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Sanesi L, Mori G, Troiano G, Ballini A, Valzano F, Dioguardi M, Muzio LL, Magalhaes M, Caponio VCA. Salivary exosomal microRNA profile as biomonitoring tool for diagnosis and prognosis of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review. Arch Oral Biol 2024; 165:106012. [PMID: 38879952 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2024.106012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 05/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Exosomes are extracellular vesicles found in saliva and other body fluids. These vesicles range in size from 30 to 150 nm and play a crucial role in intercellular communication, transporting different biomolecules, actively targeting cells. These vesicles regulate both physiological and pathological processes within recipient cells. MicroRNAs (miRs) are transported within exosomes and are delivered to target cells where they influence signaling pathways, taking on a crucial regulatory role in oncogenesis; for example, they are implicated in progression and infiltration of various cancers, such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS A systematic literature search based on specific keywords, according to the PRISMA guidelines, was carried out on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Only original articles were selected during this review. The risk of bias was assessed by QUADAS-2. RESULTS At the end of the selection process 9 articles were included. In these studies, 41 miRs showed differential expression between healthy subjects and patient with HNSCC. The techniques varied among studies for the extraction and analysis of exosomal miRs. We presented also salivary exosomal miRs pathways, to give insights about pathogenetic mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS Exosomal microRNA are promising biomarkers for HNSCC detection. MiR-10b-5p, miR-486-5p, miR-24-3p, miR-412-3p, and miR-512-3p are the most promising markers applicable to diagnostics, while miR-1307-5p and miR-519c-3p resulted overexpressed and correlated to worse survival outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Sanesi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.
| | - Giorgio Mori
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Troiano
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Andrea Ballini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Felice Valzano
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Mario Dioguardi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Lo Muzio
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Marco Magalhaes
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, 124 Edward St, Toronto, ON M5G 1×3, Canada
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Hong L, Herjan T, Chen X, Zagore LL, Bulek K, Wang H, Yang CFJ, Licatalosi DD, Li X, Li X. Act1 drives chemoresistance via regulation of antioxidant RNA metabolism and redox homeostasis. J Exp Med 2024; 221:e20231442. [PMID: 38861022 PMCID: PMC11167376 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20231442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The IL-17 receptor adaptor molecule Act1, an RNA-binding protein, plays a critical role in IL-17-mediated cancer progression. Here, we report a novel mechanism of how IL-17/Act1 induces chemoresistance by modulating redox homeostasis through epitranscriptomic regulation of antioxidant RNA metabolism. Transcriptome-wide mapping of direct Act1-RNA interactions revealed that Act1 binds to the 5'UTR of antioxidant mRNAs and Wilms' tumor 1-associating protein (WTAP), a key regulator in m6A methyltransferase complex. Strikingly, Act1's binding sites are located in proximity to m6A modification sites, which allows Act1 to promote the recruitment of elF3G for cap-independent translation. Loss of Act1's RNA binding activity or Wtap knockdown abolished IL-17-induced m6A modification and translation of Wtap and antioxidant mRNAs, indicating a feedforward mechanism of the Act1-WTAP loop. We then developed antisense oligonucleotides (Wtap ASO) that specifically disrupt Act1's binding to Wtap mRNA, abolishing IL-17/Act1-WTAP-mediated antioxidant protein production during chemotherapy. Wtap ASO substantially increased the antitumor efficacy of cisplatin, demonstrating a potential therapeutic strategy for chemoresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingzi Hong
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Tomasz Herjan
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Xing Chen
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Leah L. Zagore
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Katarzyna Bulek
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Han Wang
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | - Donny D. Licatalosi
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Xiaoxia Li
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Xiao Li
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Computer and Data Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Barr J, Walz A, Restaino AC, Amit M, Barclay SM, Vichaya EG, Spanos WC, Dantzer R, Talbot S, Vermeer PD. Tumor-infiltrating nerves functionally alter brain circuits and modulate behavior in a male mouse model of head-and-neck cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.18.562990. [PMID: 37905135 PMCID: PMC10614955 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.18.562990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Cancer patients often experience changes in mental health, prompting an exploration into whether nerves infiltrating tumors contribute to these alterations by impacting brain functions. Using a male mouse model for head and neck cancer, we utilized neuronal tracing techniques and show that tumor-infiltrating nerves indeed connect to distinct brain areas via the ipsilateral trigeminal ganglion. The activation of this neuronal circuitry led to behavioral alterations represented by decreased nest-building, increased latency to eat a cookie, and reduced wheel running. Tumor-infiltrating nociceptor neurons exhibited heightened activity, as indicated by increased calcium mobilization. Correspondingly, the specific brain regions receiving these neural projections showed elevated cFos and delta FosB expression in tumor-bearing mice, alongside markedly intensified calcium responses compared to non-tumor-bearing counterparts. The genetic elimination of nociceptor neurons in tumor-bearing mice led to decreased brain Fos expression and mitigated the behavioral alterations induced by the presence of the tumor. While analgesic treatment successfully restored behaviors involving oral movements to normalcy in tumor-bearing mice, it did not have a similar therapeutic effect on voluntary wheel running. This discrepancy points towards an intricate relationship, where pain is not the exclusive driver of such behavioral shifts. Unraveling the interaction between the tumor, infiltrating nerves, and the brain is pivotal to developing targeted interventions to alleviate the mental health burdens associated with cancer.
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4
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Zhou J, Liu C, Amornphimoltham P, Cheong SC, Gutkind JS, Chen Q, Wang Z. Mouse Models for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. J Dent Res 2024; 103:585-595. [PMID: 38722077 DOI: 10.1177/00220345241240997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The prognosis and survival rate of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have remained unchanged for years, and the pathogenesis of HNSCC is still not fully understood, necessitating further research. An ideal animal model that accurately replicates the complex microenvironment of HNSCC is urgently needed. Among all the animal models for preclinical cancer research, tumor-bearing mouse models are the best known and widely used due to their high similarity to humans. Currently, mouse models for HNSCC can be broadly categorized into chemical-induced models, genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs), and transplanted mouse models, each with its distinct advantages and limitations. In chemical-induced models, the carcinogen spontaneously initiates tumor formation through a multistep process. The resemblance of this model to human carcinogenesis renders it an ideal preclinical platform for studying HNSCC initiation and progression from precancerous lesions. The major drawback is that these models are time-consuming and, like human cancer, unpredictable in terms of timing, location, and number of lesions. GEMMs involve transgenic and knockout mice with gene modifications, leading to malignant transformation within a tumor microenvironment that recapitulates tumorigenesis in vivo, including their interaction with the immune system. However, most HNSCC GEMMs exhibit low tumor incidence and limited prognostic significance when translated to clinical studies. Transplanted mouse models are the most widely used in cancer research due to their consistency, availability, and efficiency. Based on the donor and recipient species matching, transplanted mouse models can be divided into xenografts and syngeneic models. In the latter, transplanted cells and host are from the same strain, making syngeneic models relevant to study functional immune system. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the characteristics, establishment methods, and potential applications of these different HNSCC mouse models, aiming to assist researchers in choosing suitable animal models for their research.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Zhou
- Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - C Liu
- Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - P Amornphimoltham
- Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - S C Cheong
- Translational Cancer Biology, Cancer Research Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - J S Gutkind
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Q Chen
- Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Z Wang
- Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Research of Zhejiang Province, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Institute of Immunology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Majumder M, Janakiraman H, Chakraborty P, Vijayakumar A, Mayhue S, Yu H, Dincman T, Martin R, O’Quinn E, Mehrotra S, Palanisamy V. RNA-binding protein HuR reprograms immune T cells and promotes oral squamous cell carcinoma. ORAL ONCOLOGY REPORTS 2024; 10:100296. [PMID: 38681116 PMCID: PMC11044901 DOI: 10.1016/j.oor.2024.100296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Hu Antigen R, also known as ELAVL1 (HuR), is a key posttranscriptional regulator in eukaryotic cells. HuR overexpression promotes several malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, its immune dysfunction-associated tumorigenesis pathways remain unknown. We examined HuR's effects on oral malignancies and immune cell function in vitro and in vivo using oral carcinoma cells and transgenic HuR knockout (KO) mice. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated HuR deletion in mice syngeneic oral cancer cells eliminated colony formation and tumor development. HuR-KO tumors had a lower tumor volume, fewer CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells, and more CD8+ T cells, suggesting that HuR may suppress the immune response during oral cancer progression. In contrast, HuR KO oral epithelial tissues are resistant to 4NQO-induced oral malignancies compared to control tumor-bearing mice. HuR KO mice showed fewer Tregs and greater IFN levels than WT tumor-bearing mice, suggesting anticancer activity. Finally, the HuR inhibitor pyrvinium pamoate lowers tumor burden by enhancing CD8+ infiltration at the expense of CD4+, suggesting anticancer benefits. Thus, HuR-dependent oral neoplasia relies on immunological dysfunction, suggesting that decreasing HuR may boost antitumor potential and offer a novel HNSCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sari Mayhue
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, USA
| | - Hong Yu
- Oral Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, USA
| | - Toros Dincman
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, College of Medicine, USA
| | - Romeo Martin
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Elizabeth O’Quinn
- Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | | | - Viswanathan Palanisamy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, USA
- Division of Molecular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
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Sun YH, Wang CM, Shen HP, Lee CY, Lin CW, Yang SF, Wang PH. Impact of CD44 genetic variants on clinicopathological characteristics of uterine cervical cancer patients. Int J Med Sci 2024; 21:1428-1437. [PMID: 38903932 PMCID: PMC11186425 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.96414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
CD44 genetic variants have been found to be related to various cancers. However, to date, no study has demonstrated the involvement of CD44 polymorphisms in uterine cervical cancer in Taiwanese women. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study, consecutively recruiting 113 patients with invasive cancer, 92 patients with high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasias, and 302 control women to assess the relationships among CD44 polymorphisms, cervical carcinogenesis, and patient survival. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the genotypic distributions of six polymorphisms: rs1425802, rs187115, rs713330, rs11821102, rs10836347, and rs13347. The results revealed that women with the mutant homozygous genotype CC exhibited a higher risk of invasive cancer compared to those with the wild homozygous genotype TT [p=0.035; hazard ratio (HR)=10.29, 95% confidence interval (95% CI)=1.18-89.40] and TT/TC [p=0.032; HR=10.66, 95% CI=1.23-92.11] in the CD44 polymorphism rs713330. No significant association was found between CD44 genetic variants and clinicopathological parameters. Among the clinicopathological parameters, only positive pelvic lymph node metastasis (p=0.002; HR=8.57, 95% CI=2.14-34.38) and the AG/GG genotype compared to AA (p=0.014; HR=3.30, 95% CI=1.28-8.49) in CD44 polymorphism rs187115 predicted a higher risk of poor five-year survival, according to multivariate analysis. In conclusion, an important and novel finding revealed that Taiwanese women with the AG/GG genotype in CD44 polymorphism rs187115 exhibited a higher risk of poor five-year survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hung Sun
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chi-Mei Foundation Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Ming Wang
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Huang-Pin Shen
- Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Yuan Lee
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Chiayi, Taiwan
- Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chiayi Campus, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Chiao-Wen Lin
- Institute of Oral Sciences, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Fa Yang
- Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Po-Hui Wang
- Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
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7
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Eain HS, Kawai H, Nakayama M, Oo MW, Ohara T, Fukuhara Y, Takabatake K, Shan Q, Soe Y, Ono K, Nakano K, Mizukawa N, Iida S, Nagatsuka H. Double-faced CX3CL1 enhances lymphangiogenesis-dependent metastasis in an aggressive subclone of oral squamous cell carcinoma. JCI Insight 2024; 9:e174618. [PMID: 38775151 PMCID: PMC11141908 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.174618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Because cancer cells have a genetically unstable nature, they give rise to genetically different variant subclones inside a single tumor. Understanding cancer heterogeneity and subclone characteristics is crucial for developing more efficacious therapies. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is characterized by high heterogeneity and plasticity. On the other hand, CX3C motif ligand 1 (CX3CL1) is a double-faced chemokine with anti- and pro-tumor functions. Our study reported that CX3CL1 functioned differently in tumors with different cancer phenotypes, both in vivo and in vitro. Mouse OSCC 1 (MOC1) and MOC2 cells responded similarly to CX3CL1 in vitro. However, in vivo, CX3CL1 increased keratinization in indolent MOC1 cancer, while CX3CL1 promoted cervical lymphatic metastasis in aggressive MOC2 cancer. These outcomes were due to double-faced CX3CL1 effects on different immune microenvironments indolent and aggressive cancer created. Furthermore, we established that CX3CL1 promoted cancer metastasis via the lymphatic pathway by stimulating lymphangiogenesis and transendothelial migration of lymph-circulating tumor cells. CX3CL1 enrichment in lymphatic metastasis tissues was observed in aggressive murine and human cell lines. OSCC patient samples with CX3CL1 enrichment exhibited a strong correlation with lower overall survival rates and higher recurrence and distant metastasis rates. In conclusion, CX3CL1 is a pivotal factor that stimulates the metastasis of aggressive cancer subclones within the heterogeneous tumors to metastasize, and our study demonstrates the prognostic value of CX3CL1 enrichment in long-term monitoring in OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Htoo Shwe Eain
- Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstructive Surgery, and
| | | | - Masaaki Nakayama
- Department of Oral Microbiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - May Wathone Oo
- Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine
- Office of Innovative Medicine, Organization for Research Strategy and Development, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | - Yamin Soe
- Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine
| | - Kisho Ono
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | | | | | - Seiji Iida
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstructive Surgery, and
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Sur S, Bhartiya P, Steele R, Brennan M, DiPaolo RJ, Ray RB. Momordicine-I Suppresses Head and Neck Cancer Growth by Reprogrammimg Immunosuppressive Effect of the Tumor-Infiltrating Macrophages and B Lymphocytes. Mol Cancer Ther 2024; 23:672-682. [PMID: 38315993 PMCID: PMC11065610 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-23-0718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Head and neck cancer (HNC) is prevalent worldwide, and treatment options are limited. Momordicine-I (M-I), a natural component from bitter melon, shows antitumor activity against these cancers, but its mechanism of action, especially in the tumor microenvironment (TME), remains unclear. In this study, we establish that M-I reduces HNC tumor growth in two different immunocompetent mouse models using MOC2 and SCC VII cells. We demonstrate that the anticancer activity results from modulating several molecules in the monocyte/macrophage clusters in CD45+ populations in MOC2 tumors by single-cell RNA sequencing. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) often pose a barrier to antitumor effects, but following M-I treatment, we observe a significant reduction in the expression of Sfln4, a myeloid cell differentiation factor, and Cxcl3, a neutrophil chemoattractant, in the monocyte/macrophage populations. We further find that the macrophages must be in close contact with the tumor cells to inhibit Sfln4 and Cxcl3, suggesting that these TAMs are impacted by M-I treatment. Coculturing macrophages with tumor cells shows inhibition of Agr1 expression following M-I treatment, which is indicative of switching from M2 to M1 phenotype. Furthermore, the total B-cell population in M-I-treated tumors is significantly lower, whereas spleen cells also show similar results when cocultured with MOC2 cells. M-I treatment also inhibits PD1, PD-L1, and FoxP3 expression in tumors. Collectively, these results uncover the potential mechanism of M-I by modulating immune cells, and this new insight can help to develop M-I as a promising candidate to treat HNCs, either alone or as adjuvant therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhayan Sur
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Pradeep Bhartiya
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Robert Steele
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Michelle Brennan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Richard J. DiPaolo
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ratna B. Ray
- Department of Pathology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
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Saito S, Kono M, Nguyen HC, Egloff AM, Messier C, Lizotte P, Paweletz C, Adkins D, Uppaluri R. Targeting Dendritic Cell Dysfunction to Circumvent Anti-PD1 Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:1934-1944. [PMID: 38372707 PMCID: PMC11061605 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-3477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Neoadjuvant anti-PD1 (aPD1) therapies are being explored in surgically resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Encouraging responses have been observed, but further insights into the mechanisms underlying resistance and approaches to improve responses are needed. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We integrated data from syngeneic mouse oral carcinoma (MOC) models and neoadjuvant pembrolizumab HNSCC patient tumor RNA-sequencing data to explore the mechanism of aPD1 resistance. Tumors and tumor-draining lymph nodes (DLN) from MOC models were analyzed for antigen-specific priming. CCL5 expression was enforced in an aPD1-resistant model. RESULTS An aPD1-resistant mouse model showed poor priming in the tumor DLN due to type 1 conventional dendritic cell (cDC1) dysfunction, which correlated with exhausted and poorly responsive antigen-specific T cells. Tumor microenvironment analysis also showed decreased cDC1 in aPD1-resistant tumors compared with sensitive tumors. Following neoadjuvant aPD1 therapy, pathologic responses in patients also positively correlated with baseline transcriptomic cDC1 signatures. In an aPD1-resistant model, intratumoral cDC1 vaccine was sufficient to restore aPD1 response by enhancing T-cell infiltration and increasing antigen-specific responses with improved tumor control. Mechanistically, CCL5 expression significantly correlated with neoadjuvant aPD1 response and enforced expression of CCL5 in an aPD1-resistant model, enhanced cDC1 tumor infiltration, restored antigen-specific responses, and recovered sensitivity to aPD1 treatment. CONCLUSIONS These data highlight the contribution of tumor-infiltrating cDC1 in HNSCC aPD1 response and approaches to enhance cDC1 infiltration and function that may circumvent aPD1 resistance in patients with HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin Saito
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michihisa Kono
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hoang C.B. Nguyen
- Department of Surgery/Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Ann Marie Egloff
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Surgery/Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Cameron Messier
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Patrick Lizotte
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Cloud Paweletz
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Douglas Adkins
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Medicine/Medical Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ravindra Uppaluri
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Surgery/Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
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10
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Kono M, Saito S, Rokugo M, Egloff AM, Uppaluri R. Enhanced oral versus flank lymph node T cell response parallels anti-PD1 efficacy in head and neck cancer. Oral Oncol 2024; 152:106795. [PMID: 38599127 PMCID: PMC11065458 DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2024.106795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Understanding head and neck tissue specific immune responses is important for elucidating immunotherapy resistance mechanisms to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In this study, we aimed to investigate HNSCC-specific immune response differences between oral and subcutaneous flank tumor transplantation in preclinical models. MATERIALS AND METHODS The MOC1 syngeneic mouse oral carcinoma cell line or versions expressing either the H2Kb-restricted SIINFEKL peptide from ovalbumin (MOC1OVA) or ZsGreen (MOC1ZsGreen) were inoculated into mouse oral mucosa (buccal space) or subcutaneous flank and compared for immune cell kinetics in tumors and tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) and for anti-PD1 response. RESULTS Compared to subcutaneous flank tumors, orthotopic oral MOC1OVA induced a higher number of OVA-specific T cells, PD1 + or CD69 + activated OVA-specific T cells in both primary tumors and TDLNs. Tumors were also larger in the flank site and CD8 depletion eliminated the difference in tumor weight between the two sites. Oral versus flank SIINFEKL peptide vaccination showed enhanced TDLN lymphocyte response in the former site. Notably, cDC1 from oral TDLN showed enhanced antigen uptake and co-stimulatory marker expression, resulting in elicitation of an increased antigen specific T cell response and increased activated T cells. Parental MOC1 in the oral site showed increased endogenous antigen-reactive T cells in TDLNs and anti-PD1 blockade rejected oral MOC1 tumors but not subcutaneous flank MOC1. CONCLUSION Collectively, we find distinct immune responses between orthotopic oral and heterotopic subcutaneous models, including priming by cDC1 in TDLN, revealing important implications for head and neck cancer preclinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michihisa Kono
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
| | - Shin Saito
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Masahiro Rokugo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Ann Marie Egloff
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Surgery/Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, United States.
| | - Ravindra Uppaluri
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Surgery/Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, United States.
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11
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Dong MP, Dharmaraj N, Kaminagakura E, Xue J, Leach DG, Hartgerink JD, Zhang M, Hanks HJ, Ye Y, Aouizerat BE, Vining K, Thomas CM, Dovat S, Young S, Viet CT. Stimulator of Interferon Genes Pathway Activation through the Controlled Release of STINGel Mediates Analgesia and Anti-Cancer Effects in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Biomedicines 2024; 12:920. [PMID: 38672274 PMCID: PMC11047833 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12040920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) presents significant treatment challenges due to its poor survival and intense pain at the primary cancer site. Cancer pain is debilitating, contributes to diminished quality of life, and causes opioid tolerance. The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonism has been investigated as an anti-cancer strategy. We have developed STINGel, an extended-release formulation that prolongs the availability of STING agonists, which has demonstrated an enhanced anti-tumor effect in OSCC compared to STING agonist injection. This study investigates the impact of intra-tumoral STINGel on OSCC-induced pain using two separate OSCC models and nociceptive behavioral assays. Intra-tumoral STINGel significantly reduced mechanical allodynia in the orofacial cancer model and alleviated thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia in the hind paw model. To determine the cellular signaling cascade contributing to the antinociceptive effect, we performed an in-depth analysis of immune cell populations via single-cell RNA-seq. We demonstrated an increase in M1-like macrophages and N1-like neutrophils after STINGel treatment. The identified regulatory pathways controlled immune response activation, myeloid cell differentiation, and cytoplasmic translation. Functional pathway analysis demonstrated the suppression of translation at neuron synapses and the negative regulation of neuron projection development in M2-like macrophages after STINGel treatment. Importantly, STINGel treatment upregulated TGF-β pathway signaling between various cell populations and peripheral nervous system (PNS) macrophages and enhanced TGF-β signaling within the PNS itself. Overall, this study sheds light on the mechanisms underlying STINGel-mediated antinociception and anti-tumorigenic impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minh Phuong Dong
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA; (M.P.D.); (M.Z.); (H.-J.H.)
| | - Neeraja Dharmaraj
- Katz Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA; (N.D.); (J.X.); (S.Y.)
| | - Estela Kaminagakura
- Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Institute of Science and Technology, São Paulo State University (Unesp), São Paulo 12245-00, Brazil;
| | - Jianfei Xue
- Katz Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA; (N.D.); (J.X.); (S.Y.)
| | - David G. Leach
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; (D.G.L.); (J.D.H.)
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Jeffrey D. Hartgerink
- Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA; (D.G.L.); (J.D.H.)
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Michael Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA; (M.P.D.); (M.Z.); (H.-J.H.)
| | - Hana-Joy Hanks
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA; (M.P.D.); (M.Z.); (H.-J.H.)
| | - Yi Ye
- Translational Research Center, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA;
- NYU Pain Research Center, Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA;
| | - Bradley E. Aouizerat
- NYU Pain Research Center, Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA;
| | - Kyle Vining
- Department of Preventive and Restorative Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Carissa M. Thomas
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA;
| | - Sinisa Dovat
- Department of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA;
| | - Simon Young
- Katz Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA; (N.D.); (J.X.); (S.Y.)
| | - Chi T. Viet
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA; (M.P.D.); (M.Z.); (H.-J.H.)
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12
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Odhiambo DA, Pittman AN, Rickard AG, Castillo RJ, Bassil AM, Chen J, Ravotti ML, Xu ES, Himes JE, Daniel AR, Watts TL, Williams NT, Luo L, Kirsch DG, Mowery YM. Preclinical Evaluation of the ATR Inhibitor BAY 1895344 as a Radiosensitizer for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2024; 118:1315-1327. [PMID: 38104870 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Despite aggressive multimodal treatment that typically includes definitive or adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), locoregional recurrence rates approach 50% for patients with locally advanced human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Thus, more effective therapeutics are needed to improve patient outcomes. We evaluated the radiosensitizing effects of ataxia telangiectasia and RAD3-related (ATR) inhibitor (ATRi) BAY 1895344 in preclinical models of HNSCC. METHODS AND MATERIALS Murine and human HPV-negative HNSCC cells (MOC2, MOC1, JHU-012) were treated with vehicle or ATRi with or without 4 Gy. Checkpoint kinase 1 phosphorylation and DNA damage (γH2AX) were evaluated by Western blot, and ATRi half-maximal inhibitory concentration was determined by MTT assay for HNSCC cells and immortalized murine oral keratinocytes. In vitro radiosensitization was tested by clonogenic assay. Cell cycle distribution and mitotic catastrophe were evaluated by flow cytometry. Mitotic aberrations were quantified by fluorescent microscopy. Tumor growth delay and survival were assessed in mice bearing MOC2 or JHU-012 transplant tumors treated with vehicle, ATRi, RT (10 Gy × 1 or 8 Gy × 3), or combined ATRi + RT. RESULTS ATRi caused dose-dependent reduction in checkpoint kinase 1 phosphorylation at 1 hour post-RT (4 Gy) and dose-dependent increase in γH2AX at 18 hours post-RT. Addition of RT to ATRi led to decreased BAY 1895344 half-maximal inhibitory concentration in HNSCC cell lines but not in normal tissue surrogate immortalized murine oral keratinocytes. Clonogenic assays demonstrated radiosensitization in the HNSCC cell lines. ATRi abrogated the RT-induced G2/M checkpoint, leading to mitosis with unrepaired DNA damage and increased mitotic aberrations (multinucleated cells, micronuclei, nuclear buds, nucleoplasmic bridges). ATRi and RT significantly delayed tumor growth in MOC2 and JHU-012 in vivo models, with improved overall survival in the MOC2 model. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrated that BAY 1895344 increased in vitro and in vivo radiosensitivity in HPV-negative HNSCC preclinical models, suggesting therapeutic potential warranting evaluation in clinical trials for patients with locally advanced or recurrent HPV-negative HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana A Odhiambo
- School of Medicine, Washington University of St Louis, St Louis, Missouri
| | - Allison N Pittman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Ashlyn G Rickard
- Department of Radiation Oncology, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Rico J Castillo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Alex M Bassil
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Joshua Chen
- College of Arts and Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Madison L Ravotti
- Department of Radiation Oncology, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Eric S Xu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Jonathan E Himes
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Andrea R Daniel
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Tammara L Watts
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Nerissa T Williams
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Lixia Luo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - David G Kirsch
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Departments of Radiation Oncology and Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yvonne M Mowery
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Radiation Oncology, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
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13
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Wang Z, Kirkwood KL, Wang Y, Du W, Lin S, Zhou W, Yan C, Gao J, Li Z, Sun C, Liu F. Analysis of the effect of CCR7 on the microenvironment of mouse oral squamous cell carcinoma by single-cell RNA sequencing technology. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:94. [PMID: 38539232 PMCID: PMC10976828 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03013-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have shown that CCR7, an important inflammatory factor, can promote the proliferation and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), but its role in the tumor microenvironment (TME) remains unclear. This paper explores the role of CCR7 in the TME of OSCC. METHODS In this work, we constructed CCR7 gene knockout mice and OSCC mouse models. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and bioinformatics were used to analyze the differences in the OSCC microenvironment between three CCR7 gene knockout mice (KO) and three wild-type mice (WT). Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry were used to analyze the expression of key genes in significantly different cell types between the KO and WT groups. An in vitro experiment was used to verify the effect of CCR7 on M2 macrophage polarization. RESULTS In the mouse OSCC models, the tumor growth rate in the KO group was significantly lower than that in the WT group. Eight main cell types (including tumor cells, fibroblasts, macrophages, granulocytes, T cells, endothelial cells, monocytes, and B cells) were identified by Seurat analysis. The scRNA-seq results showed that the proportion of tumor cells was lower, but the proportion of inflammatory cells was significantly higher in the KO group than in the WT group. CellPhoneDB analysis results indicated a strong interaction relationship between tumor cells and macrophages, T cells, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells. Functional enrichment results indicated that the expression level of the Dusp1 gene in the KO group was generally higher than that in the WT group in various cell types. Macrophage subclustering results indicated that the proportion of M2 macrophages in the KO group was lower than that in the WT group. In vitro experimental results showed that CCR7 can promote M2 macrophage polarization, thus promoting the proliferation, invasion and migration of OSCC cells. CONCLUSIONS CCR7 gene knockout can significantly inhibit the growth of mouse oral squamous cell carcinoma by promoting the polarization of M2 macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zengxu Wang
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Keith L Kirkwood
- Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo, NY, Buffalo, 14214-8006, USA
| | - Yao Wang
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Weidong Du
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Shanfeng Lin
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanhang Zhou
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Cong Yan
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaxing Gao
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenning Li
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Changfu Sun
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China
| | - Fayu Liu
- Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Surgery, School and Hospital of Stomatology, China Medical University, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, 117 Nanjing North Road, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110002, People's Republic of China.
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14
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Jiang Y, Zheng Y, Zhang YW, Kong S, Dong J, Wang F, Ziman B, Gery S, Hao JJ, Zhou D, Zhou J, Ho AS, Sinha UK, Chen J, Zhang S, Yin C, Wei DD, Hazawa M, Pan H, Lu Z, Wei WQ, Wang MR, Koeffler HP, Lin DC, Jiang YY. Reciprocal inhibition between TP63 and STAT1 regulates anti-tumor immune response through interferon-γ signaling in squamous cancer. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2484. [PMID: 38509096 PMCID: PMC10954759 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46785-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are common and aggressive malignancies. Immune check point blockade (ICB) therapy using PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies has been approved in several types of advanced SCCs. However, low response rate and treatment resistance are common. Improving the efficacy of ICB therapy requires better understanding of the mechanism of immune evasion. Here, we identify that the SCC-master transcription factor TP63 suppresses interferon-γ (IFNγ) signaling. TP63 inhibition leads to increased CD8+ T cell infiltration and heighten tumor killing in in vivo syngeneic mouse model and ex vivo co-culture system, respectively. Moreover, expression of TP63 is negatively correlated with CD8+ T cell infiltration and activation in patients with SCC. Silencing of TP63 enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of PD-1 blockade by promoting CD8+ T cell infiltration and functionality. Mechanistically, TP63 and STAT1 mutually suppress each other to regulate the IFNγ signaling by co-occupying and co-regulating their own promoters and enhancers. Together, our findings elucidate a tumor-extrinsic function of TP63 in promoting immune evasion of SCC cells. Over-expression of TP63 may serve as a biomarker predicting the outcome of SCC patients treated with ICB therapy, and targeting TP63/STAT/IFNγ axis may enhance the efficacy of ICB therapy for this deadly cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Jiang
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Yueyuan Zheng
- Clinical Big Data Research Center, Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, 518107, China
| | - Yuan-Wei Zhang
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
| | - Shuai Kong
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Jinxiu Dong
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
| | - Fei Wang
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Benjamin Ziman
- Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Sigal Gery
- Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Jia-Jie Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Center for Cancer Precision Medicine, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Dan Zhou
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
- Institutes of Physical Science and Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Jianian Zhou
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Allen S Ho
- Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, Samuel Oschin Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Uttam K Sinha
- Department of otolaryngology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA
| | - Jian Chen
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
| | - Shuo Zhang
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Chuntong Yin
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China
| | - Dan-Dan Wei
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
- Hefei Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
| | - Masaharu Hazawa
- Cell-Bionomics Research Unit, Innovative Integrated Bio-Research Core, Institute for Frontier Science Initiative, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Huaguang Pan
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230022, China
| | - Zhihao Lu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Wen-Qiang Wei
- Department of Cancer Epidemiology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Ming-Rong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, Center for Cancer Precision Medicine, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - H Phillip Koeffler
- Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Cancer Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - De-Chen Lin
- Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
| | - Yan-Yi Jiang
- Institute of Health and Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China.
- University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
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15
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Sahovaler A, Valic MS, Townson JL, Chan HH, Zheng M, Tzelnick S, Mondello T, Pener-Tessler A, Eu D, El-Sayes A, Ding L, Chen J, Douglas CM, Weersink R, Muhanna N, Zheng G, Irish JC. Nanoparticle-mediated Photodynamic Therapy as a Method to Ablate Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Preclinical Models. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:796-810. [PMID: 38421899 PMCID: PMC10941731 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-23-0269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a tissue ablation technique able to selectively target tumor cells by activating the cytotoxicity of photosensitizer dyes with light. PDT is nonsurgical and tissue sparing, two advantages for treatments in anatomically complex disease sites such as the oral cavity. We have previously developed PORPHYSOME (PS) nanoparticles assembled from chlorin photosensitizer-containing building blocks (∼94,000 photosensitizers per particle) and capable of potent PDT. In this study, we demonstrate the selective uptake and curative tumor ablation of PS-enabled PDT in three preclinical models of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC): biologically relevant subcutaneous Cal-33 (cell line) and MOC22 (syngeneic) mouse models, and an anatomically relevant orthotopic VX-2 rabbit model. Tumors selectively uptake PS (10 mg/kg, i.v.) with 6-to 40-fold greater concentration versus muscle 24 hours post-injection. Single PS nanoparticle-mediated PDT (PS-PDT) treatment (100 J/cm2, 100 mW/cm2) of Cal-33 tumors yielded significant apoptosis in 65.7% of tumor cells. Survival studies following PS-PDT treatments demonstrated 90% (36/40) overall response rate across all three tumor models. Complete tumor response was achieved in 65% of Cal-33 and 91% of MOC22 tumor mouse models 14 days after PS-PDT, and partial responses obtained in 25% and 9% of Cal-33 and MOC22 tumors, respectively. In buccal VX-2 rabbit tumors, combined surface and interstitial PS-PDT (200 J total) yielded complete responses in only 60% of rabbits 6 weeks after a single treatment whereas three repeated weekly treatments with PS-PDT (200 J/week) achieved complete ablation in 100% of tumors. PS-PDT treatments were well tolerated by animals with no treatment-associated toxicities and excellent cosmetic outcomes. SIGNIFICANCE PS-PDT is a safe and repeatable treatment modality for OCSCC ablation. PS demonstrated tumor selective uptake and PS-PDT treatments achieved reproducible efficacy and effectiveness in multiple tumor models superior to other clinically tested photosensitizer drugs. Cosmetic and functional outcomes were excellent, and no clinically significant treatment-associated toxicities were detected. These results are enabling of window of opportunity trials for fluorescence-guided PS-PDT in patients with early-stage OCSCC scheduled for surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Sahovaler
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael S. Valic
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jason L. Townson
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Harley H.L. Chan
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark Zheng
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sharon Tzelnick
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tiziana Mondello
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alon Pener-Tessler
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Donovan Eu
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Abdullah El-Sayes
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Lili Ding
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Juan Chen
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Catriona M. Douglas
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Weersink
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nidal Muhanna
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gang Zheng
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan C. Irish
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- TECHNA Institute, Guided Therapeutics (GTx) Program, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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16
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Kaskas A, Clavijo P, Friedman J, Craveiro M, Allen CT. Complete tumor resection reverses neutrophilia-associated suppression of systemic anti-tumor immunity. Oral Oncol 2024; 150:106705. [PMID: 38280289 PMCID: PMC10939739 DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2024.106705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Tumor infiltrating neutrophils suppress T cell function, but whether neutrophils in circulation contribute to systemic immunosuppression is unclear. We aimed to study whether peripheral neutrophils that accumulate with tumor progression contribute to systemic immunosuppression, and if observed suppression of systemic anti-tumor immunity could be reversed with complete surgical tumor removal. MATERIALS AND METHODS Syngeneic murine oral cancers were established in immunocompetent mice. Proteomic and functional immune assays were used to study plasma cytokine concentration, peripheral immune frequencies, and systemic anti-tumor immunity with and without complete primary tumor resection. RESULTS Ly6G+ neutrophilic cells, but not other myeloid cell types, accumulated in the periphery of mice with progressing tumors. This accumulation positively associated with plasma G-CSF concentration. Circulating neutrophils were functionally immunosuppressive. Complete surgical tumor removal reversed the observed neutrophilia, with neutrophil frequencies returning to baseline in 21 days. Multiple independent functional assays revealed enhanced systemic anti-tumor immunity in mice following tumor resection compared to tumor-bearing mice, and the observed enhanced systemic immunity could be reproduced with selective neutrophil depletion. CONCLUSIONS Complete primary tumor resection can reverse neutrophilia that develops during tumor progression and result in enhanced systemic anti-tumor immunity. Primary tumor removal relieves neutrophil-driven systemic immunosuppression and may itself contribute to the clinical benefit observed with neoadjuvant immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Kaskas
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center For Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Paul Clavijo
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center For Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jay Friedman
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center For Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Marco Craveiro
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center For Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Clint T Allen
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center For Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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17
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Chen HH, Nguyen THV, Shih YH, Chang KC, Chiu KC, Hsia SM, Fuh LJ, Shieh TM. Combining microfluidic chip and low-attachment culture devices to isolate oral cancer stem cells. J Dent Sci 2024; 19:560-567. [PMID: 38303836 PMCID: PMC10829749 DOI: 10.1016/j.jds.2023.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background/purpose Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are widely recognized as key drivers of cancer initiation, progression, and therapeutic resistance. Microfluidic chip technology offers a promising approach for CSC isolation and study. This study investigated the efficacy of a microfluidic chip-based method for isolating single cells from oral cancer cell lines characterized by high stem-like phenotypes. Specifically, the study focused on examining the sphere-forming capability and the expression of CSC markers, including aldehyde dehydrogenase 1A1 (ALDH1A1), CD44, and CD133, in isolated cell clones from OECM-1 and SAS cell lines. Materials and methods Oral cancer cell lines were subjected to isolation using a microfluidic chip. The captured single cells were cultured to assess their sphere-forming capacity in ultra-low binding culture. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of ALDH1A1, CD44, and CD133 in the isolated cell clones were analyzed using western blotting. Results The microfluidic chip-assisted isolation method significantly enhanced the sphere-forming capability of both OECM-1 and SAS cell clones compared to their parent cell lines. Moreover, the expression levels of CSC markers ALDH1A1, CD44, and CD133 were upregulated in the microfluidic chip-assisted isolated cell clones, indicating a higher stem-like phenotype. Conclusion This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the microfluidic chip-based approach in isolating oral cancer cell clones with elevated stem-like characteristics. This method offers a valuable tool for further investigation of CSCs and their role in cancer progression, as well as future therapy development for oral cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Hu Chen
- School of Dentistry, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | | | - Yin-Hwa Shih
- Department of Healthcare Administration, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Chi Chang
- School of Dentistry, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Kuo-Chou Chiu
- Division of General Dentistry, Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Min Hsia
- School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Nutrition Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Lih-Jyh Fuh
- School of Dentistry, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Dentistry, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
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18
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Jagadeeshan S, Novoplansky OZ, Cohen O, Kurth I, Hess J, Rosenberg AJ, Grandis JR, Elkabets M. New insights into RAS in head and neck cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2023; 1878:188963. [PMID: 37619805 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.188963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
RAS genes are known to be dysregulated in cancer for several decades, and substantial effort has been dedicated to develop agents that reduce RAS expression or block RAS activation. The recent introduction of RAS inhibitors for cancer patients highlights the importance of comprehending RAS alterations in head and neck cancer (HNC). In this regard, we examine the published findings on RAS alterations and pathway activations in HNC, and summarize their role in HNC initiation, progression, and metastasis. Specifically, we focus on the intrinsic role of mutated-RAS on tumor cell signaling and its extrinsic role in determining tumor-microenvironment (TME) heterogeneity, including promoting angiogenesis and enhancing immune escape. Lastly, we summarize the intrinsic and extrinsic role of RAS alterations on therapy resistance to outline the potential of targeting RAS using a single agent or in combination with other therapeutic agents for HNC patients with RAS-activated tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sankar Jagadeeshan
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Ofra Z Novoplansky
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
| | - Oded Cohen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, Soroka Medical Center, Beersheva, Israel.
| | - Ina Kurth
- Division of Radiooncology-Radiobiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Jochen Hess
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Molecular Mechanisms of Head and Neck Tumors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Ari J Rosenberg
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology and Oncology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Jennifer R Grandis
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Moshe Elkabets
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel; Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O.B. 653, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
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19
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Wei JH, Qiao YL, Xu S, Zou Y, Ni HF, Wu LZ, Tao ZZ, Jiao WE, Chen SM. Specific knockout of Notch2 in Treg cells significantly inhibits the growth and proliferation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 123:110705. [PMID: 37523971 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Notch2 gene knockout in Treg cells on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in mice. METHODS A mouse model of HNSCC was constructed. Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence were used to examine the numbers of related immune cells and programmed cell death in tumor cells in the spleen and tumor microenvironment of mice. Western blotting was used to measure the expression of related proteins in tumor tissues. RESULTS The tumor volume of regulatory T (Treg) cell-specific Notch2-knockout mice (experimental group) was significantly smaller than that of control mice (control group) (P < 0.05). Compared with those in the control group, the number of Treg cells and the expression of Ki67 in Treg cells in the spleen and tumor tissue were significantly decreased in the experimental group, while the numbers of CD45+ hematopoietic cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, T helper 1 (Th1) cells, CD11b+ cells (macrophages), and CD11b+CD11c+ cells (dendritic cells) and the expression of Ki67 in CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells were significantly increased (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the number of Th2 cells between the two groups (P > 0.05). Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the numbers of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in the tumor tissue in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with that in the control group, programmed cell death in the experimental group was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Moreover, the expression levels of NLRP3, Caspase-1 and GSDMD in the tumor tissues of the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.01), while the expression levels of BCL2, Bax, ATG5, LC3 and p62 were not significantly different (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Specific knockout of the Notch2 gene in Treg cells significantly decreases the function of Treg cells, inhibits the growth of HNSCC and improves the immune microenvironment in mice, thus effectively treating HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Hua Wei
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China
| | - Yue-Long Qiao
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China
| | - Shan Xu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China
| | - You Zou
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China
| | - Hai-Feng Ni
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, PR China
| | - Li-Zhi Wu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China
| | - Ze-Zhang Tao
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China; Institute of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China
| | - Wo-Er Jiao
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China.
| | - Shi-Ming Chen
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China; Institute of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, 238 Jie-Fang Road, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, PR China.
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20
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Forti KM, Woods LT, Jasmer KJ, Camden JM, Weisman GA. Tumoral P2Y 2 receptor modulates tumor growth and host anti-tumor immune responses in a syngeneic murine model of oral cancer. Purinergic Signal 2023:10.1007/s11302-023-09960-z. [PMID: 37572177 DOI: 10.1007/s11302-023-09960-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are a heterogenous group of tumors and among the top 10 most common cancers and they arise from the epithelial tissues of the mucosal surfaces of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and larynx. Aberrant purinergic signaling has been associated with various cancer types. Here, we studied the role of the P2Y2 purinergic receptor (P2Y2R) in the context of oral cancer. We utilized bioinformatics analysis of deposited datasets to examine purinome gene expression in HNSCC tumors and cells lines and functionally characterized nucleotide-induced P2 receptor signaling in human FaDu and Cal27 and murine MOC2 oral cancer cell lines. Utilizing tumorigenesis assays with wild-type or P2ry2 knockout MOC2 cells we evaluated the role of P2Y2Rs in tumor growth and the host anti-tumor immune responses. Our data demonstrate that human and murine oral cancer cell lines express numerous P2 receptors, with the P2Y2R being highly expressed. Using syngeneic tumor grafts in wild-type mice, we observed that MOC2 tumors expressing P2Y2R were larger than P2Y2R-/- tumors. Wild-type MOC2 tumors contained a lower population of tumor-infiltrating CD11b+F4/80+ macrophages and CD3+ cells, which were revealed to be CD3+CD4+IFNγ+ T cells, compared to P2Y2R-/- tumors. These results were mirrored when utilizing P2Y2R-/- mice, indicating that the changes in MOC2 tumor growth and to the host anti-tumor immune response were independent of host derived P2Y2Rs. Results suggest that targeted suppression of the P2Y2R in HNSCC cells in vivo, rather than systemic P2Y2R antagonism, may be a more effective treatment strategy for HNSCCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Muñoz Forti
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Lucas T Woods
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Kimberly J Jasmer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Jean M Camden
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Gary A Weisman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
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21
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Yassin-Kassab A, Wang N, Foley J, Stewart TM, Burns MR, Casero RA, Harbison RA, Duvvuri U. Polyamine transport inhibition and cisplatin synergistically enhance tumor control through oxidative stress in murine head and neck cancer models. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.25.550524. [PMID: 37546993 PMCID: PMC10402081 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.25.550524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Background Surgery and/or platinum-based chemoradiation remain standard of care for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). While these therapies are effective in a subset of patients, a substantial proportion experience recurrence or treatment resistance. As cisplatin mediates cytotoxicity through oxidative stress while polyamines play a role in redox regulation, we posited that combining cisplatin with polyamine transport inhibitor, AMXT-1501, would increase oxidative stress and tumor cell death in HNSCC cells. Methods Cell proliferation was measured in syngeneic mouse HNSCC cell lines treated with cisplatin ± AMXT-1501. Synergy was determined by administering cisplatin and AMXT-1501 at a ratio of 1:10 to cancer cells in vitro . Cancer cells were transferred onto mouse flanks to test the efficacy of treatments in vivo . Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured. Cellular apoptosis was measured with flow cytometry using Annexin V/PI staining. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to quantify polyamines in cell lines. Cell viability and ROS were measured in the presence of exogenous cationic amino acids. Results The combination of cisplatin and AMXT-1501 synergize in vitro on HNSCC cell lines. In vivo combination treatment resulted in tumor growth inhibition greater than either treatment individually. The combination treatment increased ROS production and induced apoptotic cell death. HPLC revealed the synergistic mechanism was independent of intracellular polyamine levels. Supplementation of cationic amino acids partially rescued cancer cell viability and reduced ROS. Conclusion AMXT-1501 enhances the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin in vitro and in vivo in aggressive HNSCC cell lines through a polyamine-independent mechanism.
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22
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Van Court B, Neupert B, Nguyen D, Ross R, Knitz MW, Karam SD. Measurement of mouse head and neck tumors by automated analysis of CBCT images. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12033. [PMID: 37491456 PMCID: PMC10368694 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39159-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal experiments are often used to determine effects of drugs and other biological conditions on cancer progression, but poor accuracy and reproducibility of established tumor measurement methods make results unreliable. In orthotopic mouse models of head and neck cancer, tumor volumes approximated from caliper measurements are conventionally used to compare groups, but geometrical challenges make the procedure imprecise. To address this, we developed software to better measure these tumors by automated analysis of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans. This allows for analyses of tumor shape and growth dynamics that would otherwise be too inaccurate to provide biological insight. Monitoring tumor growth by calipers and imaging in parallel, we find that caliper measurements of small tumors are weakly correlated with actual tumor volume and highly susceptible to experimenter bias. The method presented provides a unique window to sources of error in a foundational aspect of preclinical head and neck cancer research and a valuable tool to mitigate them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Van Court
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, USA
| | - Brooke Neupert
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, USA
| | - Diemmy Nguyen
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, USA
| | - Richard Ross
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, USA
| | - Michael W Knitz
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, USA
| | - Sana D Karam
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, USA.
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23
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Tu NH, Inoue K, Lewis PK, Khan A, Hwang JH, Chokshi V, Dabovic BB, Selvaraj S, Bhattacharya A, Dubeykovskaya Z, Pinkerton NM, Bunnett NW, Loomis CA, Albertson DG, Schmidt BL. Calcitonin Related Polypeptide Alpha Mediates Oral Cancer Pain. Cells 2023; 12:1675. [PMID: 37443709 PMCID: PMC10341289 DOI: 10.3390/cells12131675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Oral cancer patients suffer pain at the site of the cancer. Calcitonin gene related polypeptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide expressed by a subset of primary afferent neurons, promotes oral cancer growth. CGRP also mediates trigeminal pain (migraine) and neurogenic inflammation. The contribution of CGRP to oral cancer pain is investigated in the present study. The findings demonstrate that CGRP-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons and neurites innervate orthotopic oral cancer xenograft tumors in mice. Cancer increases anterograde transport of CGRP in axons innervating the tumor, supporting neurogenic secretion as the source of CGRP in the oral cancer microenvironment. CGRP antagonism reverses oral cancer nociception in preclinical oral cancer pain models. Single-cell RNA-sequencing is used to identify cell types in the cancer microenvironment expressing the CGRP receptor components, receptor activity modifying protein 1 Ramp1 and calcitonin receptor like receptor (CLR, encoded by Calcrl). Ramp1 and Calcrl transcripts are detected in cells expressing marker genes for Schwann cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts and immune cells. Ramp1 and Calcrl transcripts are more frequently detected in cells expressing fibroblast and immune cell markers. This work identifies CGRP as mediator of oral cancer pain and suggests the antagonism of CGRP to alleviate oral cancer pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Huu Tu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
| | - Kenji Inoue
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
| | - Parker K. Lewis
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, New York, NY 10010, USA; (P.K.L.); (N.M.P.)
| | - Ammar Khan
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
| | - Jun Hyeong Hwang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
| | - Varun Chokshi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
| | - Branka Brukner Dabovic
- Department of Pathology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10010, USA; (B.B.D.); (S.S.); (C.A.L.)
| | - Shanmugapriya Selvaraj
- Department of Pathology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10010, USA; (B.B.D.); (S.S.); (C.A.L.)
| | - Aditi Bhattacharya
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
| | - Zinaida Dubeykovskaya
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
| | - Nathalie M. Pinkerton
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, New York, NY 10010, USA; (P.K.L.); (N.M.P.)
| | - Nigel W. Bunnett
- Department of Molecular Pathobiology, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA;
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
- NYU Pain Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - Cynthia A. Loomis
- Department of Pathology, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10010, USA; (B.B.D.); (S.S.); (C.A.L.)
| | - Donna G. Albertson
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
- NYU Pain Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - Brian L. Schmidt
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Translational Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA; (N.H.T.); (K.I.); (A.K.); (J.H.H.); (V.C.); (A.B.); (Z.D.)
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
- NYU Pain Research Center, New York University College of Dentistry, New York, NY 10010, USA
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24
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Patel A, Patel P, Mandlik D, Patel K, Malaviya P, Johar K, Swamy KBS, Patel S, Tanavde V. A novel 3-miRNA network regulates tumour progression in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Biomark Res 2023; 11:64. [PMID: 37316916 PMCID: PMC10268489 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-023-00505-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Late diagnosis is one of the major confounders in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Despite recent advances in molecular diagnostics, no disease-specific biomarkers are clinically available for early risk prediction of OSCC. Therefore, it is important to identify robust biomarkers that are detectable using non-invasive liquid biopsy techniques to facilitate the early diagnosis of oral cancer. This study identified potential salivary exosome-derived miRNA biomarkers and crucial miRNA-mRNA networks/underlying mechanisms responsible for OSCC progression. METHODS Small RNASeq (n = 23) was performed in order to identify potential miRNA biomarkers in both tissue and salivary exosomes derived from OSCC patients. Further, integrated analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets (n = 114), qPCR validation on larger patient cohorts (n = 70) and statistical analysis with various clinicopathological parameters was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the identified miRNA signature. miRNA-mRNA networks and pathway analysis was conducted by integrating the transcriptome sequencing and TCGA data. The OECM-1 cell line was transfected with the identified miRNA signature in order to observe its effect on various functional mechanisms such as cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, invasive as well as migratory potential and the downstream signaling pathways regulated by these miRNA-mRNA networks. RESULTS Small RNASeq and TCGA data identified 12 differentially expressed miRNAs in OSCC patients compared to controls. On validating these findings in a larger cohort of patients, miR-140-5p, miR-143-5p, and miR-145-5p were found to be significantly downregulated. This 3-miRNA signature demonstrated higher efficacy in predicting disease progression and clinically correlated with poor prognosis (p < 0.05). Transcriptome, TCGA, and miRNA-mRNA network analysis identified HIF1a, CDH1, CD44, EGFR, and CCND1 as hub genes regulated by the miRNA signature. Further, transfection-mediated upregulation of the 3-miRNA signature significantly decreased cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, resulted in G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and reduced the invasive and migratory potential by reversing the EMT process in the OECM-1 cell line. CONCLUSIONS Thus, this study identifies a 3-miRNA signature that can be utilized as a potential biomarker for predicting disease progression of OSCC and uncovers the underlying mechanisms responsible for converting a normal epithelial cell into a malignant phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Patel
- Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India
| | - Parina Patel
- Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India
| | - Dushyant Mandlik
- Department of Head and Neck Oncology, HCG Cancer Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Kaustubh Patel
- Department of Head and Neck Oncology, HCG Cancer Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Pooja Malaviya
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Iladevi Cataract and IOL Research Centre, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Kaid Johar
- Department of Zoology, BMTC and Human Genetics, School of Sciences, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Krishna B S Swamy
- Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India
| | - Shanaya Patel
- Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India.
| | - Vivek Tanavde
- Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India.
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.
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25
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Modic Z, Cemazar M, Markelc B, Cör A, Sersa G, Kranjc Brezar S, Jesenko T. HPV-positive murine oral squamous cell carcinoma: development and characterization of a new mouse tumor model for immunological studies. J Transl Med 2023; 21:376. [PMID: 37296466 PMCID: PMC10257320 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04221-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) strains is one of the risk factors for the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Some patients with HPV-positive OSCC have a better prognosis and respond better to various treatment modalities, including radiotherapy or immunotherapy. However, since HPV can only infect human cells, there are only a few immunocompetent mouse models available that enable immunological studies. Therefore, the aim of our study was to develop a transplantable immunocompetent mouse model of HPV-positive OSCC and characterize it in vitro and in vivo. METHODS Two monoclonal HPV-positive OSCC mouse cell lines were established by inducing the expression of HPV-16 oncogenes E6 and E7 in the MOC1 OSCC cell line using retroviral transduction. After confirming stable expression of HPV-16 E6 and E7 with quantitative real-time PCR and immunofluorescence staining, the cell lines were further characterized in vitro using proliferation assay, wound healing assay, clonogenic assay and RNA sequencing. In addition, tumor models were characterized in vivo in C57Bl/6NCrl mice in terms of their histological properties, tumor growth kinetics, and radiosensitivity. Furthermore, immunofluorescence staining of blood vessels, hypoxic areas, proliferating cells and immune cells was performed to characterize the tumor microenvironment of all three tumor models. RESULTS Characterization of the resulting MOC1-HPV cell lines and tumor models confirmed stable expression of HPV-16 oncogenes and differences in cell morphology, in vitro migration capacity, and tumor microenvironment characteristics. Although the cell lines did not differ in their intrinsic radiosensitivity, one of the HPV-positive tumor models, MOC1-HPV K1, showed a significantly longer growth delay after irradiation with a single dose of 15 Gy compared to parental MOC1 tumors. Consistent with this, MOC1-HPV K1 tumors had a lower percentage of hypoxic tumor area and a higher percentage of proliferating cells. Characteristics of the newly developed HPV-positive OSCC tumor models correlate with the transcriptomic profile of MOC1-HPV cell lines. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, we developed and characterized a novel immunocompetent mouse model of HPV-positive OSCC that exhibits increased radiosensitivity and enables studies of immune-based treatment approaches in HPV-positive OSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziva Modic
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Cemazar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, Izola, Slovenia.
| | - Bostjan Markelc
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena pot 5, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Andrej Cör
- Department of Research, Valdoltra Orthopedic Hospital, Jadranska cesta 31, Ankaran, Slovenia
- Faculty of Education, University of Primorska, Cankarjeva pot 5, Koper, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Sersa
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena pot 5, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Simona Kranjc Brezar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tanja Jesenko
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska cesta 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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26
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Tseng JC, Yang JX, Lee CY, Lo CF, Liu YL, Zhang MM, Huang LR, Liu KJ, Wang CC, Huang CYF, Hong YR, Tsou LK, Chuang TH. Induction of Immune Responses and Phosphatidylserine Exposure by TLR9 Activation Results in a Cooperative Antitumor Effect with a Phosphatidylserine-targeting Prodrug. Int J Biol Sci 2023; 19:2648-2662. [PMID: 37324949 PMCID: PMC10266080 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.81683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck cancer is a major cancer type, with high motility rates that reduce the quality of life of patients. Herein, we investigated the effectiveness and mechanism of a combination therapy involving TLR9 activator (CpG-2722) and phosphatidylserine (PS)-targeting prodrug of SN38 (BPRDP056) in a syngeneic orthotopic head and neck cancer animal model. The results showed a cooperative antitumor effect of CpG-2722 and BPRDP056 owing to their distinct and complementary antitumor functions. CpG-2722 induced antitumor immune responses, including dendritic cell maturation, cytokine production, and immune cell accumulation in tumors, whereas BPRDP056 directly exerted cytotoxicity toward cancer cells. We also discovered a novel function and mechanism of TLR9 activation, which increased PS exposure on cancer cells, thereby attracting more BPRDP056 to the tumor site for cancer cell killing. Killed cells expose more PS in tumor for BPRDP056 targeting. Tumor antigens released from the dead cells were taken up by antigen-presenting cells, which enhanced the CpG-272-promoted T cell-mediated tumor-killing effect. These form a positive feed-forward antitumor effect between the actions of CpG-2722 and BPRDP056. Thus, the study findings suggest a novel strategy of utilizing the PS-inducing function of TLR9 agonists to develop combinational cancer treatments using PS-targeting drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen-Chih Tseng
- Immunology Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli 35053, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Xing Yang
- Immunology Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli 35053, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Yin Lee
- Immunology Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli 35053, Taiwan
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli 35053, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Fu Lo
- Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, 35053, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ling Liu
- Immunology Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli 35053, Taiwan
| | - Mingzi M. Zhang
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, 35053, Taiwan
| | - Li-Rung Huang
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, 35053, Taiwan
| | - Ko-Jiunn Liu
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli 35053, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Chia Wang
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City 32001, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Ying F. Huang
- Institute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 11221, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ren Hong
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
| | - Lun K. Tsou
- Institute of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli, 35053, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Hsien Chuang
- Immunology Research Center, National Health Research Institutes, Zhunan, Miaoli 35053, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City 32001, Taiwan
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27
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Kostecki KL, Iida M, Wiley AL, Kimani S, Mehall B, Tetreault K, Alexandridis R, Yu M, Hong S, Salgia R, Bruce JY, Birge RB, Harari P, Wheeler DL. Dual Axl/MerTK inhibitor INCB081776 creates a proinflammatory tumor immune microenvironment and enhances anti-PDL1 efficacy in head and neck cancer. Head Neck 2023; 45:1255-1271. [PMID: 36939040 PMCID: PMC10079616 DOI: 10.1002/hed.27340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The tyrosine kinase receptors Axl and MerTK are highly overexpressed in head and neck cancer (HNC) cells, where they are critical drivers of survival, proliferation, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. METHODS We investigated the role of Axl and MerTK in creating an immunologically "cold" tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) by targeting both receptors simultaneously with a small molecule inhibitor of Axl and MerTK (INCB081776). Effects of INCB081776 and/or anti-PDL1 on mouse oral cancer (MOC) cell growth and on the TIME were evaluated. RESULTS Targeting Axl and MerTK can reduce M2 and induce M1 macrophage polarization. In vivo, INCB081776 treatment alone or with anti-PDL1 appears to slow MOC tumor growth, increase proinflammatory immune infiltration, and decrease anti-inflammatory immune infiltration. CONCLUSIONS This data indicates that simultaneous targeting of Axl and MerTK with INCB081776, either alone or in combination with anti-PDL1, slows tumor growth and creates a proinflammatory TIME in mouse models of HNC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kourtney L Kostecki
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Mari Iida
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Anne L Wiley
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Stanley Kimani
- Rutgers Biomedical Health and Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Bridget Mehall
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Kaitlin Tetreault
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Roxana Alexandridis
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Menggang Yu
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Seungpyo Hong
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy, Madison, WI, USA
- Yonsei Frontier Lab and Department of Pharmacy, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Ravi Salgia
- Department of Medical Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Justine Y Bruce
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Raymond B Birge
- Rutgers Biomedical Health and Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Paul Harari
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Deric L Wheeler
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI, USA
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28
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Zisis V, Andreadis D, Anastasiadou P, Vahtsevanos K, Akrivou M, Vizirianakis IS, Poulopoulos A. Preliminary Study of the Cancer Stem Cells' Biomarker CD147 in Leukoplakia: Dysplasia and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Oral Epithelial Origin. Cureus 2023; 15:e38807. [PMID: 37303447 PMCID: PMC10256256 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.38807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for initiating the process of carcinogenesis de novo, as well as through the transformation of oral potential malignant disorders (OPMDs) to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of our study was to detect the expression of stemness-type CSC marker CD147 in oral leukoplakias (OLs), the most common OPMD, and OSCCs as well. Materials and methods This study focuses on the semiquantitative immunohistochemical pattern of the expression of the CSC protein biomarker CD147 in paraffin-embedded samples of 20 OSCCs of different grades of differentiation and 30 cases of OLs without or with different grades of dysplasia, compared to the normal oral epithelium in terms of cells' stain positivity. Statistical analysis was performed through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY) with Pearson chi-square test, and the significance level was set at 0.05 (p=0.05). In addition, the study clarified the expression of the respective gene of CD147 through quantitative polymerase chain (qPCR), in paraffin-embedded samples of the two extreme graduations: OLs of mildly dysplastic or non-dysplastic cases (n=10 cases) and OSCCs of moderately/poorly differentiated cases (n=17). Statistical analysis was then performed through SPSS version 25.0 with an independent paired t-test, and the significance level was set at 0.05 (p=0.05). Results The gene CD147 was expressed in all cases, although no statistically significant correlations were established. Regarding its protein products, the characteristic membranous staining of CD147 was noticed in the majority of the samples, mostly in the basal and parabasal layers of the epithelium. CD147 was upregulated significantly in the moderately and severely dysplastic OLs than in the mildly dysplastic and non-dysplastic OLs (p=0.008). Also, CD147 was upregulated significantly in the mildly dysplastic and non-dysplastic OLs than in the normal oral epithelium (p=0.012). Discussion The characteristic expression of CD147 in OLs and OSCCs' lesions suggests the presence of stemlike cancer cells, illustrating an underlying effect on the early stages of oral dysplasia, in the OL stage. The clinical application of CD147 as prognostic factor requires the experimental evaluation in larger number of samples. Conclusion Stem cells play an important role in the process of carcinogenesis. A major goal in cancer research is the identification of specific biomarkers for the detection of cancer stem cells. CD147 is considered as an innovative stem cell marker. Our findings in oral mucosal potentially malignant disorders showed that CD147 is expressed more intensely in parallel with the progression of the grade of dysplasia in OL. On the other hand, in oral squamous cell carcinoma, CD147 expression remains stable regardless of the degree of differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasileios Zisis
- Oral Medicine/Pathology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | - Dimitrios Andreadis
- Oral Medicine/Pathology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
| | | | | | - Meni Akrivou
- Pharmacology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GRC
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29
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Marret G, Borcoman E, Le Tourneau C. Window-of-opportunity clinical trials for biomarker discovery in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Curr Opin Oncol 2023; 35:158-165. [PMID: 36966501 DOI: 10.1097/cco.0000000000000940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We review the window-of-opportunity clinical trials that have been reported in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), and discuss their challenges. RECENT FINDINGS Limited treatment options exist in HNSCC. Cetuximab, an mAb targeting epidermal growth factor receptor, and the PD-1 inhibitors nivolumab and pembrolizumab, are the only drugs that improved overall survival in the recurrent and/or metastatic setting. Both cetuximab and nivolumab improve overall survival by less than 3 months, potentially because of the lack of predictive biomarkers. The only validated predictive biomarker to date is protein ligand PD-L1 expression that predicts the efficacy of pembrolizumab in first-line, nonplatinum refractory recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC. The identification of biomarkers of efficacy of new drugs is key to avoid administering toxic drugs to patients who will not benefit from them, and to expect increased drug efficacy in the biomarker-positive group of patients. One way of identifying such biomarkers are the window-of-opportunity trials in which drugs are given for a short period of time before the definitive treatment, with the aim to collect samples for translational research. These trials differ from neoadjuvant strategies where efficacy is the primary endpoint. SUMMARY We show that these trials were safe and successful in identifying biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Marret
- Department of Drug Development and Innovation (D3i), Institut Curie
| | - Edith Borcoman
- Department of Drug Development and Innovation (D3i), Institut Curie
| | - Christophe Le Tourneau
- Department of Drug Development and Innovation (D3i), Institut Curie
- INSERM U900, Institut Curie, Paris-Saclay University, Paris, France
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30
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Ioannou I, Chatziantoniou A, Drenios C, Christodoulou P, Kourti M, Zaravinos A. Signatures of Co-Deregulated Genes and Their Transcriptional Regulators in Kidney Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24076577. [PMID: 37047552 PMCID: PMC10094846 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
There are several studies on the deregulated gene expression profiles in kidney cancer, with varying results depending on the tumor histology and other parameters. None of these, however, have identified the networks that the co-deregulated genes (co-DEGs), across different studies, create. Here, we reanalyzed 10 Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) studies to detect and annotate co-deregulated signatures across different subtypes of kidney cancer or in single-gene perturbation experiments in kidney cancer cells and/or tissue. Using a systems biology approach, we aimed to decipher the networks they form along with their upstream regulators. Differential expression and upstream regulators, including transcription factors [MYC proto-oncogene (MYC), CCAAT enhancer binding protein delta (CEBPD), RELA proto-oncogene, NF-kB subunit (RELA), zinc finger MIZ-type containing 1 (ZMIZ1), negative elongation factor complex member E (NELFE) and Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4)] and protein kinases [Casein kinase 2 alpha 1 (CSNK2A1), mitogen-activated protein kinases 1 (MAPK1) and 14 (MAPK14), Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), Cyclin dependent kinases 1 (CDK1) and 4 (CDK4), Homeodomain interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) and Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2)], were computed using the Characteristic Direction, as well as GEO2Enrichr and X2K, respectively, and further subjected to GO and KEGG pathways enrichment analyses. Furthermore, using CMap, DrugMatrix and the LINCS L1000 chemical perturbation databases, we highlight putative repurposing drugs, including Etoposide, Haloperidol, BW-B70C, Triamterene, Chlorphenesin, BRD-K79459005 and β-Estradiol 3-benzoate, among others, that may reverse the expression of the identified co-DEGs in kidney cancers. Of these, the cytotoxic effects of Etoposide, Catecholamine, Cyclosporin A, BW-B70C and Lasalocid sodium were validated in vitro. Overall, we identified critical co-DEGs across different subtypes in kidney cancer, and our results provide an innovative framework for their potential use in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna Ioannou
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
- Cancer Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology Group, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center (BTCRC), Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
| | - Angeliki Chatziantoniou
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
- Cancer Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology Group, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center (BTCRC), Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
| | - Constantinos Drenios
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
| | | | - Malamati Kourti
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
- Angiogenesis and Cancer Drug Discovery Group, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center (BTCRC), Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
| | - Apostolos Zaravinos
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
- Cancer Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology Group, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center (BTCRC), Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
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31
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Guan L, Nambiar DK, Cao H, Viswanathan V, Kwok S, Hui AB, Hou Y, Hildebrand R, von Eyben R, Holmes BJ, Zhao J, Kong CS, Wamsley N, Zhang W, Major MB, Seol SW, Sunwoo JB, Hayes DN, Diehn M, Le QT. NFE2L2 Mutations Enhance Radioresistance in Head and Neck Cancer by Modulating Intratumoral Myeloid Cells. Cancer Res 2023; 83:861-874. [PMID: 36652552 PMCID: PMC10023320 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-22-1903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the primary treatments of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which has a high-risk of locoregional failure (LRF). Presently, there is no reliable predictive biomarker of radioresistance in HNSCC. Here, we found that mutations in NFE2L2, which encodes Nrf2, are associated with a significantly higher rate of LRF in patients with oral cavity cancer treated with surgery and adjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy but not in those treated with surgery alone. Somatic mutation of NFE2L2 led to Nrf2 activation and radioresistance in HNSCC cells. Tumors harboring mutant Nrf2E79Q were substantially more radioresistant than tumors with wild-type Nrf2 in immunocompetent mice, whereas the difference was diminished in immunocompromised mice. Nrf2E79Q enhanced radioresistance through increased recruitment of intratumoral polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSC) and reduction of M1-polarized macrophages. Treatment with the glutaminase inhibitor CB-839 overcame the radioresistance induced by Nrf2E79Q or Nrf2E79K. RT increased expression of PMN-MDSC-attracting chemokines, including CXCL1, CXLC3, and CSF3, in Nrf2E79Q-expressing tumors via the TLR4, which could be reversed by CB-839. This study provides insights into the impact of NFE2L2 mutations on radioresistance and suggests that CB-839 can increase radiosensitivity by switching intratumoral myeloid cells to an antitumor phenotype, supporting clinical testing of CB-839 with RT in HNSCC with NFE2L2 mutations. SIGNIFICANCE NFE2L2 mutations are predictive biomarkers of radioresistance in head and neck cancer and confer sensitivity to glutaminase inhibitors to overcome radioresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Guan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Dhanya K. Nambiar
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Hongbin Cao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Vignesh Viswanathan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Shirley Kwok
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Angela B. Hui
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Yuan Hou
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Rachel Hildebrand
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Rie von Eyben
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Brittany J. Holmes
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Junfei Zhao
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Christina S. Kong
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Nathan Wamsley
- Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Weiruo Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael B. Major
- Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Seung W. Seol
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - John B. Sunwoo
- OHNS/Head &Neck Surgery Divisions, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - D. Neil Hayes
- Center for Cancer Research, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Maximilian Diehn
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Quynh-Thu Le
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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Li Y, Cheng Q, Xiong Z, Paiboonrungruang C, Adekoya T, Li Y, Chen X. Lymphatic Drainage System and Lymphatic Metastasis of Cancer Cells in the Mouse Esophagus. Dig Dis Sci 2023; 68:803-812. [PMID: 35727424 PMCID: PMC9938949 DOI: 10.1007/s10620-022-07586-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lymphatic metastasis is commonly seen in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Both lymphatic metastasis and the number of involved nodes are prognostic for post-operative survival. To better understand lymphatic metastasis of ESCC, there is a need to develop proper animal models. AIMS This study is aimed to characterize the morphology and function of the lymphatic drainage system in the mouse esophagus. METHODS Immunostaining and fluorescence imaging were used to visualize the lymphatic drainage system in the mouse esophagus. Tracers and cancer cells were orthotopically inoculated into the submucosa of the mouse esophagus to mimic lymphatic metastasis of T1 ESCC. RESULTS Using immunostaining of a lymphatic vessel marker (LYVE1), we found that lymphatic vessels were located in the submucosa and muscularis propria of the mouse esophagus, similar to the human esophagus. In the esophagus of ProxTom mice expressing tdTomato in the lymphatic vessels, we discovered a microscopic meshwork of lymphatic vessels. Functionally, orthotopically inoculated tracers (Indian ink and FITC-dextran) were drained from the submucosa into peri-esophageal lymph nodes via lymphatic vessels. Orthotopically inoculated mouse cancer cells (LLC-eGFP, MOC2) metastasized from the submucosa to lymphatic vessels, peri-esophageal lymph nodes, and distant organs (liver and lung) in immunocompetent mice. Similarly, in immunodeficient mice, orthotopically inoculated human ESCC cells (KYSE450-eGFP-Luc) metastasized via the same route. CONCLUSION We have characterized the morphology and function of the lymphatic drainage system of the mouse esophagus. These observations lay a foundation for mechanistic and therapeutic studies on lymphatic metastasis of T1 ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahui Li
- Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, 700 George Street, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Qing Cheng
- Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, 700 George Street, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Zhaohui Xiong
- Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, 700 George Street, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Chorlada Paiboonrungruang
- Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, 700 George Street, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Timothy Adekoya
- Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, 700 George Street, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Yong Li
- Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, 700 George Street, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center, Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 17 Panjiayuan Nanli Road, Beijing, 100021, China
| | - Xiaoxin Chen
- Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, North Carolina Central University, 700 George Street, Durham, NC, 27707, USA.
- Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Savic D, Steinbichler TB, Ingruber J, Negro G, Aschenbrenner B, Riechelmann H, Ganswindt U, Skvortsov S, Dudás J, Skvortsova II. Erk1/2-Dependent HNSCC Cell Susceptibility to Erastin-Induced Ferroptosis. Cells 2023; 12:336. [PMID: 36672272 PMCID: PMC9856753 DOI: 10.3390/cells12020336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Unfavorable clinical outcomes mean that cancer researchers must attempt to develop novel therapeutic strategies to overcome therapeutic resistance in patients with HNSCC. Recently, ferroptosis was shown to be a promising pathway possessing druggable targets, such as xCT (SLC7A11). Unfortunately, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the susceptibility of HNSCC cells to ferroptosis. The goal of this study was to determine whether HNSCC cells with activated Erk1/2 are vulnerable to ferroptosis induction. Our results have shown that xCT (SLC7A11) was overexpressed in malignant tissues obtained from the patients with HNSCC, whereas normal mucosa demonstrated weak expression of the protein. In order to investigate the role of Erk1/2 in the decrease in cell viability caused by erastin, xCT-overexpressing FaDu and SCC25 HNSCC cells were used. The ravoxertinib-dependent inhibition of Erk1/2 signaling led to the decrease in erastin efficacy due to the effect on ROS production and the upregulation of ROS scavengers SOD1 and SOD2, resulting in repressed lipid peroxidation. Therefore, it was concluded that the erastin-dependent activation of ferroptosis seems to be a promising approach which can be further developed as an additional strategy for the treatment of HNSCC. As ferroptosis induction via erastin is strongly dependent on the expression of Erk1/2, this MAP kinase can be considered as a predictor for cancer cells' response to erastin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragana Savic
- Laboratory for Experimental and Translational Research on Radiation Oncology (EXTRO-Lab), Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute (TKFI), A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Teresa Bernadette Steinbichler
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- University Hospital of Tyrol, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Julia Ingruber
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- University Hospital of Tyrol, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Giulia Negro
- Laboratory for Experimental and Translational Research on Radiation Oncology (EXTRO-Lab), Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute (TKFI), A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | | | - Herbert Riechelmann
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ute Ganswindt
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sergej Skvortsov
- Laboratory for Experimental and Translational Research on Radiation Oncology (EXTRO-Lab), Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute (TKFI), A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - József Dudás
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Ira-Ida Skvortsova
- Laboratory for Experimental and Translational Research on Radiation Oncology (EXTRO-Lab), Department of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute (TKFI), A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Glathar AR, Oyelakin A, Nayak KB, Sosa J, Romano RA, Sinha S. A Systemic and Integrated Analysis of p63-Driven Regulatory Networks in Mouse Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:446. [PMID: 36672394 PMCID: PMC9856320 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15020446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity and is linked to tobacco exposure, alcohol consumption, and human papillomavirus infection. Despite therapeutic advances, a lack of molecular understanding of disease etiology, and delayed diagnoses continue to negatively affect survival. The identification of oncogenic drivers and prognostic biomarkers by leveraging bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets of OSCC can lead to more targeted therapies and improved patient outcomes. However, the generation, analysis, and continued utilization of additional genetic and genomic tools are warranted. Tobacco-induced OSCC can be modeled in mice via 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO), which generates a spectrum of neoplastic lesions mimicking human OSCC and upregulates the oncogenic master transcription factor p63. Here, we molecularly characterized established mouse 4NQO treatment-derived OSCC cell lines and utilized RNA and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing to uncover the global p63 gene regulatory and signaling network. We integrated our p63 datasets with published bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing of mouse 4NQO-treated tongue and esophageal tumors, respectively, to generate a p63-driven gene signature that sheds new light on the role of p63 in murine OSCC. Our analyses reveal known and novel players, such as COTL1, that are regulated by p63 and influence various oncogenic processes, including metastasis. The identification of new sets of potential biomarkers and pathways, some of which are functionally conserved in human OSCC and can prognosticate patient survival, offers new avenues for future mechanistic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Ruth Glathar
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Akinsola Oyelakin
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Kasturi Bala Nayak
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Jennifer Sosa
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
| | - Rose-Anne Romano
- Department of Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA
| | - Satrajit Sinha
- Department of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA
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Qiu Y, Qi Z, Wang Z, Cao Y, Lu L, Zhang H, Mathes D, Pomfret EA, Lu SL, Wang Z. EGF‑IL2 bispecific and bivalent EGF fusion toxin efficacy against syngeneic head and neck cancer mouse models. Oncol Rep 2022; 49:37. [PMID: 36579667 PMCID: PMC9827275 DOI: 10.3892/or.2022.8474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) remains one of the best molecules for developing targeted therapy for multiple human malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Small molecule inhibitors or antibodies targeting EGFR have been extensively developed in recent decades. Immunotoxin (IT)‑based therapy, which combines cell surface binding ligands or antibodies with a peptide toxin, represents another cancer treatment option. A total of 3 diphtheria toxin (DT)‑based fusion toxins that target human EGFR‑monovalent EGFR IT (mono‑EGF‑IT), bivalent EGFR IT (bi‑EGF‑IT), and a bispecific IT targeting both EGFR and interleukin‑2 receptor (bis‑EGF/IL2‑IT) were recently generated by the authors. Improved efficacy and reduced toxicity of bi‑EGF‑IT compared with mono‑EGF‑IT in immunocompromised HNSCC mouse models was reported. In the present study, bis‑EGF/IL2‑IT were generated using a unique DT‑resistant yeast expression system and evaluated the in vitro and in vivo efficacy and toxicity of the 3 EGF‑ITs in immunocompetent mice. The results demonstrated that while the three EGF‑ITs had different efficacies in vitro and in vivo against HNSCC, bi‑EGF‑IT and bis‑EGF/IL2‑IT had significantly improved in vivo efficacy and remarkably less off‑target toxicity compared with mono‑EGF‑IT. In addition, bis‑EGF/IL2‑IT was superior to bi‑EGF‑IT in reducing tumor size and prolonging survival in the metastatic model. These data suggested that targeting either the tumor immune microenvironment or enhancing the binding affinity could improve the efficacy of IT‑based therapy. Bi‑EGF‑IT and bis‑EGF/IL2‑IT represent improved candidates for IT‑based therapy for future clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Qiu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110122, P.R. China
| | - Zeng Qi
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Zhaohui Wang
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Yu Cao
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Department of Breast Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China
| | - Ling Lu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Huiping Zhang
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - David Mathes
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Pomfret
- Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Shi-Long Lu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Dr Shi-Long Lu, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12700 E 19th Avenue Aurora, CO 80045, USA, E-mail:
| | - Zhirui Wang
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Correspondence to: Dr Zhirui Wang, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12700 E 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA, E-mail:
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36
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Li Y, Goldberg EM, Chen X, Xu X, McGuire JT, Leuzzi G, Karagiannis D, Tate T, Farhangdoost N, Horth C, Dai E, Li Z, Zhang Z, Izar B, Que J, Ciccia A, Majewski J, Yoon AJ, Ailles L, Mendelsohn CL, Lu C. Histone methylation antagonism drives tumor immune evasion in squamous cell carcinomas. Mol Cell 2022; 82:3901-3918.e7. [PMID: 36206767 PMCID: PMC9588679 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
How cancer-associated chromatin abnormalities shape tumor-immune interaction remains incompletely understood. Recent studies have linked DNA hypomethylation and de-repression of retrotransposons to anti-tumor immunity through the induction of interferon response. Here, we report that inactivation of the histone H3K36 methyltransferase NSD1, which is frequently found in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and induces DNA hypomethylation, unexpectedly results in diminished tumor immune infiltration. In syngeneic and genetically engineered mouse models of head and neck SCCs, NSD1-deficient tumors exhibit immune exclusion and reduced interferon response despite high retrotransposon expression. Mechanistically, NSD1 loss results in silencing of innate immunity genes, including the type III interferon receptor IFNLR1, through depletion of H3K36 di-methylation (H3K36me2) and gain of H3K27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3). Inhibition of EZH2 restores immune infiltration and impairs the growth of Nsd1-mutant tumors. Thus, our work uncovers a druggable chromatin cross talk that regulates the viral mimicry response and enables immune evasion of DNA hypomethylated tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinglu Li
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Goldberg
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Xiao Chen
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Xinjing Xu
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - John T McGuire
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Giuseppe Leuzzi
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Dimitris Karagiannis
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Tiffany Tate
- Department of Urology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Nargess Farhangdoost
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada; McGill University Genome Centre, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Cynthia Horth
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada; McGill University Genome Centre, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Esther Dai
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Zhiming Li
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Zhiguo Zhang
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Benjamin Izar
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Jianwen Que
- Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia Center for Human Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Alberto Ciccia
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Jacek Majewski
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada; McGill University Genome Centre, Montreal, QC H3A 0G1, Canada
| | - Angela J Yoon
- Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Laurie Ailles
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Cathy Lee Mendelsohn
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Urology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Chao Lu
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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Blair T, Baird J, Bambina S, Kramer G, Gostissa M, Harvey CJ, Gough MJ, Crittenden MR. ICOS is upregulated on T cells following radiation and agonism combined with radiation results in enhanced tumor control. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14954. [PMID: 36056093 PMCID: PMC9440216 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19256-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple preclinical studies have shown improved outcomes when radiation therapy is combined with immune modulating antibodies. However, to date, many of these promising results have failed to translate to successful clinical studies. This led us to explore additional checkpoint and co-stimulatory pathways that may be regulated by radiation therapy. Here, we demonstrate that radiation increases the expression of inducible T cell co-stimulator (ICOS) on both CD4 and CD8 T cells in the blood following treatment. Moreover, when we combined a novel ICOS agonist antibody with radiation we observed durable cures across multiple tumor models and mouse strains. Depletion studies revealed that CD8 T cells were ultimately required for treatment efficacy, but CD4 T cells and NK cells also partially contributed to tumor control. Phenotypic analysis showed that the combination therapy diminished the increased infiltration of regulatory T cells into the tumor that typically occurs following radiation alone. Finally, we demonstrate in a poorly immunogenic pancreatic tumor model which is resistant to combined radiation and anti-PD1 checkpoint blockade that the addition of this novel ICOS agonist antibody to the treatment regimen results in tumor control. These findings identify ICOS as part of a T cell pathway that is modulated by radiation and targeting this pathway with a novel ICOS antibody results in durable tumor control in preclinical models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Blair
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 NE Glisan St, North Pavilion, Suite 2N108, Portland, OR, 97213, USA
| | - Jason Baird
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 NE Glisan St, North Pavilion, Suite 2N108, Portland, OR, 97213, USA
| | - Shelly Bambina
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 NE Glisan St, North Pavilion, Suite 2N108, Portland, OR, 97213, USA
| | - Gwen Kramer
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 NE Glisan St, North Pavilion, Suite 2N108, Portland, OR, 97213, USA
| | - Monica Gostissa
- Jounce Therapeutics, Inc., 780 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Christopher J Harvey
- Jounce Therapeutics, Inc., 780 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Phenomic AI, 661 University Ave Suite 1300, Toronto, ON, M5G 0B7, Canada
| | - Michael J Gough
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 NE Glisan St, North Pavilion, Suite 2N108, Portland, OR, 97213, USA
| | - Marka R Crittenden
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 NE Glisan St, North Pavilion, Suite 2N108, Portland, OR, 97213, USA.
- The Oregon Clinic, Portland, OR, 97213, USA.
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Kono M, Saito S, Egloff AM, Allen CT, Uppaluri R. The mouse oral carcinoma (MOC) model: A 10-year retrospective on model development and head and neck cancer investigations. Oral Oncol 2022; 132:106012. [PMID: 35820346 PMCID: PMC9364442 DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2022.106012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Preclinical models of cancer have long been paramount to understanding tumor development and advancing the treatment of cancer. Creating preclinical models that mimic the complexity and heterogeneity of human tumors is a key challenge in the advancement of cancer therapy. About ten years ago, we created the mouse oral carcinoma (MOC) cell line models that were derived from 7, 12-dimethylbenz(a) anthracene (DMBA)-induced mouse oral squamous cell cancers. This model has been used in numerous investigations, including studies on tumor biology and therapeutics. We have seen remarkable progress in cancer immunology in recent years, and these cell lines, which are syngeneic to C57BL/6 background, have also been used to study the anti-tumor immune response. Herein, we aim to review the MOC model from its development and characterization to its use in non-immunological and immunological preclinical head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) studies. Integrating and refining these MOC model studies and extending findings to other systems will provide crucial insights for translational approaches aimed at improving head and neck cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michihisa Kono
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
| | - Shin Saito
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Ann Marie Egloff
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Surgery/Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, United States.
| | - Clint T Allen
- Section on Translational Tumor Immunology, National Institutes on Deafness and Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States.
| | - Ravindra Uppaluri
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Surgery/Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, United States.
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Induction of potassium channel regulator KCNE4 in a submandibular lymph node metastasis model. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13208. [PMID: 35915077 PMCID: PMC9343410 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15926-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells often metastasize to the lymph nodes (LNs) before disseminating throughout the body. Clinically, LN metastasis correlates with poor prognosis and influences treatment options. Many studies have shown that cancer cells communicate with immune and stromal cells to prepare a suitable niche for metastasis. In this study, mice were injected with B16–F10 murine melanoma cells to generate a tongue submandibular lymph node (SLN) metastasis model in which genes of interest could be investigated. Microarray analyses were performed on SLNs, identifying 162 upregulated genes, some of which are known metastasis genes. Among these upregulated genes, Kcne4, Slc7a11, Fscn1, and Gadd45b were not associated with metastasis, and increased expression of Kcne4 and Slc7a11 was confirmed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. The roles of KCNE4 in chemokine production and cell adhesion were examined using primary lymphatic endothelial cells, and demonstrated that Ccl17 and Ccl19, which are involved in melanoma metastasis, were upregulated by KCNE4, as well as Mmp3 matrix metalloproteinase. Expression of KCNE4 was detected in human LNs with metastatic melanoma. In conclusion, we found that LN metastatic melanoma induces KCNE4 expression in the endothelium of LNs.
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40
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Shi Y, Xie T, Wang B, Wang R, Cai Y, Yuan B, Gleber-Netto FO, Tian X, Rodriguez-Rosario AE, Osman AA, Wang J, Pickering CR, Ren X, Sikora AG, Myers JN, Rangel R. Mutant p53 drives an immune cold tumor immune microenvironment in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Commun Biol 2022; 5:757. [PMID: 35902768 PMCID: PMC9334280 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03675-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The critical role of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in determining response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy underscores the importance of understanding cancer cell-intrinsic mechanisms driving immune-excluded ("cold") TIMEs. One such cold tumor is oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a tobacco-associated cancer with mutations in the TP53 gene which responds poorly to ICI therapy. Because altered TP53 function promotes tumor progression and plays a potential role in TIME modulation, here we developed a syngeneic OSCC models with defined Trp53 (p53) mutations and characterized their TIMEs and degree of ICI responsiveness. We observed that a carcinogen-induced p53 mutation promoted a cold TIME enriched with immunosuppressive M2 macrophages highly resistant to ICI therapy. p53-mutated cold tumors failed to respond to combination ICI treatment; however, the combination of a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist restored responsiveness. These syngeneic OSCC models can be used to gain insights into tumor cell-intrinsic drivers of immune resistance and to develop effective immunotherapeutic approaches for OSCC and other ICI-resistant solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yewen Shi
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA ,grid.452672.00000 0004 1757 5804Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710004 China
| | - Tongxin Xie
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA
| | - Bingbing Wang
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA
| | - Rong Wang
- grid.49470.3e0000 0001 2331 6153Department of Endodontics, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Cai
- grid.49470.3e0000 0001 2331 6153Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Bo Yuan
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030 USA
| | - Frederico O. Gleber-Netto
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA
| | - Xiangjun Tian
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030 USA
| | - Alanis E. Rodriguez-Rosario
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA ,grid.449853.70000 0001 2051 0540Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon, Puerto Rico USA
| | - Abdullah A. Osman
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA
| | - Jing Wang
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030 USA
| | - Curtis R. Pickering
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA
| | - Xiaoyong Ren
- grid.452672.00000 0004 1757 5804Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710004 China
| | - Andrew G. Sikora
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA
| | - Jeffrey N. Myers
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA
| | - Roberto Rangel
- grid.240145.60000 0001 2291 4776Department of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 7030 USA
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41
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Wang W, Lozar T, Golfinos AE, Lee D, Gronski E, Ward-Shaw E, Hayes M, Bruce JY, Kimple RJ, Hu R, Harari PM, Xu J, Keske A, Sondel PM, Fitzpatrick MB, Dinh HQ, Lambert PF. Stress Keratin 17 Expression in Head and Neck Cancer Contributes to Immune Evasion and Resistance to Immune-Checkpoint Blockade. Clin Cancer Res 2022; 28:2953-2968. [PMID: 35621713 PMCID: PMC9250640 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-3039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We investigated whether in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) high levels of expression of stress keratin 17 (K17) are associated with poor survival and resistance to immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We investigated the role of K17 in regulating both the tumor microenvironment and immune responsiveness of HNSCC using a syngeneic mouse HNSCC model, MOC2. MOC2 gives rise to immunologically cold tumors that are resistant to immune-checkpoint blockade (ICB). We engineered multiple, independent K17 knockout (KO) MOC2 cell lines and monitored their growth and response to ICB. We also measured K17 expression in human HNSCC of patients undergoing ICB. RESULTS MOC2 tumors were found to express K17 at high levels. When knocked out for K17 (K17KO MOC2), these cells formed tumors that grew slowly or spontaneously regressed and had a high CD8+ T-cell infiltrate in immunocompetent syngeneic C57BL/6 mice compared with parental MOC2 tumors. This phenotype was reversed when we depleted mice for T cells. Whereas parental MOC2 tumors were resistant to ICB treatment, K17KO MOC2 tumors that did not spontaneously regress were eliminated upon ICB treatment. In a cohort of patients with HNSCC receiving pembrolizumab, high K17 expression correlated with poor response. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis revealed broad differences in the immune landscape of K17KO MOC2 tumors compared with parental MOC2 tumors, including differences in multiple lymphoid and myeloid cell types. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that K17 expression in HNSCC contributes to immune evasion and resistance to ICB treatment by broadly altering immune landscapes of tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Taja Lozar
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA,University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Athena E. Golfinos
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Denis Lee
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Ellery Gronski
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Ella Ward-Shaw
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Mitchell Hayes
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Justine Y. Bruce
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Randall J Kimple
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Rong Hu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Paul M. Harari
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Jin Xu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Aysenur Keske
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Paul M. Sondel
- Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA,University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
| | - Megan B. Fitzpatrick
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Huy Q. Dinh
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA,University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison,Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA
| | - Paul F. Lambert
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/ Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison WI, USA,University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
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42
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Gough MJ, Crittenden MR. The paradox of radiation and T cells in tumors. Neoplasia 2022; 31:100808. [PMID: 35691060 PMCID: PMC9194456 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2022.100808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review we consider what appears to be a paradox in immunotherapies based around radiation therapy. The paradox is based on three main points. 1. That T cells are needed for radiation's efficacy; 2. That tumor-specific T cells are enriched in the field of treatment; and 3. That radiation kills T cells in the treatment field. We discuss evidence of the effect of radiation on T cells in the field given their ongoing movement in and out of tissues and the tumor, and how the movement of T cells impacts the treated primary tumor and untreated distant metastases. Given this evidence, we revisit the paradox to understand how the extraordinary efficacy of radiation and immunity in preclinical models is dependent on this radiation sensitive cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Gough
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 NE Glisan St., Portland, OR 97213, USA.
| | - Marka R Crittenden
- Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Robert W. Franz Cancer Center, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 NE Glisan St., Portland, OR 97213, USA; The Oregon Clinic, Portland, OR, 97213, USA
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43
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Mao C, Yeh S, Fu J, Porosnicu M, Thomas A, Kucera GL, Votanopoulos KI, Tian S, Ming X. Delivery of an ectonucleotidase inhibitor with ROS-responsive nanoparticles overcomes adenosine-mediated cancer immunosuppression. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabh1261. [PMID: 35675434 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abh1261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Tumor evasion of immune destruction is associated with the production of immunosuppressive adenosine in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Anticancer therapies can trigger adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release from tumor cells, causing rapid formation of adenosine by the ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73, thereafter exacerbating immunosuppression in the TME. The goal of this study was to develop an approach to facilitate cancer therapy-induced immunogenic cell death including ATP release and to limit ATP degradation into adenosine, in order to achieve durable antitumor immune response. Our approach was to construct reactive oxygen species (ROS)-producing nanoparticles that carry an ectonucleotidase inhibitor ARL67156 by electronic interaction and phenylboronic ester. Upon near-infrared irradiation, nanoparticle-produced ROS induced ATP release from MOC1 cancer cells in vitro and triggered the cleavage of phenylboronic ester, facilitating the release of ARL67156 from the nanoparticles. ARL67156 prevented conversion of ATP to adenosine and enhanced anticancer immunity in an MOC1-based coculture model. We tested this approach in mouse tumor models. Nanoparticle-based ROS-responsive drug delivery reprogramed the immunogenic landscape in tumors, eliciting tumor-specific T cell responses and tumor regression, conferring long-term survival in mouse models. We demonstrated that TME reprograming sets the stage for response to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) immunotherapy, and the combination resulted in tumor regression in a 4T1 breast cancer mouse model that was resistant to PD1 blockade. Furthermore, our approach also induced immunological effects in patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroid model, suggesting potential translation of our nanoparticle approach for treating human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengqiong Mao
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Stacy Yeh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Juan Fu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Mercedes Porosnicu
- Depatment of Internal Medicine - Section of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Alexandra Thomas
- Depatment of Internal Medicine - Section of Hematology and Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Gregory L Kucera
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Konstantinos I Votanopoulos
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Surgery - Section of Surgical Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Shaomin Tian
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Xin Ming
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.,Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
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44
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Reticker-Flynn NE, Zhang W, Belk JA, Basto PA, Escalante NK, Pilarowski GOW, Bejnood A, Martins MM, Kenkel JA, Linde IL, Bagchi S, Yuan R, Chang S, Spitzer MH, Carmi Y, Cheng J, Tolentino LL, Choi O, Wu N, Kong CS, Gentles AJ, Sunwoo JB, Satpathy AT, Plevritis SK, Engleman EG. Lymph node colonization induces tumor-immune tolerance to promote distant metastasis. Cell 2022; 185:1924-1942.e23. [PMID: 35525247 PMCID: PMC9149144 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 58.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
For many solid malignancies, lymph node (LN) involvement represents a harbinger of distant metastatic disease and, therefore, an important prognostic factor. Beyond its utility as a biomarker, whether and how LN metastasis plays an active role in shaping distant metastasis remains an open question. Here, we develop a syngeneic melanoma mouse model of LN metastasis to investigate how tumors spread to LNs and whether LN colonization influences metastasis to distant tissues. We show that an epigenetically instilled tumor-intrinsic interferon response program confers enhanced LN metastatic potential by enabling the evasion of NK cells and promoting LN colonization. LN metastases resist T cell-mediated cytotoxicity, induce antigen-specific regulatory T cells, and generate tumor-specific immune tolerance that subsequently facilitates distant tumor colonization. These effects extend to human cancers and other murine cancer models, implicating a conserved systemic mechanism by which malignancies spread to distant organs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Weiruo Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Julia A Belk
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Pamela A Basto
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
| | | | | | - Alborz Bejnood
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Maria M Martins
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Justin A Kenkel
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ian L Linde
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sreya Bagchi
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Robert Yuan
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Serena Chang
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection Operations, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA; Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
| | - Matthew H Spitzer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yaron Carmi
- Department of Pathology, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jiahan Cheng
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Lorna L Tolentino
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Okmi Choi
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nancy Wu
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Christina S Kong
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
| | - Andrew J Gentles
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
| | - John B Sunwoo
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ansuman T Satpathy
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA; Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sylvia K Plevritis
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
| | - Edgar G Engleman
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA.
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45
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Faraji F, Ramirez SI, Anguiano Quiroz PY, Mendez-Molina AN, Gutkind JS. Genomic Hippo Pathway Alterations and Persistent YAP/TAZ Activation: New Hallmarks in Head and Neck Cancer. Cells 2022; 11:1370. [PMID: 35456049 PMCID: PMC9028246 DOI: 10.3390/cells11081370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a highly prevalent and deadly malignancy worldwide. The prognosis for locoregionally advanced HNSCC has not appreciably improved over the past 30 years despite advances in surgical, radiation, and targeted therapies and less than 20% of HNSCC patients respond to recently approved immune checkpoint inhibitors. The Hippo signaling pathway, originally discovered as a mechanism regulating tissue growth and organ size, transduces intracellular and extracellular signals to regulate the transcriptional co-activators YAP and TAZ. Alterations in the Hippo pathway resulting in persistent YAP and TAZ activation have emerged as major oncogenic drivers. Our analysis of the human HNSCC oncogenome revealed multiple genomic alterations impairing Hippo signaling and activating YAP and TAZ, which in turn contribute to HNSCC development. This includes mutations and deletions of the FAT1 gene (29%) and amplification of the WWTR1 (encoding TAZ, 14%) and YAP1 genes (8%), together representing one of the most genetically altered signaling mechanisms in this malignancy. Here, we discuss key elements of the mammalian Hippo pathway, detail mechanisms by which perturbations in Hippo signaling promote HNSCC initiation and progression and outline emerging strategies to target Hippo signaling vulnerabilities as part of novel multimodal precision therapies for HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhoud Faraji
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, University of California San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA;
| | - Sydney I. Ramirez
- Department of Pharmacology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA;
- Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | | | - J. Silvio Gutkind
- Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center, University of California San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA;
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46
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Badiee P, Maritz MF, Dmochowska N, Cheah E, Thierry B. Intratumoral Anti-PD-1 Nanoformulation Improves Its Biodistribution. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2022; 14:15881-15893. [PMID: 35357803 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c22479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Intratumoral administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as programmed cell death-1 antibodies (aPD-1), is a promising approach toward addressing both the low patients' responses and high off-target toxicity, but good preclinical results have not translated in phase I clinical studies as significant off-target toxicities were observed. We hypothesized that the nanoformulation of aPD-1 could alter both their loco-regional and systemic distribution following intratumoral administration. To test this hypothesis, we developed an aPD-1 nanoformulation (aPD-1 NPs) and investigated its biodistribution following intratumoral injection in an orthotopic mice model of head and neck cancer. Biodistribution analysis demonstrated a significantly lower distribution in off-target organs of the nanoformulated aPD-1 compared to free antibodies. On the other hand, both aPD-1 NPs and free aPD-1 yielded a significantly higher tumor and tumor draining lymph node accumulation than the systemically administrated free aPD-1 used as the current clinical benchmark. In a set of comprehensive in vitro biological studies, aPD-1 NPs effectively inhibited PD-1 expression on T-cells to a similar extent to free aPD-1 and efficiently potentiated the cytotoxicity of T-cells against head and neck cancer cells in vitro. Further studies are warranted to assess the potential of this intratumoral administration of aPD-1 nanoformulation in alleviating the toxicity and enhancing the tumor efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Badiee
- Future Industries Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095, Australia
- UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, City West Campus, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Michelle F Maritz
- Future Industries Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095, Australia
| | - Nicole Dmochowska
- Future Industries Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095, Australia
| | - Edward Cheah
- Future Industries Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095, Australia
- UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, City West Campus, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Benjamin Thierry
- Future Industries Institute and ARC Centre of Excellence Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Adelaide, SA 5095, Australia
- UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, City West Campus, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
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47
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Hong Y, Robbins Y, Yang X, Mydlarz WK, Sowers A, Mitchell JB, Gulley JL, Schlom J, Gameiro SR, Sievers C, Allen CT. Cure of syngeneic carcinomas with targeted IL-12 through obligate reprogramming of lymphoid and myeloid immunity. JCI Insight 2022; 7:157448. [PMID: 35260537 PMCID: PMC8983130 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.157448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic IL-12 has demonstrated the ability to reduce local immune suppression in preclinical models, but clinical development has been limited by severe inflammation-related adverse events with systemic administration. Here, we show that potent immunologic tumor control of established syngeneic carcinomas can be achieved by i.t. administration of a tumor-targeted IL-12 antibody fusion protein (NHS–rmIL-12) using sufficiently low doses to avoid systemic toxicity. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis and ex vivo functional assays of NHS–rmIL-12–treated tumors revealed reinvigoration and enhanced proliferation of exhausted CD8+ T lymphocytes, induction of Th1 immunity, and a decrease in Treg number and suppressive capacity. Similarly, myeloid cells transitioned toward inflammatory phenotypes and displayed reduced suppressive capacity. Cell type–specific IL-12 receptor–KO BM chimera studies revealed that therapeutic modulation of both lymphoid and myeloid cells is required for maximum treatment effect and tumor cure. Study of single-cell data sets from human head and neck carcinomas revealed IL-12 receptor expression patterns similar to those observed in murine tumors. These results describing the diverse mechanisms underlying tumor-directed IL-12–induced antitumor immunity provide the preclinical rationale for the clinical study of i.t. NHS–IL-12.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youji Hong
- Section on Translational Tumor Immunology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yvette Robbins
- Section on Translational Tumor Immunology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Xinping Yang
- Section on Translational Tumor Immunology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Wojciech K Mydlarz
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | - James L Gulley
- Geniturinary Malignancy Branch, Center for Cancer Research, and
| | - Jeffrey Schlom
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sofia R Gameiro
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Cem Sievers
- Section on Translational Tumor Immunology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Clint T Allen
- Section on Translational Tumor Immunology, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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48
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Lang L, Loveless R, Dou J, Lam T, Chen A, Wang F, Sun L, Juarez J, Qin ZS, Saba NF, Shay C, Teng Y. ATAD3A mediates activation of RAS-independent mitochondrial ERK1/2 signaling, favoring head and neck cancer development. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:43. [PMID: 35093151 PMCID: PMC8800319 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02274-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [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: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Targeting mitochondrial oncoproteins presents a new concept in the development of effective cancer therapeutics. ATAD3A is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial enzyme contributing to mitochondrial dynamics, cholesterol metabolism, and signal transduction. However, its impact and underlying regulatory mechanisms in cancers remain ill-defined. METHODS We used head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) as a research platform and achieved gene depletion by lentiviral shRNA and CRISPR/Cas9. Molecular alterations were examined by RNA-sequencing, phospho-kinase profiling, Western blotting, RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and immunoprecipitation. Cancer cell growth was assessed by MTT, colony formation, soft agar, and 3D cultures. The therapeutic efficacy in tumor development was evaluated in orthotopic tongue tumor NSG mice. RESULTS ATAD3A is highly expressed in HNSCC tissues and cell lines. Loss of ATAD3A expression suppresses HNSCC cell growth and elicits tumor regression in orthotopic tumor-bearing mice, whereas gain of ATAD3A expression produces the opposite effects. From a mechanistic perspective, the tumor suppression induced by the overexpression of the Walker A dead mutant of ATAD3A (K358) produces a potent dominant-negative effect due to defective ATP-binding. Moreover, ATAD3A binds to ERK1/2 in the mitochondria of HNSCC cells in the presence of VDAC1, and this interaction is essential for the activation of mitochondrial ERK1/2 signaling. Most importantly, the ATAD3A-ERK1/2 signaling axis drives HNSCC development in a RAS-independent fashion and, thus, tumor suppression is more effectively achieved when ATAD3A knockout is combined with RAS inhibitor treatment. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the novel function of ATAD3A in regulating mitochondrial ERK1/2 activation that favors HNSCC development. Combined targeting of ATAD3A and RAS signaling may potentiate anticancer activity for HNSCC therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liwei Lang
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Reid Loveless
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Juan Dou
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, 201 Dowman Dr, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Tiffany Lam
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Alex Chen
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Li Sun
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Jakeline Juarez
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA
| | - Zhaohui Steve Qin
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Nabil F Saba
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, 201 Dowman Dr, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Chloe Shay
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory, University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Yong Teng
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA.
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, 201 Dowman Dr, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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Zhou L, Zeng Z, Egloff AM, Zhang F, Guo F, Campbell KM, Du P, Fu J, Zolkind P, Ma X, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Wang X, Gu S, Riley R, Nakahori Y, Keegan J, Haddad R, Schoenfeld JD, Griffith O, Manguso RT, Lederer JA, Liu XS, Uppaluri R. Checkpoint blockade-induced CD8+ T cell differentiation in head and neck cancer responders. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-004034. [PMID: 35058328 PMCID: PMC8772459 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) response in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is limited to 15%–20% of patients and underpinnings of resistance remain undefined. Methods Starting with an anti-PD1 sensitive murine HNSCC cell line, we generated an isogenic anti-PD1 resistant model. Mass cytometry was used to delineate tumor microenvironments of both sensitive parental murine oral carcinoma (MOC1) and resistant MOC1esc1 tumors. To examine heterogeneity and clonal dynamics of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we applied paired single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing in three HNSCC models. Results Anti-PD1 resistant MOC1esc1 line displayed a conserved cell intrinsic immune evasion signature. Immunoprofiling showed distinct baseline tumor microenvironments of MOC1 and MOC1esc1, as well as the remodeling of immune compartments on ICB in MOC1esc1 tumors. Single cell sequencing analysis identified several CD8 +TIL subsets including Tcf7 +Pd1− (naïve/memory-like), Tcf7 +Pd1+ (progenitor), and Tcf7-Pd1+ (differentiated effector). Mapping TCR shared fractions identified that successful anti-PD1 or anti-CTLA4 therapy-induced higher post-treatment T cell lineage transitions. Conclusions These data highlight critical aspects of CD8 +TIL heterogeneity and differentiation and suggest facilitation of CD8 +TIL differentiation as a strategy to improve HNSCC ICB response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liye Zhou
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Zexian Zeng
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ann Marie Egloff
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Fan Zhang
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Fei Guo
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Katie M Campbell
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Peter Du
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jingxin Fu
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Clinical Translational Research Center, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Paul Zolkind
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Xiaojing Ma
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Xiaoqing Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shengqing Gu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rachel Riley
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yasutaka Nakahori
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joshua Keegan
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert Haddad
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan D Schoenfeld
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Obi Griffith
- McDonnell Genome Institute and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Robert T Manguso
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - James A Lederer
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - X Shirley Liu
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ravindra Uppaluri
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Hassn Mesrati M, Syafruddin SE, Mohtar MA, Syahir A. CD44: A Multifunctional Mediator of Cancer Progression. Biomolecules 2021; 11:1850. [PMID: 34944493 PMCID: PMC8699317 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
CD44, a non-kinase cell surface transmembrane glycoprotein, has been widely implicated as a cancer stem cell (CSC) marker in several cancers. Cells overexpressing CD44 possess several CSC traits, such as self-renewal and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) capability, as well as a resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy. The CD44 gene regularly undergoes alternative splicing, resulting in the standard (CD44s) and variant (CD44v) isoforms. The interaction of such isoforms with ligands, particularly hyaluronic acid (HA), osteopontin (OPN) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), drive numerous cancer-associated signalling. However, there are contradictory results regarding whether high or low CD44 expression is associated with worsening clinicopathological features, such as a higher tumour histological grade, advanced tumour stage and poorer survival rates. Nonetheless, high CD44 expression significantly contributes to enhanced tumourigenic mechanisms, such as cell proliferation, metastasis, invasion, migration and stemness; hence, CD44 is an important clinical target. This review summarises current research regarding the different CD44 isoform structures and their roles and functions in supporting tumourigenesis and discusses CD44 expression regulation, CD44-signalling pathways and interactions involved in cancer development. The clinical significance and prognostic value of CD44 and the potential of CD44 as a therapeutic target in cancer are also addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malak Hassn Mesrati
- Nanobiotechnology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400 UPM, Selangor, Malaysia;
| | - Saiful Effendi Syafruddin
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia; (S.E.S.); (M.A.M.)
| | - M. Aiman Mohtar
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia; (S.E.S.); (M.A.M.)
| | - Amir Syahir
- Nanobiotechnology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400 UPM, Selangor, Malaysia;
- UPM-MAKNA Cancer Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400 UPM, Selangor, Malaysia
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