Immunosuppressive Phenotype of Esophagus Tumors Stroma

PD-L2 overexpression on tumor-associated macrophages is one of the predictors for better prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma

Immunotherapies that target programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) signals are standard therapies for advanced-stage lung cancer, and the expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in cancer tissue predicts immunotherapy efficacy. Although programmed death-ligand 2 (PD-L2) is expressed in cancer cells and macrophages, similar to PD-L1, its significance in lung cancer is unclear. Double immunohistochemistry analyses using anti-PD-L2 and anti-PU.1 antibodies were carried out on tissue array sections from 231 cases of lung adenocarcinoma, and PD-L2 expression in macrophages was evaluated. High PD-L2 expression in macrophages was associated with longer progression-free survival (PFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) and observed more often in females, non-heavy smokers, and patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and those at a lower disease stage. Significant correlations were found more frequently in patients with EGFR mutations. Cell culture studies revealed that cancer cell-derived soluble factors induced PD-L2 overexpression in macrophages, suggesting the involvement of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. The present findings suggest that PD-L2 expression in macrophages predicts PFS and CSS in lung adenocarcinoma without immunotherapy.

The molecular mechanism of actions and clinical utilities of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in gastrointestinal cancers: a comprehensive review and future prospects toward personalized medicine

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers remain a significant global health burden, accounting for a substantial number of cases and deaths. Regrettably, the inadequacy of dependable biomarkers hinders the precise forecasting of patient prognosis and the selection of appropriate therapeutic sequencing for individuals with GI cancers, leading to suboptimal outcomes for numerous patients. The intricate interplay between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) has been shown to be a pivotal determinant of response to anti-cancer therapy and consequential clinical outcomes across a multitude of cancer types. Therefore, the assessment of TILs has garnered global interest as a promising prognostic biomarker in oncology, with the potential to improve clinical decision-making substantially. Moreover, recent discoveries in immunotherapy have progressively changed the landscape of cancer treatment and significantly prolonged the survival of patients with advanced cancers. Nonetheless, the response rate remains constrained within solid tumor sufferers, even when TIL landscapes appear comparable, which calls for the development of our understanding of cellular and molecular cross-talk between TIME and tumor. Hence, this comprehensive review encapsulates the extant literature elucidating the TILs' underlying molecular pathogenesis, prognostic significance, and their relevance in the realm of immunotherapy for patients afflicted by GI tract cancers. Within this review, we demonstrate that the type, density, and spatial distribution of distinct TIL subpopulations carries pivotal implications for the prediction of anti-cancer treatment responses and patient survival. Furthermore, this review underscores the indispensable role of TILs in modulating therapeutic responses within distinct molecular subtypes, such as those characterized by microsatellite stability or programmed cell death ligand-1 expression in GI tract cancers. The review concludes by outlining future directions in TIL-based personalized medicine, including integrating TIL-based approaches into existing treatment regimens and developing novel therapeutic strategies that exploit the unique properties of TILs and their potential as a promising avenue for personalized cancer treatment.

Reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages as a unique approach to target tumor immunotherapy

In the last ten years, it has become increasingly clear that tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells drive not just carcinogenesis via cancer-related inflammatory processes, but also tumor development, invasion, and metastasis. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in particular are the most common kind of leucocyte in many malignancies and play a crucial role in establishing a favorable microenvironment for tumor cells. Tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) is vital as the primary immune cell subset in the tumor microenvironment (TME).In order to proliferate and spread to new locations, tumors need to be able to hide from the immune system by creating an immune-suppressive environment. Because of the existence of pro-tumoral TAMs, conventional therapies like chemotherapy and radiotherapy often fail to restrain cancer growth. These cells are also to blame for the failure of innovative immunotherapies premised on immune-checkpoint suppression. Understanding the series of metabolic changes and functional plasticity experienced by TAMs in the complex TME will help to use TAMs as a target for tumor immunotherapy and develop more effective tumor treatment strategies. This review summarizes the latest research on the TAMs functional status, metabolic changes and focuses on the targeted therapy in solid tumors.

PU.1 negatively regulates tumorigenesis in non-small-cell lung cancer

PU.1 is a key transcription factor that modulates hematopoietic cell differentiation and is involved in various physiological and pathological processes. PU.1 has been described to have multiple roles in a diverse range of cancers, but its contribution in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been clearly elucidated. Fifty pairs of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) tissues and paraneoplastic tissues were collected. RT-qPCR assay was used to test PU.1 expression. Expression of PU.1 in LUAD cell lines and control cell lines was detected by RT-qPCR, and the role of PU.1 in LUAD was investigated by in vitro experiment. Levels of the major proteins in the apoptotic pathway were also detected by Western blot. The expression of PU.1 was remarkably downregulated in LUAD. Overexpression of PU.1 impaired the viability of LUAD cells as well as their metastatic function. In addition, PU.1 promoted apoptosis of LUAD cells by decreasing Bcl2 and increasing Bax/Bak1 expression. PU.1 plays an inhibitory role in LUAD, mainly promoting the apoptosis of LUAD cells.

Cytotoxic Activity of Macrophages as a Tumor Malignancy Factor

An experimental cell-based model was developed to study antibody-independent cytotoxic activity of macrophages that allows selection of derivative tumor cells resistant to this activity and clarification of the mechanisms responsible for this selection. Cytotoxic macrophages showing antibody-independent cytotoxic activity were obtained. Derivatives of PC3 and H1299 cells resistant to cytotoxic macrophage activity were generated. The main characteristics of the obtained derivative cells were studied. The proposed experimental model can be used as a tool for studying the mechanisms of the development of tumor cells resistance to antibody-independent cytotoxic activity of macrophages.

Comprehensive Analysis of Stromal and Serum Markers in Gastric Cancer

A comprehensive analysis of the cell phenotype of the inflammatory infiltrate of the tumor stroma represents a promising area of molecular oncology. The study of not only soluble forms of various immunoregulatory molecules, but also their membrane-bound forms is also considered highly relevant. We performed a comprehensive analysis of tissue and circulating forms of the PD-1 and PD-L1 proteins, as well as macrophage and B-cell markers in the tumor stroma of gastric cancer, to assess their clinical and prognostic significance. The tumor and blood plasma samples from 63 gastric cancer patients were studied using ELISA and immunohistochemistry. Malignant gastric tumors were shown to be strongly infiltrated by B-cells, and their number was comparable to that of macrophages. For PU.1 expression, an association with tumor size was observed; i.e., larger tumors were characterized by fewer PU.1+ infiltrating cells (p = 0.005). No clinical significance was found for CD20 and CD163, but their numbers were higher at earlier stages of the disease and in the absence of metastases. It was also demonstrated that the PD-L1 content in tumor cells was not associated with the clinical and morphological characteristics of GC. At the same time, PD-L1 expression in tumor stromal cells was associated with the presence of distant metastases. The analysis of the prognostic significance of all the markers studied demonstrated that CD163 was statistically significantly associated with a poor prognosis for the disease (p = 0.019). In addition, PD-L1 expression in tumor cells tended to indicate a favorable prognosis (p = 0.122). The results obtained in this work indicate that the study of soluble and tissue markers of tumor stroma is promising in prognosticating the course of GC. The search for combinations of markers seems to be highly promising, with their comprehensive analysis capable of helping personalize advanced antitumor therapy.

SPP1 Derived from Macrophages Is Associated with a Worse Clinical Course and Chemo-Resistance in Lung Adenocarcinoma

Simple Summary

Osteopontin, also called secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), is expressed by cancer cells and is known as a poor prognostic factor. Although the production of SPP1 by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) has been attracting much attention recently, there have been no studies distinguishing the SPP1 expression of cancer cells and TAMs. In the present study, we demonstrated the following points. (1) Increased SPP1 expression on TAMs is associated with a worse clinical course in EGFR-wild-type adenocarcinoma. (2) SPP1 expression on macrophages is dependent on GM-CSF-mediated macrophage differentiation. (3) Macrophage-derived SPP1 potentially contributed to chemoresistance in lung cancer.

Abstract

Osteopontin, also called secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), is a multifunctional secreted phosphorylated glycoprotein. SPP1 is also expressed in tumor cells, and many studies demonstrated that a high level of circulating SPP1 is correlated with a poor prognosis in various cancers. SPP1 is expressed not only by tumor cells but also by stromal cells, such as macrophages. However, there have been no studies distinguishing the SPP1 expression of cancer cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Thus, in this study, we tried to accurately evaluate the SPP1 expression status on cancer cells and TAMs separately in patients with non-small cell lung cancer by using double immunohistochemistry. We demonstrated that high SPP1 expression on TAMs predicted a poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Additionally, we investigated the expression mechanisms related to SPP1 using human-monocyte-derived macrophages and revealed that the SPP1 expression level increased in macrophage differentiation mediated by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Furthermore, SPP1 contributed to anti-cancer drug resistance in lung cancer cell lines. In conclusion, SPP1 production on TAMs predicted a poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients, and TAM-derived SPP1′s involvement in the chemo-resistance of cancer cells was suggested.

Change in PD-L1 and CD8 Expression after Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal cancer has a dismal prognosis with a five-year survival rate below 20%. Recently, immunotherapy has become a new standard of care for this cancer; therefore, we aimed to examine the programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues before and after concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). In total, 64 patients with pre-CCRT ESCC specimens were examined for PD-L1 expression, with twenty-three of them having a partial response (N = 23) or stable disease (N = 1) after CCRT while post-CCRT tissue specimens were collected. All of them were tested for PD-L1 and 15 of them also had CD8 expression in the paired ESCC samples. The prevalence of PD-L1 positivity was 54.7% and we found a trend of decreased PD-L1 expression and increased CD8 positive signal after CCRT. High pre-CCRT PD-L1 H-score in tumors was related to poor prognosis (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.81; p = 0.02), although CD8 signal was not associated with overall survival either in pre- or post-CCRT treatment. In conclusion, we found that PD-L1 expression tended to decrease in CCRT responders and our result supports PD-L1 expression in tumor as a predictor of ESCC prognosis.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte signature in epithelial and stromal compartments of an esophageal squamous cell carcinoma acidic microenvironment mediated by MCT4

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), including but not limited to neutrophils, M2 macrophages, cytotoxic CD8 T cells and dendritic cells, will play a role in the acidic tumor microenvironment mediated by monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the roles they play and their significance in ESCC remain less clear. To understand the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of neutrophils, M2 macrophages, CD8 T cells and dendritic cells in the tumor acidic microenvironment mediated by MCT4, we investigated the distribution of these TILs in the epithelial and stromal compartments of ESCC by means of multiplexed immunohistochemistry on a tissue microarray containing 87 paired dots of ESCC and its adjacent normal tissue (ANT) and an additional 6 cases of unpaired ESCC dots. The density of cells stained with MCT4 in the epithelium was significantly associated with overall survival. Dendritic cells stained with S100 in epithelial compartmentalization were found to markedly correlate with clinical stage and tumor invasion depth. No other significant association could be identified in terms of prognostic and clinicopathological significance. The potential correlation between the number of cells stained with MCT4 versus the number of TILs was also explored, showing that only in epithelial cells were there significant and positive correlations identified between the number of cells stained with MCT4 versus the number of neutrophils stained with CD15, M2 macrophages stained with CD163 and CD8 T cells stained by CD8a. However, no significant correlation was found along the stromal line. Together, the data we described here, although somewhat discouraging, showed that in epithelial cells from which ESCC originated, acidicity mediated by MCT4 may be responsible for lactate release and may have an effect on the infiltration of TILs we assessed.

ANXA1 (Annexin A1) regulated by MYC (MYC proto-oncogene) promotes the growth of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Thyroid carcinoma is one of the most common endocrine malignancies, in which papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the main pathotype. ANXA1 plays a significant role in many cancer types, but how it works in PTC has not been identified. MYC is a common transcript factor involved in tumorigenesis, development, invasion, and metastasis. The relation between ANXA1 and MYC has not been proved in PTC. In this study, firstly, we analyzed the expression and prognostic value of ANXA1 in pan-cancer using the data from the UCSC database. Then we explore the role of ANXA1 in PTC, including expression, prognostic value, and immune infiltration. In addition, we evaluated the relation between ANXA1 and the transcription factor MYC. Finally, we identified the expression of ANXA1 and MYC and then evaluated their function associated with proliferation and apoptosis in PTC cell lines by CCK8 proliferation and flow cytometry apoptosis experiment. We found that ANXA1 is up-regulated in PTC comparing with normal patients. High expression of ANXA1 was associated with adverse overall survival of PTC. ANXA1 may be regulated by MYC to promote the proliferation of PTC. MYC may regulate the expression of ANXA and thus affect the proliferation of PTC.

Tumor-Associated Macrophages: Combination of Therapies, the Approach to Improve Cancer Treatment

Macrophages are one of the most important cells of the innate immune system and are known for their ability to engulf and digest foreign substances, including cellular debris and tumor cells. They can convert into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) when mature macrophages are recruited into the tumor microenvironment. Their role in cancer progression, metastasis, and therapy failure is of special note. The aim of this review is to understand how the presence of TAMs are both advantageous and disadvantageous in the immune system.

Prognostic Significance of the Microbiome and Stromal Cells Phenotype in Esophagus Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Esophageal cancer is one of the most aggressive malignant neoplasms, with low survival rates and limited treatment options. In this study we analyzed the microbiome composition and the phenotype of inflammatory tumor infiltrate in squamous cell carcinoma of esophagus (ESCC) and examined possible relationships between them and their prognostic significance. We found that the predominant phyla of microorganisms found in both tumors and adjacent normal tissues were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes and Bacteroidetes. We established that only bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus differ between tumors and normal tissues. We found a significant correlation between bacterial burden and the phenotype of the tumor stroma. Namely, a group of tumors characterized by a high expression of CD206 (r = -0.3976, p = 0.0056) in the stroma and iNOS (r = -0.2953, p = 0.0439) in tumor cells is characterized by a higher bacterial burden. Further, we established that in the group with a high content of CD206+ macrophages, there is also a predominance of gram-positive bacteria over gram-negative ones. We found that gram-positive bacterial burden is associated with disease prognosis in ESCC showing high content of CD206+ macrophages. In conclusion we established that the tumor microbiome, can be prognostically significant for ESCC when combined with other stromal markers.

CHID1 Is a Novel Prognostic Marker of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

There is an urgent need for identification of new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we evaluated immune cells markers in 100 NSCLC specimens. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed no prognostic value for the markers studied, except CD163 and CD206. At the same time, macrophage markers iNOS and CHID1 were found to be expressed in tumor cells and associated with prognosis. We showed that high iNOS expression is a marker of favorable prognosis for squamous cell lung carcinoma (SCC), and NSCLC in general. Similarly, high CHID1 expression is a marker of good prognosis in adenocarcinoma and in NSCLC in general. Analysis of prognostic significance of a high CHID1/iNOS expression combination showed favorable prognosis with 20 months overall survival of patients from the low CHID1/iNOS expression group. For the first time, we demonstrated that CHID1 can be expressed by NSCLC cells and its high expression is a marker of good prognosis for adenocarcinoma and NSCLC in general. At the same time, high expression of iNOS in tumor cells is a marker of good prognosis in SCC. When used in combination, CHID1 and iNOS show a very good prognostic capacity for NSCLC. We suggest that in the case of lung cancer, tumor-associated macrophages are likely ineffective as a therapeutic target. At the same time, macrophage markers expressed by tumor cells may be considered as targets for anti-tumor therapy or, as in the case of CHID1, as potential anti-tumor agents.

Targeting Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Anti-Cancer Therapies: Convincing the Traitors to Do the Right Thing

In the last decade, it has been well-established that tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells fuel not only the process of carcinogenesis through cancer-related inflammation mechanisms, but also tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis. In particular, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant leucocyte subset in many cancers and play a major role in the creation of a protective niche for tumor cells. Their ability to generate an immune-suppressive environment is crucial to escape the immune system and to allow the tumor to proliferate and metastasize to distant sites. Conventional therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are often not able to limit cancer growth due to the presence of pro-tumoral TAMs; these are also responsible for the failure of novel immunotherapies based on immune-checkpoint inhibition. Several novel therapeutic strategies have been implemented to deplete TAMs; however, more recent approaches aim to use TAMs themselves as weapons to fight cancer. Exploiting their functional plasticity, the reprogramming of TAMs aims to convert immunosuppressive and pro-tumoral macrophages into immunostimulatory and anti-tumor cytotoxic effector cells. This shift eventually leads to the reconstitution of a reactive immune landscape able to destroy the tumor. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on strategies able to reprogram TAMs with single as well as combination therapies.