherapy components and covers the potential clinical use of HIF inhibitors in combination with CPIs.