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Kubo T, Asano S, Sasaki K, Murata K, Kanaseki T, Tsukahara T, Hirohashi Y, Torigoe T. Assessment of cancer cell-expressed HLA class I molecules and their immunopathological implications. HLA 2024; 103:e15472. [PMID: 38699870 DOI: 10.1111/tan.15472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has shown superior efficacy compared with conventional chemotherapy in certain cancer types, establishing immunotherapy as the fourth standard treatment alongside surgical intervention, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. In cancer immunotherapy employing ICIs, CD8-positive cytotoxic T lymphocytes are recognized as the primary effector cells. For effective clinical outcomes, it is essential that the targeted cancer cells express HLA class I molecules to present antigenic peptides derived from the tumor. However, cancer cells utilize various mechanisms to downregulate or lose HLA class I molecules from their surface, resulting in evasion from immune surveillance. Correlations between prognosis and the integrity of HLA class I molecules expressed by cancer cells have been consistently found across different types of cancer. This paper provides an overview of the regulatory mechanisms of HLA class I molecules and their role in cancer immunotherapy, with a particular emphasis on the significance of utilizing pathological tissues to evaluate HLA class I molecules expressed in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terufumi Kubo
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Shiori Asano
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kenta Sasaki
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kenji Murata
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kanaseki
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Tomohide Tsukahara
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Hirohashi
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Torigoe
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, Sapporo, Japan
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Tian X, Hu D, Wang N, Zhang L, Wang X. LINC01614 is a promising diagnostic and prognostic marker in HNSC linked to the tumor microenvironment and oncogenic function. Front Genet 2024; 15:1337525. [PMID: 38655053 PMCID: PMC11035733 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1337525] [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: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Tumor initiation and metastasis influence tumor immune exclusion and immunosuppression. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) LINC01614 is associated with the prognosis and metastasis of several cancers. However, the relationship between LINC01614 and cancer immune infiltration and the biofunction of LINC01614 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) remain unclear. Methods The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets were used to analyze the expression difference and diagnostic value of LINC01614 in normal and tumor tissues. The correlation of pan-cancer prognosis and tumor stage of LINC01614 was analyzed based on the TCGA database. The pan-cancer association of LINC01614 expression with the tumor microenvironment (TME) including immune infiltration, expression of immune-related genes, and genomic instability parameters, was analyzed using the Spearman correlation method. The correlation between LINC01614 and tumor stemness evaluation indicators, RNA methylation-related genes, and drug resistance was also analyzed. The functional analysis of LINC01614 was performed using the clusterProfiler R package. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and ceRNA network of LINC01614 co-expressed genes and miRNA were constructed and visualized by STRING and Cytoscape, respectively. Finally, the cell location and influence of LINC01614 on cell proliferation and metastasis of HNSC cell lines were evaluated using FISH, CCK-8, wound-healing assay, and transwell assay. Results LINC01614 was found to be overexpressed in 23 cancers and showed a highly sensitive prediction value in nine cancers (AUC >0.85). LINC01614 dysregulation was associated with tumor stage in 12 cancers and significantly influenced the survival outcomes of 26 cancer types, with only Lymphoid Neoplasm Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBC), uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC), and bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) showing a benign influence. LINC01614 was also associated with immune cell infiltration, tumor heterogeneity, cancer stemness, RNA methylation modification, and drug resistance. The potential biological function of LINC01614 was verified in HNSC, and it was found to play important roles in proliferation, immune infiltration, immunotherapy response, and metastasis of HNSC. Conclusion LINC01614 may serve as a cancer diagnosis and prognosis biomarker and an immunotherapy target for specific cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiong Tian
- Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Techniques & Rapid Rehabilitation of Digestive System Tumor of Zhejiang Province, Linhai, China
- Department of Public Research Platform, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, China
| | - Dali Hu
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, China
| | - Na Wang
- Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Techniques & Rapid Rehabilitation of Digestive System Tumor of Zhejiang Province, Linhai, China
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, China
| | - Lele Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xuequan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Techniques & Rapid Rehabilitation of Digestive System Tumor of Zhejiang Province, Linhai, China
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, Zhejiang, China
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Wang H, Guan Z, Zheng L. Single-cell RNA sequencing explores the evolution of the ecosystem from leukoplakia to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8097. [PMID: 38582791 PMCID: PMC10998855 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58978-9] [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: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
It has been found that progression from leukoplakia to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a long-term process that may involve changes in the multicellular ecosystem. We acquired scRNA-seq samples information from gene expression omnibus and UCSC Xena database. The BEAM function was used to construct the pseudotime trajectory and analyze the differentially expressed genes in different branches. We used the ssGSEA method to explore the correlation between each cell subgroup and survival time, and obtained the cell subgroup related to prognosis. During the progression from leukoplakia to HNSCC, we found several prognostic cell subgroups, such as AURKB + epithelial cells, SFRP1 + fibroblasts, SLC7A8 + macrophages, FCER1A + CD1C + dendritic cells, and TRGC2 + NK/T cells. All cell subgroups had two different fates, one tending to cell proliferation, migration, and enhancement of angiogenesis capacity, and the other tending to inflammatory immune response, leukocyte chemotaxis, and T cell activation. Tumor-promoting genes such as CD163 and CD209 were highly expressed in the myeloid cells, and depletion marker genes such as TIGIT, LAG3 were highly expressed in NK/T cells. Our study may provide a reference for the molecular mechanism of HNSCC and theoretical basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haibin Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Zhenjie Guan
- Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Lian Zheng
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
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Lei L, Han K, Wang Z, Shi C, Wang Z, Dai R, Zhang Z, Wang M, Guo Q. Attention-guided variational graph autoencoders reveal heterogeneity in spatial transcriptomics. Brief Bioinform 2024; 25:bbae173. [PMID: 38627939 PMCID: PMC11021349 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae173] [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: 12/16/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The latest breakthroughs in spatially resolved transcriptomics technology offer comprehensive opportunities to delve into gene expression patterns within the tissue microenvironment. However, the precise identification of spatial domains within tissues remains challenging. In this study, we introduce AttentionVGAE (AVGN), which integrates slice images, spatial information and raw gene expression while calibrating low-quality gene expression. By combining the variational graph autoencoder with multi-head attention blocks (MHA blocks), AVGN captures spatial relationships in tissue gene expression, adaptively focusing on key features and alleviating the need for prior knowledge of cluster numbers, thereby achieving superior clustering performance. Particularly, AVGN attempts to balance the model's attention focus on local and global structures by utilizing MHA blocks, an aspect that current graph neural networks have not extensively addressed. Benchmark testing demonstrates its significant efficacy in elucidating tissue anatomy and interpreting tumor heterogeneity, indicating its potential in advancing spatial transcriptomics research and understanding complex biological phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixin Lei
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
| | - Kaitai Han
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
| | - Zijun Wang
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
| | - Chaojing Shi
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
| | - Zhenghui Wang
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
| | - Ruoyan Dai
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
| | - Zhiwei Zhang
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
| | - Mengqiu Wang
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
| | - Qianjin Guo
- Academy of Artificial Intelligence, Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, Beijing 102617, China
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Xie Y, Peng X, Li P. MIWE: detecting the critical states of complex biological systems by the mutual information weighted entropy. BMC Bioinformatics 2024; 25:44. [PMID: 38280998 PMCID: PMC10822190 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-024-05667-z] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Complex biological systems often undergo sudden qualitative changes during their dynamic evolution. These critical transitions are typically characterized by a catastrophic progression of the system. Identifying the critical point is critical to uncovering the underlying mechanisms of complex biological systems. However, the system may exhibit minimal changes in its state until the critical point is reached, and in the face of high throughput and strong noise data, traditional biomarkers may not be effective in distinguishing the critical state. In this study, we propose a novel approach, mutual information weighted entropy (MIWE), which uses mutual information between genes to build networks and identifies critical states by quantifying molecular dynamic differences at each stage through weighted differential entropy. The method is applied to one numerical simulation dataset and four real datasets, including bulk and single-cell expression datasets. The critical states of the system can be recognized and the robustness of MIWE method is verified by numerical simulation under the influence of different noises. Moreover, we identify two key transcription factors (TFs), CREB1 and CREB3, that regulate downstream signaling genes to coordinate cell fate commitment. The dark genes in the single-cell expression datasets are mined to reveal the potential pathway regulation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuke Xie
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Health Science of Zhejiang Province, School of Life Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, China
| | - Xueqing Peng
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China
| | - Peiluan Li
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471000, China.
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Wu X, Li T, Jiang R, Yang X, Guo H, Yang R. Targeting MHC-I molecules for cancer: function, mechanism, and therapeutic prospects. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:194. [PMID: 38041084 PMCID: PMC10693139 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01899-4] [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: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecules of Major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) load peptides and present them on the cell surface, which provided the immune system with the signal to detect and eliminate the infected or cancerous cells. In the context of cancer, owing to the crucial immune-regulatory roles played by MHC-I molecules, the abnormal modulation of MHC-I expression and function could be hijacked by tumor cells to escape the immune surveillance and attack, thereby promoting tumoral progression and impairing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Here we reviewed and discussed the recent studies and discoveries related to the MHC-I molecules and their multidirectional functions in the development of cancer, mainly focusing on the interactions between MHC-I and the multiple participators in the tumor microenvironment and highlighting the significance of targeting MHC-I for optimizing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy and a deeper understanding of the dynamic nature and functioning mechanism of MHC-I in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Wu
- Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tianhang Li
- Department of Urology, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Surgical Research Center, Institute of Urology, Southeast University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Rui Jiang
- The School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xin Yang
- Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hongqian Guo
- Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Rong Yang
- Department of Urology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
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Otálora-Otálora BA, López-Rivera JJ, Aristizábal-Guzmán C, Isaza-Ruget MA, Álvarez-Moreno CA. Host Transcriptional Regulatory Genes and Microbiome Networks Crosstalk through Immune Receptors Establishing Normal and Tumor Multiomics Metafirm of the Oral-Gut-Lung Axis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16638. [PMID: 38068961 PMCID: PMC10706695 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316638] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The microbiome has shown a correlation with the diet and lifestyle of each population in health and disease, the ability to communicate at the cellular level with the host through innate and adaptative immune receptors, and therefore an important role in modulating inflammatory process related to the establishment and progression of cancer. The oral cavity is one of the most important interaction windows between the human body and the environment, allowing the entry of an important number of microorganisms and their passage across the gastrointestinal tract and lungs. In this review, the contribution of the microbiome network to the establishment of systemic diseases like cancer is analyzed through their synergistic interactions and bidirectional crosstalk in the oral-gut-lung axis as well as its communication with the host cells. Moreover, the impact of the characteristic microbiota of each population in the formation of the multiomics molecular metafirm of the oral-gut-lung axis is also analyzed through state-of-the-art sequencing techniques, which allow a global study of the molecular processes involved of the flow of the microbiota environmental signals through cancer-related cells and its relationship with the establishment of the transcription factor network responsible for the control of regulatory processes involved with tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Juan Javier López-Rivera
- Grupo de Investigación INPAC, Specialized Laboratory, Clinica Universitaria Colombia, Clínica Colsanitas S.A., Bogotá 111321, Colombia;
| | - Claudia Aristizábal-Guzmán
- Grupo de Investigación INPAC, Unidad de Investigación, Fundación Universitaria Sanitas, Bogotá 110131, Colombia;
| | - Mario Arturo Isaza-Ruget
- Keralty, Sanitas International Organization, Grupo de Investigación INPAC, Fundación Universitaria Sanitas, Bogotá 110131, Colombia;
| | - Carlos Arturo Álvarez-Moreno
- Infectious Diseases Department, Clinica Universitaria Colombia, Clínica Colsanitas S.A., Bogotá 111321, Colombia;
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Yang L, Xu F. A novel anoikis-related risk model predicts prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer and responses to different immunotherapy strategies. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:10879-10892. [PMID: 37318595 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-04945-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We aimed to study the role of anoikis-related genes (ARGs) in colorectal cancer (CRC) using bioinformatics. METHODS GSE39582 and GSE39084, which collectively contain 363 CRC samples, were downloaded from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database as a test set. TCGA-COADREAD, with 376 CRC samples, was downloaded from the UCSC database as a validation set. Univariate Cox regression analysis was used to screen for ARGs that were significantly associated with prognosis. The top 10 ARGs were used to classify the samples into different subtypes based on unsupervised cluster analysis. The immune environments of the different subtypes were analyzed. ARGs that were significantly associated with CRC prognosis were used to construct a risk model. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to screen independent prognostic factors and construct a nomogram. RESULTS Four anoikis-related subtypes (ARSs) with differential prognoses and immune microenvironments were identified. KRAS and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways were enriched in subtype B, which had the worst prognosis. Three ARGs (DLG1, AKT3, and LPAR1) were used to construct the risk model. Both the test and validation sets showed worse outcomes for patients in the high-risk group than those in the low-risk group. Risk score was found to be an independent prognostic factor for CRC. Moreover, there was a difference in drug sensitivity between the high- and low-risk groups. CONCLUSION The identified ARGs and risk scores were associated with CRC prognosis and could predict the responses of patients with CRC to immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan Province, China
| | - Feng Xu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan Province, China.
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Yang K, Halima A, Chan TA. Antigen presentation in cancer - mechanisms and clinical implications for immunotherapy. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2023; 20:604-623. [PMID: 37328642 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-023-00789-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decade, the emergence of effective immunotherapies has revolutionized the clinical management of many types of cancers. However, long-term durable tumour control is only achieved in a fraction of patients who receive these therapies. Understanding the mechanisms underlying clinical response and resistance to treatment is therefore essential to expanding the level of clinical benefit obtained from immunotherapies. In this Review, we describe the molecular mechanisms of antigen processing and presentation in tumours and their clinical consequences. We examine how various aspects of the antigen-presentation machinery (APM) shape tumour immunity. In particular, we discuss genomic variants in HLA alleles and other APM components, highlighting their influence on the immunopeptidomes of both malignant cells and immune cells. Understanding the APM, how it is regulated and how it changes in tumour cells is crucial for determining which patients will respond to immunotherapy and why some patients develop resistance. We focus on recently discovered molecular and genomic alterations that drive the clinical outcomes of patients receiving immune-checkpoint inhibitors. An improved understanding of how these variables mediate tumour-immune interactions is expected to guide the more precise administration of immunotherapies and reveal potentially promising directions for the development of new immunotherapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kailin Yang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Ahmed Halima
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Timothy A Chan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- National Center for Regenerative Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
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Koukourakis IM, Platoni K, Tiniakos D, Kouloulias V, Zygogianni A. Immune Response and Immune Checkpoint Molecules in Patients with Rectal Cancer Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy: A Review. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:4495-4517. [PMID: 37232754 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45050285] [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: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well-established that tumor antigens and molecules expressed and secreted by cancer cells trigger innate and adaptive immune responses. These two types of anti-tumor immunity lead to the infiltration of the tumor's microenvironment by immune cells with either regulatory or cytotoxic properties. Whether this response is associated with tumor eradication after radiotherapy and chemotherapy or regrowth has been a matter of extensive research through the years, mainly focusing on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and monocytes and their subtypes, and the expression of immune checkpoint and other immune-related molecules by both immune and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment. A literature search has been conducted on studies dealing with the immune response in patients with rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy, assessing its impact on locoregional control and survival and underlying the potential role of immunotherapy in the treatment of this cancer subtype. Here, we provide an overview of the interactions between local/systemic anti-tumor immunity, cancer-related immune checkpoint, and other immunological pathways and radiotherapy, and how these affect the prognosis of rectal cancer patients. Chemoradiotherapy induces critical immunological changes in the tumor microenvironment and cancer cells that can be exploited for therapeutic interventions in rectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis M Koukourakis
- Radiation Oncology Unit, 1st Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Aretaieion University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUOA), 11528 Athens, Greece
| | - Kalliopi Platoni
- Medical Physics Unit, 2nd Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
| | - Dina Tiniakos
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Aretaieion University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Vassilis Kouloulias
- Radiotherapy Unit, 2nd Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
| | - Anna Zygogianni
- Radiation Oncology Unit, 1st Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Aretaieion University Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUOA), 11528 Athens, Greece
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Johansson T, Partanen J, Saavalainen P. HLA allele-specific expression: Methods, disease associations, and relevance in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1007425. [PMID: 36248878 PMCID: PMC9554311 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1007425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Varying HLA allele-specific expression levels are associated with human diseases, such as graft versus host disease (GvHD) in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), cytotoxic T cell response and viral load in HIV infection, and the risk of Crohn’s disease. Only recently, RNA-based next generation sequencing (NGS) methodologies with accompanying bioinformatics tools have emerged to quantify HLA allele-specific expression replacing the quantitative PCR (qPCR) -based methods. These novel NGS approaches enable the systematic analysis of the HLA allele-specific expression changes between individuals and between normal and disease phenotypes. Additionally, analyzing HLA allele-specific expression and allele-specific expression loss provide important information for predicting efficacies of novel immune cell therapies. Here, we review available RNA sequencing-based approaches and computational tools for NGS to quantify HLA allele-specific expression. Moreover, we explore recent studies reporting disease associations with differential HLA expression. Finally, we discuss the role of allele-specific expression in HSCT and how considering the expression quantification in recipient-donor matching could improve the outcome of HSCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiira Johansson
- Translational Immunology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
- *Correspondence: Tiira Johansson,
| | - Jukka Partanen
- Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Päivi Saavalainen
- Translational Immunology Research Program, Research Programs Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Genetics Research Program, Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland
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12
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Cui G, Wang C, Liu J, Shon K, Gu R, Chang C, Ren L, Wei F, Sun Z. Development of an exosome-related and immune microenvironment prognostic signature in colon adenocarcinoma. Front Genet 2022; 13:995644. [PMID: 36176299 PMCID: PMC9513147 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.995644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The correlation between exosomes and the tumor immune microenvironment has been proved to affect tumorigenesis and progression of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). However, it remained unclear whether exosomes had an impact on the prognostic indications of COAD patients.Methods: Expression of exosome-related genes (ERGs) and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The ERGs associated with prognosis were identified and exosome-related prognostic signature was constructed. Patients in two risk groups were classified according to the risk score calculation formula: Risk score = 1.0132 * CCKBR + 0.2416 * HOXC6 + 0.7618 * POU4F1. The expression of three ERGs was investigated by qRT-PCR. After that, we developed a nomogram predicting the likelihood of survival and verified its predictive efficiency. The differences of tumor immune microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint and sensitivity to drugs in two risk groups were analyzed.Results: A prognostic signature was established based on the three ERGs (CCKBR, HOXC6, and POU4F1) and patients with different risk group were distinguished. Survival analysis revealed the negative associated of risk score and prognosis, ROC curve analyses showed the accuracy of this signature. Three ERGs expression was investigated by qRT-PCR in three colorectal cancer cell lines. Moreover, risk score was positively correlated with tumor mutational burden (TMB), immune activities, microsatellite instability level, the expression of immune checkpoint genes. Meanwhile, the expression level of three ERGs and the risk score were markedly related with the sensitive response to chemotherapy.Conclusion: The novel signature composed of three ERGs with precise predictive capabilities can be used to predict prognosis and provide a promising therapeutic target for improving the efficacy of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoliang Cui
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Can Wang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jinhui Liu
- Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Kinyu Shon
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- *Correspondence: Fei Wei, ; Zhiguang Sun,
| | - Renjun Gu
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine and School of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Cheng Chang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lang Ren
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fei Wei
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine and Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- *Correspondence: Fei Wei, ; Zhiguang Sun,
| | - Zhiguang Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- *Correspondence: Fei Wei, ; Zhiguang Sun,
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Feng H, Zhu D, Zheng J, Lyu Z, Hu W, Jiang M, Pan Z, Hou T, Li Y. Identification of Candidate Antigens and Immune Subtypes in Colon Cancer for mRNA Vaccine Development. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/adtp.202200036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Huolun Feng
- Department of gastrointestinal surgery Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital; Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine Southern Medical University Guangzhou Guangdong 510515 China
| | - Dandan Zhu
- School of Medicine South China University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 China
- Guangdong clinical laboratory center Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
| | - Jiabin Zheng
- Department of gastrointestinal surgery Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital; Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
| | - Zejian Lyu
- Department of gastrointestinal surgery Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital; Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
| | - Weixian Hu
- Department of gastrointestinal surgery Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital; Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
| | - Meiyu Jiang
- Department of gastrointestinal surgery Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital; Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
| | - Zihao Pan
- Department of gastrointestinal surgery Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital; Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
| | - Tieying Hou
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine Southern Medical University Guangzhou Guangdong 510515 China
- School of Medicine South China University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 China
- Guangdong clinical laboratory center Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
- Medical Department Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
| | - Yong Li
- Department of gastrointestinal surgery Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital; Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences Guangzhou Guangdong 510080 China
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine Southern Medical University Guangzhou Guangdong 510515 China
- School of Medicine South China University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 China
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