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Shi C, Dai J, Chang L, Xu W, Huang C, Zhao Z, Li H, Zhu L, Xu Y. Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationship of malonic acid non-nucleoside derivatives as potent CD73 inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2024; 112:129946. [PMID: 39226996 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2024.129946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2024] [Revised: 08/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
High levels of extracellular adenosine in tumor microenvironment (TME) has extensive immunosuppressive effect. CD73 catalyzes the conversion of AMP into adenosine and regulates its production. Inhibiting CD73 can reduce the level of adenosine and reverse adenosine-mediated immune suppression. Therefore, CD73 has emerged as a valuable target for cancer immunotherapy. Here, a new series of malonic acid non-nucleoside derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated as CD73 inhibitors. Among them, compounds 18 and 19 exhibited significant inhibition activities against hCD73 with IC50 values of 0.28 μM and 0.10 μM, respectively, suggesting the feasibility of replacing the benzotriazole moiety in the lead compound. This study explored the novelty and structural diversity of CD73 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cunjian Shi
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Jingqi Dai
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Longfeng Chang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Wenyue Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Chulu Huang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Zhenjiang Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Honglin Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; Innovation Center for AI and Drug Discovery, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China; Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Lili Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
| | - Yufang Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of New Drug Design, School of Pharmacy, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
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Feldman L. Hypoxia within the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment: a master saboteur of novel treatments. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1384249. [PMID: 38994360 PMCID: PMC11238147 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1384249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) tumors are the most aggressive primary brain tumors in adults that, despite maximum treatment, carry a dismal prognosis. GBM tumors exhibit tissue hypoxia, which promotes tumor aggressiveness and maintenance of glioma stem cells and creates an overall immunosuppressive landscape. This article reviews how hypoxic conditions overlap with inflammatory responses, favoring the proliferation of immunosuppressive cells and inhibiting cytotoxic T cell development. Immunotherapies, including vaccines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and CAR-T cell therapy, represent promising avenues for GBM treatment. However, challenges such as tumor heterogeneity, immunosuppressive TME, and BBB restrictiveness hinder their effectiveness. Strategies to address these challenges, including combination therapies and targeting hypoxia, are actively being explored to improve outcomes for GBM patients. Targeting hypoxia in combination with immunotherapy represents a potential strategy to enhance treatment efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Feldman
- Division of Neurosurgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, United States
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3
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Jiang K, Wu J, Wang Q, Chen X, Zhang Y, Gu X, Tang K. Nanoparticles targeting the adenosine pathway for cancer immunotherapy. J Mater Chem B 2024; 12:5787-5811. [PMID: 38845588 DOI: 10.1039/d4tb00292j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy, as an emerging approach to cancer treatment, has tremendous potential for application. Compared to traditional methods such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, it has the ability to restore the patient's immune system, leading to long-term immune memory with less damage to normal tissues. However, immunotherapy has its limitations, including limited therapeutic efficacy, restricted patient populations, and inconsistent treatment responses. Finding effective immunotherapeutic approaches has become a key focus of its clinical application. The adenosine pathway is a recently discovered tumor immune regulatory signaling pathway. It can influence the metabolism and growth of tumor cells by acting through key enzymes in the adenosine pathway, thereby affecting the development of tumors. Therefore, inhibiting the adenosine pathway is an effective cancer immunotherapy. Common adenosine pathway inhibitors include small molecules and antibody proteins, and extensive preclinical trials have demonstrated their effectiveness in inhibiting tumor growth. The short half-life, low bioavailability, and single administration route of adenosine pathway inhibitors limit their clinical application. With the advent of nanotechnology, nano-delivery of adenosine pathway inhibitors has addressed these issues. Compared to traditional drugs, nano-drugs extend the drug's circulation time and improve its distribution within the body. They also offer targeting capabilities and have low toxic side effects, making them very promising for future applications. In this review, we discuss the mechanism of the adenosine pathway in tumor immune suppression, the clinical applications of adenosine pathway inhibitors, and nano-delivery based on adenosine pathway inhibitors. In the final part of this article, we also briefly discuss the technical issues and challenges currently present in nano-delivery of adenosine pathway inhibitors, with the hope of advancing the progress of adenosine inhibitor nano-drugs in clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kehua Jiang
- Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
| | - Jian Wu
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1095, Jiefang Avenue, Qiaokou District, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.
| | - Qing Wang
- Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
| | - Xiaolong Chen
- Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
| | - Yanlong Zhang
- Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
| | - Xiaoya Gu
- Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
- Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Kun Tang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1095, Jiefang Avenue, Qiaokou District, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, China.
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Guan X, Lu Y, Wang C, Zhan P, Chen Z. Role of CD61 + low-density neutrophils in promoting hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis through CCDC25 upregulation. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 134:112272. [PMID: 38761780 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112272] [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: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A subset of neutrophils isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) layer has recently been described in cancer patients. METHODS Double-gradient centrifugation was used to separate the neutrophil subsets. Western blotting and immunohistochemical assays were performed to assess CCDC25 expression levels. RESULTS In this study, we found that low-density neutrophils (LDNs) were more highly enriched in metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients than in non-metastatic HCC patients. We then showed a CD61+ LDNs subset, which displayed distinct functions and gene expression, when compared with high-density neutrophils (HDNs) and CD61- LDNs. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the CD61+ LDNs were predominantly enhanced in the transcription of glycolysis and angiogenesis associated gene, HMGB1 associated gene and granulation protein gene. These CD61+ LDNs displayed a prominent ability to trigger metastasis, compared with HDNs and CD61- LDNs. Specifically, CD61+ LDN-derived HMGB1 protein increased the invasion of HCC cells by upregulating CCDC25. Mechanistically, the CD61+ LDN-derived HMGB1 protein enhanced the invasiveness of HCC cells and triggered their metastatic potential, which was mediated by TLR9-NF-κB-CCDC25 signaling. Blocking this signaling pathway reversed the invasion of the CD61+ LDN-induced HCC cells. In vivo, we consistently showed that CD61+ LDN-derived HMGB1 enhances HCC metastasis to the lungs. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our findings showed that a subset of CD61+ LDNs has pro-metastatic effects on HCC, and may be used to target HCC in the clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangqian Guan
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Xiamen, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
| | - Yuyan Lu
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Xiamen, China
| | - Chuanzheng Wang
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Xiamen, China
| | - Ping Zhan
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhigao Chen
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Xiamen, China; Clinical Medical College, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
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Chung DC, Garcia-Batres CR, Millar DG, Wong SWY, Elford AR, Mathews JA, Wang BX, Nguyen LT, Shaw PA, Clarke BA, Bernardini MQ, Sacher AG, Crome SQ, Ohashi PS. Generation of an Inhibitory NK Cell Subset by TGF-β1/IL-15 Polarization. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2024; 212:1904-1912. [PMID: 38668728 PMCID: PMC11149900 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
NK cells have been shown to exhibit inflammatory and immunoregulatory functions in a variety of healthy and diseased settings. In the context of chronic viral infection and cancer, distinct NK cell populations that inhibit adaptive immune responses have been observed. To understand how these cells arise and further characterize their immunosuppressive role, we examined in vitro conditions that could polarize human NK cells into an inhibitory subset. TGF-β1 has been shown to induce regulatory T cells in vitro and in vivo; we therefore investigated if TGF-β1 could also induce immunosuppressive NK-like cells. First, we found that TGF-β1/IL-15, but not IL-15 alone, induced CD103+CD49a+ NK-like cells from peripheral blood NK cells, which expressed markers previously associated with inhibitory CD56+ innate lymphoid cells, including high expression of GITR and CD101. Moreover, supernatant from ascites collected from patients with ovarian carcinoma also induced CD103+CD49a+ NK-like cells in vitro in a TGF-β-dependent manner. Interestingly, TGF-β1/IL-15-induced CD103+CD56+ NK-like cells suppressed autologous CD4+ T cells in vitro by reducing absolute number, proliferation, and expression of activation marker CD25. Collectively, these findings provide new insight into how NK cells may acquire an inhibitory phenotype in TGF-β1-rich environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas C. Chung
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Tumour Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Carlos R. Garcia-Batres
- Tumour Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Douglas G. Millar
- Tumour Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephanie W. Y. Wong
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Tumour Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alisha R. Elford
- Tumour Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jessica A. Mathews
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Ajmera Transplant Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ben X. Wang
- Tumour Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Linh T. Nguyen
- Tumour Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Patricia A. Shaw
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Blaise A. Clarke
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marcus Q. Bernardini
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Adrian G. Sacher
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medical Oncology & Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sarah Q. Crome
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Ajmera Transplant Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Pamela S. Ohashi
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Tumour Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
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6
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Neo SY, Tong L, Chong J, Liu Y, Jing X, Oliveira MMS, Chen Y, Chen Z, Lee K, Burduli N, Chen X, Gao J, Ma R, Lim JP, Huo J, Xu S, Alici E, Wickström SL, Haglund F, Hartman J, Wagner AK, Cao Y, Kiessling R, Lam KP, Westerberg LS, Lundqvist A. Tumor-associated NK cells drive MDSC-mediated tumor immune tolerance through the IL-6/STAT3 axis. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadi2952. [PMID: 38748775 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adi2952] [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: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/03/2024]
Abstract
Apart from their killer identity, natural killer (NK) cells have integral roles in shaping the tumor microenvironment. Through immune gene deconvolution, the present study revealed an interplay between NK cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in nonresponders of immune checkpoint therapy. Given that the mechanisms governing the outcome of NK cell-to-myeloid cell interactions remain largely unknown, we sought to investigate the cross-talk between NK cells and suppressive myeloid cells. Upon contact with tumor-experienced NK cells, monocytes and neutrophils displayed increased expression of MDSC-related suppressive factors along with increased capacities to suppress T cells. These changes were accompanied by impaired antigen presentation by monocytes and increased ER stress response by neutrophils. In a cohort of patients with sarcoma and breast cancer, the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by tumor-infiltrating NK cells correlated with S100A8/9 and arginase-1 expression by MDSCs. At the same time, NK cell-derived IL-6 was associated with tumors with higher major histocompatibility complex class I expression, which we further validated with b2m-knockout (KO) tumor mice models. Similarly in syngeneic wild-type and IL-6 KO mouse models, we then demonstrated that the accumulation of MDSCs was influenced by the presence of such regulatory NK cells. Inhibition of the IL-6/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) axis alleviated suppression of T cell responses, resulting in reduced tumor growth and metastatic dissemination. Together, these results characterize a critical NK cell-mediated mechanism that drives the development of MDSCs during tumor immune escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Yong Neo
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Republic of Singapore
| | - Le Tong
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joni Chong
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Republic of Singapore
| | - Yaxuan Liu
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xu Jing
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mariana M S Oliveira
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yi Chen
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Ziqing Chen
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Biology, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Keene Lee
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Republic of Singapore
| | - Nutsa Burduli
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 14152 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xinsong Chen
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Juan Gao
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510631, China
| | - Ran Ma
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Technical Operations, Cepheid AB, 17154 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jia Pei Lim
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jianxin Huo
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Republic of Singapore
| | - Shengli Xu
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Republic of Singapore
| | - Evren Alici
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 14152 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Stina L Wickström
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Felix Haglund
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johan Hartman
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Cancer Diagnostics, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arnika K Wagner
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 14152 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yihai Cao
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rolf Kiessling
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
- Theme Cancer, Patient Area Head and Neck, Lung and Skin Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kong Peng Lam
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore 138648, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119228, Republic of Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Republic of Singapore
| | - Lisa S Westerberg
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 17164 Stockholm, Sweden
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7
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Wang R, Chen Y, Xie Y, Ma X, Liu Y. Deciphering and overcoming Anti-PD-1 resistance in Melanoma: A comprehensive review of Mechanisms, biomarker Developments, and therapeutic strategies. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 132:111989. [PMID: 38583243 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.111989] [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: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Worldwide, tens of thousands of people die from melanoma each year, making it the most frequently fatal form of cutaneous cancer. Immunotherapeutic advancements, particularly with anti-PD-1 medications, have significantly enhanced treatment outcomes over recent decades. With the broad application of anti-PD-1 therapies, insights into the mechanisms of resistance have evolved. Despite the development of combination treatments and early predictive biomarkers, a comprehensive synthesis of these advancements is absent in the current literature. This review underscores the prevailing knowledge of anti-PD-1 resistance mechanisms and underscores the critical role of robust predictive biomarkers in stratifying patients for targeted combinations of anti-PD-1 and other conventional or innovative therapeutic approaches. Additionally, we offer insights that may shape future melanoma treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoqi Wang
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Shanghai Clinical College of Dermatology, Fifth Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Shanghai 200443, China
| | - Yanbin Chen
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200443, China
| | - Yongyi Xie
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200443, China
| | - Xin Ma
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200443, China; Department of Dermatology, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, China.
| | - Yeqiang Liu
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Shanghai Clinical College of Dermatology, Fifth Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Shanghai 200443, China; Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200443, China.
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8
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Wang L, Zhang J, Zhang W, Zheng M, Guo H, Pan X, Li W, Yang B, Ding L. The inhibitory effect of adenosine on tumor adaptive immunity and intervention strategies. Acta Pharm Sin B 2024; 14:1951-1964. [PMID: 38799637 PMCID: PMC11119508 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.12.004] [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: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Adenosine (Ado) is significantly elevated in the tumor microenvironment (TME) compared to normal tissues. It binds to adenosine receptors (AdoRs), suppressing tumor antigen presentation and immune cell activation, thereby inhibiting tumor adaptive immunity. Ado downregulates major histocompatibility complex II (MHC II) and co-stimulatory factors on dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages, inhibiting antigen presentation. It suppresses anti-tumor cytokine secretion and T cell activation by disrupting T cell receptor (TCR) binding and signal transduction. Ado also inhibits chemokine secretion and KCa3.1 channel activity, impeding effector T cell trafficking and infiltration into the tumor site. Furthermore, Ado diminishes T cell cytotoxicity against tumor cells by promoting immune-suppressive cytokine secretion, upregulating immune checkpoint proteins, and enhancing immune-suppressive cell activity. Reducing Ado production in the TME can significantly enhance anti-tumor immune responses and improve the efficacy of other immunotherapies. Preclinical and clinical development of inhibitors targeting Ado generation or AdoRs is underway. Therefore, this article will summarize and analyze the inhibitory effects and molecular mechanisms of Ado on tumor adaptive immunity, as well as provide an overview of the latest advancements in targeting Ado pathways in anti-tumor immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longsheng Wang
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Wenxin Zhang
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Mingming Zheng
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Hongjie Guo
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiaohui Pan
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Wen Li
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Bo Yang
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- The Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Ling Ding
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Nanhu Brain-Computer Interface Institute, Hangzhou 311100, China
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9
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Moinuddin A, Poznanski SM, Portillo AL, Monteiro JK, Ashkar AA. Metabolic adaptations determine whether natural killer cells fail or thrive within the tumor microenvironment. Immunol Rev 2024; 323:19-39. [PMID: 38459782 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13316] [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] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
Natural Killer (NK) cells are a top contender in the development of adoptive cell therapies for cancer due to their diverse antitumor functions and ability to restrict their activation against nonmalignant cells. Despite their success in hematologic malignancies, NK cell-based therapies have been limited in the context of solid tumors. Tumor cells undergo various metabolic adaptations to sustain the immense energy demands that are needed to support their rapid and uncontrolled proliferation. As a result, the tumor microenvironment (TME) is depleted of nutrients needed to fuel immune cell activity and contains several immunosuppressive metabolites that hinder NK cell antitumor functions. Further, we now know that NK cell metabolic status is a main determining factor of their effector functions. Hence, the ability of NK cells to withstand and adapt to these metabolically hostile conditions is imperative for effective and sustained antitumor activity in the TME. With this in mind, we review the consequences of metabolic hostility in the TME on NK cell metabolism and function. We also discuss tumor-like metabolic programs in NK cell induced by STAT3-mediated expansion that adapt NK cells to thrive in the TME. Finally, we examine how other approaches can be applied to enhance NK cell metabolism in tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adnan Moinuddin
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sophie M Poznanski
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ana L Portillo
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan K Monteiro
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ali A Ashkar
- Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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10
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Salter AI, Das M. Novel immunotherapy combinations in neoadjuvant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): a better chance at cure? Transl Lung Cancer Res 2024; 13:673-677. [PMID: 38601451 PMCID: PMC11002516 DOI: 10.21037/tlcr-23-735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander I. Salter
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Millie Das
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, USA
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11
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Zhu Y, Banerjee A, Xie P, Ivanov AA, Uddin A, Jiao Q, Chi JJ, Zeng L, Lee JY, Xue Y, Lu X, Cristofanilli M, Gradishar WJ, Henry CJ, Gillespie TW, Bhave MA, Kalinsky K, Fu H, Bahar I, Zhang B, Wan Y. Pharmacological suppression of the OTUD4/CD73 proteolytic axis revives antitumor immunity against immune-suppressive breast cancers. J Clin Invest 2024; 134:e176390. [PMID: 38530357 PMCID: PMC11093616 DOI: 10.1172/jci176390] [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: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite widespread utilization of immunotherapy, treating immune-cold tumors remains a challenge. Multiomic analyses and experimental validation identified the OTUD4/CD73 proteolytic axis as a promising target in treating immune-suppressive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Mechanistically, deubiquitylation of CD73 by OTUD4 counteracted its ubiquitylation by TRIM21, resulting in CD73 stabilization inhibiting tumor immune responses. We further demonstrated the importance of TGF-β signaling for orchestrating the OTUD4/CD73 proteolytic axis within tumor cells. Spatial transcriptomics profiling discovered spatially resolved features of interacting malignant and immune cells pertaining to expression levels of OTUD4 and CD73. In addition, ST80, a newly developed inhibitor, specifically disrupted proteolytic interaction between CD73 and OTUD4, leading to reinvigoration of cytotoxic CD8+ T cell activities. In preclinical models of TNBC, ST80 treatment sensitized refractory tumors to anti-PD-L1 therapy. Collectively, our findings uncover what we believe to be a novel strategy for targeting the immunosuppressive OTUD4/CD73 proteolytic axis in treating immune-suppressive breast cancers with the inhibitor ST80.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueming Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Anupam Banerjee
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Ping Xie
- Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Andrey A. Ivanov
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Amad Uddin
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and
| | - Qiao Jiao
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and
| | - Junlong Jack Chi
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and
- Driskill Graduate Program (DPG), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lidan Zeng
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and
| | - Ji Young Lee
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Yifan Xue
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Xinghua Lu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | - William J. Gradishar
- Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Curtis J. Henry
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Pediatrics
| | - Theresa W. Gillespie
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Surgery, and
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Manali Ajay Bhave
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kevin Kalinsky
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Haian Fu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Emory Chemical Biology Discovery Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Ivet Bahar
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Yong Wan
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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12
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Hu A, Sun L, Lin H, Liao Y, Yang H, Mao Y. Harnessing innate immune pathways for therapeutic advancement in cancer. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:68. [PMID: 38523155 PMCID: PMC10961329 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01765-9] [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: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The innate immune pathway is receiving increasing attention in cancer therapy. This pathway is ubiquitous across various cell types, not only in innate immune cells but also in adaptive immune cells, tumor cells, and stromal cells. Agonists targeting the innate immune pathway have shown profound changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and improved tumor prognosis in preclinical studies. However, to date, the clinical success of drugs targeting the innate immune pathway remains limited. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that activation of the innate immune pathway can paradoxically promote tumor progression. The uncertainty surrounding the therapeutic effectiveness of targeted drugs for the innate immune pathway is a critical issue that needs immediate investigation. In this review, we observe that the role of the innate immune pathway demonstrates heterogeneity, linked to the tumor development stage, pathway status, and specific cell types. We propose that within the TME, the innate immune pathway exhibits multidimensional diversity. This diversity is fundamentally rooted in cellular heterogeneity and is manifested as a variety of signaling networks. The pro-tumor effect of innate immune pathway activation essentially reflects the suppression of classical pathways and the activation of potential pro-tumor alternative pathways. Refining our understanding of the tumor's innate immune pathway network and employing appropriate targeting strategies can enhance our ability to harness the anti-tumor potential of the innate immune pathway and ultimately bridge the gap from preclinical to clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankang Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Institute for Translational Brain Research, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Li Sun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Hao Lin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Yuheng Liao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism (Ministry of Science and Technology), and Key Laboratory of Metabolism and Molecular Medicine (Ministry of Education), and Molecular and Cell Biology Lab, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Hui Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
- Institute for Translational Brain Research, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
| | - Ying Mao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
- National Center for Neurological Disorders, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function Restoration and Neural Regeneration, Shanghai Clinical Medical Center of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgical Institute of Fudan University, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
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13
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Kim DK, Choi H, Lee W, Choi H, Hong SB, Jeong JH, Han J, Han JW, Ryu H, Kim JI, Mook-Jung I. Brain hypothyroidism silences the immune response of microglia in Alzheimer's disease animal model. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi1863. [PMID: 38489366 PMCID: PMC10942107 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi1863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Thyroid hormone (TH) imbalance is linked to the pathophysiology of reversible dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is unclear whether tissue hypothyroidism occurs in the AD brain and how it affects on AD pathology. We find that decreased iodothyronine deiodinase 2 is correlated with hippocampal hypothyroidism in early AD model mice before TH alterations in the blood. TH deficiency leads to spontaneous activation of microglia in wild-type mice under nonstimulated conditions, resulting in lowered innate immune responses of microglia in response to inflammatory stimuli or amyloid-β. In AD model mice, TH deficiency aggravates AD pathology by reducing the disease-associated microglia population and microglial phagocytosis. We find that TH deficiency reduces microglial ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73) and inhibition of CD73 leads to impaired innate immune responses in microglia. Our findings reveal that TH shapes microglial responses to inflammatory stimuli including amyloid-β, and brain hypothyroidism in early AD model mice aggravates AD pathology by microglial dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Kyu Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Dementia Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyunjung Choi
- Convergence Dementia Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Woochan Lee
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hayoung Choi
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Dementia Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Seok Beom Hong
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Dementia Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - June-Hyun Jeong
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Dementia Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jihui Han
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Dementia Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jong Won Han
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Dementia Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hoon Ryu
- Center for Neuroscience, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea
| | - Jong-Il Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Inhee Mook-Jung
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Dementia Research Center, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
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14
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Tsukanov VV, Savchenko AA, Cherepnin MA, Kasparov EV, Tikhonova EP, Vasyutin AV, Tonkikh JL, Anisimova AA, Belenyuk VD, Borisov AG. Association of Blood NK Cell Phenotype with the Severity of Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis C with Genotype 1 or 3. Diagnostics (Basel) 2024; 14:472. [PMID: 38472945 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14050472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND NK cells phenotype and functional state in different genotypes of chronic viral hepatitis C (CVHC), depending on liver fibrosis severity, have not been sufficiently studied, which limits the possibilities for the development of pathology therapy. METHODS The CVHC diagnosis was based on the EASL recommendations (2018). Clinical examination with liver elastometry was performed in 297 patients with genotype 1 and in 231 patients with genotype 3 CVHC. The blood NK cells phenotype was determined by flow cytometry in 74 individuals with genotype 1 and in 69 individuals with genotype 3 CVHC. RESULTS The frequency of METAVIR liver fibrosis stages F3-F4 was 32.5% in individuals with genotype 3, and 20.5% in individuals with genotype 1 CVHC (p = 0.003). In patients with both genotype 1 and genotype 3 CVHC, a decrease in the total number of blood NK cells, CD56brightCD16+ NK cells and an increase in the proportion of CD56dimCD16+ NK cells, CD94+ and CD38 + CD73+ NK cells were registered in patients with fibrosis stage F3-F4 by METAVIR in comparison with persons with METAVIR fibrosis stage F0-F1. CONCLUSIONS In patients with both genotype 1 and genotype 3 CVHC, an imbalance in the ratio between cytokine-producing and cytotoxic NK cells and an increase in the content of NK cells that express inhibitory molecules were determined in patients with severe liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladislav Vladimirovich Tsukanov
- Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Research Institute of Medical Problems of the North, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Andrei Anatolyevich Savchenko
- Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Research Institute of Medical Problems of the North, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Mikhail Aleksandrovich Cherepnin
- Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Research Institute of Medical Problems of the North, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Eduard Vilyamovich Kasparov
- Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Research Institute of Medical Problems of the North, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Elena Petrovna Tikhonova
- Krasnoyarsk State Medical University Named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Alexander Viktorovich Vasyutin
- Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Research Institute of Medical Problems of the North, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Julia Leongardovna Tonkikh
- Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Research Institute of Medical Problems of the North, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Anna Alexandrovna Anisimova
- Krasnoyarsk State Medical University Named after Prof. V.F. Voino-Yasenetsky of the Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Vasily Dmitrievich Belenyuk
- Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Research Institute of Medical Problems of the North, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Alexandr Gennadyevich Borisov
- Federal Research Center "Krasnoyarsk Science Center" of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Research Institute of Medical Problems of the North, 660022 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
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15
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Scholl JN, Weber AF, Dias CK, Lima VP, Grun LK, Zambonin D, Anzolin E, Dos Santos Dias WW, Kus WP, Barbé-Tuana F, Battastini AMO, Worm PV, Figueiró F. Characterization of purinergic signaling in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from lower- and high-grade gliomas. Purinergic Signal 2024; 20:47-64. [PMID: 36964277 PMCID: PMC10828327 DOI: 10.1007/s11302-023-09931-4] [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: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Malignant gliomas are highly heterogeneous glia-derived tumors that present an aggressive and invasive nature, with a dismal prognosis. The multi-dimensional interactions between glioma cells and other tumor microenvironment (TME) non-tumoral components constitute a challenge to finding successful treatment strategies. Several molecules, such as extracellular purines, participate in signaling events and support the immunosuppressive TME of glioma patients. The purinergic signaling and the ectoenzymes network involved in the metabolism of these extracellular nucleotides are still unexplored in the glioma TME, especially in lower-grade gliomas (LGG). Also, differences between IDH-mutant (IDH-Mut) versus wild-type (IDH-WT) gliomas are still unknown in this context. For the first time, to our knowledge, this study characterizes the TME of LGG, high-grade gliomas (HGG) IDH-Mut, and HGG IDH-WT patients regarding purinergic ectoenzymes and P1 receptors, focusing on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Here, we show that ectoenzymes from both canonical and non-canonical pathways are increased in the TME when compared to the peripheral blood. We hypothesize this enhancement supports extracellular adenosine generation, hence increasing TME immunosuppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliete Nathali Scholl
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Augusto Ferreira Weber
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Camila Kehl Dias
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Vinícius Pierdoná Lima
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Lucas Kich Grun
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Pediatria E Saúde da Criança, Escola de Medicina, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Diego Zambonin
- Departamento de Neurocirurgia, Hospital Cristo Redentor, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Anzolin
- Departamento de Neurocirurgia, Hospital Cristo Redentor, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | | | - Florencia Barbé-Tuana
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia Celular E Molecular, Escola de Ciências da Saúde E da Vida, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Oliveira Battastini
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Paulo Valdeci Worm
- Departamento de Neurocirurgia, Hospital Cristo Redentor, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Departmento de Cirurgia, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Fabrício Figueiró
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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16
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Wang W, Liu Y, He Z, Li L, Liu S, Jiang M, Zhao B, Deng M, Wang W, Mi X, Sun Z, Ge X. Breakthrough of solid tumor treatment: CAR-NK immunotherapy. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:40. [PMID: 38245520 PMCID: PMC10799930 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01815-9] [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: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
As the latest and most anticipated method of tumor immunotherapy, CAR-NK therapy has received increasing attention in recent years, and its safety and high efficiency have irreplaceable advantages over CAR-T. Current research focuses on the application of CAR-NK in hematological tumors, while there are fewer studies on solid tumor. This article reviews the process of constructing CAR-NK, the effects of hypoxia and metabolic factors, NK cell surface receptors, cytokines, and exosomes on the efficacy of CAR-NK in solid tumor, and the role of CAR-NK in various solid tumor. The mechanism of action and the research status of the potential of CAR-NK in the treatment of solid tumor in clinical practice, and put forward the advantages, limitations and future problems of CAR-NK in the treatment of solid tumor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenkang Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Radiotherapy, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhen He
- Department of Internal Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Lifeng Li
- Biotherapy Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Senbo Liu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Mingqiang Jiang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Bing Zhao
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Meng Deng
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wendong Wang
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xuefang Mi
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhenqiang Sun
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
| | - Xin Ge
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
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17
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Neo SY, Oliveira MMS, Tong L, Chen Y, Chen Z, Cismas S, Burduli N, Malmerfelt A, Teo JKH, Lam KP, Alici E, Girnita L, Wagner AK, Westerberg LS, Lundqvist A. Natural killer cells drive 4-1BBL positive uveal melanoma towards EMT and metastatic disease. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:13. [PMID: 38191418 PMCID: PMC10775428 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02917-5] [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: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inflammation in the eye is often associated with aggravated ocular diseases such as uveal melanoma (UM). Poor prognosis of UM is generally associated with high potential of metastatic liver dissemination. A strong driver of metastatic dissemination is the activation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulating transcription factor ZEB1, and high expression of ZEB1 is associated with aggressiveness of UM. While ZEB1 expression can be also associated with immune tolerance, the underlying drivers of ZEB1 activation remain unclear. METHODS Transcriptomic, in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo analyses were used to investigate the impact on clinical prognosis of immune infiltration in the ocular tumor microenvironment. A metastatic liver dissemination model of was developed to address the role of natural killer (NK) cells in driving the migration of UM. RESULTS In a pan-cancer TCGA analysis, natural killer (NK) cells were associated with worse overall survival in uveal melanoma and more abundant in high-risk monosomy 3 tumors. Furthermore, uveal melanoma expressed high levels of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 4-1BB ligand, particularly in tumors with monosomy 3 and BAP1 mutations. Tumors expressing 4-1BB ligand induced CD73 expression on NK cells accompanied with the ability to promote tumor dissemination. Through ligation of 4-1BB, NK cells induced the expression of the ZEB1 transcription factor, leading to the formation of liver metastasis of uveal melanoma. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the present study demonstrates a role of NK cells in the aggravation of uveal melanoma towards metastatic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Yong Neo
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mariana M S Oliveira
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Le Tong
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yi Chen
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA
| | - Ziqing Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Sonia Cismas
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nutsa Burduli
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Malmerfelt
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joey Kay Hui Teo
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Kong-Peng Lam
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Evren Alici
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Leonard Girnita
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Arnika K Wagner
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lisa S Westerberg
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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18
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Reghu G, Vemula PK, Bhat SG, Narayanan S. Harnessing the innate immune system by revolutionizing macrophage-mediated cancer immunotherapy. J Biosci 2024; 49:63. [PMID: 38864238 PMCID: PMC11286319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a promising and safer alternative to conventional cancer therapies. It involves adaptive T-cell therapy, cancer vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) based therapies. However, most of these modalities encounter restrictions in solid tumours owing to a dense, highly hypoxic and immune-suppressive microenvironment as well as the heterogeneity of tumour antigens. The elevated intra-tumoural pressure and mutational rates within fastgrowing solid tumours present challenges in efficient drug targeting and delivery. The tumour microenvironment is a dynamic niche infiltrated by a variety of immune cells, most of which are macrophages. Since they form a part of the innate immune system, targeting macrophages has become a plausible immunotherapeutic approach. In this review, we discuss several versatile approaches (both at pre-clinical and clinical stages) such as the direct killing of tumour-associated macrophages, reprogramming pro-tumour macrophages to anti-tumour phenotypes, inhibition of macrophage recruitment into the tumour microenvironment, novel CAR macrophages, and genetically engineered macrophages that have been devised thus far. These strategies comprise a strong and adaptable macrophage-toolkit in the ongoing fight against cancer and by understanding their significance, we may unlock the full potential of these immune cells in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayatri Reghu
- Department of Biotechnology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022, India
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19
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Zhao H, Yang K, Yue Z, Chen Z, Cheng Z, Sun H, Song C. The role of ARL4C in predicting prognosis and immunotherapy drug susceptibility in pan-cancer analysis. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1288492. [PMID: 38178862 PMCID: PMC10765536 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1288492] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: ARLs, which are a class of small GTP-binding proteins, play a crucial role in facilitating tumor tumorigenesis and development. ARL4C, a vital member of the ARLs family, has been implicated in the progression of tumors, metastatic dissemination, and development of resistance to therapeutic drugs. Nevertheless, the precise functional mechanisms of ARL4C concerning tumor prognosis and immunotherapy drug susceptibility remain elusive. Methods: By combining the GTEx and TCGA databases, the presence of ARL4C was examined in 33 various types of cancer. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining techniques were utilized to confirm the expression of ARL4C in particular tumor tissues. Furthermore, the ESTIMATE algorithm and TIMER2.0 database were utilized to analyze the tumor microenvironment and immune infiltration associated with ARL4C. The TISCH platform facilitated the utilization of single-cell RNA-seq datasets for further analysis. ARL4C-related immune escape was investigated using the TISMO tool. Lastly, drug sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the sensitivity of different types of tumors to compounds based on the varying levels of ARL4C expression. Results: The study found that ARL4C was highly expressed in 23 different types of cancer. Moreover, the presence of high ARL4C expression was found to be associated with a poor prognosis in BLCA, COAD, KIRP, LGG, and UCEC. Notably, ARL4C was also expressed in immune cells, and its high expression was found to be correlated with cancer immune activation. Most importantly, the drug sensitivity analysis revealed a positive correlation between ARL4C expression and the heightened sensitivity of tumors to Staurosporine, Midostaurin, and Nelarabine. Conclusion: The findings from our study indicate that the expression level of ARL4C may exert an influence on cancer development, prognosis, and susceptibility to immunotherapy drugs. In addition, the involvement of ARL4C in the tumor immune microenvironment has expanded the concept of ARL4C-targeted immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanshu Zhao
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Kaiqi Yang
- Clinical Medicine, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Ziqi Yue
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Ziyin Chen
- Department of Urology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Zhe Cheng
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Hongcheng Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Changze Song
- Scientific Research Center, The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Urology, The Fourth Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
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20
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Qin L, Wu J. Targeting anticancer immunity in oral cancer: Drugs, products, and nanoparticles. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 239:116751. [PMID: 37507044 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Oral cavity carcinomas are the most frequent malignancies among head and neck malignancies. Oral tumors include not only oral cancer cells with different potency and stemness but also consist of diverse cells, containing anticancer immune cells, stromal and also immunosuppressive cells that influence the immune system reactions. The infiltrated T and natural killer (NK) cells are the substantial tumor-suppressive immune compartments in the tumor. The infiltration of these cells has substantial impacts on the response of tumors to immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Nevertheless, cancer cells, stromal cells, and some other compartments like regulatory T cells (Tregs), macrophages, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) can repress the immune responses against malignant cells. Boosting anticancer immunity by inducing the immune system or repressing the tumor-promoting cells is one of the intriguing approaches for the eradication of malignant cells such as oral cancers. This review aims to concentrate on the secretions and interactions in the oral tumor immune microenvironment. We review targeting tumor stroma, immune system and immunosuppressive interactions in oral tumors. This review will also focus on therapeutic targets and therapeutic agents such as nanoparticles and products with anti-tumor potency that can boost anticancer immunity in oral tumors. We also explain possible future perspectives including delivery of various cells, natural products and drugs by nanoparticles for boosting anticancer immunity in oral tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liling Qin
- Gezhouba Central Hospital of the Third Clinical Medical College of Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, 443002, China
| | - Jianan Wu
- Experimental and Practical Teaching Center, Hubei College of Chinese Medicine, Jingzhou, Hubei, 434000, China.
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21
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Shafaghat Z, Ghomi AHK, Khorramdelazad H, Safari E. Purinergic signaling: decoding its role in COVID-19 pathogenesis and promising treatment strategies. Inflammopharmacology 2023; 31:3005-3020. [PMID: 37805959 DOI: 10.1007/s10787-023-01344-4] [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: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
The pathogenesis of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), is complex and involves dysregulated immune responses, inflammation, and coagulopathy. Purinergic signaling, mediated by extracellular nucleotides and nucleosides, has emerged as a significant player in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), released from damaged or infected cells, is a danger signal triggering immune responses. It activates immune cells, releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines, contributing to the cytokine storm observed in severe COVID-19 cases. ATP also promotes platelet activation and thrombus formation, contributing to the hypercoagulability seen in COVID-19 patients. On the other hand, adenosine, an immunosuppressive nucleoside, can impair anti-viral immune responses and promote tissue damage through its anti-inflammatory effects. Modulating purinergic receptors represents a promising therapeutic strategy for COVID-19. Understanding the role of purinergic signaling in COVID-19 pathogenesis and developing targeted therapeutic approaches can potentially improve patient outcomes. This review focuses on the part of purinergic signaling in COVID-19 pathogenesis and highlights potential therapeutic approaches targeting purinergic receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Shafaghat
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Hossein Khorramdelazad
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
| | - Elaheh Safari
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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22
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Nuñez-Rios JD, Ulrich H, Díaz-Muñoz M, Lameu C, Vázquez-Cuevas FG. Purinergic system in cancer stem cells. Purinergic Signal 2023:10.1007/s11302-023-09976-5. [PMID: 37966629 DOI: 10.1007/s11302-023-09976-5] [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: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence supports the idea that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are those with the capacity to initiate tumors, generate phenotypical diversity, sustain growth, confer drug resistance, and orchestrate the spread of tumor cells. It is still controversial whether CSCs originate from normal stem cells residing in the tissue or cancer cells from the tumor bulk that have dedifferentiated to acquire stem-like characteristics. Although CSCs have been pointed out as key drivers in cancer, knowledge regarding their physiology is still blurry; thus, research focusing on CSCs is essential to designing novel and more effective therapeutics. The purinergic system has emerged as an important autocrine-paracrine messenger system with a prominent role at multiple levels of the tumor microenvironment, where it regulates cellular aspects of the tumors themselves and the stromal and immune systems. Recent findings have shown that purinergic signaling also participates in regulating the CSC phenotype. Here, we discuss updated information regarding CSCs in the purinergic system and present evidence supporting the idea that elements of the purinergic system expressed by this subpopulation of the tumor represent attractive pharmacological targets for proposing innovative anti-cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- J D Nuñez-Rios
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Boulevard Juriquilla #3001, Juriquilla Querétaro, Querétaro, CP 76230, México
| | - H Ulrich
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - M Díaz-Muñoz
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Boulevard Juriquilla #3001, Juriquilla Querétaro, Querétaro, CP 76230, México
| | - C Lameu
- Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry Institute, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - F G Vázquez-Cuevas
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Boulevard Juriquilla #3001, Juriquilla Querétaro, Querétaro, CP 76230, México.
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23
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Borde S, Matosevic S. Metabolic adaptation of NK cell activity and behavior in tumors: challenges and therapeutic opportunities. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2023; 44:832-848. [PMID: 37770314 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2023.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The adaptation of natural killer (NK) cells to conditions in the microenvironment of tumors is deeply affected by their metabolic activity, itself a result of nutrient availability and the metabolism of the cancer cells themselves. Elevated rates of glycolysis and lipid metabolism in cancers not only lead to the accumulation of immunosuppressive byproducts but also contribute to an environment of elevated concentrations of extracellular metabolites. This results in altered NK cell bioenergetics through changes in transcriptional and translational profiles, ultimately affecting their pharmacology and impairing NK cell responses. However, understanding the metabolic processes that drive alterations in immunological signaling on NK cells remains both difficult and vastly underexplored. We discuss the varied and complex drivers of NK cell metabolism in homeostasis and the tumor microenvironment (TME), challenges associated with their targetability, and unexplored therapeutic opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shambhavi Borde
- Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Sandro Matosevic
- Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA; Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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24
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Zhang C, Wang K, Wang H. Adenosine in cancer immunotherapy: Taking off on a new plane. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2023; 1878:189005. [PMID: 37913941 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.189005] [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: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
As a new pillar of cancer therapy, tumor immunotherapy has brought irreplaceable durable responses in tumors. Considering its low response rate, additional immune regulatory mechanisms will be critical for the development of next-generation immune therapeutics. As a key regulatory mechanism, adenosine (ADO) protects tissues from excessive immune responses, but as a metabolite highly concentrated in tumor microenvironments, extracellular adenosine acts on adenosine receptors (mainly A2A receptors) expressed on MDSCs, Tregs, NK cells, effector T cells, DCs, and macrophages to promote tumor cell escape from immune surveillance by inhibiting the immune response. Amounting preclinical studies have demonstrated the adenosine pathway as a novel checkpoint for immunotherapy. Large number of adenosine pathway targeting clinical trials are now underway, including antibodies against CD39 and CD73 as well as A2A receptor inhibitors. There has been evidence of antitumor efficacy of these inhibitors in early clinical trials among a variety of tumors such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, etc. As more clinical trial results are published, the combination of blockade of this pathway with immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeted drugs, traditional chemotherapy medications, radiotherapy and endocrine therapy will provide cancer patients with better clinical outcomes. We would elaborate on the role of CD39-CD73-A2AR pathway in the contribution of tumor microenvironment and the targeting of the adenosinergic pathway for cancer therapy in the review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyue Zhang
- Department of Integrated Therapy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Medical College, Shanghai, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Haiyong Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine-Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China.
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25
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Xing J, Zhang J, Wang J. The Immune Regulatory Role of Adenosine in the Tumor Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14928. [PMID: 37834375 PMCID: PMC10573203 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914928] [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: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Adenosine, an immunosuppressive metabolite, is produced by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) released from dying or stressed cells and is found at high levels in the tumor microenvironment of most solid tumors. It mediates pro-tumor activities by inducing tumor cell proliferation, migration or invasion, tumor tissue angiogenesis, and chemoresistance. In addition, adenosine plays an important role in regulating anti-tumor immune responses and facilitating tumor immune escape. Adenosine receptors are broadly expressed by tumor-infiltrated immune cells, including suppressive tumor-associated macrophages and CD4+ regulatory T cells, as well as effector CD4+ T cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Therefore, adenosine is indispensable in down-regulating anti-tumor immune responses in the tumor microenvironment and contributes to tumor progression. This review describes the current progress on the role of adenosine/adenosine receptor pathway in regulating the tumor-infiltrating immune cells that contribute to tumor immune evasion and aims to provide insights into adenosine-targeted tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianlei Xing
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang 100001, China
- College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Jinhua Zhang
- College of Life Science and Bioengineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Jinyan Wang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang 100001, China
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26
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Chen X, Li Y, Zhou Z, Zhang Y, Chang L, Gao X, Li Q, Luo H, Westover KD, Zhu J, Wei X. Dynamic ultrasound molecular-targeted imaging of senescence in evaluation of lapatinib resistance in HER2-positive breast cancer. Cancer Med 2023; 12:19904-19920. [PMID: 37792675 PMCID: PMC10587953 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6607] [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: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prolonged treatment of HER2+ breast cancer with lapatinib (LAP) causes cellular senescence and acquired drug resistance, which often associating with poor prognosis for patients. We aim to explore the correlation between cellular senescence and LAP resistance in HER2+ breast cancer, screen for molecular marker of reversible senescence, and construct targeted nanobubbles for ultrasound molecular imaging to dynamically evaluate LAP resistance. METHODS AND RESULTS In this study, we established a new cellular model of reversible cellular senescence using LAP and HER2+ breast cancer cells and found that reversible senescence contributed to LAP resistance in HER2+ breast cancer. Then, we identified ecto-5'-nucleotidase (NT5E) as a marker of reversible senescence in HER2+ breast cancer. Based on this, we constructed NT5E-targeted nanobubbles (NT5E-FITC-NBs) as a new molecular imaging modality which could both target reversible senescent cells and be used for ultrasound imaging. NT5E-FITC-NBs showed excellent physical and imaging characteristics. As an ultrasound contrast agent, NT5E-FITC-NBs could accurately identify reversible senescent cells both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that cellular senescence-based ultrasound-targeted imaging can identify reversible senescence and evaluate LAP resistance effectively in HER2+ breast cancer cells, which has the potential to improve cancer treatment outcomes by altering therapeutic strategies ahead of aggressive recurrences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Chen
- Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic UltrasonographyTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for CancerTianjinChina
- Department of UltrasoundTianjin HospitalTianjinChina
| | - Ying Li
- Breast Cancer CenterTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for CancerTianjinChina
| | - Zhiwei Zhou
- Department of Radiation Oncology and BiochemistryUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterTexasDallasUSA
| | - Yanqiu Zhang
- Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic UltrasonographyTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for CancerTianjinChina
| | - Luchen Chang
- Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic UltrasonographyTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for CancerTianjinChina
| | - Xiujun Gao
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin Medical UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Qing Li
- Cancer CenterDaping Hospital, Third Military Medical UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Hao Luo
- Cancer CenterDaping Hospital, Third Military Medical UniversityChongqingChina
| | - Kenneth D. Westover
- Department of Radiation Oncology and BiochemistryUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterTexasDallasUSA
| | - Jialin Zhu
- Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic UltrasonographyTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for CancerTianjinChina
| | - Xi Wei
- Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic UltrasonographyTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for CancerTianjinChina
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27
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Galat Y, Du Y, Perepitchka M, Li XN, Balyasnikova IV, Tse WT, Dambaeva S, Schneiderman S, Iannaccone PM, Becher O, Graham DK, Galat V. In vitro vascular differentiation system efficiently produces natural killer cells for cancer immunotherapies. Oncoimmunology 2023; 12:2240670. [PMID: 37720687 PMCID: PMC10501168 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2023.2240670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Immunotherapeutic innovation is crucial for limited operability tumors. CAR T-cell therapy displayed reduced efficiency against glioblastoma (GBM), likely due to mutations underlying disease progression. Natural Killer cells (NKs) detect cancer cells despite said mutations - demonstrating increased tumor elimination potential. We developed an NK differentiation system using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Via this system, genetic modifications targeting cancer treatment challenges can be introduced during pluripotency - enabling unlimited production of modified "off-the-shelf" hPSC-NKs. Methods hPSCs were differentiated into hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) and NKs using our novel organoid system. These cells were characterized using flow cytometric and bioinformatic analyses. HPC engraftment potential was assessed using NSG mice. NK cytotoxicity was validated using in vitro and in vitro K562 assays and further corroborated on lymphoma, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), and GBM cell lines in vitro. Results HPCs demonstrated engraftment in peripheral blood samples, and hPSC-NKs showcased morphology and functionality akin to same donor peripheral blood NKs (PB-NKs). The hPSC-NKs also displayed potential advantages regarding checkpoint inhibitor and metabolic gene expression, and demonstrated in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity against various cancers. Conclusions Our organoid system, designed to replicate in vivo cellular organization (including signaling gradients and shear stress conditions), offers a suitable environment for HPC and NK generation. The engraftable nature of HPCs and potent NK cytotoxicity against leukemia, lymphoma, DIPG, and GBM highlight the potential of this innovative system to serve as a valuable tool that will benefit cancer treatment and research - improving patient survival and quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yekaterina Galat
- Developmental Biology Program, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA
- ARTEC Biotech Inc, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yuchen Du
- Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Mariana Perepitchka
- Developmental Biology Program, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA
- ARTEC Biotech Inc, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Xiao-Nan Li
- Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Irina V Balyasnikova
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
- Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - William T Tse
- Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Svetlana Dambaeva
- Microbiology and Immunology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sylvia Schneiderman
- Microbiology and Immunology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Philip M Iannaccone
- Developmental Biology Program, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Oren Becher
- Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Douglas K Graham
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vasiliy Galat
- Developmental Biology Program, Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA
- ARTEC Biotech Inc, Chicago, IL, USA
- Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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28
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Mougola Bissiengou P, Montcho Comlan JG, Atsame Ebang G, Sylla Niang M, Djoba Siawaya JF. Prostate malignant tumor and benign prostatic hyperplasia microenvironments in black African men: Limited infiltration of CD8+ T lymphocytes, NK-cells, and high frequency of CD73+ stromal cells. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2023; 6 Suppl 1:e1817. [PMID: 37092584 PMCID: PMC10440842 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1817] [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: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anti-cancerous immunology has yet to be investigated in the African black population, despite being the dawn of precision medicine. AIM Here we investigated the tumor microenvironment of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in black Africans. METHODS Through immunohistochemistry analysis of prostate cancer and BPH patients' biopsies, we investigated the expression and distribution of CD73, CCD8 T-lymphocytes, and natural killer cells. In addition, we looked at tumor-infiltrating features CD8 T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells. RESULTS We show for the first time in black Africans a high expression of CD73 in epithelial-stromal cells and virtually no infiltration of CD8 T lymphocytes and natural killer cells in the tumoral area. In addition, CD73 was seven (7) times more likely to be expressed in prostate cancer stromal tissues than in benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues (odds ratio = 7.2; χ2 = 21; p < .0001). In addition, PSA concentration was significantly higher in prostate cancer patients than in BPH patients (p < .001). Also, the PSA-based ROC. analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.87 (p < .0001). CONCLUSION CD73 expression is more likely expressed in prostate cancer stromal tissues than in benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues. The features of prostate cancer in Black Africans suggest CD73 expression as a possible target for immunotherapy in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pélagie Mougola Bissiengou
- Service d'Immunologie, Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Faculté de MédecineUniversité des Sciences de la SantéLibrevilleGabon
- Service d'Immunologie, Département des Sciences Biologiques et Pharmaceutiques Appliquées, Faculté de Médecine, de Pharmacie et d'OdontostomatologieUniversité Cheikh Anta DiopDakarSenegal
| | - Jérôme Gaston Montcho Comlan
- Service d'Immunologie, Département des Sciences Biologiques et Pharmaceutiques Appliquées, Faculté de Médecine, de Pharmacie et d'OdontostomatologieUniversité Cheikh Anta DiopDakarSenegal
| | - Gabrielle Atsame Ebang
- Unité d'anatomie‐Cytologie‐PathologieCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de LibrevilleLibrevilleGabon
| | - Maguette Sylla Niang
- Service d'Immunologie, Département des Sciences Biologiques et Pharmaceutiques Appliquées, Faculté de Médecine, de Pharmacie et d'OdontostomatologieUniversité Cheikh Anta DiopDakarSenegal
| | - Joel Fleury Djoba Siawaya
- Service LaboratoireCentre Hospitalier Universitaire Mère‐Enfant Fondation Jeanne EBORILibrevilleGabon
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Scheffschick A, Nenonen J, Xiang M, Winther AH, Ehrström M, Wahren-Herlenius M, Eidsmo L, Brauner H. Skin infiltrating NK cells in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma are increased in number and display phenotypic alterations partially driven by the tumor. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1168684. [PMID: 37691935 PMCID: PMC10485839 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1168684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) are characterized by focal infiltration of malignant T cell clones in solitary skin lesions. Many CTCL patients experience an indolent disease, but some progress to advanced disease with high fatality. We hypothesized that natural killer (NK) cells participate in local control of tumor growth in CTCL skin. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry analysis of the density, localization, phenotype and function of NK cells in twenty-nine fresh or formalin-fixed skin biopsies from twenty-four CTCL patients and twenty-three biopsies from twenty healthy controls highlighted higher numbers of CD56+CD3- NK cells in CTCL skin. A reduced fraction of CTCL skin NK cells expressed the maturation marker CD57, the cytotoxic protein granzyme B and the activation marker CD69, indicating reduced tumor-killing abilities of the NK cells. Retained expression of immune checkpoint proteins or inhibitory proteins including PD1, TIM3, LAG3, CD73 and NKG2A and the activating receptors CD16 and NKp46 indicated maintained effector functions. Indeed, the capacity of NK cells to produce anti-tumor acting IFNγ upon PMA+ionomycin stimulation was similar in cells from CTCL and healthy skin. Co-cultures of primary human NK cells or the NK cell line NKL with CTCL cells resulted in reduced levels of granzyme B and CD69, indicating that close cellular interactions with CTCL cells induced the impaired functional NK cell phenotype. In conclusion, increased numbers of NK cells in CTCL skin exhibit a partially impaired phenotype in terms of activity. Enhancing NK cell activity with NK cell activating cytokines such as IL-15 or immune checkpoint blockade therefore represents a potential immunotherapeutic approach in CTCL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Scheffschick
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Julia Nenonen
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mengmeng Xiang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna H. Winther
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Dermatology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marcus Ehrström
- Department of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marie Wahren-Herlenius
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- The Broegelmann Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Liv Eidsmo
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hanna Brauner
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Dermatology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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30
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Zhao X, Lin M, Huang X. Current status and future perspective of natural killer cell therapy for cancer. MEDICAL REVIEW (2021) 2023; 3:305-320. [PMID: 38235405 PMCID: PMC10790210 DOI: 10.1515/mr-2023-0031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells possess innate abilities to effectively eliminate cancer cells. However, because of difficulties of proliferation and easy to be induced dysfunction in the setting of cancer post NK cell therapy, the curative effect of NK cell infusion has been constrained and not been widely applicable in clinical practice. The rapid development of biotechnology has promoted the development of NK cell therapy for cancer treatment. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive analysis of the current status and future prospects of NK cell therapy for cancer, focusing on the biological characteristics of NK cells, as well as strategies to enhance their targeting capabilities and overcome tumor immune suppression within the microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Zhao
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Disease, Beijing, China
| | - Minghao Lin
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Disease, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojun Huang
- Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Disease, Beijing, China
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31
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Gautam SK, Batra SK, Jain M. Molecular and metabolic regulation of immunosuppression in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:118. [PMID: 37488598 PMCID: PMC10367391 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01813-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunosuppression is a hallmark of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), contributing to early metastasis and poor patient survival. Compared to the localized tumors, current standard-of-care therapies have failed to improve the survival of patients with metastatic PDAC, that necessecitates exploration of novel therapeutic approaches. While immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and therapeutic vaccines have emerged as promising treatment modalities in certain cancers, limited responses have been achieved in PDAC. Therefore, specific mechanisms regulating the poor response to immunotherapy must be explored. The immunosuppressive microenvironment driven by oncogenic mutations, tumor secretome, non-coding RNAs, and tumor microbiome persists throughout PDAC progression, allowing neoplastic cells to grow locally and metastasize distantly. The metastatic cells escaping the host immune surveillance are unique in molecular, immunological, and metabolic characteristics. Following chemokine and exosomal guidance, these cells metastasize to the organ-specific pre-metastatic niches (PMNs) constituted by local resident cells, stromal fibroblasts, and suppressive immune cells, such as the metastasis-associated macrophages, neutrophils, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. The metastatic immune microenvironment differs from primary tumors in stromal and immune cell composition, functionality, and metabolism. Thus far, multiple molecular and metabolic pathways, distinct from primary tumors, have been identified that dampen immune effector functions, confounding the immunotherapy response in metastatic PDAC. This review describes major immunoregulatory pathways that contribute to the metastatic progression and limit immunotherapy outcomes in PDAC. Overall, we highlight the therapeutic vulnerabilities attributable to immunosuppressive factors and discuss whether targeting these molecular and immunological "hot spots" could improve the outcomes of PDAC immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailendra K Gautam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
| | - Surinder K Batra
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA
| | - Maneesh Jain
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
- Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
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32
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Seo H, Verma A, Kinzel M, Huang Q, Mahoney DJ, Jacquelot N. Targeting Potential of Innate Lymphoid Cells in Melanoma and Other Cancers. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2001. [PMID: 37514187 PMCID: PMC10384206 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15072001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Reinvigorating the killing function of tumor-infiltrating immune cells through the targeting of regulatory molecules expressed on lymphocytes has markedly improved the prognosis of cancer patients, particularly in melanoma. While initially thought to solely strengthen adaptive T lymphocyte anti-tumor activity, recent investigations suggest that other immune cell subsets, particularly tissue-resident innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), may benefit from immunotherapy treatment. Here, we describe the recent findings showing immune checkpoint expression on tissue-resident and tumor-infiltrating ILCs and how their effector function is modulated by checkpoint blockade-based therapies in cancer. We discuss the therapeutic potential of ILCs beyond the classical PD-1 and CTLA-4 regulatory molecules, exploring other possibilities to manipulate ILC effector function to further impede tumor growth and quench disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hobin Seo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Amisha Verma
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Megan Kinzel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Qiutong Huang
- The University of Queensland Frazer Institute, University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Douglas J Mahoney
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Nicolas Jacquelot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
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Stagg J, Golden E, Wennerberg E, Demaria S. The interplay between the DNA damage response and ectonucleotidases modulates tumor response to therapy. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eabq3015. [PMID: 37418547 PMCID: PMC10394739 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abq3015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
The extracellular nucleoside adenosine reduces tissue inflammation and is generated by irreversible dephosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) mediated by the ectonucleotidase CD73. The pro-inflammatory nucleotides adenosine triphosphate, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and cyclic guanosine -monophosphate-AMP (cGAMP), which are produced in the tumor microenvironment (TME) during therapy-induced immunogenic cell death and activation of innate immune signaling, can be converted into AMP by ectonucleotidases CD39, CD38, and CD203a/ENPP1. Thus, ectonucleotidases shape the TME by converting immune-activating signals into an immunosuppressive one. Ectonucleotidases also hinder the ability of therapies including radiation therapy, which enhance the release of pro-inflammatory nucleotides in the extracellular milieu, to induce immune-mediated tumor rejection. Here, we review the immunosuppressive effects of adenosine and the role of different ectonucleotidases in modulating antitumor immune responses. We discuss emerging opportunities to target adenosine generation and/or its ability to signal via adenosine receptors expressed by immune and cancer cells in the context of combination immunotherapy and radiotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Stagg
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de
l’Université de Montréal, 900 St-Denis street, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada, H2X 0A9
| | - Encouse Golden
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine,
New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Erik Wennerberg
- Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, Institute of Cancer
Research, London SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Sandra Demaria
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine,
New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill
Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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34
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Sarkar OS, Donninger H, Al Rayyan N, Chew LC, Stamp B, Zhang X, Whitt A, Li C, Hall M, Mitchell RA, Zippelius A, Eaton J, Chesney JA, Yaddanapudi K. Monocytic MDSCs exhibit superior immune suppression via adenosine and depletion of adenosine improves efficacy of immunotherapy. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg3736. [PMID: 37390211 PMCID: PMC10313166 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg3736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy is effective against many cancers for a subset of patients; a large percentage of patients remain unresponsive to this therapy. One contributing factor to ICI resistance is accumulation of monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs), a subset of innate immune cells with potent immunosuppressive activity against T lymphocytes. Here, using lung, melanoma, and breast cancer mouse models, we show that CD73-expressing M-MDSCs in the tumor microenvironment (TME) exhibit superior T cell suppressor function. Tumor-derived PGE2, a prostaglandin, directly induces CD73 expression in M-MDSCs via both Stat3 and CREB. The resulting CD73 overexpression induces elevated levels of adenosine, a nucleoside with T cell-suppressive activity, culminating in suppression of antitumor CD8+ T cell activity. Depletion of adenosine in the TME by the repurposed drug PEGylated adenosine deaminase (PEG-ADA) increases CD8+ T cell activity and enhances response to ICI therapy. Use of PEG-ADA can therefore be a therapeutic option to overcome resistance to ICIs in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar S. Sarkar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Howard Donninger
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Experimental Therapeutics Program, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Numan Al Rayyan
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Natural Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 639, Baq'a 19381, Jordan
| | - Lewis C. Chew
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Bryce Stamp
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Aaron Whitt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Chi Li
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Experimental Therapeutics Program, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Melissa Hall
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Robert A. Mitchell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Department of Surgery, Division of Immunotherapy, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Immuno-Oncology Group, Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Alfred Zippelius
- Center for Immunotherapy, Cancer Center Medical Oncology, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
| | - John Eaton
- James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Immuno-Oncology Group, Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Jason A. Chesney
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Department of Surgery, Division of Immunotherapy, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Immuno-Oncology Group, Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Kavitha Yaddanapudi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Department of Surgery, Division of Immunotherapy, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
- Immuno-Oncology Group, Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
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35
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Kurago Z, Guo G, Shi H, Bollag RJ, Groves MW, Byrd JK, Cui Y. Inhibitors of the CD73-adenosinergic checkpoint as promising combinatory agents for conventional and advanced cancer immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1212209. [PMID: 37435071 PMCID: PMC10330720 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1212209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell surface enzyme CD73 is increasingly appreciated as a pivotal non-redundant immune checkpoint (IC) in addition to PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. CD73 produces extracellular adenosine (eADO), which not only inhibits antitumor T cell activity via the adenosine receptor (AR) A2AR, but also enhances the immune inhibitory function of cancer-associated fibroblasts and myeloid cells via A2BR. Preclinical studies show that inhibition of the CD73-adenosinergic pathway in experimental models of many solid tumors either as a monotherapy or, more effectively, in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 or CTLA-4 IC blockades, improves antitumor immunity and tumor control. Consequently, approximately 50 ongoing phase I/II clinical trials targeting the CD73-adenosinergic IC are currently listed on https://clinicaltrials.gov. Most of the listed trials employ CD73 inhibitors or anti-CD73 antibodies alone, in combination with A2AR antagonists, and/or with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. Recent evidence suggests that the distribution of CD73, A2AR and A2BR in tumor microenvironments (TME) is heterogeneous, and this distribution affects CD73-adenosinergic IC function. The new insights have implications for the optimally effective, carefully tailored approaches to therapeutic targeting of this essential IC. In the mini-review, we briefly discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms of CD73/eADO-mediated immunosuppression during tumor progression and therapy in the spatial context of the TME. We include preclinical data regarding therapeutic CD73-eADO blockade in tumor models as well as available clinical data from completed trials that targeted CD73-adenosinergic IC with or without PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and discuss factors that are potentially important for optimal therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoya Kurago
- Department of Oral Biology and Diagnostic Sciences, Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Gang Guo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Huidong Shi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Roni J. Bollag
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Michael W. Groves
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - J. Kenneth Byrd
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Department of Otolaryngology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
| | - Yan Cui
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
- Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, United States
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36
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Liu J, Zhang X, Wang H, Zuo X, Hong L. Comprehensive Analysis of Purine-Metabolism-Related Gene Signature for Predicting Ovarian Cancer Prognosis, Immune Landscape, and Potential Treatment Options. J Pers Med 2023; 13:jpm13050776. [PMID: 37240946 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13050776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Purine metabolism is an important branch of metabolic reprogramming and has received increasing attention in cancer research. Ovarian cancer is an extremely dangerous gynecologic malignancy for which there are no adequate tools to predict prognostic risk. Here, we identified a prognostic signature consisting of nine genes related to purine metabolism, including ACSM1, CACNA1C, EPHA4, TPM3, PDIA4, JUNB, EXOSC4, TRPM2, and CXCL9. The risk groups defined by the signature are able to distinguish the prognostic risk and the immune landscape of patients. In particular, the risk scores offer promising personalized drug options. By combining risk scores with clinical characteristics, we have created a more detailed composite nomogram that allows for a more complete and individualized prediction of prognosis. In addition, we demonstrated metabolic differences between platinum-resistant and platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer cells. In summary, we have performed the first comprehensive analysis of genes related to purine metabolism in ovarian cancer patients and created a feasible prognostic signature that will aid in risk prediction and support personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingchun Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Xiaoyi Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Haoyu Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Xiaohu Zuo
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Li Hong
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
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37
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Guan X, Lu Y, Zhang Y, Zhan P, Chen Z, Wang C, Yin Z. Tumor-associated NK cells facilitate tumor growth via NKp46 in immunocompetent murine hepatocellular carcinoma. Immunol Lett 2023; 258:8-19. [PMID: 37121554 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2023.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer(NK) cells comprise one subset of the innate lymphoid cells family. Despite reported anti-tumor activity of NK cells, their tangible contribution to tumor control remains controversial. This is due to the incomplete understanding of NK alterations within tumor microenvironment(TME). Here we showed, using murine hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) model, that early NK cells deletion markedly attenuated tumor growth in a CD8+ T cells dependent manner. This effect was accompanied by an enhanced CD8+ T cells effector function in tumor rather than circulating blood. Then, we demonstrated that abundant NKp46+ NK subset, but not NKp46- NK, were recruited towards tumor microenvironment during tumor progression. Frequency of intratumor NKP46+ NK cells were inversely related to CD8+ T cells activation, and positively correlated with tumor growth. Intratumor NKp46+ NK cells exhibited dysfunction and increased expression of inhibitory receptors, when compared with NKp46- NK cells. Blockade of NK cells-associated NKp46 effectively attenuated HCC growth. Infusion of tumor-derived NKp46+ NK cells markedly enhanced HCC growth in vivo, in contrast to tumor cells inoculation alone. The further mechanistic investigations unveiled that NK cells boosted tumor growth by NKp46-mediated impairment of CD8+T cells effector function. Overall, this work supported a previously unappreciated regulatory property of tumor-associated NK cells in HCC, and NKp46 as a potential target against HCC in clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangqian Guan
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuyan Lu
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, China
| | - Ping Zhan
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhigao Chen
- Clinical Medical college, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuanzheng Wang
- Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Zhenyu Yin
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Xiamen, China; Xiamen Translational Medical Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumor, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Chronic Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Zhongshan Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
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38
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Hojjatipour T, Maali A, Azad M. Natural killer cell epigenetic reprogramming in tumors and potential for cancer immunotherapy. Epigenomics 2023; 15:249-266. [PMID: 37125432 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2022-0454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are critical members of the innate lymphoid cell population and have a pivotal role in cancer eradication. NK cell maturation, development and function are tightly regulated by epigenetic modifications, which can also be recruited for cancer propagation and immune escape. NK cells have the potential to be activated against tumors through several epigenetic regulators. Given that epigenetic changes are inducible and reversible, focusing on aberrant epigenetic regulations recruited by tumor cells provides a tremendous opportunity for cancer treatment. This review presents a comprehensive picture of NK cell normal epigenetic regulation and cancer-driven epigenetic modifications. From our perspective, a better understanding of epigenetic regulators that can edit and revise NK cells' activity is a promising avenue for NK cell-based therapy in cancer management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahereh Hojjatipour
- Department of Hematology & Blood Transfusion, Students Research Center, School of Allied Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Amirhosein Maali
- Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Paramedicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Mehdi Azad
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
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39
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Ruf B, Greten TF, Korangy F. Innate lymphoid cells and innate-like T cells in cancer - at the crossroads of innate and adaptive immunity. Nat Rev Cancer 2023; 23:351-371. [PMID: 37081117 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-023-00562-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapies targeting conventional T cells have revolutionized systemic treatment for many cancers, yet only a subset of patients benefit from these approaches. A better understanding of the complex immune microenvironment of tumours is needed to design the next generation of immunotherapeutics. Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and innate-like T cells (ILTCs) are abundant, tissue-resident lymphocytes that have recently been shown to have critical roles in many types of cancers. ILCs and ILTCs rapidly respond to changes in their surrounding environment and act as the first responders to bridge innate and adaptive immunity. This places ILCs and ILTCs as pivotal orchestrators of the final antitumour immune response. In this Review, we outline hallmarks of ILCs and ILTCs and discuss their emerging role in antitumour immunity, as well as the pathophysiological adaptations leading to their pro-tumorigenic function. We explore the pleiotropic, in parts redundant and sometimes opposing, mechanisms that underlie the delicate interplay between the different subsets of ILCs and ILTCs. Finally, we highlight their role in amplifying and complementing conventional T cell functions and summarize immunotherapeutic strategies for targeting ILCs and ILTCs in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Ruf
- Gastrointestinal Malignancy Section, Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Malignancies Branch, Centre for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tim F Greten
- Gastrointestinal Malignancy Section, Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Malignancies Branch, Centre for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- NCI CCR Liver Cancer Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Firouzeh Korangy
- Gastrointestinal Malignancy Section, Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Malignancies Branch, Centre for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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40
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Kowash RR, Akbay EA. Tumor intrinsic and extrinsic functions of CD73 and the adenosine pathway in lung cancer. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1130358. [PMID: 37033953 PMCID: PMC10079876 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1130358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The adenosine pathway is an exciting new target in the field of cancer immunotherapy. CD73 is the main producer of extracellular adenosine. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has one of the highest CD73 expression signatures among all cancer types and the presence of common oncogenic drivers of NSCLC, such as mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and KRAS, correlate with increased CD73 expression. Current immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies only benefit a subset of patients, and it has proved challenging to understand which patients might respond even with the current understanding of predictive biomarkers. The adenosine pathway is well known to disrupt cytotoxic function of T cells, which is currently the main target of most clinical agents. Data thus far suggests that combining ICB therapies already in the clinic with adenosine pathway inhibitors provides promise for the treatment of lung cancer. However, antigen loss or lack of good antigens limits efficacy of ICB; simultaneous activation of other cytotoxic immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells can be explored in these tumors. Clinical trials harnessing both T and NK cell activating treatments are still in their early stages with results expected in the coming years. In this review we provide an overview of new literature on the adenosine pathway and specifically CD73. CD73 is thought of mainly for its role as an immune modulator, however recent studies have demonstrated the tumor cell intrinsic properties of CD73 are potentially as important as its role in immune suppression. We also highlight the current understanding of this pathway in lung cancer, outline ongoing studies examining therapies in combination with adenosine pathway targeting, and discuss future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan R. Kowash
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Esra A. Akbay
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dallas, TX, United States
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41
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CD73: Friend or Foe in Lung Injury. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065545. [PMID: 36982618 PMCID: PMC10056814 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecto-5′-nucleotidase (CD73) plays a strategic role in calibrating the magnitude and chemical nature of purinergic signals that are delivered to immune cells. Its primary function is to convert extracellular ATP to adenosine in concert with ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-1 (CD39) in normal tissues to limit an excessive immune response in many pathophysiological events, such as lung injury induced by a variety of contributing factors. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the location of CD73, in proximity to adenosine receptor subtypes, indirectly determines its positive or negative effect in a variety of organs and tissues and that its action is affected by the transfer of nucleoside to subtype-specific adenosine receptors. Nonetheless, the bidirectional nature of CD73 as an emerging immune checkpoint in the pathogenesis of lung injury is still unknown. In this review, we explore the relationship between CD73 and the onset and progression of lung injury, highlighting the potential value of this molecule as a drug target for the treatment of pulmonary disease.
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Xia C, Yin S, To KKW, Fu L. CD39/CD73/A2AR pathway and cancer immunotherapy. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:44. [PMID: 36859386 PMCID: PMC9979453 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01733-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer development is closely associated with immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that attenuates antitumor immune responses and promotes tumor cell immunologic escape. The sequential conversion of extracellular ATP into adenosine by two important cell-surface ectonucleosidases CD39 and CD73 play critical roles in reshaping an immunosuppressive TME. The accumulated extracellular adenosine mediates its regulatory functions by binding to one of four adenosine receptors (A1R, A2AR, A2BR and A3R). The A2AR elicits its profound immunosuppressive function via regulating cAMP signaling. The increasing evidence suggests that CD39, CD73 and A2AR could be used as novel therapeutic targets for manipulating the antitumor immunity. In recent years, monoclonal antibodies or small molecule inhibitors targeting the CD39/CD73/A2AR pathway have been investigated in clinical trials as single agents or in combination with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies. In this review, we provide an updated summary about the pathophysiological function of the adenosinergic pathway in cancer development, metastasis and drug resistance. The targeting of one or more components of the adenosinergic pathway for cancer therapy and circumvention of immunotherapy resistance are also discussed. Emerging biomarkers that may be used to guide the selection of CD39/CD73/A2AR-targeting treatment strategies for individual cancer patients is also deliberated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenglai Xia
- Affiliated Foshan Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan, 528000, China. .,School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 515150, China.
| | - Shuanghong Yin
- grid.284723.80000 0000 8877 7471Affiliated Foshan Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Foshan, 528000 China ,grid.488530.20000 0004 1803 6191State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060 China
| | - Kenneth K. W. To
- grid.10784.3a0000 0004 1937 0482School of Pharmacy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Liwu Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Esophageal Cancer Institute, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, 510060, China.
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Izawa M, Tanaka N, Murakami T, Anno T, Teranishi Y, Takamatsu K, Mikami S, Kakimi K, Imamura T, Matsumoto K, Oya M. Single-Cell Phenotyping of CD73 Expression Reveals the Diversity of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Reflects the Prognosis of Bladder Cancer. J Transl Med 2023; 103:100040. [PMID: 36870289 DOI: 10.1016/j.labinv.2022.100040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The cutting edge of cancer immunotherapy extends to ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73), a cell membrane enzyme that targets the metabolism of extracellular adenosine. We herein focused on the expression of CD73 to clarify the state of CD73 positivity in cancer immunity and tumor microenvironment, thereby revealing a new survival predictor for patients with bladder cancer (BCa). We used clinical tissue microarrays of human BCa and simultaneously performed the fluorescent staining of cell type-specific markers (CD3, CD8, Foxp3, programmed cell death protein 1, and programmed death-ligand 1 [PD-L1]) and CD73 together with DAPI for nuclear staining. In total, 156 participants were included. Multiplexed cellular imaging revealed a unique interaction between CD73 expression and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) and Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells in human BCa, showing the high infiltration of CD8+CD73+ CTLs and Foxp3+CD73+ Treg cells in tumors to be associated with tumorigenesis and poor prognosis in BCa. Interestingly, from a biomarker perspective, the high infiltration of CD73+ Treg cells in tumors was identified as an independent risk factor for overall survival in addition to clinicopathologic features. Regarding the relationship between immune checkpoint molecules and CD73 expression, both CD73+ CTLs and CD73+ Treg cells tended to coexpress programmed cell death protein 1 as tumor invasiveness and nuclear grade increased. Additionally, they may occupy a spatial niche located distantly from PD-L1+ cells in tumors to interfere less with the cancerous effects of PD-L1+ cells. In conclusion, the present results on the status of CD73 in cancer immunity suggest that CD73 expression on specific T-cell types has a negative immunoregulatory function. These findings may provide further insights into the immunobiological landscape of BCa, which may be translationally linked to improvements in future immunotherapy practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mizuki Izawa
- Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Tanaka
- Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Tetsushi Murakami
- Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tadatsugu Anno
- Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yu Teranishi
- Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Shuji Mikami
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Keio University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiro Kakimi
- Department of Immuno-therapeutics, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Imamura
- Department of Molecular Medicine for Pathogenesis, Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime University, Toon, Japan
| | | | - Mototsugu Oya
- Department of Urology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Fu Z, Chen S, Zhu Y, Zhang D, Xie P, Jiao Q, Chi J, Xu S, Xue Y, Lu X, Song X, Cristofanilli M, Gradishar WJ, Kalinsky K, Yin Y, Zhang B, Wan Y. Proteolytic regulation of CD73 by TRIM21 orchestrates tumor immunogenicity. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd6626. [PMID: 36608132 PMCID: PMC9821867 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add6626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite the rapid utilization of immunotherapy, emerging challenges to the current immune checkpoint blockade need to be resolved. Here, we report that elevation of CD73 levels due to its aberrant turnover is correlated with poor prognosis in immune-cold triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs). We have identified TRIM21 as an E3 ligase that governs CD73 destruction. Disruption of TRIM21 stabilizes CD73 that in turn enhances CD73-catalyzed production of adenosine, resulting in the suppression of CD8+ T cell function. Replacement of lysine 133, 208, 262, and 321 residues by arginine on CD73 attenuated CD73 ubiquitylation and degradation. Diminishing of CD73 ubiquitylation remarkably promotes tumor growth and impedes antitumor immunity. In addition, a TRIM21high/CD73low signature in a subgroup of human breast malignancies was associated with a favorable immune profile. Collectively, our findings uncover a mechanism that governs CD73 proteolysis and point to a new therapeutic strategy by modulating CD73 ubiquitylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Fu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Pharmacology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Siqi Chen
- Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yueming Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, USA
| | - Donghong Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ping Xie
- Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Qiao Jiao
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Junlong Chi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Pharmacology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Shipeng Xu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Pharmacology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yifan Xue
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Xinghua Lu
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Xinxin Song
- Department of Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | | | - William J. Gradishar
- Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kevin Kalinsky
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yongmei Yin
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yong Wan
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Juras PK, Racioppi L, Mukherjee D, Artham S, Gao X, D’Agostino LA, Chang CY, McDonnell DP. Increased CaMKK2 Expression Is an Adaptive Response That Maintains the Fitness of Tumor-Infiltrating Natural Killer Cells. Cancer Immunol Res 2023; 11:109-122. [PMID: 36301267 PMCID: PMC9812906 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-22-0391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) is a key regulator of energy homeostasis in several cell types. Expression of this enzyme in tumor cells promotes proliferation and migration, and expression in tumor-associated immune cells facilitates M2 macrophage polarization and the development of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Thus, there has been interest in developing CaMKK2 inhibitors as potential anticancer therapeutics. One impediment to clinical development of these agents is that the roles of CaMKK2 in other cellular compartments within the tumor immune microenvironment remain to be established. We report herein that CaMKK2 is expressed at low basal levels in natural killer (NK) cells but is upregulated in tumor-infiltrating NK cells where it suppresses apoptosis and promotes proliferation. NK cell-intrinsic deletion of CaMKK2 increased metastatic progression in several murine models, establishing a critical role for this enzyme in NK cell-mediated antitumor immunity. Ablation of the CaMKK2 protein, but not inhibition of its kinase activity, resulted in decreased NK-cell survival. These results indicate an important scaffolding function for CaMKK2 in NK cells and suggest that competitive CaMKK2 inhibitors and ligand-directed degraders (LDD) are likely to have distinct therapeutic utilities. Finally, we determined that intracellular lactic acid is a key driver of CaMKK2 expression, suggesting that upregulated expression of this enzyme is an adaptive mechanism by which tumor-infiltrating NK cells mitigate the deleterious effects of a lactic acid-rich tumor microenvironment. The findings of this study should inform strategies to manipulate the CaMKK2-signaling axis as a therapeutic approach in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick K. Juras
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Luigi Racioppi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematological Malignancies and Cellular Therapy, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA,Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80131, Italy
| | - Debarati Mukherjee
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Sandeep Artham
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Xia Gao
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA,Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Laura Akullian D’Agostino
- Small Molecule Drug Discovery, Bristol Myers Squibb, 200 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA
| | - Ching-Yi Chang
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Donald P. McDonnell
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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46
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He X, Feng W. Identification and Validation of NK Marker Genes in Ovarian Cancer by scRNA-seq Combined with WGCNA Algorithm. Mediators Inflamm 2023; 2023:6845701. [PMID: 37144238 PMCID: PMC10154100 DOI: 10.1155/2023/6845701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background As an innate immune system effector, natural killer cells (NK cells) play a significant role in tumor immunotherapy response and clinical outcomes. Methods In our investigation, we collected ovarian cancer samples from TCGA and GEO cohorts, and a total of 1793 samples were included. In addition, four high-grade serous ovarian cancer scRNA-seq data were included for screening NK cell marker genes. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) identified core modules and central genes associated with NK cells. The "TIMER," "CIBERSORT," "MCPcounter," "xCell," and "EPIC" algorithms were performed to predict the infiltration characteristics of different immune cell types in each sample. The LASSO-COX algorithm was employed to build risk models to predict prognosis. Finally, drug sensitivity screening was performed. Results We first scored the NK cell infiltration of each sample and found that the level of NK cell infiltration affected the clinical outcome of ovarian cancer patients. Therefore, we analyzed four high-grade serous ovarian cancer scRNA-seq data, screening NK cell marker genes at the single-cell level. The WGCNA algorithm screens NK cell marker genes based on bulk RNA transcriptome patterns. Finally, a total of 42 NK cell marker genes were included in our investigation. Among which, 14 NK cell marker genes were then used to develop a 14-gene prognostic model for the meta-GPL570 cohort, dividing patients into high-risk and low-risk subgroups. The predictive performance of this model has been well-verified in different external cohorts. Tumor immune microenvironment analysis showed that the high-risk score of the prognostic model was positively correlated with M2 macrophages, cancer-associated fibroblast, hematopoietic stem cell, stromal score, and negatively correlated with NK cell, cytotoxicity score, B cell, and T cell CD4+Th1. In addition, we found that bleomycin, cisplatin, docetaxel, doxorubicin, gemcitabine, and etoposide were more effective in the high-risk group, while paclitaxel had a better therapeutic effect on patients in the low-risk group. Conclusion By utilizing NK cell marker genes in our investigation, we developed a new feature that is capable of predicting patients' clinical outcomes and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin He
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 197 Ruijin 2nd Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Weiwei Feng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 197 Ruijin 2nd Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai 200025, China
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PRLR and CACNA2D1 Impact the Prognosis of Breast Cancer by Regulating Tumor Immunity. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12122086. [PMID: 36556307 PMCID: PMC9781148 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12122086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is one of the highly susceptible genes to breast cancer (BC); however, the role of PTEN-related RNAs in BC remains poorly understood. Understanding the effect of PTEN-related RNAs and their mechanisms may be helpful to clinicians. We screened the differentially expressed RNAs (deRNAs) related to PTEN and established the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network by integrating several databases. After that, the RNA model, prolactin receptor (PRLR)/calcium voltage-gated channel auxiliary subunit alpha2delta 1 (CACNA2D1), was obtained by KM survival analysis and logistic regression analysis. Finally, mutation, methylation, functional enrichment, and immune correlation were analyzed to explore the roles of these RNAs. Our results showed that PRLR might be harmful to BC, while CACNA2D1 might be beneficial to BC. Furthermore, the abnormal expression of PRLR in BC might result from mutation and hypomethylation, while the aberrant expression of CACNA2D1 might be ascribed to methylation. Mechanistically, PRLR might affect the prognosis of BC by inhibiting the expression of immune checkpoints, while CACNA2D1 might improve the prognosis of BC by increasing the immune cells infiltrating into BC and up-regulating the expression of immune checkpoints. The abnormal expression of PRLR and CACNA2D1 in BC is closely related to the prognosis of BC, and they may serve as targets for the treatment of BC.
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Xue XM, Liu YY, Chen XM, Tao BY, Liu P, Zhou HW, Zhang C, Wang L, Jiang YK, Ding ZW, Shen WD, Zhang J, Yang SM, Wang FY. Pan-cancer analysis identifies NT5E as a novel prognostic biomarker on cancer-associated fibroblasts associated with unique tumor microenvironment. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1064032. [PMID: 36569293 PMCID: PMC9768042 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1064032] [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: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Ecto-5'-nucleotidase (NT5E) encodes the cluster of differentiation 73 (CD73), whose overexpression contributes to the formation of immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and is related to exacerbated prognosis, increased risk of metastasis and resistance to immunotherapy of various tumors. However, the prognostic significance of NT5E in pan-cancer is obscure so far. Methods: We explored the expression level of NT5E in cancers and adjacent tissues and revealed the relationship between the NT5E expression level and clinical outcomes in pan-cancer by utilizing the UCSC Xena database. Then, correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between NT5E expression and immune infiltration level via EPIC, MCP-counter and CIBERSORT methods, and the enrichment analysis were employed to identify NT5E-interacting molecules and functional pathways. Furthermore, we conducted single-cell analysis to explore the potential role of NT5E on single-cell level based on the CancerSEA database. Meanwhile, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) in single-cell level was also conducted in TISCH database and single-cell signature explorer was utilized to evaluate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) level in each cell type. Results: The expression level of NT5E was aberrant in almost all cancer types, and was correlated with worse prognosis in several cancers. Notably, NT5E overexpression was related to worse overall survival (OS) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC), mesothelioma (MESO), stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), uveal melanoma (UVM) and cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) (p < 0.01). NT5E-related immune microenvironment analysis revealed that NT5E is associated positively with the degree of infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and endothelial cells in most cancers. Enrichment analysis of cellular component (CC) demonstrated the critical part of NT5E played in cell-substrate junction, cell-substrate adherens junction, focal adhesion and external side of plasma membrane. Finally, single-cell analysis of NT5E illuminated that EMT function of CAFs was elevated in basal cell carcinoma (BCC), skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM), HNSC and PAAD. Conclusion: NT5E could serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for cancers. The potential mechanism may be related to the upregulated EMT function of CAFs, which provides novel inspiration for immunotherapy by targeting CAFs with high NT5E expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-miao Xue
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-yang Liu
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xue-min Chen
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Bing-yan Tao
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Liu
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Han-wen Zhou
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Chi Zhang
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,The Zhantansi Outpatient Department of Central Medical Branch of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital Beijing, China
| | - Li Wang
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Yu-ke Jiang
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Zhi-wei Ding
- Medical School of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Beijing, China,Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Wei-dong Shen
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Jun Zhang, ; Shi-ming Yang, ; Fang-yuan Wang,
| | - Shi-ming Yang
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Jun Zhang, ; Shi-ming Yang, ; Fang-yuan Wang,
| | - Fang-yuan Wang
- Senior Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngologic Diseases, State Key Lab of Hearing Science, Beijing Key Lab of Hearing Impairment Prevention and Treatment, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Jun Zhang, ; Shi-ming Yang, ; Fang-yuan Wang,
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Roma S, Camisaschi C, Mancuso P, Trabanelli S, Vanazzi A, Villa S, Prati D, Fiori S, Lorenzini D, Tabanelli V, Pileri S, Tarella C, Jandus C, Bertolini F. Dampening of cytotoxic innate lymphoid cells: A new tumour immune escape mechanism in B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Cell Immunol 2022; 382:104615. [PMID: 36228388 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2022.104615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The role and regulation of innate immune cells is poorly understood in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). As natural killer (NK) cells, helper innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are lymphocytes endowed with either anti- or pro-tumour activity and involved in inflammatory processes. In our ex vivo analysis of NK cells and ILCs from NHL patients, we observed that, in comparison to healthy donors (HD), the frequency of the cytotoxic subset of NK cells, the CD16+ NK, decreased in patients' peripheral blood. In general, circulating NK cells showed a pro-tumorigenic phenotype, while ILCs displayed a more activated/cytotoxic phenotype. Conversely, at the tumour site, in patients' lymph nodes, ILCs showed a low expression of granzyme.In vitromixed lymphocyte-tumour cell cultures with HD PBMCs and NHL cell lines demonstrated that ILC cytotoxic potential was lowered by the presence of tumour cells but, in the absence of T regulatory cells (Tregs), their cytolytic potential was recovered. Our data shed novel light on dysfunctional innate immunity in NHL. We suggest a new mechanism of tumour immuno-escape based on the reduction of cell cytotoxicity involving ILCs and likely controlled by Tregs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Roma
- Laboratory of Hematology- Oncology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Camisaschi
- Laboratory of Hematology- Oncology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Patrizia Mancuso
- Laboratory of Hematology- Oncology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Trabanelli
- Dept. of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Vanazzi
- Division of Clinical Hematology- Oncology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefania Villa
- Department of Transfusion Medicine and Hematology Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Prati
- Department of Transfusion Medicine and Hematology Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Fiori
- Division of Haematopathology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Lorenzini
- Division of Haematopathology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Tabanelli
- Division of Haematopathology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Pileri
- Division of Haematopathology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Corrado Tarella
- Division of Clinical Hematology- Oncology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Camilla Jandus
- Dept. of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Bertolini
- Laboratory of Hematology- Oncology, IRCCS European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy; Onco-Tech Lab, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS and Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
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50
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Cao H, Gao S, Jogani R, Sugimura R. The Tumor Microenvironment Reprograms Immune Cells. Cell Reprogram 2022; 24:343-352. [PMID: 36301256 DOI: 10.1089/cell.2022.0047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor tissue comprises a highly complex network of diverse cell types. The tumor microenvironment (TME) can be mainly subdivided into cancer cells and stromal cell compartments, the latter include different types of immune cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and pericytes. Tumor cells reprogram immune cells and other stromal cells in the TME to constrain their antitumor capacity by creating an immunosuppressive milieu and metabolism competition. Moreover, the reprogramming effect on immune cells is localized not only in the tumor but also at the systemic level. With wide application of single-cell sequencing technology, tumor-specific characteristics of immune cells and other stromal cells in the TME have been dissected. In this review, we mainly focus on how tumor cells reprogram immune cells both within the TME and peripheral blood. This information can further help us to improve the efficiency of current immunotherapy as well as bring up new ideas to combat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Handi Cao
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology, Science Park, Hong Kong
| | - Sanxing Gao
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Ritika Jogani
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Ryohichi Sugimura
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology, Science Park, Hong Kong
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