Hyperion Image Analysis Depicts a Preliminary Landscape of Tumor Immune Microenvironment in OSCC with Lymph Node Metastasis

FKBP4 correlates with CD8+ T cells and lymphatic metastases in oral squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

To identify the engagement of CD8+ T cells in the lymph node metastasis (LNM) of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and significant CD8+ T cell-related genes regulating the LNM.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Tumor samples of primary OSCC patients were obtained (n = 71). CD8 expression in LNM- and LNM+ tumors were identified using tissue microarray (TMA)-based immunohistochemistry (IHC) and compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. The LNM status, as well as the metagene expression of CD8+ T cells of OSCC patients, were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Metagenes related to LNM were screened using logistic regression analyses and further identified using TMA-based IHC.

RESULTS

CD8 was significantly positively associated with LNM (p < 0.05). Furthermore, tumors with higher expression of FKBP4 had significantly higher LNM rate (HR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.08 ~ 2.53; p < 0.05), which was also proven using TMA-based IHC analysis.

CONCLUSION

CD8+ T cells might engage in the lymphatic metastases of OSCC. Among CD8+ T cell-related genes, FKBP4 could be a promising biomarker to predict the risk of LNM of OSCC.

Multiplexed Imaging Mass Cytometry Analysis in Preclinical Models of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers. PDAC is characterized by a complex tumor microenvironment (TME), that plays a pivotal role in disease progression and resistance to therapy. Investigating the spatial distribution and interaction of TME cells with the tumor is the basis for understanding the mechanisms underlying disease progression and represents a current challenge in PDAC research. Imaging mass cytometry (IMC) is the major multiplex imaging technology for the spatial analysis of tumor heterogeneity. However, there is a dearth of reports of multiplexed IMC panels for different preclinical mouse models, including pancreatic cancer. We addressed this gap by utilizing two preclinical models of PDAC: the genetically engineered, bearing KRAS-TP53 mutations in pancreatic cells, and the orthotopic, and developed a 28-marker panel for single-cell IMC analysis to assess the abundance, distribution and phenotypes of cells involved in PDAC progression and their reciprocal functional interactions. Herein, we provide an unprecedented definition of the distribution of TME cells in PDAC and compare the diversity between transplanted and genetic disease models. The results obtained represent an important and customizable tool for unraveling the complexities of PDAC and deciphering the mechanisms behind therapy resistance.

[Application value of whole exon sequencing and immune related indicators in the precision treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the significance and feasibility of whole exon sequencing and immune related indexes in personalized precision treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

METHODS

We retrospectively screened the patients who underwent surgery for oral cancer in Peking University Hospital of Stomatology and underwent genetic and immune biomarkers tests between January 2021 and June 2022. Combined with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients, potential targeted drugs and immunotherapy drugs were screened to evaluate the possibility of gene testing benefiting OSCC. The main evaluation indicators included the number of gene mutations, combined positive score (CPS), tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite sequence status and human leukocyte antigen B (HLA-B) locus. Excel was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 10 patients were enrolled and 9 were included in this study, including 6 males and 3 females, with an average age of (55.44±9.59) years. The tumor location was buccal (5 cases), tongue (3 cases) and gingival (1 case). The results of genetic testing showed that 3 (33.3%) patients had no gene mutations in the tumor tissue, 5 (55.6%) patients had unique TP53 gene mutations, and 1 (11.1%) patient had TP53 and CHEK1 mutations. However, no drugs were available for targeted therapy of the mutated genes. The genetic tumor gene testing results showed that no genetic tumor gene was found in all the patients, suggesting that OSCC had a low possibi-lity of hereditary tumor. In terms of immune efficacy related markers, CPS test results showed that 8 patients had CPS≥1. TMB detection results showed that the median value of TMB value was 0.72 mutations/Mb, and the range was 0 to 4.32 mutations/Mb. The negative and positive control results of microsatellite sequence status were consistent, indicating that all the tumor tissues detected were microsatellite stability. The results of HLA-B detection showed that only one patient had B62 gene mutation, suggesting that the B44 and B62 related genotypes of HLA-B in OSCC tissue samples were low.

CONCLUSION

The present results do not support the wide application and promotion of genetic testing and immune related indexes in OSCC.

The Chemokine CCL4 Stimulates Angiopoietin-2 Expression and Angiogenesis via the MEK/ERK/STAT3 Pathway in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant tumor with a poor prognosis and is a major public health burden in Taiwan. Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, promotes tumor proliferation, maintenance, and metastasis. Angiopoietin 2 (Angpt2), a mitogen with a strong angiogenic effect, is highly specific to endothelial cells and a key player in angiogenesis. The inflammatory chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 4 (CCL4) is also important in the pathogenesis and progression of cancer. In this study, an analysis of records from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database found higher CCL4 expression in oral cancer tissue than in normal healthy tissue. CCL4 treatment of oral cancer cells upregulated Angpt2 expression and stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation. Transfection of oral cancer cells with MEK, ERK, and STAT3 inhibitors and their small interfering RNAs inhibited CCL4-induced promotion of Angpt2 expression and angiogenesis. In a mouse model of OSCC, CCL4-treated cells promoted neovascularization in implanted Matrigel plugs, whereas inhibiting CCL4 expression suppressed Angpt2 expression and angiogenesis. CCL4 shows promise as a new molecular therapeutic target for inhibiting angiogenesis and metastasis in OSCC.

Multiplex Tissue Imaging: Spatial Revelations in the Tumor Microenvironment

Simple Summary

Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, and the overall aging of the population results in an increased risk of a cancer diagnosis during a person’s lifetime. Diagnosis and treatment at an early stage will typically increase the chances of survival. Tumors can develop therapy resistance, and it is difficult to predict how individual patients will respond to therapy. Most studies that aim to resolve this problem have focused on studying the composition and characteristics of dissociated tumors, while ignoring the role of cell localization and interactions within the tumor microenvironment. In the past decade, technological innovations have enabled multiplex imaging analyses of intact tumors to study localization and interaction parameters, which can be used as biomarkers, or can be correlated with treatment responses and clinical outcomes.

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment is a complex ecosystem containing various cell types, such as immune cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells, which interact with the tumor cells. In recent decades, the cancer research field has gained insight into the cellular subtypes that are involved in tumor microenvironment heterogeneity. Moreover, it has become evident that cellular interactions in the tumor microenvironment can either promote or inhibit tumor development, progression, and drug resistance, depending on the context. Multiplex spatial analysis methods have recently been developed; these have offered insight into how cellular crosstalk dynamics and heterogeneity affect cancer prognoses and responses to treatment. Multiplex (imaging) technologies and computational analysis methods allow for the spatial visualization and quantification of cell–cell interactions and properties. These technological advances allow for the discovery of cellular interactions within the tumor microenvironment and provide detailed single-cell information on properties that define cellular behavior. Such analyses give insights into the prognosis and mechanisms of therapy resistance, which is still an urgent problem in the treatment of multiple types of cancer. Here, we provide an overview of multiplex imaging technologies and concepts of downstream analysis methods to investigate cell–cell interactions, how these studies have advanced cancer research, and their potential clinical implications.

Application of High-Throughput Imaging Mass Cytometry Hyperion in Cancer Research

Imaging mass cytometry (IMC) enables the in situ analysis of in-depth-phenotyped cells in their native microenvironment within the preserved architecture of a single tissue section. To date, it permits the simultaneous analysis of up to 50 different protein- markers targeted by metal-conjugated antibodies. The application of IMC in the field of cancer research may notably help 1) to define biomarkers of prognostic and theragnostic significance for current and future treatments against well-established and novel therapeutic targets and 2) to improve our understanding of cancer progression and its resistance mechanisms to immune system and how to overcome them. In the present article, we not only provide a literature review on the use of the IMC in cancer-dedicated studies but we also present the IMC method and discuss its advantages and limitations among methods dedicated to deciphering the complexity of cancer tissue.

Adaptation of Imaging Mass Cytometry to Explore the Single Cell Alloimmune Landscape of Liver Transplant Rejection

Rejection continues to be an important cause of graft loss in solid organ transplantation, but deep exploration of intragraft alloimmunity has been limited by the scarcity of clinical biopsy specimens. Emerging single cell immunoprofiling technologies have shown promise in discerning mechanisms of autoimmunity and cancer immunobiology. Within these applications, Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) has been shown to enable highly multiplexed, single cell analysis of immune phenotypes within fixed tissue specimens. In this study, an IMC panel of 10 validated markers was developed to explore the feasibility of IMC in characterizing the immune landscape of chronic rejection (CR) in clinical tissue samples obtained from liver transplant recipients. IMC staining was highly specific and comparable to traditional immunohistochemistry. A single cell segmentation analysis pipeline was developed that enabled detailed visualization and quantification of 109,245 discrete cells, including 30,646 immune cells. Dimensionality reduction identified 11 unique immune subpopulations in CR specimens. Most immune subpopulations were increased and spatially related in CR, including two populations of CD45+/CD3+/CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells and a discrete CD68+ macrophage population, which were not observed in liver with no rejection (NR). Modeling via principal component analysis and logistic regression revealed that single cell data can be utilized to construct statistical models with high consistency (Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, p=0.000036). This study highlights the power of IMC to investigate the alloimmune microenvironment at a single cell resolution during clinical rejection episodes. Further validation of IMC has the potential to detect new biomarkers, identify therapeutic targets, and generate patient-specific predictive models of clinical outcomes in solid organ transplantation.