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Loss of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I, CD8 + Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes, and PD-L1 Expression in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma. Am J Surg Pathol 2023; 47:124-130. [PMID: 36221308 DOI: 10.1097/pas.0000000000001975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), a chemoresistant ovarian cancer, shows a modest response to anti-programmed death-1/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) therapies. The effects of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies rely on cytotoxic T-cell response, which is triggered by antigen presentation mediated by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. The loss of MHC class I with simultaneous PD-L1 expression has been noted in several cancer types; however, these findings and their prognostic value have rarely been evaluated in OCCC. We collected data from 76 patients with OCCC for clinicopathologic analysis. Loss of MHC class I expression was seen in 44.7% of the cases including 39.3% to 47.4% of the PD-L1 + cases and was associated with fewer CD8 + tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). PD-L1 positivity was associated with a higher number of CD8 + TILs. Cox proportional hazard models showed that high (≥50/mm 2 ) CD8 + TILs was associated with shorter disease-specific survival (hazard ratio [HR]=3.447, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.222-9.720, P =0.019) and overall survival (HR=3.053, 95% CI: 1.105-8.43, P =0.031). PD-L1 positivity using Combined Positive Score was associated with shorter progression-free survival (HR=3.246, 95% CI: 1.435-7.339, P =0.005), disease-specific survival (HR=4.124, 95% CI: 1.403-12.116, P =0.010), and overall survival (HR=4.489, 95% CI: 1.553-12.972, P =0.006). Loss of MHC class I may contribute to immune evasion and resistance to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies in OCCC, and CD8 + TILs and PD-L1 positivity using Combined Positive Score may have a negative prognostic value.
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Caro AA, Deschoemaeker S, Allonsius L, Coosemans A, Laoui D. Dendritic Cell Vaccines: A Promising Approach in the Fight against Ovarian Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14164037. [PMID: 36011029 PMCID: PMC9406463 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14164037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary With an overall 5-year survival of only 20% for advanced-stage ovarian cancer patients, enduring and effective therapies are a highly unmet clinical need. Current standard-of-care therapies are able to improve progression-free survival; however, patients still relapse. Moreover, immunotherapy has not resulted in clear patient benefits so far. In this situation, dendritic cell vaccines can serve as a potential therapeutic addition against ovarian cancer. In the current review, we provide an overview of the different dendritic cell subsets and the roles they play in ovarian cancer. We focus on the advancements in dendritic cell vaccination against ovarian cancer and highlight the key outcomes and pitfalls associated with currently used strategies. Finally, we address future directions that could be taken to improve the dendritic cell vaccination outcomes in ovarian cancer. Abstract Ovarian cancer (OC) is the deadliest gynecological malignancy in developed countries and is the seventh-highest cause of death in women diagnosed with cancer worldwide. Currently, several therapies are in use against OC, including debulking surgery, chemotherapy, as well as targeted therapies. Even though the current standard-of-care therapies improve survival, a vast majority of OC patients relapse. Additionally, immunotherapies have only resulted in meager patient outcomes, potentially owing to the intricate immunosuppressive nexus within the tumor microenvironment. In this scenario, dendritic cell (DC) vaccination could serve as a potential addition to the therapeutic options available against OC. In this review, we provide an overview of current therapies in OC, focusing on immunotherapies. Next, we highlight the potential of using DC vaccines in OC by underscoring the different DC subsets and their functions in OC. Finally, we provide an overview of the advances and pitfalls of current DC vaccine strategies in OC while providing future perspectives that could improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarushi Audhut Caro
- Laboratory of Myeloid Cell Immunology, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sofie Deschoemaeker
- Laboratory of Myeloid Cell Immunology, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lize Allonsius
- Laboratory of Myeloid Cell Immunology, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - An Coosemans
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Department of Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Damya Laoui
- Laboratory of Myeloid Cell Immunology, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32-2-6291969
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Dholakia J, Scalise CB, Katre AA, Goldsberry WN, Meza-Perez S, Randall TD, Norian LA, Novak L, Arend RC. Sequential modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway enhances tumor-intrinsic MHC I expression and tumor clearance. Gynecol Oncol 2021; 164:170-180. [PMID: 34844776 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2021.09.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Progress in immunotherapy use for gynecologic malignancies is hampered by poor tumor antigenicity and weak T cell infiltration of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Wnt/β-catenin pathway modulation demonstrated patient benefit in clinical trials as well as enhanced immune cell recruitment in preclinical studies. The purpose of this study was to characterize the pathways by which Wnt/β-catenin modulation facilitates a more immunotherapy-favorable TME. METHODS Human tumor samples and in vivo patient-derived xenograft and syngeneic murine models were administered Wnt/β-catenin modulating agents DKN-01 and CGX-1321 individually or in sequence. Analytical methods included immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, multiplex cytokine/chemokine array, and RNA sequencing. RESULTS DKK1 blockade via DKN-01 increased HLA/MHC expression in human and murine tissues, correlating with heightened expression of known MHC I regulators: NFkB, IL-1, LPS, and IFNy. PORCN inhibition via CGX-1321 increased production of T cell chemoattractant CXCL10, providing a mechanism for observed increases in intra-tumoral T cells. Diverse leukocyte recruitment was noted with elevations in B cells and macrophages, with increased tumor expression of population-specific chemokines. Sequential DKK1 blockade and PORCN inhibition decreased tumor burden as evidenced by reduced omental weights. CONCLUSIONS Wnt/β-catenin pathway modulation increases MHC I expression and promotes tumor leukocytic infiltration, facilitating a pro-immune TME associated with decreased tumor burden. This intervention overcomes common tumor immune-evasion mechanisms and may render ovarian tumors susceptible to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhalak Dholakia
- University of Alabama in Birmingham, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Carly B Scalise
- University of Alabama in Birmingham, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Ashwini A Katre
- University of Alabama in Birmingham, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Whitney N Goldsberry
- University of Alabama in Birmingham, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Selene Meza-Perez
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Immunology & Rheumatology, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Troy D Randall
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Immunology & Rheumatology, Birmingham, AL, United States of America; University of Alabama at Birmingham, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Lyse A Norian
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL, United States of America; University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Nutrition Sciences, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Lea Novak
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Department of Anatomic Pathology, Birmingham, AL, United States of America
| | - Rebecca C Arend
- University of Alabama in Birmingham, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Birmingham, AL, United States of America; University of Alabama at Birmingham, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL, United States of America.
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Van der Meer JMR, de Jonge PKJD, van der Waart AB, Geerlings AC, Moonen JP, Brummelman J, de Klein J, Vermeulen MC, Maas RJA, Schaap NPM, Hoogstad-van Evert JS, Ottevanger PB, Jansen JH, Hobo W, Dolstra H. CD34 + progenitor-derived NK cell and gemcitabine combination therapy increases killing of ovarian cancer cells in NOD/SCID/IL2Rg null mice. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1981049. [PMID: 34616589 PMCID: PMC8489932 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1981049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Combining natural killer (NK) cell adoptive transfer with tumor-sensitizing chemotherapy is an attractive approach against recurrent ovarian cancer (OC), as OC is sensitive to NK cell-mediated immunity. Previously, we showed that CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC)-derived NK cells can kill OC cells in vitro and inhibit OC tumor growth in mice. Here, we investigated the potential of HPC-NK cell therapy combined with chemotherapeutic gemcitabine (used in recurrent OC patients) against OC. We examined the phenotypical, functional, and cytotoxic effects of gemcitabine on HPC-NK cells and/or OC cells in vitro and in OC-bearing mice. To this end, we treated OC cells and/or HPC-NK cells with or without gemcitabine and analyzed the phenotype, cytokine production, and anti-tumor reactivity. We found that gemcitabine did not affect the phenotype and functionality of HPC-NK cells, while on OC cells expression of NK cell activating ligands and death receptors was upregulated. Although gemcitabine pre-treatment of OC cells did not improve the functionality of HPC-NK cells, importantly, HPC-NK cells and gemcitabine additively killed OC cells in vitro. Similarly, combined HPC-NK cell and gemcitabine treatment additively decreased tumor growth in OC-bearing mice. Collectively, our results indicate that combination therapy of HPC-NK cells and gemcitabine results in augmented OC killing in vitro and in vivo. This provides a rationale for exploring this therapeutic strategy in patients with recurrent OC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien M R Van der Meer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul K J D de Jonge
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Anniek B van der Waart
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander C Geerlings
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jurgen P Moonen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jolanda Brummelman
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Janne de Klein
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Malou C Vermeulen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ralph J A Maas
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Nicolaas P M Schaap
- Department of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Janneke S Hoogstad-van Evert
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Amphia Hospital, The Netherlands
| | - Petronella B Ottevanger
- Department of Medical Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Joop H Jansen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Willemijn Hobo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Harry Dolstra
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center/Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Iezzi M, Quaglino E, Amici A, Lollini PL, Forni G, Cavallo F. DNA vaccination against oncoantigens: A promise. Oncoimmunology 2021; 1:316-325. [PMID: 22737607 PMCID: PMC3382874 DOI: 10.4161/onci.19127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The emerging evidence that DNA vaccines elicit a protective immune response in rodents, dogs and cancer patients, coupled with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of an initial DNA vaccine to treat canine tumors is beginning to close the gap between the optimistic experimental data and their difficult application in a clinical setting. Here we review a series of conceptual and biotechnological advances that are working together to make DNA vaccines targeting molecules that play important roles during cancer progression (oncoantigens) a promise with near-term clinical impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Iezzi
- Aging Research Centre; G. d'Annunzio University; Chieti, Italy
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Van der Meer JMR, Maas RJA, Guldevall K, Klarenaar K, de Jonge PKJD, Evert JSHV, van der Waart AB, Cany J, Safrit JT, Lee JH, Wagena E, Friedl P, Önfelt B, Massuger LF, Schaap NPM, Jansen JH, Hobo W, Dolstra H. IL-15 superagonist N-803 improves IFNγ production and killing of leukemia and ovarian cancer cells by CD34 + progenitor-derived NK cells. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020; 70:1305-1321. [PMID: 33140189 PMCID: PMC8053152 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-020-02749-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell transfer is a potential immunotherapy to eliminate and control cancer. A promising source are CD34 + hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), since large numbers of cytotoxic NK cells can be generated. Effective boosting of NK cell function can be achieved by interleukin (IL)-15. However, its in vivo half-life is short and potent trans-presentation by IL-15 receptor α (IL-15Rα) is absent. Therefore, ImmunityBio developed IL-15 superagonist N-803, which combines IL-15 with an activating mutation, an IL-15Rα sushi domain for trans-presentation, and IgG1-Fc for increased half-life. Here, we investigated whether and how N-803 improves HPC-NK cell functionality in leukemia and ovarian cancer (OC) models in vitro and in vivo in OC-bearing immunodeficient mice. We used flow cytometry-based assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, microscopy-based serial killing assays, and bioluminescence imaging, for in vitro and in vivo experiments. N-803 increased HPC-NK cell proliferation and interferon (IFN)γ production. On leukemia cells, co-culture with HPC-NK cells and N-803 increased ICAM-1 expression. Furthermore, N-803 improved HPC-NK cell-mediated (serial) leukemia killing. Treating OC spheroids with HPC-NK cells and N-803 increased IFNγ-induced CXCL10 secretion, and target killing after prolonged exposure. In immunodeficient mice bearing human OC, N-803 supported HPC-NK cell persistence in combination with total human immunoglobulins to prevent Fc-mediated HPC-NK cell depletion. Moreover, this combination treatment decreased tumor growth. In conclusion, N-803 is a promising IL-15-based compound that boosts HPC-NK cell expansion and functionality in vitro and in vivo. Adding N-803 to HPC-NK cell therapy could improve cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M R Van der Meer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - R J A Maas
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - K Guldevall
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - K Klarenaar
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - P K J D de Jonge
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J S Hoogstad-van Evert
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - A B van der Waart
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J Cany
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - J H Lee
- ImmunityBio, Culver City, CA, USA
| | - E Wagena
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - P Friedl
- Department of Cell Biology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- David H. Koch Center for Applied Genitourinary Cancers, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Cancer Genomics Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - B Önfelt
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - L F Massuger
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - N P M Schaap
- Department of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J H Jansen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - W Hobo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - H Dolstra
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 8, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Balhorn R, Balhorn MC. Therapeutic applications of the selective high affinity ligand drug SH7139 extend beyond non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to many other types of solid cancers. Oncotarget 2020; 11:3315-3349. [PMID: 32934776 PMCID: PMC7476732 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.27709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
SH7139, the first of a series of selective high affinity ligand (SHAL) oncology drug candidates designed to target and bind to the HLA-DR proteins overexpressed by B-cell lymphomas, has demonstrated exceptional efficacy in the treatment of Burkitt lymphoma xenografts in mice and a safety profile that may prove to be unprecedented for an oncology drug. The aim of this study was to determine how frequently the HLA-DRs targeted by SH7139 are expressed by different subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and by other solid cancers that have been reported to express HLA-DR. Binding studies conducted with SH7129, a biotinylated analog of SH7139, reveal that more than half of the biopsy sections obtained from patients with different types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma express the HLA-DRs targeted by SH7139. Similar analyses of tumor biopsy tissue obtained from patients diagnosed with eighteen other solid cancers show the majority of these tumors also express the HLA-DRs targeted by SH7139. Cervical, ovarian, colorectal and prostate cancers expressed the most HLA-DR. Only a few esophageal and head and neck tumors bound the diagnostic. Within an individual’s tumor, cell to cell differences in HLA-DR target expression varied by only 2 to 3-fold while the expression levels in tumors obtained from different patients varied as much as 10 to 100-fold. The high frequency with which SH7129 was observed to bind to these cancers suggests that many patients diagnosed with B-cell lymphomas, myelomas, and other non-hematological cancers should be considered potential candidates for new therapies such as SH7139 that target HLA-DR-expressing tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rod Balhorn
- SHAL Technologies Inc., Livermore, CA 94550, USA
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8
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Stokidis S, Fortis SP, Kogionou P, Anagnostou T, Perez SA, Baxevanis CN. HLA Class I Allele Expression and Clinical Outcome in De Novo Metastatic Prostate Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12061623. [PMID: 32570992 PMCID: PMC7352811 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The prognostic value of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules in prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the prognostic relevance of the most frequently expressed HLA-A alleles in Greece (A*02:01 and HLA-A*24:02) in de novo metastatic hormone-sensitive PCa (mPCa), which is a rare and aggressive disease characterized by a rapid progression to castration-resistance (CR) and poor overall survival (OS), contributing to almost 50% of PCa-related deaths. We identified 56 patients who had either progressed to CR (these patients were retrospectively analyzed for the time to the progression of CR and prospectively for OS) or had at least three months’ follow-up postdiagnosis without CR progression and, thus, were prospectively analyzed for both CR and OS. Patients expressing HLA-A*02:01 showed poor clinical outcomes vs. HLA-A*02:01−negative patients. HLA-A*24:02−positive patients progressed slower to CR and had increased OS. Homozygous HLA-A*02:01 patients progressed severely to CR, with very short OS. Multivariate analyses ascribed to both HLA alleles significant prognostic values for the time to progression (TTP) to CR and OS. The presence of HLA-A*02:01 and HLA-A*24:02 alleles in de novo mPCa patients are significantly and independently associated with unfavorable or favorable clinical outcomes, respectively, suggesting their possible prognostic relevance for treatment decision-making in the context of precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savvas Stokidis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras avenue, 11522 Athens, Greece; (S.S.); (S.P.F.); (P.K.); (S.A.P.)
| | - Sotirios P. Fortis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras avenue, 11522 Athens, Greece; (S.S.); (S.P.F.); (P.K.); (S.A.P.)
| | - Paraskevi Kogionou
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras avenue, 11522 Athens, Greece; (S.S.); (S.P.F.); (P.K.); (S.A.P.)
| | - Theodoros Anagnostou
- Department of Urology, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras avenue, 11522 Athens, Greece;
| | - Sonia A. Perez
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras avenue, 11522 Athens, Greece; (S.S.); (S.P.F.); (P.K.); (S.A.P.)
| | - Constantin N. Baxevanis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, 171 Alexandras avenue, 11522 Athens, Greece; (S.S.); (S.P.F.); (P.K.); (S.A.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +30-210-640-9624
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9
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Yan Y, Leontovich AA, Gerdes MJ, Desai K, Dong J, Sood A, Santamaria-Pang A, Mansfield AS, Chadwick C, Zhang R, Nevala WK, Flotte TJ, Ginty F, Markovic SN. Understanding heterogeneous tumor microenvironment in metastatic melanoma. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216485. [PMID: 31166985 PMCID: PMC6550385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A systemic analysis of the tumor-immune interactions within the heterogeneous tumor microenvironment is of particular importance for understanding the antitumor immune response. We used multiplexed immunofluorescence to elucidate cellular spatial interactions and T-cell infiltrations in metastatic melanoma tumor microenvironment. We developed two novel computational approaches that enable infiltration clustering and single cell analysis-cell aggregate algorithm and cell neighborhood analysis algorithm-to reveal and to compare the spatial distribution of various immune cells relative to tumor cell in sub-anatomic tumor microenvironment areas. We showed that the heterogeneous tumor human leukocyte antigen-1 expressions differently affect the magnitude of cytotoxic T-cell infiltration and the distributions of CD20+ B cells and CD4+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells within and outside of T-cell infiltrated tumor areas. In a cohort of 166 stage III melanoma samples, high tumor human leukocyte antigen-1 expression is required but not sufficient for high T-cell infiltration, with significantly improved overall survival. Our results demonstrate that tumor cells with heterogeneous properties are associated with differential but predictable distributions of immune cells within heterogeneous tumor microenvironment with various biological features and impacts on clinical outcomes. It establishes tools necessary for systematic analysis of the tumor microenvironment, allowing the elucidation of the "homogeneous patterns" within the heterogeneous tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiyi Yan
- Division of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Alexey A. Leontovich
- Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Gerdes
- Diagnostics, Imaging and Biomedical Technologies, GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York, United States of America
| | - Keyur Desai
- Diagnostics, Imaging and Biomedical Technologies, GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York, United States of America
| | - Jinhong Dong
- Clinical Immunology and Immunotherapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Anup Sood
- Diagnostics, Imaging and Biomedical Technologies, GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York, United States of America
| | - Alberto Santamaria-Pang
- Diagnostics, Imaging and Biomedical Technologies, GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York, United States of America
| | - Aaron S. Mansfield
- Division of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Chrystal Chadwick
- Diagnostics, Imaging and Biomedical Technologies, GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York, United States of America
| | - Rong Zhang
- Diagnostics, Imaging and Biomedical Technologies, GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York, United States of America
| | - Wendy K. Nevala
- Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Thomas J. Flotte
- Division of Anatomic Pathology and Division of Dermatopathology and Cutaneous Immunopathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Fiona Ginty
- Diagnostics, Imaging and Biomedical Technologies, GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, New York, United States of America
| | - Svetomir N. Markovic
- Division of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Hoogstad-van Evert J, Bekkers R, Ottevanger N, Schaap N, Hobo W, Jansen JH, Massuger L, Dolstra H. Intraperitoneal infusion of ex vivo-cultured allogeneic NK cells in recurrent ovarian carcinoma patients (a phase I study). Medicine (Baltimore) 2019; 98:e14290. [PMID: 30702598 PMCID: PMC6380776 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000014290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recurrent ovarian carcinoma has dismal prognosis, but control of disease and prolonged survival are possible in some patients. The estimated 5-year survival is 46% for all stages of ovarian cancer, and only 28% for metastasized disease. Notably, the majority of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed with stage III or IV disease with a high recurrence rate. As most women with relapsed or metastatic cancer will die of progressive disease, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. The primary aim of our study is to evaluate safety and toxicity of intraperitoneal infusion of ex vivo-expanded natural killer cells (NK), generated from CD34+ umbilical cord blood (UCB) progenitor cells, with and without a preceding non-myeloablative immunosuppressive conditioning regimen in patients suffering from recurrent ovarian cancer. The secondary objectives are to compare the in vivo lifespan, expansion, and biological activity of intraperitoneally infused NK cell products with or without preparative chemotherapy, as well as evaluate effects on disease load. METHODS In this phase I safety trial, 12 patients who are suffering from recurrent ovarian cancer, detected by a significant rise in serum level of CA-125 on two successive time points, will be included. Prior to UCB-NK cell infusion, a laparoscopy is performed to place a catheter in the peritoneal cavity. The first cohort of three patients will receive a single intraperitoneal infusion of 1.5-3×10 UCB-NK cells, generated ex vivo from CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells obtained from an allogeneic UCB unit, without a preparative chemotherapy regimen. The second group of three patients will be treated with a similar dose of UCB-NK cells following a preparative four days non-myeloablative immunosuppressive conditioning regimen with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine (Cy/Flu). If no severe toxicity is seen in these 6 patients, an extension cohort of 6 patients will be included to answer the secondary objectives. DISCUSSION This study investigates the safety of a promising new cellular therapy in a group of patients with a poor prognosis. Demonstration of safety and in vivo expansion capacity of allogeneic UCB-NK cells in the absence of Cy/Flu pretreatment will provide rationale for UCB-NK cell infusion after regular second-line chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Willemijn Hobo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Joop H. Jansen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Harry Dolstra
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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11
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Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes F, Cursons J, Huntington ND. The Emergence of Natural Killer Cells as a Major Target in Cancer Immunotherapy. Trends Immunol 2019; 40:142-158. [PMID: 30639050 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2018.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Immune 'checkpoint' inhibitors can increase the activity of tumor-resident cytotoxic lymphocytes and have revolutionized cancer treatment. Current therapies block inhibitory pathways in tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and recent studies have shown similar programs in other effector populations such as natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells are critical for immunosurveillance, particularly the control of metastatic cells or hematological cancers. However, how NK cells specifically recognize transformed cells and dominant negative feedback pathways, as well as how tumors escape NK cell control, remains undefined. This review summarizes recent advances that have illuminated inhibitory checkpoints in NK cells, some of which are shared with conventional cytotoxic T lymphocytes. It also outlines emerging approaches aimed at unleashing the potential of NK cells in immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes
- Molecular Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Joseph Cursons
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; Bioinformatics Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Nicholas D Huntington
- Molecular Immunology Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia; Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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12
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Petretto A, Carbotti G, Inglese E, Lavarello C, Pistillo MP, Rigo V, Croce M, Longo L, Martini S, Vacca P, Ferrini S, Fabbi M. Proteomic analysis uncovers common effects of IFN-γ and IL-27 on the HLA class I antigen presentation machinery in human cancer cells. Oncotarget 2018; 7:72518-72536. [PMID: 27683036 PMCID: PMC5341926 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.12235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
IL-27, a member of the IL-12-family of cytokines, has shown anti-tumor activity in several pre-clinical models due to anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic and immune-enhancing effects. On the other hand, IL-27 demonstrated immune regulatory activities and inhibition of auto-immunity in mouse models. Also, we reported that IL-27, similar to IFN-γ, induces the expression of IL-18BP, IDO and PD-L1 immune regulatory molecules in human cancer cells. Here, a proteomic analysis reveals that IL-27 and IFN-γ display a broad overlap of functions on human ovarian cancer cells. Indeed, among 990 proteins modulated by either cytokine treatment in SKOV3 cells, 814 showed a concordant modulation by both cytokines, while a smaller number (176) were differentially modulated. The most up-regulated proteins were common to both IFN-γ and IL-27. In addition, functional analysis of IL-27-regulated protein networks highlighted pathways of interferon signaling and regulation, antigen presentation, protection from natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, regulation of protein polyubiquitination and proteasome, aminoacid catabolism and regulation of viral protein levels. Importantly, we found that IL-27 induced HLA class I molecule expression in human cancer cells of different histotypes, including tumor cells showing very low expression. IL-27 failed only in a cancer cell line bearing a homozygous deletion in the B2M gene. Altogether, these data point out to a broad set of activities shared by IL-27 and IFN-γ, which are dependent on the common activation of the STAT1 pathway. These data add further explanation to the anti-tumor activity of IL-27 and also to its dual role in immune regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Petretto
- Core Facilities-Proteomics Laboratory, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Grazia Carbotti
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Elvira Inglese
- Core Facilities-Proteomics Laboratory, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Chiara Lavarello
- Core Facilities-Proteomics Laboratory, Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maria Pia Pistillo
- Tumor Epigenetics Unit, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Valentina Rigo
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Michela Croce
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Luca Longo
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Stefania Martini
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Paola Vacca
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Silvano Ferrini
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Marina Fabbi
- Department of Integrated Oncological Therapies, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
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13
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Hoogstad-van Evert JS, Cany J, van den Brand D, Oudenampsen M, Brock R, Torensma R, Bekkers RL, Jansen JH, Massuger LF, Dolstra H. Umbilical cord blood CD34 + progenitor-derived NK cells efficiently kill ovarian cancer spheroids and intraperitoneal tumors in NOD/SCID/IL2Rg null mice. Oncoimmunology 2017; 6:e1320630. [PMID: 28919991 PMCID: PMC5593716 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2017.1320630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells is an attractive therapy approach against ovarian carcinoma. Here, we evaluated the potency of highly active NK cells derived from human CD34+ haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) to infiltrate and mediate killing of human ovarian cancer spheroids using an in vivo-like model system and mouse xenograft model. These CD56+Perforin+ HSPC-NK cells were generated under stroma-free conditions in the presence of StemRegenin-1, IL-15, and IL-12, and exerted efficient cytolytic activity and IFNγ production toward ovarian cancer monolayer cultures. Live-imaging confocal microscopy demonstrated that these HSPC-NK cells actively migrate, infiltrate, and mediate tumor cell killing in a three-dimensional multicellular ovarian cancer spheroid. Infiltration of up to 30% of total HSPC-NK cells within 8 h resulted in robust tumor spheroid destruction. Furthermore, intraperitoneal HSPC-NK cell infusions in NOD/SCID-IL2Rγnull (NSG) mice bearing ovarian carcinoma significantly reduced tumor progression. These findings demonstrate that highly functional HSPC-NK cells efficiently destruct ovarian carcinoma spheroids in vitro and kill intraperitoneal ovarian tumors in vivo, providing great promise for effective immunotherapy through intraperitoneal HSPC-NK cell adoptive transfer in ovarian carcinoma patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke S Hoogstad-van Evert
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Jeannette Cany
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Dirk van den Brand
- Department of Biochemistry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Manon Oudenampsen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Roland Brock
- Department of Biochemistry, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ruurd Torensma
- Department of Tumor Immunology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ruud L Bekkers
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Joop H Jansen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Leon F Massuger
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Harry Dolstra
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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14
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Voutsas IF, Anastasopoulou EA, Tzonis P, Papamichail M, Perez SA, Baxevanis CN. Unraveling the role of preexisting immunity in prostate cancer patients vaccinated with a HER-2/neu hybrid peptide. J Immunother Cancer 2016; 4:75. [PMID: 27891225 PMCID: PMC5109671 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-016-0183-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer vaccines aim at eliciting not only an immune response against specific tumor antigens, but also at enhancing a preexisting immunity against the tumor. In this context, we recently reported on the levels of preexisting immunity in prostate cancer patients vaccinated with the HER-2 hybrid peptide (AE37), during a phase I clinical trial. The purpose of the current study was to correlate between preexisting immunity to the native HER-2 peptide, AE36, and expression of HLA-A2 and -A24 molecules with the clinical outcome. Additionally, we investigated the ability of the AE37 vaccine to induce an antitumor immune response against other tumor associated antigens, not integrated in the vaccine formulation, with respect to the clinical response. Methods We analyzed prostate cancer patients who were vaccinated with the AE37 vaccine [Ii-Key-HER-2/neu(776–790) hybrid peptide vaccine (AE37), which is a MHC class II long peptide vaccine encompassing MHC class I epitopes, during a phase I clinical trial. Preexisting immunity to the native HER-2/neu(776–790) (AE36) peptide was assessed by IFNγ response or dermal reaction at the inoculation site. Antigen specificity against other tumor antigens was defined using multimer analysis. Progression free survival (PFS) was considered as the patients’ clinical outcome. Two-tailed Wilcoxon signed rank test at 95 % confidence interval was used for statistical evaluation at different time points and Kaplan–Meier curves with log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test were used for the evaluation of PFS. Results Preexisting immunity to AE36, irrespectively of HLA expression, was correlated with longer PFS. Specific CD8+ T cell immunity against E75 and PSA146–151 (HLA-A2 restricted), as well as, PSA153–161 (HLA-A24 restricted) was detected at relatively high frequencies which were further enhanced during vaccinations. Specific immunity against PSA153–161 correlated with longer PFS in HLA-A24+ patients. However, HLA-A2+ patients with high preexisting or vaccine-induced immunity to E75, showed a trend for shorter PFS. Conclusions Our data cast doubt on whether preexisting immunity or epitope spreading specific for HLA-class I-restricted peptides can actually predict a favorable clinical outcome. They also impose that preexisting immunity to long vaccine peptides, encompassing both HLA class II and I epitopes should be considered as an important prerequisite for the improvement of future immunotherapeutic protocols. Protocol ID Code: Generex-06-07 National Organization for Medicines (EOF) ID Code: IS-107-01-06 NEC Study Code: EED107/1/06 EudraCT Number: 2006-003299-37 Date of registration: 07/06/2006 Date of enrolment of the first participant to the trial: Nov 1st, 2007 Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40425-016-0183-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis F Voutsas
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Panagiotis Tzonis
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Michael Papamichail
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Sonia A Perez
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center, Saint Savas Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
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15
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Patterson AM, Kaabinejadian S, McMurtrey CP, Bardet W, Jackson KW, Zuna RE, Husain S, Adams GP, MacDonald G, Dillon RL, Ames H, Buchli R, Hawkins OE, Weidanz JA, Hildebrand WH. Human Leukocyte Antigen-Presented Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Is a Surface Biomarker and Potential Therapeutic Target for Ovarian Cancer. Mol Cancer Ther 2015; 15:313-22. [PMID: 26719579 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-15-0658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
T cells recognize cancer cells via HLA/peptide complexes, and when disease overtakes these immune mechanisms, immunotherapy can exogenously target these same HLA/peptide surface markers. We previously identified an HLA-A2-presented peptide derived from macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and generated antibody RL21A against this HLA-A2/MIF complex. The objective of the current study was to assess the potential for targeting the HLA-A2/MIF complex in ovarian cancer. First, MIF peptide FLSELTQQL was eluted from the HLA-A2 of the human cancerous ovarian cell lines SKOV3, A2780, OV90, and FHIOSE118hi and detected by mass spectrometry. By flow cytometry, RL21A was shown to specifically stain these four cell lines in the context of HLA-A2. Next, partially matched HLA-A*02:01+ ovarian cancer (n = 27) and normal fallopian tube (n = 24) tissues were stained with RL21A by immunohistochemistry to assess differential HLA-A2/MIF complex expression. Ovarian tumor tissues revealed significantly increased RL21A staining compared with normal fallopian tube epithelium (P < 0.0001), with minimal staining of normal stroma and blood vessels (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001 compared with tumor cells) suggesting a therapeutic window. We then demonstrated the anticancer activity of toxin-bound RL21A via the dose-dependent killing of ovarian cancer cells. In summary, MIF-derived peptide FLSELTQQL is HLA-A2-presented and recognized by RL21A on ovarian cancer cell lines and patient tumor tissues, and targeting of this HLA-A2/MIF complex with toxin-bound RL21A can induce ovarian cancer cell death. These results suggest that the HLA-A2/MIF complex should be further explored as a cell-surface target for ovarian cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M Patterson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | - Saghar Kaabinejadian
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | - Curtis P McMurtrey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Pure MHC LLC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | - Wilfried Bardet
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | - Ken W Jackson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | - Rosemary E Zuna
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | - Sanam Husain
- Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
| | | | | | | | - Harold Ames
- Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Abilene, Texas
| | | | - Oriana E Hawkins
- Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Abilene, Texas
| | - Jon A Weidanz
- Department of Immunotherapeutics and Biotechnology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Abilene, Texas
| | - William H Hildebrand
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Pure MHC LLC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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16
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Peper JK, Stevanović S. A combined approach of human leukocyte antigen ligandomics and immunogenicity analysis to improve peptide-based cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2015; 64:1295-303. [PMID: 25822767 PMCID: PMC11029747 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-015-1682-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The breakthrough development of immune checkpoint inhibitors as clinically effective novel therapies demonstrates the potential of cancer immunotherapy. The identification of suitable targets for specific immunotherapy, however, remains a challenging task. Most peptides previously used for vaccination in clinical trials were able to elicit strong immunological responses but failed with regard to clinical benefit. This might, at least partly, be caused by an inadequate peptide selection, usually derived from established tumor-associated antigens which are not necessarily presented as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands. Recently, HLA ligandome analysis revealed cancer-associated peptides, which have been used in clinical trials showing encouraging impact on survival. To improve peptide-based cancer immunotherapy, our group established a combined approach of HLA ligandomics and immunogenicity analysis for the identification of vaccine peptides. This approach is based on the identification of naturally presented HLA ligands on tumor samples, the selection of tumor-associated/tumor-specific HLA ligands and their subsequent testing for immunogenicity in vitro. In this review, we want to present our pipeline for the identification of vaccine peptides, focusing on ovarian cancer, and want to discuss differences to other approaches. Furthermore, we want to give a short outlook of a potential multi-peptide vaccination trial using the novel identified peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Kerstin Peper
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076, Tübingen, Germany,
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17
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Andersson E, Poschke I, Villabona L, Carlson JW, Lundqvist A, Kiessling R, Seliger B, Masucci GV. Non-classical HLA-class I expression in serous ovarian carcinoma: Correlation with the HLA-genotype, tumor infiltrating immune cells and prognosis. Oncoimmunology 2015; 5:e1052213. [PMID: 26942060 PMCID: PMC4760332 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2015.1052213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In our previous studies, we have shown that patients with serous ovarian carcinoma in advanced surgical stage disease have a particularly poor prognosis if they carry the HLA-A*02 genotype. This represent a stronger prognostic factor than loss or downregulation of the MHC class I heavy chain (HC) on tumor cells. In this study, we investigated the expression of the non-classical, immune tolerogenic HLA -G and -E on the tumor cells along with the infiltration of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. FFPE primary tumors from 72 patients with advanced stages of serous adenocarcinoma and metastatic cells present in ascites fluid from 8 additional patients were included in this study. Both expression of HLA-G and aberrant expression of HLA-E were correlated to a significant worse prognosis in patients with HLA-A*02, but not with different HLA genotypes. Focal cell expression of HLA-G correlated to a site-specific downregulation of classical MHC class I HC products and aberrant HLA-E expression, showing a poor survival. HLA-G was more frequently expressed in metastatic cells than in primary tumor lesions and the expression of HLA-G inversely correlated with the frequency of tumor infiltrating immune cells. All these parameters can contribute together to identify and discriminate subpopulations of patients with extremely poor prognosis and can give them the opportunity to receive, and benefit of individually tailored treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Andersson
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Isabel Poschke
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital; Stockholm, Sweden; Division of Molecular Oncology of Gastrointestinal Tumors; German Cancer Research Center; Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lisa Villabona
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joseph W Carlson
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rolf Kiessling
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology; Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ; Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Giuseppe V Masucci
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
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18
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Seliger B. The link between MHC class I abnormalities of tumors, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and transcription factors. J Immunotoxicol 2014; 11:308-10. [DOI: 10.3109/1547691x.2013.875084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
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Leone P, Shin EC, Perosa F, Vacca A, Dammacco F, Racanelli V. MHC class I antigen processing and presenting machinery: organization, function, and defects in tumor cells. J Natl Cancer Inst 2013; 105:1172-87. [PMID: 23852952 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djt184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 362] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The surface presentation of peptides by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules is critical to all CD8(+) T-cell adaptive immune responses, including those against tumors. The generation of peptides and their loading on MHC class I molecules is a multistep process involving multiple molecular species that constitute the so-called antigen processing and presenting machinery (APM). The majority of class I peptides begin as proteasome degradation products of cytosolic proteins. Once transported into the endoplasmic reticulum by TAP (transporter associated with antigen processing), peptides are not bound randomly by class I molecules but are chosen by length and sequence, with peptidases editing the raw peptide pool. Aberrations in APM genes and proteins have frequently been observed in human tumors and found to correlate with relevant clinical variables, including tumor grade, tumor stage, disease recurrence, and survival. These findings support the idea that APM defects are immune escape mechanisms that disrupt the tumor cells' ability to be recognized and killed by tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells. Detailed knowledge of APM is crucial for the optimization of T cell-based immunotherapy protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Leone
- Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Oncology, University of Bari Medical School, Bari, Italy
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Spear P, Barber A, Rynda-Apple A, Sentman CL. NKG2D CAR T-cell therapy inhibits the growth of NKG2D ligand heterogeneous tumors. Immunol Cell Biol 2013; 91:435-40. [PMID: 23628805 DOI: 10.1038/icb.2013.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2013] [Revised: 03/21/2013] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Tumor heterogeneity presents a substantial barrier to increasing clinical responses mediated by targeted therapies. Broadening the immune response elicited by treatments that target a single antigen is necessary for the elimination of tumor variants that fail to express the targeted antigen. In this study, it is shown that adoptive transfer of T cells bearing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) inhibited the growth of target-expressing and -deficient tumor cells within ovarian and lymphoma tumors. Mice bearing the ID8 ovarian or RMA lymphoma tumors were treated with T cells transduced with a NKG2D-based CAR (chNKG2D). NKG2D CAR T-cell therapy protected mice from heterogeneous RMA tumors. Moreover, adoptive transfer of chNKG2D T cells mediated tumor protection against highly heterogeneous ovarian tumors in which 50, 20 or only 7% of tumor cells expressed significant amounts of NKG2D ligands. CAR T cells did not mediate an in vivo response against tumor cells that did not express sufficient amounts of NKG2D ligands, and the number of ligand-expressing tumor cells correlated with therapeutic efficacy. In addition, tumor-free surviving mice were protected against a tumor re-challenge with NKG2D ligand-negative ovarian tumor cells. These data indicate that NKG2D CAR T-cell treatment can be an effective therapy against heterogeneous tumors and induce tumor-specific immunity against ligand-deficient tumor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Spear
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
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Panzarini E, Inguscio V, Dini L. Immunogenic cell death: can it be exploited in PhotoDynamic Therapy for cancer? BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2012; 2013:482160. [PMID: 23509727 PMCID: PMC3591131 DOI: 10.1155/2013/482160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Revised: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 10/01/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Immunogenic Cell Death (ICD) could represent the keystone in cancer management since tumor cell death induction is crucial as well as the control of cancer cells revival after neoplastic treatment. In this context, the immune system plays a fundamental role. The concept of Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) has been proposed to explain the immunogenic potential of stressed or dying/dead cells. ICD relies on DAMPs released by or exposed on dying cells. Once released, DAMPs are sensed by immune cells, in particular Dendritic Cells (DCs), acting as activators of Antigen-Presenting Cells (APCs), that in turn stimulate both innate and adaptive immunity. On the other hand, by exposing DAMPs, dying cancer cells change their surface composition, recently indicated as vital for the stimulation of the host immune system and the control of residual ill cells. It is well established that PhotoDynamic Therapy (PDT) for cancer treatment ignites the immune system to elicit a specific antitumor immunity, probably linked to its ability in inducing exposure/release of certain DAMPs, as recently suggested. In the present paper, we discuss the DAMPs associated with PDT and their role in the crossroad between cancer cell death and immunogenicity in PDT.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luciana Dini
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science and Technology (Di.S.Te.B.A.), University of Salento, Via per Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
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22
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Stranzl T, Larsen MV, Lund O, Nielsen M, Brunak S. The cancer exome generated by alternative mRNA splicing dilutes predicted HLA class I epitope density. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38670. [PMID: 23049726 PMCID: PMC3458037 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2011] [Accepted: 05/09/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown that cancers actively regulate alternative splicing. Altered splicing mechanisms in cancer lead to cancer-specific transcripts different from the pool of transcripts occurring only in healthy tissue. At the same time, altered presentation of HLA class I epitopes is frequently observed in various types of cancer. Down-regulation of genes related to HLA class I antigen processing has been observed in several cancer types, leading to fewer HLA class I antigens on the cell surface. Here, we use a peptidome wide analysis of predicted alternative splice forms, based on a publicly available database, to show that peptides over-represented in cancer splice variants comprise significantly fewer predicted HLA class I epitopes compared to peptides from normal transcripts. Peptides over-represented in cancer transcripts are in the case of the three most common HLA class I supertype representatives consistently found to contain fewer predicted epitopes compared to normal tissue. We observed a significant difference in amino acid composition between protein sequences associated with normal versus cancer tissue, as transcripts found in cancer are enriched with hydrophilic amino acids. This variation contributes to the observed significant lower likelihood of cancer-specific peptides to be predicted epitopes compared to peptides found in normal tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Stranzl
- Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Mette V. Larsen
- Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ole Lund
- Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Morten Nielsen
- Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Søren Brunak
- Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Department of Systems Biology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
- * E-mail:
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Boei JJWA, Vermeulen S, Skubakova MM, Meijers M, Loenen WAM, Wolterbeek R, Mullenders LHF, Vrieling H, Giphart-Gassler M. No threshold for the induction of chromosomal damage at clinically relevant low doses of X rays. Radiat Res 2012; 177:602-13. [PMID: 22468706 DOI: 10.1667/rr2718.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The recent steep increase in population dose from radiation-based medical diagnostics, such as computed tomography (CT) scans, requires insight into human health risks, especially in terms of cancer development. Since the induction of genetic damage is considered a prominent cause underlying the carcinogenic potential of ionizing radiation, we quantified the induction of micronuclei and loss of heterozygosity events in human cells after exposure to clinically relevant low doses of X rays. A linear dose-response relationship for induction of micronuclei was observed in human fibroblasts with significantly increased frequencies at doses as low as 20 mGy. Strikingly, cells exposed during S-phase displayed the highest induction, whereas non S-phase cells showed no significant induction below 100 mGy. Similarly, the induction of loss of heterozygosity in human lymphoblastoid cells quantified at HLA loci, was linear with dose and reached significance at 50 mGy. Together the findings favor a linear-no-threshold model for genetic damage induced by acute exposure to ionizing radiation. We speculate that the higher radiosensitivity of S-phase cells might relate to the excessive cancer risk observed in highly proliferative tissues in radiation exposed organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan J W A Boei
- aDepartment of Toxicogenetics, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Alpizar YA, Chain B, Collins MK, Greenwood J, Katz D, Stauss HJ, Mitchison NA. Ten years of progress in vaccination against cancer: the need to counteract cancer evasion by dual targeting in future therapies. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2011; 60:1127-35. [PMID: 21479639 PMCID: PMC11028423 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-011-0985-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2010] [Accepted: 01/31/2011] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Although cancer immunology has made vigorous progress over the last decade, its future remains uncertain. Tumors have clearly proved subject to immune surveillance, leading to antigenic editing, and means of activating both T and B arms of the immune system have been devised. Therapeutic vaccination and monoclonal antibody therapy have so far proved disappointing, because tumors prove adept at evasion from immune control. Dual targeting could well counteract evasion, provided that the two targets are independent and are attacked simultaneously. This stage has nearly but not quite been reached in several forms of immunotherapy, particularly of B-cell cancers, although such treatment also carries hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin Chain
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Mary K. Collins
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - John Greenwood
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London, EC1V 9EL UK
| | - David Katz
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Hans J. Stauss
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, 11-43 Bath Street, London, EC1V 9EL UK
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25
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Pellicciotta I, Yang CPH, Goldberg GL, Shahabi S. Epothilone B enhances Class I HLA and HLA-A2 surface molecule expression in ovarian cancer cells. Gynecol Oncol 2011; 122:625-31. [PMID: 21621254 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2011.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2011] [Accepted: 05/04/2011] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States. Epothilone B (EpoB), Taxol and vinblastine are anti-neoplastic agents that interfere with microtubules and arrest the cell cycle in the G2/M phase. EpoB is being evaluated in phase III clinical trials, and its analogs are currently being used in the treatment of taxane-resistant metastatic breast cancer. Little is known about the effect of these drugs on the immune response to tumors. Cancer cells evade immune recognition by down-regulating HLA Class I expression, allowing escape from immune surveillance and destruction. Our data illustrates the effect of microtubule-interacting agents on HLA Class I and HLA-A2 expression as well as the modulation of cytokine expression in ovarian cancer cells. METHODS Ovarian cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of drugs. Cell surface expression and mRNA transcription of HLA Class I molecules and HLA-A2 was examined. IFNα, IL1β, IL12 and IL6 mRNA expression was also evaluated upon EpoB treatment. RESULTS Low-dose EpoB, Taxol and vinblastine greatly increased expression of HLA Class I and HLA-A2 molecules in Hey ovarian cancer cells. EpoB does not modulate HLA expression in drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells. The expression of IFNα, IL1β, IL12 and IL6 is also markedly increased upon EpoB treatment. CONCLUSIONS Nanomolar concentrations of microtubule-interacting agents enhance immune-visibility of ovarian cancer cells by increasing HLA Class I and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. Immune recognition of tumor cells may be improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilenia Pellicciotta
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women's Health, Montefiore Medical Center, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Bronx, New York, NY 10461, USA.
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26
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Visus C, Ito D, Dhir R, Szczepanski MJ, Chang YJ, Latimer JJ, Grant SG, DeLeo AB. Identification of Hydroxysteroid (17β) dehydrogenase type 12 (HSD17B12) as a CD8+ T-cell-defined human tumor antigen of human carcinomas. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2011; 60:919-29. [PMID: 21409596 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-011-1001-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2010] [Accepted: 03/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Hydroxysteroid (17β) dehydrogenase type 12 (HSD17B12) is a multifunctional isoenzyme functional in the conversion of estrone to estradiol (E2), and elongation of long-chain fatty acids, in particular the conversion of palmitic to archadonic (AA) acid, the precursor of sterols and the inflammatory mediator, prostaglandin E(2). Its overexpression together with that of COX-2 in breast carcinoma is associated with a poor prognosis. We have identified the HSD17B12(114-122) peptide (IYDKIKTGL) as a naturally presented HLA-A*0201 (HLA-A2)-restricted CD8(+) T-cell-defined epitope. The HSD17B12(114-122) peptide, however, is poorly immunogenic in its in vitro ability to induce peptide-specific CD8(+) T cells. Acting as an "optimized peptide", a peptide (TYDKIKTGL), which is identical to the HSD17B12(114-122) peptide except for threonine at residue 1, was required for inducing in vitro the expansion of CD8(+) T-cell effectors cross-reactive against the HSD17B12(114-122) peptide. In IFN-γ ELISPOT assays, these effector cells recognize HSD17B12(114-122) peptide-pulsed target cells, as well as HLA-A2(+) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and breast carcinoma cell lines overexpressing HSD17B12 and naturally presenting the epitope. Whereas growth inhibition of a breast carcinoma cell line induced by HSD17B12 knockdown was only reversed by AA, in a similar manner, the growth inhibition of the SCCHN PCI-13 cell line by HSD17B12 knockdown was reversed by E2 and AA. Our findings provide the basis for future studies aimed at developing cancer vaccines for targeting HSD17B12, which apparently can be functional in critical metabolic pathways involved in inflammation and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Visus
- Division of Basic Research, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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Cavallo F, De Giovanni C, Nanni P, Forni G, Lollini PL. 2011: the immune hallmarks of cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2011; 60:319-26. [PMID: 21267721 PMCID: PMC3042096 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-010-0968-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2010] [Accepted: 12/27/2010] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Ten years after the publication of the position paper “The hallmarks of cancer” (Hanahan and Weinberg Cell 100:57–70, 2000), it has become increasingly clear that mutated cells on their way to giving rise to a tumor have also to learn how to thrive in a chronically inflamed microenvironment, evade immune recognition, and suppress immune reactivity. Genetic and molecular definition of these three immune hallmarks of cancer offers the opportunity to learn how to deploy specific countermeasures to reverse the situation in favor of the immune system and, eventually, the patient. This new information could be channeled to address what seem to be the three major hallmarks for the immune control of cancer progression: effective procedures to activate immune reactivity; characterization of not-disposable oncoantigens; and counteraction of immune suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Cavallo
- Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Molecular Biotechnology Center, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy.
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Identification and characterization of a tumor infiltrating CD56(+)/CD16 (-) NK cell subset with specificity for pancreatic and prostate cancer cell lines. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2010; 59:1757-69. [PMID: 20734041 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-010-0897-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2010] [Accepted: 07/22/2010] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In a recent clinical trial, a patient exhibited regression of several pancreatic cancer metastases following the administration of the immune modulator Ipilimumab (anti-CTLA-4 antibody). We sought to characterize the immune cells responsible for this regression. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL-2742) and an autologous tumor line (TC-2742) were expanded from a regressing metastatic lesion excised from this patient. Natural killer (NK) cells predominated in the TIL (92% CD56(+)) with few T cells (12% CD3(+)). A majority (88%) of the NK cells were CD56(bright)CD16(-). TIL-2742 secreted IFN-γ and GM-CSF following co-culture with TC-2742 and major histocompatibility complex mismatched pancreatic tumor lines. After sorting TIL-2742, the purified CD56(+)CD16(-)CD3(-) subset showed reactivity similar to TIL-2742 while the CD56(-)CD16(-)CD3(+) cells exhibited no tumor recognition. In co-culture assays, TIL-2742 and the NK subset expressed high reactivity to several pancreatic and prostate cancer cell lines and could lyse the autologous tumor as well as pancreas and prostate cancer lines. Reactivity was partially abrogated by blockade of TRAIL. We thus identified a unique subset of NK cells (CD56(bright)CD16(dim)) isolated from a regressing metastatic pancreatic cancer in a patient responding to Ipilimumab. This represents the first report of CD56(+)CD16(-) NK cells with apparent specificity for pancreatic and prostate cancer cell lines and associated with tumor regression following the treatment with an immune modulating agent.
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29
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Bukur J, Loeffler D, Massa C, Mueller L, Riemann D, Schmoll HJ, Seliger B. "Tumor immunology meets oncology IV", 23rd and 24th May 2008 Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2010; 59:955-62. [PMID: 18751976 PMCID: PMC11030824 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-008-0580-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2008] [Accepted: 08/14/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juergen Bukur
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin-Luther-University Halle Wittenberg, Magdeburger Str. 2, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Dennis Loeffler
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin-Luther-University Halle Wittenberg, Magdeburger Str. 2, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Chiara Massa
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin-Luther-University Halle Wittenberg, Magdeburger Str. 2, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Lutz Mueller
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, Oncology/Hematology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Dagmar Riemann
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin-Luther-University Halle Wittenberg, Magdeburger Str. 2, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Hans-Joachim Schmoll
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, Oncology/Hematology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin-Luther-University Halle Wittenberg, Magdeburger Str. 2, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany
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30
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Degenhardt Y, Huang J, Greshock J, Horiates G, Nathanson K, Yang X, Herlyn M, Weber B. Distinct MHC gene expression patterns during progression of melanoma. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2010; 49:144-54. [PMID: 19862823 DOI: 10.1002/gcc.20728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abnormal expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules in melanoma has been reported previously. However, the MHC molecule expression patterns in different growth phases of melanoma and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that in vertical growth phase (VGP) melanomas, MHC genes are subject to increased rates of DNA copy number gains, accompanied by increased expression, in comparison to normal melanocytes. In contrast, MHC expression in metastatic melanomas drastically decreased compared to VGP melanomas, despite still prevalent DNA copy number gains. Subsequent investigations found that the master transactivator of MHC genes, CIITA, was also significantly downregulated in metastatic melanomas when compared to VGP melanomas. This could be one of the mechanisms accounting for the discrepancy between DNA copy number and expression level in metastatic melanomas, a potentially separate mechanism of gene regulation. These results infer a dynamic role of MHC function in melanoma progression. We propose potential mechanisms for the overexpression of MHC molecules in earlier stages of melanoma as well as for its downregulation in metastatic melanomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Degenhardt
- Cancer Metabolism DPU, Oncology, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA 19406, USA.
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31
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Garrido C, Algarra I, Maleno I, Stefanski J, Collado A, Garrido F, Garcia-Lora AM. Alterations of HLA class I expression in human melanoma xenografts in immunodeficient mice occur frequently and are associated with higher tumorigenicity. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2010; 59:13-26. [PMID: 19430787 PMCID: PMC11031073 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-009-0716-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2008] [Accepted: 04/16/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Animal models are widely used to study the biological behavior of human tumors in vivo. Murine immunodeficient models are used to test novel human anti-tumor therapies, and humanized mice are employed to study immunotherapeutic protocols. We find that human melanoma cell lines lose HLA class I surface expression after growth in immunodeficient mice and that this phenomenon occurs frequently and is reproducible. This HLA loss is due to a coordinated down-regulation of APM and HLA heavy chain expression at the transcriptional level. It is produced by epigenetic modifications and can be reversed by treatment with histone deacetylase inhibitors or IFN-gamma. These HLA alterations only appear during in vivo growth and not during successive in vitro passages. Interestingly, these new tumor variants with HLA class I loss show higher tumorigenicity per se and may represent a more advanced state of the original tumor. Lack of MHC class I expression on tumor cells represents a frequent escape mechanism from the immune response. Our results indicate that tumor variants with alterations in MHC can also appear in vivo after the immunoescape phase in the absence of anti-tumor immune response. Our findings suggest that any studied parameter, i.e., HLA expression, of malignant cells in xenograft models, has to be evaluated before and after growth in immunodeficient mice, in order to design more appropriate immunotherapy and chemotherapy treatments against tumor cells growing in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Garrido
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos e Inmunologia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Av. Fuerzas Armadas 2, 18014 Granada, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular III e Inmunologia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Ignacio Algarra
- Departamento Ciencias de La Salud, Universidad de Jaén, 23014 Jaén, Spain
| | - Isabel Maleno
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos e Inmunologia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Av. Fuerzas Armadas 2, 18014 Granada, Spain
| | - Julia Stefanski
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos e Inmunologia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Av. Fuerzas Armadas 2, 18014 Granada, Spain
| | - Antonia Collado
- Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, 18014 Granada, Spain
| | - Federico Garrido
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos e Inmunologia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Av. Fuerzas Armadas 2, 18014 Granada, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular III e Inmunologia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Angel M. Garcia-Lora
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos e Inmunologia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Av. Fuerzas Armadas 2, 18014 Granada, Spain
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Sengupta N, MacFie TS, MacDonald TT, Pennington D, Silver AR. Cancer immunoediting and "spontaneous" tumor regression. Pathol Res Pract 2009; 206:1-8. [PMID: 19945228 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2009.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2009] [Accepted: 10/07/2009] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The combination of host protective and tumor-promoting actions of the immune system throughout tumor development is termed cancer immunoediting. This review briefly summarizes the currently vast evidence supporting the immune system's role in not only protecting against developing cancer, but also sculpting tumor immunogenicity and immune escape. We also briefly summarize the history of immunotherapy and discuss the immunoediting process in the context of spontaneous tumor regression and whether this observation can be utilized in future treatment regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neel Sengupta
- Colorectal Cancer Genetics, Centre for Academic Surgery, Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 4 Newark Street, Whitechapel, London E1 2AT, UK
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33
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Carlsten M, Norell H, Bryceson YT, Poschke I, Schedvins K, Ljunggren HG, Kiessling R, Malmberg KJ. Primary human tumor cells expressing CD155 impair tumor targeting by down-regulating DNAM-1 on NK cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 183:4921-30. [PMID: 19801517 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0901226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 203] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The activating NK cell receptor DNAX accessory molecule-1 (DNAM-1) contributes to tumor immune surveillance and plays a crucial role in NK cell-mediated recognition of several types of human tumors, including ovarian carcinoma. Here, we have analyzed the receptor repertoire and functional integrity of NK cells in peritoneal effusions from patients with ovarian carcinoma. Relative to autologous peripheral blood NK cells, tumor-associated NK cells expressed reduced levels of the DNAM-1, 2B4, and CD16 receptors and were hyporesponsive to HLA class I-deficient K562 cells and to coactivation via DNAM-1 and 2B4. Moreover, tumor-associated NK cells were also refractory to CD16 receptor stimulation, resulting in diminished Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against autologous tumor cells. Coincubation of NK cells with ovarian carcinoma cells expressing the DNAM-1 ligand CD155 led to reduction of DNAM-1 expression. Therefore, NK cell-mediated rejection of ovarian carcinoma may be limited by perturbed DNAM-1 expression on tumor-associated NK cells induced by chronic ligand exposure. Thus, these data support the notion that tumor-induced alterations of activating NK cell receptor expression may hamper immune surveillance and promote tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattias Carlsten
- Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Center for Infectious Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Seliger B, Stoehr R, Handke D, Mueller A, Ferrone S, Wullich B, Tannapfel A, Hofstaedter F, Hartmann A. Association of HLA class I antigen abnormalities with disease progression and early recurrence in prostate cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2009; 59:529-40. [PMID: 19820934 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-009-0769-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2009] [Accepted: 09/04/2009] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Defects in HLA class I antigen processing machinery (APM) component expression often have a negative impact on the clinical course of tumors and on the response to T cell-based immunotherapy. Since only scant information is available about the frequency and clinical significance of HLA class I APM component abnormalities in prostate cancer, the APM component expression pattern was analyzed in 59 primary prostate carcinoma, adjacent normal tissues, as well as in prostate carcinoma cell lines. The IFN-gamma inducible proteasome subunits LMP2 and LMP7, TAP1, TAP2, calnexin, calreticulin, ERp57, and tapasin are strongly expressed in the cytoplasm of normal prostate cells, whereas HLA class I heavy chain (HC) and beta(2)-microglobulin are expressed on the cell surface. Most of the APM components were downregulated in a substantial number of prostate cancers. With the exception of HLA class I HC, TAP2 and ERp57 not detectable in about 0.5% of tumor lesions, all other APM components were not detected in at least 21% of lesions analyzed. These APM component defects were associated with a higher Gleason grade of tumors and an early disease recurrence. Prostate carcinoma cell lines also exhibit a heterogeneous, but reduced constitutive APM component expression pattern associated with lack or reduced HLA class I surface antigens, which could be upregulated by IFN-gamma. Our results suggest that HLA class I APM component abnormalities are mainly due to regulatory mechanisms, play a role in the clinical course of prostate cancer and on the outcome of T cell-based immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Magdeburger Str. 2, 06112 Halle, Germany.
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35
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Improving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Eur J Cancer 2009; 45:1424-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2008.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2008] [Accepted: 12/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Abstract
Ovarian cancer remains a challenging disease for which improved treatments are urgently needed. Most patients present with advanced disease that is highly responsive to surgery combined with platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy, with a state of minimal residual disease being achieved in many cases. However, chemotherapy-resistant recurrent tumors typically appear within 1-5 years and are ultimately fatal. Recently, several groups have shown that ovarian tumors are often infiltrated by activated T cells at the time of diagnosis, and patients with dense infiltrates of CD3+CD8+ T cells experience unexpectedly favorable progression-free and overall survival. Other cell types in the immune infiltrate oppose anti-tumor immunity, including CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells, CD8+ regulatory T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. The composition of immune infiltrates is shaped by the expression of cytokines, chemokines, antigens, major histocompatibility complex molecules, and costimulatory molecules. The relationship between these various immunological factors is reviewed here with a strong emphasis on outcomes data so as to create a knowledge base that is well grounded in clinical reality. With improved understanding of the functional properties of natural CD8+ T-cell responses to ovarian cancer, there is great potential to improve clinical outcomes by amplifying host immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brad H Nelson
- Trev & Joyce Deeley Research Centre, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, BC, Canada.
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Hoves S, Aigner M, Pfeiffer C, Laumer M, Obermann EC, Mackensen A. In situ analysis of the antigen-processing machinery in acute myeloid leukaemic blasts by tissue microarray. Leukemia 2009; 23:877-85. [DOI: 10.1038/leu.2008.391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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38
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Wang Y, Chiu JF, He QY. Genomics and Proteomics in Drug Design and Discovery. Pharmacology 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-369521-5.00020-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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39
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Mehrotra S, Mougiakakos D, Christian Johansson C, Voelkel‐Johnson C, Kiessling R. Chapter 6 Oxidative Stress and Lymphocyte Persistence. Adv Cancer Res 2009; 102:197-227. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-230x(09)02006-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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40
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Preta G, Marescotti D, Fortini C, Carcoforo P, Castelli C, Masucci M, Gavioli R. Inhibition of serine-peptidase activity enhances the generation of a survivin-derived HLA-A2-presented CTL epitope in colon-carcinoma cells. Scand J Immunol 2008; 68:579-88. [PMID: 19000094 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2008.02175.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes eliminate tumor cells expressing antigenic peptides in the context of MHC-I molecules. Peptides are generated during protein degradation by the proteasome and resulting products, surviving cytosolic amino-peptidases activity, may be presented by MHC-I molecules. The MHC-I processing pathway is altered in a large number of malignancies and modulation of antigen generation is one strategy employed by cells to evade immune control. In this study we analyzed the generation and presentation of a survivin-derived CTL epitope in HLA-A2-positive colon-carcinoma cells. Although all cell lines expressed the anti-apoptotic protein survivin, some tumors were poorly recognized by ELTLGEFLKL (ELT)-specific CTL cultures. The expression of MHC-I or TAP molecules was similar in all cell lines suggesting that tumors not recognized by CTLs may present defects in the generation of the ELT-epitope which could be due either to lack of generation or to subsequent degradation of the epitope. The cells were analyzed for the expression and the activity of extra-proteasomal peptidases. A significant overexpression and higher activity of TPPII was observed in colon-carcinoma cells which are not killed by ELT-specific CTLs, suggesting a possible role of TPPII in the degradation of the ELT-epitope. To confirm the role of TPPII in the degradation of the ELT-peptide, we showed that treatment of colon-carcinoma cells with a TPPII inhibitor resulted in a dose-dependent increased sensitivity to ELT-specific CTLs. These results suggest that TPPII is involved in degradation of the ELT-peptide, and its overexpression may contribute to the immune escape of colon-carcinoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Preta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
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41
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Yang W, Luo D, Wang S, Wang R, Chen R, Liu Y, Zhu T, Ma X, Liu R, Xu G, Meng L, Lu Y, Zhou J, Ma D. TMTP1, a Novel Tumor-Homing Peptide Specifically Targeting Metastasis. Clin Cancer Res 2008; 14:5494-502. [PMID: 18765541 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-08-0233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wanhua Yang
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People's Republic of China
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42
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Barber A, Zhang T, Sentman CL. Immunotherapy with chimeric NKG2D receptors leads to long-term tumor-free survival and development of host antitumor immunity in murine ovarian cancer. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2008; 180:72-8. [PMID: 18097006 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.180.1.72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women and the development of novel therapies is needed to complement the standard treatment options such as chemotherapy and radiation. In this study, we show that treatment with T cells expressing a chimeric NKG2D receptor (chNKG2D) was able to lead to long-term, tumor-free survival in mice bearing established ovarian tumors. Tumor-free mice were able to reject a rechallenge with ovarian tumor cells 225 days after original tumor injection. In addition, chNKG2D T cell treatment induced specific host immune responses to ovarian tumor cells, including the development of both CD8+ and CD4+ T cell tumor-specific memory responses. The chNKG2D T cells reduced the ovarian tumor burden using both cytotoxic and cytokine-dependent pathways. Specifically, chNKG2D T cell expression of perforin, GM-CSF, and IFN-gamma were essential for complete antitumor efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amorette Barber
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
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43
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Rolland P, Deen S, Scott I, Durrant L, Spendlove I. Human leukocyte antigen class I antigen expression is an independent prognostic factor in ovarian cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2007; 13:3591-6. [PMID: 17575223 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-06-2087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Despite improvements in cancer treatment, the prognosis of ovarian cancer remains low and imperfectly predicted by traditional pathologic criteria. Biomarkers that predict prognosis independently of such criteria shed light on important molecular variations, aiding in the development and targeting of novel therapies. Previous work has shown human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigen expression to be independently predictive of prognosis in colorectal and breast cancer. We investigated the prognostic potential of HLA class I antigen expression by studying a large series of ovarian cancers. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN A tissue microarray of 339 ovarian cancer cases linked to prospectively recorded clinicopathologic and follow-up data was constructed. This was stained following a standard immunohistochemical protocol for HLA class I heavy chain (HC-10) and beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)-m). HLA class I antigen expression was compared with clinicopathologic factors and overall disease-specific survival using the Pearson chi(2) test, Kaplan-Meier curves, and the log-rank test. Cox regression was used to test for the independence and magnitude of effects. RESULTS There were no univariate correlations between HLA class I antigen expression and clinicopathologic factors. Deviation from an HC-10(+)/beta(2)-m(+) phenotype correlated with reduced survival in univariate analysis (log-rank, 5.69; P = 0.017); a retained HC-10(+)/beta(2)-m(+) phenotype predicted improved prognosis independently of age, stage, level of cytoreduction, and chemotherapy usage on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.587; 95% confidence interval, 0.442-0.781; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS HLA class I antigen expression is an independent prognostic marker in ovarian cancer, its loss correlating with a poor prognostic outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phil Rolland
- Academic and Clinical Department of Oncology, University Hospitals Nottingham, City Hospital Campus, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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44
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Gamzatova Z, Villabona L, van der Zanden H, Haasnoot GW, Andersson E, Kiessling R, Seliger B, Kanter L, Dalianis T, Bergfeldt K, Masucci GV. Analysis of HLA class I?II haplotype frequency and segregation in a cohort of patients with advanced stage ovarian cancer. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 70:205-13. [PMID: 17661908 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0039.2007.00875.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In solid tumors, human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-A2 has been suggested to be a risk factor and a negative prognostic factor. The HLA-A2 allele in Scandinavia has a high prevalence; it decreases with latitude and also with ovarian cancer mortality in Europe. Furthermore, an association of the HLA-A2 allele with severe prognosis in serous adenocarcinoma of the ovary in stages III-IV was found. Thirty-two unrelated Swedish women with relapsing or progressive ovarian cancer were analysed for the genotypes at the HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-Cw, and HLA-DRB1 loci by the polymerase chain reaction/sequence-specific primer method. The frequencies of HLA alleles of healthy Swedish bone marrow donors provided by the coordinating centre of the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide Registries, Leiden, the Netherlands were used as controls. When this cohort of epithelial ovarian cancer patients was compared with healthy Swedish donors, the frequency of HLA-A1 and HLA-A2 gene/phenotype appears, although not statistically significant, to be increased in patients with ovarian carcinoma, while HLA-A3 was decreased. HLA-A2 homozygotes were twofold higher in patients. The A2-B8 haplotype was significantly increased (corrected P value). A2-B5, A2-B15, A2-DRB1*03, A2-DRB1*04, A2-B15-Cw3, and A2-B8-DRB1*03 had odds ratio as well as the level of the lower confidence interval above 1 and significant P value only when considered as single, non-corrected analysis. HLA-B15 and HLA-Cw3 were only present in HLA-A2-positive patients showing that the HLA-A2-HLA-Cw3 and HLA-B15 haplotypes were segregated. In this selected cohort with advanced disease, there are indications of an unusual overrepresentation of HLA class I and II genes/haplotypes as well as segregation for the HLA-A2-HLA-Cw3 and HLA-B15 haplotypes. These findings are presented as a descriptive analysis and need further investigations on a larger series of ovarian cancer patients to establish prognostic associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Gamzatova
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
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Abstract
The transfusion of lymphocytes, referred to as adoptive T cell therapy, is being tested for the treatment of cancer and chronic infections. Adoptive T cell therapy has the potential to enhance antitumor immunity, augment vaccine efficacy, and limit graft-versus-host disease. This form of personalized medicine is now in various early- and late-stage clinical trials. These trials are currently testing strategies to infuse tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, CTLs, Th cells, and Tregs. Improved molecular biology techniques have also increased enthusiasm and feasibility for testing genetically engineered T cells. The current status of the field and prospects for clinical translation are reviewed herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl H June
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
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46
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Reiman JM, Kmieciak M, Manjili MH, Knutson KL. Tumor immunoediting and immunosculpting pathways to cancer progression. Semin Cancer Biol 2007; 17:275-87. [PMID: 17662614 PMCID: PMC2742305 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2007.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2007] [Revised: 03/16/2007] [Accepted: 06/07/2007] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that a natural function of the immune system is to respond and destroy aberrant, dysfunctional cells by a process called immunosurveillance. These studies also suggest that the tumors that arise despite immunosurveillance have been immunosculpted by the immune system. The purported abilities of tumors to induce immune tolerance and suppression, the increased pathogenic behavior of the tumor cells following exposure to immune effectors and the loss of immunogenicity (i.e. immunoediting) often observed in advanced stage tumors could be the result of immunosculpting. In some cases, these immunosculpting features may be permanent and irreversible. However, in other cases, reversible epigenetic mechanisms may underlie the immune resistant tumor phenotype. Regardless, these immune-induced alterations could contribute to cancer pathogenesis. Understanding the mechanisms by which tumors evade immunity will be important for disease prevention and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M. Reiman
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905
| | - Maciej Kmieciak
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, VCU School of Medicine, Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, VA 23298
| | - Masoud H. Manjili
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, VCU School of Medicine, Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, VA 23298
| | - Keith L. Knutson
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905
- To whom correspondence should be addressed, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 342C Guggenheim, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905; Telephone 507-284-0545; FAX (507) 266-0981; e-mail:
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Barber A, Zhang T, DeMars LR, Conejo-Garcia J, Roby KF, Sentman CL. Chimeric NKG2D Receptor–Bearing T Cells as Immunotherapy for Ovarian Cancer. Cancer Res 2007; 67:5003-8. [PMID: 17510432 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-4047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite advancements in the treatment of ovarian cancer, this disease continues to be a leading cause of cancer death in women. Adoptive transfer of tumor-reactive T cells is a promising antitumor therapy for many cancers. We designed a chimeric receptor linking NKG2D, a natural killer (NK) cell-activating receptor, to the CD3zeta chain of the T-cell receptor to target ovarian tumor cells. Engagement of chimeric NKG2D receptors (chNKG2D) with ligands for NKG2D, which are commonly expressed on tumor cells, leads to T-cell secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and tumor cytotoxicity. In this study, we show that >80% of primary human ovarian cancer samples expressed ligands for NKG2D on the cell surface. The tumor samples expressed MHC class I-related protein A, MICB, and UL-16 binding proteins 1 and 3. ChNKG2D-expressing T cells lysed ovarian cancer cell lines. We show that T cells from ovarian cancer patients that express chNKG2D secreted proinflammatory cytokines when cultured with autologous tumor cells. In addition, we show that chNKG2D T cells can be used therapeutically in a murine model of ovarian cancer. These data indicate that treatment with chNKG2D-expressing T cells is a potential immunotherapy for ovarian cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amorette Barber
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH 03756, USA
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48
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Carlsten M, Björkström NK, Norell H, Bryceson Y, van Hall T, Baumann BC, Hanson M, Schedvins K, Kiessling R, Ljunggren HG, Malmberg KJ. DNAX accessory molecule-1 mediated recognition of freshly isolated ovarian carcinoma by resting natural killer cells. Cancer Res 2007; 67:1317-25. [PMID: 17283169 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-06-2264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Although natural killer (NK) cells are well known for their ability to kill tumors, few studies have addressed the interactions between resting (nonactivated) NK cells and freshly isolated human tumors. Here, we show that human leukocyte antigen class I(low) tumor cells isolated directly from patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma trigger degranulation by resting allogeneic NK cells. This was paralleled by induction of granzyme B and caspase-6 activities in the tumor cells and significant tumor cell lysis. Ovarian carcinoma cells displayed ubiquitous expression of the DNAX accessory molecule-1 (DNAM-1) ligand PVR and sparse/heterogeneous expression of the NKG2D ligands MICA/MICB and ULBP1, ULBP2, and ULBP3. In line with the NK receptor ligand expression profiles, antibody-mediated blockade of activating receptor pathways revealed a dominant role for DNAM-1 and a complementary contribution of NKG2D signaling in tumor cell recognition. These results show that resting NK cells are capable of directly recognizing freshly isolated human tumor cells and identify ovarian carcinoma as a potential target for adoptive NK cell-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattias Carlsten
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, 14186 Stockholm, Sweden
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49
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Paco L, Garcia-Lora AM, Casares C, Cabrera C, Algarra I, Collado A, Maleno I, Garrido F, Lopez-Nevot MA. Total loss of HLA class I expression on a melanoma cell line after growth in nude mice in absence of autologous antitumor immune response. Int J Cancer 2007; 121:2023-2030. [PMID: 17621628 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.22925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Loss of HLA class I expression on tumor cells is a frequent event as an immune escape mechanism. Seven different altered HLA phenotypes have been defined in tumors. Various molecular mechanisms have been described as responsible for HLA class I loss. HLA class I expression alterations occur successively and unpredictably during tumor progression in vivo and immunoselection has been implicated in this process. We present an experimental xenograft model in which melanoma cell line Ando-2 injected into athymic nude mice lost total surface HLA class I expression and exhibited HLA class II cell surface expression. A strong down-regulation of HLA class I expression and de novo HLA class II expression were also found when Ando-2 melanoma cells were injected into SCID-Beige mice. These phenomena were reproducible and were only observed in local growth in nude or SCID-Beige mice and not in vitro after multiple passages. HLA class I surface expression was recovered after IFN-gamma treatment, indicating regulatory defects. The mechanism implicated in loss of HLA class I molecule expression were a down-regulation of different components of antigen processing machinery and HLA class I heavy chains. These data suggest that HLA class I alterations can also occur in absence of autologous adaptive immune response. This is a good experimental in vivo model to study the relationship between tumor progression and HLA class I alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Paco
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Angel Miguel Garcia-Lora
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Carlos Casares
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Carmen Cabrera
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Ignacio Algarra
- Departamento Ciencias de La Salud, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain
| | - Antonia Collado
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Isabel Maleno
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Federico Garrido
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Miguel Angel Lopez-Nevot
- Servicio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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50
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Davidson B, Dong HP, Holth A, Berner A, Risberg B. Flow cytometric immunophenotyping of cancer cells in effusion specimens: Diagnostic and research applications. Diagn Cytopathol 2007; 35:568-78. [PMID: 17703449 DOI: 10.1002/dc.20707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Flow cytometry (FCM) immunophenotyping is frequently used as an ancillary technique for the diagnosis of hematological malignancies or for measurement of DNA content. In recent years, we applied FCM to the diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma and malignant mesothelioma in effusions. We established a panel of antibodies that allows for rapid and effective differentiation between epithelial cells, mesothelial cells, and leukocytes. FCM was subsequently used for quantitative analysis of integrin subunits. Recently, we studied different parameters of the immune response, including HLA molecules and chemokine receptors, using this method. Our data suggest that FCM is an effective method for the characterization of cancer cells in clinical effusion specimens in both the diagnostic and research setting, and that this method is comparable to immunohistochemistry in terms of sensitivity and specificity, with the additional advantage of providing quantitative data. This review discusses previous work in this area and the future potential of this method in the characterization of tumor cells in serous effusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Davidson
- Pathology Clinic, Radiumhospitalet-Rikshospitalet Medical Center, University of Oslo, Montebello, Oslo, Norway
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