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Wu TN, Hung JT, Hung TH, Wang YH, Wu JC, Yu AL. Effective suppression of tumor growth and hepatic metastasis of neuroblastoma by NKT-stimulatory phenyl glycolipid. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 177:117040. [PMID: 38959605 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.117040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 06/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Invariant natural killer T cell (iNKT) cells produce large amounts of cytokines in response to α-Galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) stimulation. An analog containing two phenyl rings on the acyl chain, C34, was previously found to be more Th1-biased than α-GalCer and triggered greater anticancer activities against breast cancer, melanoma and lung cancer in mice. Since liver is enriched in iNKT cells, we investigated anticancer efficacy of C34 on neuroblastoma with hepatic metastasis. C34 induced Th1-biased cytokine secretions in the liver, significantly suppressed neuroblastoma growth/metastasis and prolonged mouse survival. The anti-tumor efficacy might be attributed to greater expansions of hepatic NKT, NK, CD4+ T, and CD8+ T cells as well as reduction of the number of SSCloGr1intCD11b+ subset of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the liver of tumor-bearing mice, as compared to DMSO control group. C34 also upregulated expression of CD1d and CD11c, especially in the SSCloGr1intCD11b+ subset of MDSCs, which might be killed by C34-activated NKT cells, attributing to their reduced number. In addition, C34 also induced expansion of CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and NK cells, which might eliminate neuroblastoma cells. These immune-modulating effects of C34 might act in concert in the local milieu of liver to suppress the tumor growth. Further analysis of database of neuroblastoma revealed that patients with high CD11c expression in the monocytic MDSCs in the tumor had longer survival, suggesting the potential clinical application of C34 for treatment of neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tai-Na Wu
- Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan; Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
| | - Jung-Tung Hung
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
| | - Tsai-Hsien Hung
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Hui Wang
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jen-Chine Wu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Alice L Yu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, University of California in San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Yang L, Huang K, Cao L, Ma Y, Li S, Zhou J, Zhao Z, Wang S. Molecular profiling of core immune-escape genes highlights TNFAIP3 as an immune-related prognostic biomarker in neuroblastoma. Inflamm Res 2024:10.1007/s00011-024-01914-4. [PMID: 39028490 DOI: 10.1007/s00011-024-01914-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most prevalent and deadliest pediatric solid tumor. With of over 50% of high-risk neuroblastoma cases relapse, the imperative for novel drug targets and therapeutic strategies is accentuated. In neuroblastoma, the existence of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) correlates with an unfavorable patient prognosis. However, the clinical relevance and prognostic implications of regulatory genes linked to TAMs infiltration in neuroblastoma remain unclear, and further study is required. METHODS We conducted a comprehensive analysis utilizing transcriptome expression profiles from three primary datasets associated with neuroblastoma (GSE45547, GSE49710, TARGET) to identify hub genes implicated in immune evasion within neuroblastoma. Subsequently, we utilized single-cell RNA sequencing analysis on 17 clinical neuroblastoma samples to investigate the expression and distribution of these hub genes, leading to the identification of TNFAIP3. The above three public databases were merged to allowed for the validation of TNFAIP3's molecular functions through GO and KEGG analysis. Furthermore, we assessed TNFAIP3's correlation with immune infiltration and its potential immunotherapeutic impact by multiple algorithms. Our single-cell transcriptome data revealed the role of TNFAIP3 in macrophage polarization. Finally, preliminary experimental verifications to confirm the biological functions of TNFAIP3-mediated TAMs in NB. RESULTS A total of 6 genes related to immune evasion were screened and we found that TNFAIP3 exhibited notably higher expression in macrophages than other immune cell types, based on the scRNA-sequencing data. GO and KEGG analysis showed that low expression of TNFAIP3 significantly correlated with the activation of multiple oncogenic pathways as well as immune-related pathways. Then validation affirmed that individuals within the TNFAIP3 high-expression cohort could potentially derive greater advantages from immunotherapeutic interventions, alongside exhibiting heightened immune responsiveness. Deciphering the pseudotime trajectory of macrophages, we revealed the potential of TNFAIP3 in inducing the polarization of macrophages towards the M1 phenotype. Finally, we confirmed that patients in the TNFAIP3 high expression group might benefit more from immunotherapy or chemotherapy as substantiated by RT-qPCR and immunofluorescence examinations. Moreover, the role of TNFAIP3 in macrophage polarization was validated. Preliminary experiment showed that TNFAIP3-mediated TAMs inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion capabilities of NB cells. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that TNFAIP3 was first identified as a promising biomarker for immunotherapy and potential molecular target in NB. Besides, the presence of TNFAIP3 within TAMs may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linyu Yang
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology Children's Hospitial of Chongqinng Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Kai Huang
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology Children's Hospitial of Chongqinng Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lijian Cao
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology Children's Hospitial of Chongqinng Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yue Ma
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology Children's Hospitial of Chongqinng Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Suwen Li
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology Children's Hospitial of Chongqinng Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jianwu Zhou
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology Children's Hospitial of Chongqinng Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhenzhen Zhao
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology Children's Hospitial of Chongqinng Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Shan Wang
- Department of Pediatric Surgical Oncology Children's Hospitial of Chongqinng Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
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3
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Song M, Sun Y, Hu Y, Wang C, Jin Y, Liu Y, Da Y, Zhao Q, Zheng R, Li L. Comprehensive quantifications of tumour microenvironment to predict the responsiveness to immunotherapy and prognosis for paediatric neuroblastomas. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 133:112145. [PMID: 38691920 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112145] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Treatment strategies for paediatric neuroblastoma as well as many other cancers are limited by the unfavourable tumour microenvironment (TME). In this study, the TMEs of neuroblastoma were grouped by their genetic signatures into four distinct subtypes: immune enriched, immune desert, non-proliferative and fibrotic. An Immune Score and a Proliferation Score were constructed based on the molecular features of the subtypes to quantify the immune microenvironment or malignancy degree of cancer cells in neuroblastoma, respectively. The Immune Score correlated with a patient's response to immunotherapy; the Proliferation Score was an independent prognostic biomarker for neuroblastoma and proved to be more accurate than the existing clinical predictors. This double scoring system was further validated and the conserved molecular pattern associated with immune landscape and malignancy degree was confirmed. Axitinib and BI-2536 were confirmed as candidate drugs for neuroblastoma by the double scoring system. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that axitinib-induced pyroptosis of neuroblastoma cells activated anti-tumour immunity and inhibited tumour growth; BI-2536 induced cell cycle arrest at the S phase in neuroblastoma cells. The comprehensive double scoring system of neuroblastoma may predict prognosis and screen for therapeutic strategies which could provide personalized treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingkun Song
- Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China; Department of Paediatrics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China; Department of Paediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Yiming Sun
- Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Yikai Hu
- Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Chong Wang
- Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China; Class of 2019, Program in Basic Medical Sciences, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Yan Jin
- Department of Paediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Yun Liu
- Department of Paediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China
| | - Yurong Da
- Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China.
| | - Qiang Zhao
- Department of Paediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China.
| | - Rongxiu Zheng
- Department of Paediatrics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China.
| | - Long Li
- Tianjin Institute of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education), State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China; Department of Paediatric Oncology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin 300060, China.
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4
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Qin X, Lam A, Zhang X, Sengupta S, Iorgulescu JB, Ni H, Das S, Rager M, Zhou Z, Zuo T, Meara GK, Floru AE, Kemet C, Veerapaneni D, Kashy D, Lin L, Lloyd K, Kwok L, Smith KS, Nagaraju RT, Meijers R, Ceol C, Liu CT, Alexandrescu S, Wu CJ, Keskin DB, George RE, Feng H. CKLF instigates a "cold" microenvironment to promote MYCN-mediated tumor aggressiveness. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadh9547. [PMID: 38489372 PMCID: PMC10942121 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh9547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Solid tumors, especially those with aberrant MYCN activation, often harbor an immunosuppressive microenvironment to fuel malignant growth and trigger treatment resistance. Despite this knowledge, there are no effective strategies to tackle this problem. We found that chemokine-like factor (CKLF) is highly expressed by various solid tumor cells and transcriptionally up-regulated by MYCN. Using the MYCN-driven high-risk neuroblastoma as a model system, we demonstrated that as early as the premalignant stage, tumor cells secrete CKLF to attract CCR4-expressing CD4+ cells, inducing immunosuppression and tumor aggression. Genetic depletion of CD4+ T regulatory cells abolishes the immunorestrictive and protumorigenic effects of CKLF. Our work supports that disrupting CKLF-mediated cross-talk between tumor and CD4+ suppressor cells represents a promising immunotherapeutic approach to battling MYCN-driven tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodan Qin
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew Lam
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xu Zhang
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Satyaki Sengupta
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J. Bryan Iorgulescu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Department of Hematopathology, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hongru Ni
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanjukta Das
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubanesw, India
| | - Madison Rager
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhenwei Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tao Zuo
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Grace K. Meara
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander E. Floru
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chinyere Kemet
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Divya Veerapaneni
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel Kashy
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Liang Lin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Lauren Kwok
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kaylee S. Smith
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Raghavendar T. Nagaraju
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Colorectal and Peritoneal Oncology Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Rob Meijers
- Institute for Protein Innovation, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Craig Ceol
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ching-Ti Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sanda Alexandrescu
- Department of Pathology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Catherine J. Wu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Derin B. Keskin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Translational Immunogenomics Laboratory, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
- Department of Computer Science, Metropolitan College, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rani E. George
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hui Feng
- Departments of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cancer Research Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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5
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Lascano D, Zobel MJ, Lee WG, Chen SY, Zamora A, Asuelime GE, Choi SY, Chronopoulos A, Asgharzadeh S, Marachelian A, Park J, Sheard MA, Kim ES. Anti-CCL2 antibody combined with etoposide prolongs survival in a minimal residual disease mouse model of neuroblastoma. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19915. [PMID: 37964011 PMCID: PMC10645976 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46968-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) is a monocyte chemoattractant that promotes metastatic disease and portends a poor prognosis in many cancers. To determine the potential of anti-CCL2 inhibition as a therapy for recurrent metastatic disease in neuroblastoma, a mouse model of minimal residual disease was utilized in which residual disease was treated with anti-CCL2 monoclonal antibody with etoposide. The effect of anti-CCL2 antibody on neuroblastoma cells was determined in vitro with cell proliferation, transwell migration, and 2-dimensional chemotaxis migration assays. The in vivo efficacy of anti-CCL2 antibody and etoposide against neuroblastoma was assessed following resection of primary tumors formed by two cell lines or a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) in immunodeficient NOD-scid gamma mice. In vitro, anti-CCL2 antibody did not affect cell proliferation but significantly inhibited neuroblastoma cell and monocyte migration towards an increasing CCL2 concentration gradient. Treatment of mice with anti-CCL2 antibody combined with etoposide significantly increased survival of mice after resection of primary tumors, compared to untreated mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny Lascano
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael J Zobel
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - William G Lee
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie Y Chen
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Abigail Zamora
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Grace E Asuelime
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - So Yung Choi
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Research Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Antonios Chronopoulos
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shahab Asgharzadeh
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Araz Marachelian
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jinseok Park
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Sheard
- The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Eugene S Kim
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 116 N. Robertson Blvd, Suite PACT 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA.
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Zappa E, Vitali A, Anders K, Molenaar JJ, Wienke J, Künkele A. Adoptive cell therapy in paediatric extracranial solid tumours: current approaches and future challenges. Eur J Cancer 2023; 194:113347. [PMID: 37832507 PMCID: PMC10695178 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2023.113347] [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: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has ignited hope to cure paediatric solid tumours that resist traditional therapies. Among the most promising methods is adoptive cell therapy (ACT). Particularly, ACT using T cells equipped with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has moved into the spotlight in clinical studies. However, the efficacy of ACT is challenged by ACT-intrinsic factors, like lack of activation or T cell exhaustion, as well as immune evasion strategies of paediatric solid tumours, such as their highly immunosuppressive microenvironment. Novel strategies, including ACT using innate-like lymphocytes, innovative cell engineering techniques, and ACT combination therapies, are being developed and will be crucial to overcome these challenges. Here, we discuss the main classes of ACT for the treatment of paediatric extracranial solid tumours, reflect on the available preclinical and clinical evidence supporting promising strategies, and address the challenges that ACT is still facing. Ultimately, we highlight state-of-the-art developments and opportunities for new therapeutic options, which hold great potential for improving outcomes in this challenging patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Zappa
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Alice Vitali
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Kathleen Anders
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan J Molenaar
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Judith Wienke
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Annette Künkele
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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7
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Vonderhaar EP, Dwinell MB, Craig BT. Targeted immune activation in pediatric solid tumors: opportunities to complement local control approaches. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1202169. [PMID: 37426669 PMCID: PMC10325564 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1202169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Surgery or radiation therapy is nearly universally applied for pediatric solid tumors. In many cases, in diverse tumor types, distant metastatic disease is present and evades surgery or radiation. The systemic host response to these local control modalities may lead to a suppression of antitumor immunity, with potential negative impact on the clinical outcomes for patients in this scenario. Emerging evidence suggests that the perioperative immune responses to surgery or radiation can be modulated therapeutically to preserve anti-tumor immunity, with the added benefit of preventing these local control approaches from serving as pro-tumorigenic stimuli. To realize the potential benefit of therapeutic modulation of the systemic response to surgery or radiation on distant disease that evades these modalities, a detailed knowledge of the tumor-specific immunology as well as the immune responses to surgery and radiation is imperative. In this Review we highlight the current understanding of the tumor immune microenvironment for the most common peripheral pediatric solid tumors, the immune responses to surgery and radiation, and current evidence that supports the potential use of immune activating agents in the perioperative window. Finally, we define existing knowledge gaps that limit the current translational potential of modulating perioperative immunity to achieve effective anti-tumor outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily P. Vonderhaar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Michael B. Dwinell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Cancer Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Brian T. Craig
- Center for Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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8
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Tomolonis JA, Xu X, Dholakia KH, Zhang C, Guo L, Courtney AN, Wang S, Balzeau J, Barragán GA, Tian G, Di Pierro EJ, Metelitsa LS. Interaction between tumor cell TNFR2 and monocyte membrane-bound TNF-α triggers tumorigenic inflammation in neuroblastoma. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:jitc-2022-005478. [PMID: 36882225 PMCID: PMC10008329 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tumor progression and resistance to therapy in children with neuroblastoma (NB), a common childhood cancer, are often associated with infiltration of monocytes and macrophages that produce inflammatory cytokines. However, the mechanism by which tumor-supportive inflammation is initiated and propagated remains unknown. Here, we describe a novel protumorigenic circuit between NB cells and monocytes that is triggered and sustained by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). METHODS We used NB knockouts (KOs) of TNF-α and TNFRSF1A mRNA (TNFR1)/TNFRSF1B mRNA (TNFR2) and TNF-α protease inbitor (TAPI), a drug that modulates TNF-α isoform expression, to assess the role of each component in monocyte-associated protumorigenic inflammation. Additionally, we employed NB-monocyte cocultures and treated these with clinical-grade etanercept, an Fc-TNFR2 fusion protein, to neutralize signaling by both membrane-bound (m) and soluble (s)TNF-α isoforms. Further, we treated NOD/SCID/IL2Rγ(null) mice carrying subcutaneous NB/human monocyte xenografts with etanercept and evaluated the impact on tumor growth and angiogenesis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to determine whether TNF-α signaling correlates with clinical outcomes in patients with NB. RESULTS We found that NB expression of TNFR2 and monocyte membrane-bound tumor necrosis factor alpha is required for monocyte activation and interleukin (IL)-6 production, while NB TNFR1 and monocyte soluble TNF-α are required for NB nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NF-κB) activation. Treatment of NB-monocyte cocultures with clinical-grade etanercept completely abrogated release of IL-6, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), IL-1α, and IL-1β and eliminated monocyte-induced enhancement of NB cell proliferation in vitro. Furthermore, etanercept treatment inhibited tumor growth, ablated tumor angiogenesis, and suppressed oncogenic signaling in mice with subcutaneous NB/human monocyte xenografts. Finally, GSEA revealed significant enrichment for TNF-α signaling in patients with NB that relapsed. CONCLUSIONS We have described a novel mechanism of tumor-promoting inflammation in NB that is strongly associated with patient outcome and could be targeted with therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Tomolonis
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Xin Xu
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kshiti H Dholakia
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Chunchao Zhang
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Linjie Guo
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Amy N Courtney
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Siyue Wang
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Julien Balzeau
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Gabriel A Barragán
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Gengwen Tian
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Erica J Di Pierro
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Leonid S Metelitsa
- Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA .,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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9
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Courtney AN, Tian G, Metelitsa LS. Natural killer T cells and other innate-like T lymphocytes as emerging platforms for allogeneic cancer cell therapy. Blood 2023; 141:869-876. [PMID: 36347021 PMCID: PMC10023720 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022016201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have achieved major clinical success in patients with hematologic malignancies. However, these treatments remain largely ineffective for solid cancers and require significant time and resources to be manufactured in an autologous setting. Developing alternative immune effector cells as cancer immunotherapy agents that can be employed in allogeneic settings is crucial for the advancement of cell therapy. Unlike T cells, Vα24-invariant natural killer T cells (NKTs) are not alloreactive and can therefore be generated from allogeneic donors for rapid infusion into numerous patients without the risk of graft-versus-host disease. Additionally, NKT cells demonstrate inherent advantages over T-cell products, including the ability to traffic to tumor tissues, target tumor-associated macrophages, transactivate NK cells, and cross-prime tumor-specific CD8 T cells. Both unmodified NKTs, which specifically recognize CD1d-bound glycolipid antigens expressed by certain types of tumors, and CAR-redirected NKTs are being developed as the next generation of allogeneic cell therapy products. In this review, we describe studies on the biology of NKTs and other types of innate-like T cells and summarize the clinical experiences of unmodified and CAR-redirected NKTs, including recent interim reports on allogeneic NKTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy N. Courtney
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Gengwen Tian
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Leonid S. Metelitsa
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Advanced Innate Cell Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
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10
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Valind A, Verhoeven BM, Enoksson J, Karlsson J, Christensson G, Mañas A, Aaltonen K, Jansson C, Bexell D, Baryawno N, Gisselsson D, Hagerling C. Macrophage infiltration promotes regrowth in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma after chemotherapy. Oncoimmunology 2023; 12:2184130. [PMID: 36875552 PMCID: PMC9980604 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2023.2184130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite aggressive treatment, the 5-year event-free survival rate for children with high-risk neuroblastoma is <50%. While most high-risk neuroblastoma patients initially respond to treatment, often with complete clinical remission, many eventually relapse with therapy-resistant tumors. Novel therapeutic alternatives that prevent the recurrence of therapy-resistant tumors are urgently needed. To understand the adaptation of neuroblastoma under therapy, we analyzed the transcriptomic landscape in 46 clinical tumor samples collected before (PRE) or after (POST) treatment from 22 neuroblastoma patients. RNA sequencing revealed that many of the top-upregulated biological processes in POST MYCN amplified (MNA+) tumors compared to PRE MNA+ tumors were immune-related, and there was a significant increase in numerous genes associated with macrophages. The infiltration of macrophages was corroborated by immunohistochemistry and spatial digital protein profiling. Moreover, POST MNA+ tumor cells were more immunogenic compared to PRE MNA+ tumor cells. To find support for the macrophage-induced outgrowth of certain subpopulations of immunogenic tumor cells following treatment, we examined the genetic landscape in multiple clinical PRE and POST tumor samples from nine neuroblastoma patients revealing a significant correlation between an increased amount of copy number aberrations (CNA) and macrophage infiltration in POST MNA+ tumor samples. Using an in vivo neuroblastoma patient-derived xenograft (PDX) chemotherapy model, we further show that inhibition of macrophage recruitment with anti-CSF1R treatment prevents the regrowth of MNA+ tumors following chemotherapy. Taken together, our work supports a therapeutic strategy for fighting the relapse of MNA+ neuroblastoma by targeting the immune microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Valind
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Pediatrics, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Bronte Manouk Verhoeven
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Healthy, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jens Enoksson
- Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jenny Karlsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden
| | - Gustav Christensson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden
| | - Adriana Mañas
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kristina Aaltonen
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Caroline Jansson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden
| | - Daniel Bexell
- Division of Translational Cancer Research, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ninib Baryawno
- Childhood Cancer Research Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Healthy, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - David Gisselsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Catharina Hagerling
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Genetics, Lund University, Sweden Karolinska Institute, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
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11
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Louault K, Porras T, Lee MH, Muthugounder S, Kennedy RJ, Blavier L, Sarte E, Fernandez GE, Yang F, Pawel BR, Shimada H, Asgharzadeh S, DeClerck YA. Fibroblasts and macrophages cooperate to create a pro-tumorigenic and immune resistant environment via activation of TGF-β/IL-6 pathway in neuroblastoma. Oncoimmunology 2022; 11:2146860. [PMID: 36479153 PMCID: PMC9721439 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2022.2146860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) and their precursor mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are often detected together in tumors, but how they cooperate is not well understood. Here, we show that TAM and CAF are the most abundant nonmalignant cells and are present together in untreated human neuroblastoma (NB) tumors that are also poorly infiltrated with T and natural killer (NK) cells. We then show that MSC and CAF-MSC harvested from NB tumors protected human monocytes (MN) from spontaneous apoptosis in an interleukin (IL)-6 dependent mechanism. The interactions of MN and MSC with NB cells resulted in a significant induction or increase in the expression of several pro-tumorigenic cytokines/chemokines (TGF-β1, MCP-1, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-4) but not of anti-tumorigenic cytokines (TNF-α, IL-12) by MN or MSC, while also inducing cytokine expression in quiescent NB cells. We then identified a TGF-β1/IL-6 pathway where TGF-β1 stimulated the expression of IL-6 in NB cells and MSC, promoting TAM survival. Evidence for the contribution of TAM and MSC to the activation of this pathway was then provided in xenotransplanted NB tumors and patients with primary tumors by demonstrating a direct correlation between the presence of CAF and p-SMAD2 and p-STAT3. The data highlight a new mechanism of interaction between TAM and CAF supporting their pro-tumorigenic function in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Louault
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Tania Porras
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Meng-Hua Lee
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sakunthala Muthugounder
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rebekah J. Kennedy
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Laurence Blavier
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emily Sarte
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - G. Esteban Fernandez
- The Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Fusheng Yang
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Bruce R. Pawel
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Shimada
- Departments of Pathology and Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Shahab Asgharzadeh
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA,Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yves A. DeClerck
- Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA,CONTACT Yves A. DeClerck ; Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA90027, USA
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12
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Chen J, Sun M, Chen C, Jiang B, Fang Y. Identification of hub genes and their correlation with infiltration of immune cells in MYCN positive neuroblastoma based on WGCNA and LASSO algorithm. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1016683. [PMID: 36311753 PMCID: PMC9596756 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1016683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThe prognosis of MYCN positive NB is poor, and there is no targeted drug for N-myc at present. This study aims to screen out hub genes closely related to MYCN, analyze the relationship between hub genes and NB microenvironment, and provide basis for molecular targeted therapy of MYCN positive NB.MethodsWe combined the microarray data of GSE45547 (n=649) and GSE49710 (n=498), screened the DEGs between MYCN positive (n=185) and MYCN negative NB (n=951), performed WGCNA, Lasso regression and Roc analyses on the merged matrix, and obtained the hub genes related to MYCN in the training group. We performed ssGSEA on the experimental group to calculate the infiltration level of 28 kinds of immune cells in each sample, compared the differences of immune cell infiltration between MYCN positive and MYCN negative group. The influences of hub genes on the distribution of each immune cell were also analyzed by ssGSEA. The expression differences of the three hub genes were verified in the E-MTAB-8248 cohort (n=223), and the correlation between hub genes and prognosis of NB was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method in GSE62564 (n=498) and the validation group. We also verified the expression differences of hub genes by qRT-PCR in SK-N-BE(2), SKNDZ, Kelly and SH-SY5Y cell lines.ResultsHere were 880 DEGs including 420 upregulated and 460 downregulated genes in MYCN positive NB in the training group. Overlap of the DEGs and WGCNA networks identified four shared genes, namely, ZNF695, CHEK1, C15ORF42 and EXO1, as candidate hub genes in MYCN positive NB. Three core genes, ZNF695, CHEK1 and C15ORF42, were finally identified by Lasso regression and Roc analyses. ZNF695, CHEK1 and C15ORF42 were highly expressed in MYCN positive NB tissues and cell lines. These three genes were closely related to the prognosis of children with NB. Except that Activated CD4 T cell and Type2 T helper cell increased, the infiltration levels of the other 26 cells decreased significantly in MYCN positive NB tissues. The infiltration levels of Type2 T helper cell and Activated CD4 T cell were also significantly positively correlated with the expression levels of the three hub genes.ConclusionZNF695, CHEK1 and C15ORF42 are highly expressed in MYCN positive NB, and their expression levels are negatively correlated with the prognosis of children with NB. The infiltration levels of Activated CD4 T cell and Type2 T helper cell increased in the microenvironment of MYCN positive NB and were significantly positively correlated with the expression levels of the three hub genes. The results of this study provide that ZNF695, CHEK1 and C15ORF42 may be potential prognostic markers and immunotherapy targets for MYCN positive NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mengjiao Sun
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chuqin Chen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Bin Jiang
- Department of General Surgery, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Bin Jiang, ; Yongjun Fang,
| | - Yongjun Fang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Bin Jiang, ; Yongjun Fang,
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13
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Kacher J, Manches O, Aspord C, Sartelet H, Chaperot L. Impaired Antitumor Immune Response in MYCN-amplified Neuroblastoma Is Associated with Lack of CCL2 Secretion and Poor Dendritic Cell Recruitment. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:577-589. [PMID: 36923280 PMCID: PMC10010397 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-21-0134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In neuroblastoma, MYCN amplification is associated with sparse immune infiltrate and poor prognosis. Dendritic cells (DC) are crucial immune sentinels but their involvement in neuroblastoma pathogenesis is poorly understood. We observed that the migration of monocytes, myeloid and plasmacytoid DC induced by MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma supernatants was abrogated by the addition of anti-CCL2 antibodies, demonstrating the involvement of the CCR2/CCL2 axis in their recruitment by these tumors. Using public RNA sequencing and microarray datasets, we describe lower level of expression of CCL2 in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma tumors, and we propose a working model for T-cell recruitment in neuroblastoma tumors in which CCL2 produced by neuroblastoma cells initiates the recruitment of monocytes, myeloid and plasmacytoid DCs. Among these cells, the CD1c+ subset may recruit T cells by means of CCL19/CCL22 secretion. In vitro, supernatants from DCs cocultured with neuroblastoma cell lines and activated contain CCL22 and CCL19, and are chemotactic for both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. We also looked at immunomodulation induced by neuroblastoma cell lines, and found MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma cell lines were able to create a microenvironment where DC activation is enhanced. Overall, our findings highlight a major role for CCL2/CCR2 axis in monocytes, myeloid and plasmacytoid cells recruitment toward MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma, allowing further immune cell recruitment, and show that these tumors present a microenvironment that can favor DC responses. Significance In MYCN-nonamplified neuroblastoma, CCL2 produced by neuroblastoma cells induces the recruitment of antigen-presenting cells (DCs and monocytes/macrophages), allowing infiltration by T cells, in link with CCL19 and CCL22 production, hence favoring immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamila Kacher
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Inserm U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Etablissement Français du Sang Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Olivier Manches
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Inserm U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Etablissement Français du Sang Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Caroline Aspord
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Inserm U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Etablissement Français du Sang Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Hervé Sartelet
- Laboratoire de Biopathologie, CHRU de Nancy, Nancy, France.,Inserm U1256, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France
| | - Laurence Chaperot
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Inserm U1209, CNRS UMR5309, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France.,Etablissement Français du Sang Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Grenoble, France
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14
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Delfanti G, Dellabona P, Casorati G, Fedeli M. Adoptive Immunotherapy With Engineered iNKT Cells to Target Cancer Cells and the Suppressive Microenvironment. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:897750. [PMID: 35615083 PMCID: PMC9125179 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.897750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells are T lymphocytes expressing a conserved semi-invariant TCR specific for lipid antigens (Ags) restricted for the monomorphic MHC class I-related molecule CD1d. iNKT cells infiltrate mouse and human tumors and play an important role in the immune surveillance against solid and hematological malignancies. Because of unique functional features, they are attractive platforms for adoptive cells immunotherapy of cancer compared to conventional T cells. iNKT cells can directly kill CD1d-expressing cancer cells, but also restrict immunosuppressive myelomonocytic populations in the tumor microenvironment (TME) via CD1d-cognate recognition, promoting anti-tumor responses irrespective of the CD1d expression by cancer cells. Moreover, iNKT cells can be adoptively transferred across MHC barriers without risk of alloreaction because CD1d molecules are identical in all individuals, in addition to their ability to suppress graft vs. host disease (GvHD) without impairing the anti-tumor responses. Within this functional framework, iNKT cells are successfully engineered to acquire a second antigen-specificity by expressing recombinant TCRs or Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) specific for tumor-associated antigens, enabling the direct targeting of antigen-expressing cancer cells, while maintaining their CD1d-dependent functions. These new evidences support the exploitation of iNKT cells for donor unrestricted, and possibly off the shelf, adoptive cell therapies enabling the concurrent targeting of cancer cells and suppressive microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Delfanti
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Gloria Delfanti
| | - Paolo Dellabona
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Casorati
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Giulia Casorati
| | - Maya Fedeli
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Maya Fedeli
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15
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Cruz MS, Loureiro JP, Oliveira MJ, Macedo MF. The iNKT Cell-Macrophage Axis in Homeostasis and Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031640. [PMID: 35163561 PMCID: PMC8835952 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are CD1d-restricted, lipid-reactive T cells that exhibit preponderant immunomodulatory properties. The ultimate protective or deleterious functions displayed by iNKT cells in tissues are known to be partially shaped by the interactions they establish with other immune cells. In particular, the iNKT cell–macrophage crosstalk has gained growing interest over the past two decades. Accumulating evidence has highlighted that this immune axis plays central roles not only in maintaining homeostasis but also during the development of several pathologies. Hence, this review summarizes the reported features of the iNKT cell–macrophage axis in health and disease. We discuss the pathophysiological significance of this interplay and provide an overview of how both cells communicate with each other to regulate disease onset and progression in the context of infection, obesity, sterile inflammation, cancer and autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana S. Cruz
- Cell Activation and Gene Expression Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.S.C.); (J.P.L.)
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro (UA), 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - José Pedro Loureiro
- Cell Activation and Gene Expression Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.S.C.); (J.P.L.)
- Experimental Immunology Group, Department of Biomedicine (DBM), University of Basel and University Hospital Basel, Hebelstrasse 20, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maria J. Oliveira
- Tumour and Microenvironment Interactions Group, Instituto Nacional de Engenharia Biomédica (INEB), Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal;
- Department of Molecular Biology, ICBAS-Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria Fatima Macedo
- Cell Activation and Gene Expression Group, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (M.S.C.); (J.P.L.)
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro (UA), 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
- Correspondence:
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16
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Ghosh T, Guerrero-Pena A, Kashyap M, Saad AG, Thorson CM, Pillai AB. Asymptomatic incidental neuroblastoma in a patient with SH2D1A deficiency. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69:e29314. [PMID: 34455705 PMCID: PMC8629840 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Taumoha Ghosh
- Holtz Children Hospital/University of Miami-Jackson Health System, Miami, Florida,Department of Pediatrics/University of Miami, Miami, Florida,Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Angela Guerrero-Pena
- Holtz Children Hospital/University of Miami-Jackson Health System, Miami, Florida,Department of Pediatrics/University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Madhuri Kashyap
- Holtz Children Hospital/University of Miami-Jackson Health System, Miami, Florida,Department of Pediatrics/University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Ali G. Saad
- Holtz Children Hospital/University of Miami-Jackson Health System, Miami, Florida,Department of Pathology/University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Chad M. Thorson
- Holtz Children Hospital/University of Miami-Jackson Health System, Miami, Florida,Department of Surgery/University of Miami, Miami, Florida
| | - Asha B. Pillai
- Holtz Children Hospital/University of Miami-Jackson Health System, Miami, Florida,Department of Pediatrics/University of Miami, Miami, Florida,Department of Microbiology & Immunology/University of Miami, Miami, Florida
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17
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Tsakaneli A, Carregari VC, Morini M, Eva A, Cangemi G, Chayka O, Makarov E, Bibbò S, Capone E, Sala G, De Laurenzi V, Poon E, Chesler L, Pieroni L, Larsen MR, Palmisano G, Sala A. MYC regulates metabolism through vesicular transfer of glycolytic kinases. Open Biol 2021; 11:210276. [PMID: 34847775 PMCID: PMC8633805 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Amplification of the proto-oncogene MYCN is a key molecular aberration in high-risk neuroblastoma and predictive of poor outcome in this childhood malignancy. We investigated the role of MYCN in regulating the protein cargo of extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by tumour cells that can be internalized by recipient cells with functional consequences. Using a switchable MYCN system coupled to mass spectrometry analysis, we found that MYCN regulates distinct sets of proteins in the EVs secreted by neuroblastoma cells. EVs produced by MYCN-expressing cells or isolated from neuroblastoma patients induced the Warburg effect, proliferation and c-MYC expression in target cells. Mechanistically, we linked the cancer-promoting activity of EVs to the glycolytic kinase pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) that was enriched in EVs secreted by MYC-expressing neuroblastoma cells. Importantly, the glycolytic enzymes PKM2 and hexokinase II were detected in the EVs circulating in the bloodstream of neuroblastoma patients, but not in those of non-cancer children. We conclude that MYC-activated cancers might spread oncogenic signals to remote body locations through EVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexia Tsakaneli
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK
| | - Victor Corasolla Carregari
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374 Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Experimental Neuroscience, Proteomics and Metabonomics Unit, Fondazione Santa Lucia-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Morini
- Laboratorio di Biologia Molecolare, IRCCS Istituto G. Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandra Eva
- Laboratorio di Biologia Molecolare, IRCCS Istituto G. Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Olesya Chayka
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK
| | - Evgeny Makarov
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK
| | - Sandra Bibbò
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) Chieti, Italy
| | - Emily Capone
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) Chieti, Italy
| | - Gianluca Sala
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) Chieti, Italy
| | - Vincenzo De Laurenzi
- Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry, University of Chieti-Pescara, Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST) Chieti, Italy
| | - Evon Poon
- Division of Clinical Studies and Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Louis Chesler
- Division of Clinical Studies and Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Luisa Pieroni
- Department of Experimental Neuroscience, Proteomics and Metabonomics Unit, Fondazione Santa Lucia-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Martin R. Larsen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Giuseppe Palmisano
- GlycoProteomics Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1374 Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Experimental Neuroscience, Proteomics and Metabonomics Unit, Fondazione Santa Lucia-IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Arturo Sala
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK
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18
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Hirabayashi K, Du H, Xu Y, Shou P, Zhou X, Fucá G, Landoni E, Sun C, Chen Y, Savoldo B, Dotti G. Dual Targeting CAR-T Cells with Optimal Costimulation and Metabolic Fitness enhance Antitumor Activity and Prevent Escape in Solid Tumors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 2:904-918. [PMID: 34746799 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-021-00244-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells showed great activity in hematologic malignancies. However, heterogeneous antigen expression in tumor cells and suboptimal CAR-T cell persistence remain critical aspects to achieve clinical responses in patients with solid tumors. Here we show that CAR-T cells targeting simultaneously two tumor-associated antigens and providing transacting CD28 and 4-1BB costimulation, while sharing the sane CD3ζ-chain cause rapid antitumor effects in in vivo stress conditions, protection from tumor re-challenge and prevention of tumor escape due to low antigen density. Molecular and signaling studies indicate that T cells engineered with the proposed CAR design demonstrate sustained phosphorylation of T cell receptor-associated (TCR) signaling molecules and a molecular signature supporting CAR-T cell proliferation and long-term survival. Furthermore, metabolic profiling of CAR-T cells displayed induction of glycolysis that sustains rapid effector T cell function, but also preservation of oxidative functions, which are critical for T cell long-term persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Hirabayashi
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hongwei Du
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yang Xu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Peishun Shou
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Xin Zhou
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Giovanni Fucá
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Elisa Landoni
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Chuang Sun
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yuhui Chen
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Barbara Savoldo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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19
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Ingram Z, Madan S, Merchant J, Carter Z, Gordon Z, Carey G, Webb TJ. Targeting Natural Killer T Cells in Solid Malignancies. Cells 2021; 10:1329. [PMID: 34072042 PMCID: PMC8227159 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a unique subset of lymphocytes that recognize lipid antigens in the context of the non-classical class I MHC molecule, CD1d, and serve as a link between the innate and adaptive immune system through their expeditious release of cytokines. Whereas NKT have well-established roles in mitigating a number of human diseases, herein, we focus on their role in cancer. NKT cells have been shown to directly and indirectly mediate anti-tumor immunity and manipulating their effector functions can have therapeutic significances in treatment of cancer. In this review, we highlight several therapeutic strategies that have been used to harness the effector functions of NKT cells to target different types of solid tumors. We also discuss several barriers to the successful utilization of NKT cells and summarize effective strategies being developed to harness the unique strengths of this potent population of T cells. Collectively, studies investigating the therapeutic potential of NKT cells serve not only to advance our understanding of this powerful immune cell subset, but also pave the way for future treatments focused on the modulation of NKT cell responses to enhance cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Tonya J. Webb
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; (Z.I.); (S.M.); (J.M.); (Z.C.); (Z.G.); (G.C.)
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20
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Chang X, Bakay M, Liu Y, Glessner J, Rathi KS, Hou C, Qu H, Vaksman Z, Nguyen K, Sleiman PMA, Diskin SJ, Maris JM, Hakonarson H. Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups and Susceptibility to Neuroblastoma. J Natl Cancer Inst 2021; 112:1259-1266. [PMID: 32096864 DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djaa024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma is a childhood malignancy that arises from the developing sympathetic nervous system. Although mitochondrial dysfunctions have been implicated in the pathophysiology of neuroblastoma, the role of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has not been extensively investigated. METHODS A total of 2404 Caucasian children diagnosed with neuroblastoma and 9310 ancestry-matched controls were recruited at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The mtDNA haplogroups were identified from SNP array data of two independent cohorts. We conducted a case-control study to explore potential associations of mtDNA haplogroups with the susceptibility of neuroblastoma. The genetic effect of neuroblastoma was measured by odds ratios (ORs) of mitochondrial haplogroups. All tests were two-sided. RESULTS Haplogroup K was statistically significantly associated with reduced risk of neuroblastoma in the discovery cohort consisting of 1474 cases and 5699 controls (OR = 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.57 to 0.90; P = 4.8 × 10-3). The association was replicated in an independent cohort (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.53 to 0.92; P = .01) of 930 cases and 3611 controls. Pooled analysis was performed by combining the two data sets. The association remained highly statistically significant after correction for multiple testing (OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.59 to 0.84, P = 1.96 × 10-4, Pcorrected = .002). Further analysis focusing on neuroblastoma subtypes indicated haplogroup K was more associated with high-risk neuroblastoma (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.43 to 0.76; P = 1.46 × 10-4) than low-risk and intermediate-risk neuroblastoma. CONCLUSIONS Haplogroup K is an independent genetic factor associated with reduced risk of developing neuroblastoma in European descents. These findings provide new insights into the genetic basis of neuroblastoma, implicating mitochondrial DNA encoded proteins in the etiology of neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Chang
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marina Bakay
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yichuan Liu
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Joseph Glessner
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Komal S Rathi
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Cuiping Hou
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Huiqi Qu
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zalman Vaksman
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kenny Nguyen
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Patrick M A Sleiman
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Division of Human Genetics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sharon J Diskin
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Division of Human Genetics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John M Maris
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Division of Human Genetics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hakon Hakonarson
- Center for Applied Genomics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.,Division of Human Genetics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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21
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Liao YM, Hung TH, Tung JK, Yu J, Hsu YL, Hung JT, Yu AL. Low Expression of IL-15 and NKT in Tumor Microenvironment Predicts Poor Outcome of MYCN-Non-Amplified Neuroblastoma. J Pers Med 2021; 11:jpm11020122. [PMID: 33668573 PMCID: PMC7918138 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11020122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune tumor microenvironment (TME) in neuroblastoma (NBL) contributes to tumor behavior and treatment response. T cells and natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to play important roles in the neuroblastoma TME. However, few reports address the clinical relevance of natural killer T cells (NKTs) and interleukin-15 (IL-15), one of the crucial cytokines controlling the activation and expansion of NK/NKT cells, in NBL. In this study, we examined NKT immunoscores and IL-15 expression in both MYCN-amplified and MYCN-non-amplified NBL to correlate with clinical outcomes such as event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). From Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets GSE45480 (n = 643) and GSE49711 (n = 493), we found that NKT immunoscore and IL-15 expression were both significantly lower in MYCN-amplified NBL, and similar results were observed using our clinical NBL samples (n = 53). Moreover, NBL patients (GEO dataset GSE49711 and our clinical samples) with both lower NKT immunoscore and IL-15 expression exhibited decreased EFS and OS regardless of MYCN gene amplification status. Multivariate analysis further showed that the combination of low NKT immunoscore and low IL-15 expression level was an independent prognostic factor for poor EFS and OS in our NBL patients. These findings provide the rationale for the development of strategy to incorporate IL-15 and NKT cell therapy into the treatment regimen for neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Mei Liao
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan; (Y.-M.L.); (T.-H.H.); (J.K.T.); (J.Y.)
- Program in Translational Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, and Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Tsai-Hsien Hung
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan; (Y.-M.L.); (T.-H.H.); (J.K.T.); (J.Y.)
| | - John K. Tung
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan; (Y.-M.L.); (T.-H.H.); (J.K.T.); (J.Y.)
| | - John Yu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan; (Y.-M.L.); (T.-H.H.); (J.K.T.); (J.Y.)
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Ling Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
| | - Jung-Tung Hung
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan; (Y.-M.L.); (T.-H.H.); (J.K.T.); (J.Y.)
- Correspondence: (J.-T.H.); (A.L.Y.); Tel.: +886-3328-1200 (ext. 7813) (J.-T.H.); +886-3328-1200 (ext. 7805) (A.L.Y.); Fax: +886-3328-1200 (A.L.Y. & J.-T.H.)
| | - Alice L. Yu
- Institute of Stem Cell and Translational Cancer Research, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan; (Y.-M.L.); (T.-H.H.); (J.K.T.); (J.Y.)
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California in San Diego, San Diego, CA 92103, USA
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan
- Correspondence: (J.-T.H.); (A.L.Y.); Tel.: +886-3328-1200 (ext. 7813) (J.-T.H.); +886-3328-1200 (ext. 7805) (A.L.Y.); Fax: +886-3328-1200 (A.L.Y. & J.-T.H.)
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22
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Shirinbak S, Chan RY, Shahani S, Muthugounder S, Kennedy R, Hung LT, Fernandez GE, Hadjidaniel MD, Moghimi B, Sheard MA, Epstein AL, Fabbri M, Shimada H, Asgharzadeh S. Combined immune checkpoint blockade increases CD8+CD28+PD-1+ effector T cells and provides a therapeutic strategy for patients with neuroblastoma. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1838140. [PMID: 33489468 PMCID: PMC7801125 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2020.1838140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint therapy has resulted in minimal clinical response in many pediatric cancers. We sought to understand the influence of immune checkpoint inhibition using anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 antibodies individually, in combination, and after chemotherapy on immune responses in minimal and established murine neuroblastoma models. We also sought to understand the role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and PD-L1 expression and their alteration post-chemotherapy in our models and human tissues. PD-L1 expression was enriched in human tumor-associated macrophages and up-regulated after chemotherapy. In a murine minimal disease model, single and dual immune checkpoint blockade promoted tumor rejection, improved survival, and established immune memory with long-term anti-tumor immunity against re-challenge. In an established tumor model, only dual immune checkpoint blockade showed efficacy. Interestingly, dual immune checkpoint therapy distinctly influenced adaptive and innate immune responses, with significant increase in CD8+CD28+PD-1+ T cells and inflammatory macrophages (CD11bhiCD11c−F4/80+Ly6Chi) in tumor-draining lymph nodes. Adding chemotherapy before immunotherapy provided significant survival benefit for mice with established tumors receiving anti-PD-1 or dual immune checkpoint blockade. Our findings demonstrate anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapy induces a novel subset of effector T cells, and support administration of induction chemotherapy immediately prior to immune checkpoint blockade in children with high-risk neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soheila Shirinbak
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Randall Y Chan
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shilpa Shahani
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sakunthala Muthugounder
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rebekah Kennedy
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Long T Hung
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - G Esteban Fernandez
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael D Hadjidaniel
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Babak Moghimi
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Sheard
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alan L Epstein
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Muller Fabbri
- Cancer Biology Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Shimada
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shahab Asgharzadeh
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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23
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Tran HN, Singh HP, Guo W, Cambier L, Riggan L, Shackleford GM, Thornton ME, Grubbs BH, Erdreich-Epstein A, Qi DL, Cobrinik D. Reciprocal Induction of MDM2 and MYCN in Neural and Neuroendocrine Cancers. Front Oncol 2020; 10:563156. [PMID: 33425720 PMCID: PMC7793692 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.563156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
MYC family oncoproteins MYC, MYCN, and MYCL are deregulated in diverse cancers and via diverse mechanisms. Recent studies established a novel form of MYCN regulation in MYCN-overexpressing retinoblastoma and neuroblastoma cells in which the MDM2 oncoprotein promotes MYCN translation and MYCN-dependent proliferation via a p53-independent mechanism. However, it is unclear if MDM2 also promotes expression of other MYC family members and has similar effects in other cancers. Conversely, MYCN has been shown to induce MDM2 expression in neuroblastoma cells, yet it is unclear if MYC shares this ability, if MYC family proteins upregulate MDM2 in other malignancies, and if this regulation occurs during tumorigenesis as well as in cancer cell lines. Here, we report that intrinsically high MDM2 expression is required for high-level expression of MYCN, but not for expression of MYC, in retinoblastoma, neuroblastoma, small cell lung cancer, and medulloblastoma cells. Conversely, ectopic overexpression of MYC as well as MYCN induced high-level MDM2 expression and gave rise to rapidly proliferating and MDM2-dependent cone-precursor-derived masses in a cultured retinoblastoma genesis model. These findings reveal a highly specific collaboration between the MDM2 and MYCN oncoproteins and demonstrate the origin of their oncogenic positive feedback circuit within a normal neuronal tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hung N Tran
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Hardeep P Singh
- The Vision Center, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology and Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Wenxuan Guo
- The Vision Center, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Program in Biomedical and Biological Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Linda Cambier
- The Vision Center, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Luke Riggan
- The Vision Center, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Gregory M Shackleford
- The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Matthew E Thornton
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Brendan H Grubbs
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Anat Erdreich-Epstein
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Keck School of Medicine, and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Dong-Lai Qi
- The Vision Center, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Medicine and Pharmacy Research Center, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, China
| | - David Cobrinik
- The Vision Center, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology and Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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24
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Wienke J, Dierselhuis MP, Tytgat GAM, Künkele A, Nierkens S, Molenaar JJ. The immune landscape of neuroblastoma: Challenges and opportunities for novel therapeutic strategies in pediatric oncology. Eur J Cancer 2020; 144:123-150. [PMID: 33341446 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy holds great promise for the treatment of pediatric cancers. In neuroblastoma, the recent implementation of anti-GD2 antibody Dinutuximab into the standard of care has improved patient outcomes substantially. However, 5-year survival rates are still below 50% in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma, which has sparked investigations into novel immunotherapeutic approaches. T cell-engaging therapies such as immune checkpoint blockade, antibody-mediated therapy and adoptive T cell therapy have proven remarkably successful in a range of adult cancers but still meet challenges in pediatric oncology. In neuroblastoma, their limited success may be due to several factors. Neuroblastoma displays low immunogenicity due to its low mutational load and lack of MHC-I expression. Tumour infiltration by T and NK cells is especially low in high-risk neuroblastoma and is prognostic for survival. Only a small fraction of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes shows tumour reactivity. Moreover, neuroblastoma tumours employ a variety of immune evasion strategies, including expression of immune checkpoint molecules, induction of immunosuppressive myeloid and stromal cells, as well as secretion of immunoregulatory mediators, which reduce infiltration and reactivity of immune cells. Overcoming these challenges will be key to the successful implementation of novel immunotherapeutic interventions. Combining different immunotherapies, as well as personalised strategies, may be promising approaches. We will discuss the composition, function and prognostic value of tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in neuroblastoma, reflect on challenges for immunotherapy, including a lack of TIL reactivity and tumour immune evasion strategies, and highlight opportunities for immunotherapy and future perspectives with regard to state-of-the-art developments in the tumour immunology space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith Wienke
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | | | | | - Annette Künkele
- Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt - Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Nierkens
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Jan J Molenaar
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Blavier L, Yang RM, DeClerck YA. The Tumor Microenvironment in Neuroblastoma: New Players, New Mechanisms of Interaction and New Perspectives. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12102912. [PMID: 33050533 PMCID: PMC7599920 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The contribution of the tumor microenvironment (TME) to cancer progression has been well recognized in recent decades. As cancer therapeutic strategies are increasingly precise and include immunotherapies, knowledge of the nature and function of the TME in a tumor becomes essential. Our understanding of the TME in neuroblastoma (NB), the second most common solid tumor in children, has significantly progressed from an initial focus on its Schwannian component to a better awareness of its complex nature, which includes not only immune but also non-immune cells such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), the contribution of which to inflammation and interaction with tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is now recognized. Recent studies on the TME landscape of NB tumors also suggest significant differences between MYCN-amplified (MYCN-A) and non-amplified (MYCN-NA) tumors, in their content in stromal and inflammatory cells and their immunosuppressive activity. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by cells in the TME and microRNAs (miRs) present in their cargo could play important roles in the communication between NB cells and the TME. This review article discusses these new aspects of the TME in NB and the impact that information on the TME landscape in NB will have in the design of precise, biomarker-integrated clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Blavier
- The Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (L.B.); (R.-M.Y.)
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Ren-Ming Yang
- The Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (L.B.); (R.-M.Y.)
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Yves A. DeClerck
- The Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (L.B.); (R.-M.Y.)
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-323-382-5548 or +1-323-361-5648
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Cangelosi D, Morini M, Zanardi N, Sementa AR, Muselli M, Conte M, Garaventa A, Pfeffer U, Bosco MC, Varesio L, Eva A. Hypoxia Predicts Poor Prognosis in Neuroblastoma Patients and Associates with Biological Mechanisms Involved in Telomerase Activation and Tumor Microenvironment Reprogramming. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2343. [PMID: 32825087 PMCID: PMC7563184 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12092343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The biological and clinical heterogeneity of neuroblastoma (NB) demands novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets in order to drive the most appropriate treatment for each patient. Hypoxia is a condition of low-oxygen tension occurring in poorly vascularized tumor tissues. In this study, we aimed to assess the role of hypoxia in the pathogenesis of NB and at developing a new clinically relevant hypoxia-based predictor of outcome. We analyzed the gene expression profiles of 1882 untreated NB primary tumors collected at diagnosis and belonging to four existing data sets. Analyses took advantage of machine learning methods. We identified NB-hop, a seven-gene hypoxia biomarker, as a predictor of NB patient prognosis, which is able to discriminate between two populations of patients with unfavorable or favorable outcome on a molecular basis. NB-hop retained its prognostic value in a multivariate model adjusted for established risk factors and was able to additionally stratify clinically relevant groups of patients. Tumors with an unfavorable NB-hop expression showed a significant association with telomerase activation and a hypoxic, immunosuppressive, poorly differentiated, and apoptosis-resistant tumor microenvironment. NB-hop defines a new population of NB patients with hypoxic tumors and unfavorable prognosis and it represents a critical factor for the stratification and treatment of NB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Cangelosi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (M.M.); (N.Z.); (L.V.); (A.E.)
| | - Martina Morini
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (M.M.); (N.Z.); (L.V.); (A.E.)
| | - Nicolò Zanardi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (M.M.); (N.Z.); (L.V.); (A.E.)
| | - Angela Rita Sementa
- Laboratory of Pathology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy;
| | - Marco Muselli
- Institute of Electronics, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering, Italian National Research Council, 16149 Genova, Italy;
| | - Massimo Conte
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (M.C.); (A.G.)
| | - Alberto Garaventa
- Pediatric Oncology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (M.C.); (A.G.)
| | - Ulrich Pfeffer
- Integrated Oncology Therapies Department, Molecular Pathology, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy;
| | - Maria Carla Bosco
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (M.M.); (N.Z.); (L.V.); (A.E.)
| | - Luigi Varesio
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (M.M.); (N.Z.); (L.V.); (A.E.)
| | - Alessandra Eva
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, 16147 Genova, Italy; (M.M.); (N.Z.); (L.V.); (A.E.)
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Joshi S. Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment in Neuroblastoma: Recent Advances and Future Directions. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2057. [PMID: 32722460 PMCID: PMC7465822 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common pediatric tumor malignancy that originates from the neural crest and accounts for more than 15% of all the childhood deaths from cancer. The neuroblastoma cancer research has long been focused on the role of MYCN oncogene amplification and the contribution of other genetic alterations in the progression of this malignancy. However, it is now widely accepted that, not only tumor cells, but the components of tumor microenvironment (TME), including extracellular matrix, stromal cells and immune cells, also contribute to tumor progression in neuroblastoma. The complexity of different components of tumor stroma and their resemblance with surrounding normal tissues pose huge challenges for therapies targeting tumor microenvironment in NB. Hence, the detailed understanding of the composition of the TME of NB is crucial to improve existing and future potential immunotherapeutic approaches against this childhood cancer. In this review article, I will discuss different components of the TME of NB and the recent advances in the strategies, which are used to target the tumor microenvironment in neuroblastoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Joshi
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0815, USA
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28
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Ma X, Shou P, Smith C, Chen Y, Du H, Sun C, Porterfield Kren N, Michaud D, Ahn S, Vincent B, Savoldo B, Pylayeva-Gupta Y, Zhang S, Dotti G, Xu Y. Interleukin-23 engineering improves CAR T cell function in solid tumors. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 38:448-459. [PMID: 32015548 PMCID: PMC7466194 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-019-0398-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines that stimulate T cell proliferation, such as interleukin (IL)-15, have been explored as a means of boosting the antitumor activity of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. However, constitutive cytokine signaling in T cells and activation of bystander cells may cause toxicity. IL-23 is a two-subunit cytokine known to promote proliferation of memory T cells and T helper type 17 cells. We found that, upon T cell antigen receptor (TCR) stimulation, T cells upregulated the IL-23 receptor and the IL-23α p19 subunit, but not the p40 subunit. We engineered expression of the p40 subunit in T cells (p40-Td cells) and obtained selective proliferative activity in activated T cells via autocrine IL-23 signaling. In comparison to CAR T cells, p40-Td CAR T cells showed improved antitumor capacity in vitro, with increased granzyme B and decreased PD-1 expression. In two xenograft and two syngeneic solid tumor mouse models, p40-Td CAR T cells showed superior efficacy in comparison to CAR T cells and attenuated side effects in comparison to CAR T cells expressing IL-18 or IL-15.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Hypoxia/genetics
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Proliferation
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Interleukin-12 Subunit p40/genetics
- Interleukin-12 Subunit p40/metabolism
- Interleukin-23/genetics
- Interleukin-23/metabolism
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Mice
- Neoplasms/immunology
- Neoplasms/therapy
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/metabolism
- Receptors, Interleukin/genetics
- Receptors, Interleukin/metabolism
- STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism
- Signal Transduction/genetics
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingcong Ma
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an, Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Peishun Shou
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Christof Smith
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yuhui Chen
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hongwei Du
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Chuang Sun
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Nancy Porterfield Kren
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Daniel Michaud
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sarah Ahn
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin Vincent
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Barbara Savoldo
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Shuqun Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an, Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Yang Xu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Tiwary S, Berzofsky JA, Terabe M. Altered Lipid Tumor Environment and Its Potential Effects on NKT Cell Function in Tumor Immunity. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2187. [PMID: 31620124 PMCID: PMC6759687 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer T (NKT) cells are CD1d restricted T cells that mostly recognize lipid antigens. These cells share characteristics with both adaptive and innate immune cells and have multiple immunoregulatory roles. In a manner similar to innate immune cells, they respond quickly to stimuli and secrete large amounts of cytokines, amplifying and modulating the immune response. As T cells, they express T cell receptors (TCRs) and respond in an antigen-specific manner like conventional T cells. There are at least two subtypes of NKT cells, type I and type II, that differ in the nature of their TCR, either semi-invariant (type I) or diverse (type II). The two sub-types generally have opposing functions in tumor immunity, with type I promoting and type II suppressing tumor immunity, and they cross-regulate each other, forming an immunoregulatory axis. The tumor has multiple mechanisms by which it can evade immune-surveillance. One such mechanism involves alteration in tumor lipid repertoire and accumulation of lipids and fatty acids that favor tumor growth and evade anti-tumor immunity. Since NKT cells mostly recognize lipid antigens, an altered tumor lipid metabolic profile will also alter the repertoire of lipid antigens that can potentially affect their immune-modulatory function. In this review, we will explore the effects of alterations in the lipid metabolites on tumor growth, antigen cross-presentation, and overall effect on anti-tumor immunity, especially in the context of NKT cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Tiwary
- Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jay A. Berzofsky
- Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Masaki Terabe
- Neuro-Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, United States
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30
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Ollé Hurtado M, Wolbert J, Fisher J, Flutter B, Stafford S, Barton J, Jain N, Barone G, Majani Y, Anderson J. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes expanded from pediatric neuroblastoma display heterogeneity of phenotype and function. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216373. [PMID: 31398192 PMCID: PMC6688820 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of ex vivo expanded tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has led to clinical benefit in some patients with melanoma but has not demonstrated convincing efficacy in other solid cancers. Whilst the presence of TILs in many types of cancer is often associated with better clinical prognosis, their function has not been systematically evaluated across cancer types. Responses to immunological checkpoint inhibitors in a wide range of cancers, including those for which adoptive transfer of expanded TILs has not shown clinical benefit, has clearly delineated a number of tumor type associated with tumor-reactive lymphocytes capable of effecting tumor remissions. Neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood solid cancer in which immunotherapy with GD2-directed antibodies confers a proven survival advantage through incompletely understood mechanisms. We therefore evaluated the feasibility of ex vivo expansion of TILs from freshly resected neuroblastoma tumors and the potential therapeutic utility of TIL expansions. TILs were successfully expanded from both tumor biopsies or resections. Significant numbers of NKT and γδT cells were identified alongside the mixed population of cytotoxic (CD8+) and helper (CD4+) T cells of both effector and central memory phenotypes. Isolated TILs were broadly non-reactive against autologous tumor and neuroblastoma cell lines, so enhancement of neuroblastoma killing was attained by transducing TILs with a second-generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting GD2. CAR-TILs demonstrated antigen-specific cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines. This study is the first to show reproducible expansion of TILs from pediatric neuroblastoma, the high proportion of innate-like lymphocytes, and the feasibility to use CAR-TILs therapeutically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Ollé Hurtado
- Cancer Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Jolien Wolbert
- Cancer Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Fisher
- Cancer Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Barry Flutter
- Cancer Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Sian Stafford
- Cancer Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Jack Barton
- Cancer Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Neha Jain
- Department of Oncology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Giuseppe Barone
- Department of Oncology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - Yvonne Majani
- Cancer Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England, United Kingdom
| | - John Anderson
- Cancer Section, Developmental Biology and Cancer Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, England, United Kingdom
- Department of Oncology, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, England, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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31
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Rajbhandari P, Lopez G, Capdevila C, Salvatori B, Yu J, Rodriguez-Barrueco R, Martinez D, Yarmarkovich M, Weichert-Leahey N, Abraham BJ, Alvarez MJ, Iyer A, Harenza JL, Oldridge D, De Preter K, Koster J, Asgharzadeh S, Seeger RC, Wei JS, Khan J, Vandesompele J, Mestdagh P, Versteeg R, Look AT, Young RA, Iavarone A, Lasorella A, Silva JM, Maris JM, Califano A. Cross-Cohort Analysis Identifies a TEAD4-MYCN Positive Feedback Loop as the Core Regulatory Element of High-Risk Neuroblastoma. Cancer Discov 2018; 8:582-599. [PMID: 29510988 PMCID: PMC5967627 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-16-0861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
High-risk neuroblastomas show a paucity of recurrent somatic mutations at diagnosis. As a result, the molecular basis for this aggressive phenotype remains elusive. Recent progress in regulatory network analysis helped us elucidate disease-driving mechanisms downstream of genomic alterations, including recurrent chromosomal alterations. Our analysis identified three molecular subtypes of high-risk neuroblastomas, consistent with chromosomal alterations, and identified subtype-specific master regulator proteins that were conserved across independent cohorts. A 10-protein transcriptional module-centered around a TEAD4-MYCN positive feedback loop-emerged as the regulatory driver of the high-risk subtype associated with MYCN amplification. Silencing of either gene collapsed MYCN-amplified (MYCNAmp) neuroblastoma transcriptional hallmarks and abrogated viability in vitro and in vivo Consistently, TEAD4 emerged as a robust prognostic marker of poor survival, with activity independent of the canonical Hippo pathway transcriptional coactivators YAP and TAZ. These results suggest novel therapeutic strategies for the large subset of MYCN-deregulated neuroblastomas.Significance: Despite progress in understanding of neuroblastoma genetics, little progress has been made toward personalized treatment. Here, we present a framework to determine the downstream effectors of the genetic alterations sustaining neuroblastoma subtypes, which can be easily extended to other tumor types. We show the critical effect of disrupting a 10-protein module centered around a YAP/TAZ-independent TEAD4-MYCN positive feedback loop in MYCNAmp neuroblastomas, nominating TEAD4 as a novel candidate for therapeutic intervention. Cancer Discov; 8(5); 582-99. ©2018 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 517.
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Affiliation(s)
- Presha Rajbhandari
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Gonzalo Lopez
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Claudia Capdevila
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | | | - Jiyang Yu
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Department of Computational Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Ruth Rodriguez-Barrueco
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
- Departament de Patologia i Terapèutica Experimental, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, IDIBELL, Universitat de Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Martinez
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Mark Yarmarkovich
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Nina Weichert-Leahey
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Brian J Abraham
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Mariano J Alvarez
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Archana Iyer
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Jo Lynne Harenza
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Derek Oldridge
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Katleen De Preter
- Center for Medical Genetics & Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Jan Koster
- Department of Oncogenomics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Shahab Asgharzadeh
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Saban Research Institute, The Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Robert C Seeger
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Saban Research Institute, The Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
- Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Jun S Wei
- Genetics Branch, Oncogenomics Section, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, Oncogenomics Section, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jo Vandesompele
- Center for Medical Genetics & Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Pieter Mestdagh
- Center for Medical Genetics & Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Rogier Versteeg
- Department of Oncogenomics, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - A Thomas Look
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Richard A Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Antonio Iavarone
- Department of Neurology and Pathology and Cell Biology, Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Anna Lasorella
- Department of Pediatrics and Pathology and Cell Biology, Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Jose M Silva
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - John M Maris
- Division of Oncology and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Andrea Califano
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York.
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center and J.P. Sulzberger Columbia Genome Center, Columbia University, New York, New York
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32
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Wolf BJ, Choi JE, Exley MA. Novel Approaches to Exploiting Invariant NKT Cells in Cancer Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2018; 9:384. [PMID: 29559971 PMCID: PMC5845557 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
iNKT cells are a subset of innate-like T cells that utilize an invariant TCR alpha chain complexed with a limited repertoire of TCR beta chains to recognize specific lipid antigens presented by CD1d molecules. Because iNKT cells have an invariant TCR, they can be easily identified and targeted in both humans and mice via standard reagents, making this a population of T cells that has been well characterized. iNKT cells are some of the first cells to respond during an infection. By making different types of cytokines in response to different infection stimuli, iNKT cells help determine what kind of immune response then develops. It has been shown that iNKT cells are some of the first cells to respond during infection with a pathogen and the type of cytokines that iNKT cells make help determine the type of immune response that develops in various situations. Indeed, along with immunity to pathogens, pre-clinical mouse studies have clearly demonstrated that iNKT cells play a critical role in tumor immunosurveillance. They can mediate anti-tumor immunity by direct recognition of tumor cells that express CD1d, and/or via targeting CD1d found on cells within the tumor microenvironment. Multiple groups are now working on manipulating iNKT cells for clinical benefit within the context of cancer and have demonstrated that targeting iNKT cells can have a therapeutic benefit in patients. In this review, we briefly introduce iNKT cells, then discuss preclinical data on roles of iNKT cells and clinical trials that have targeted iNKT cells in cancer patients. We finally discuss how future trials could be modified to further increase the efficacy of iNKT cell therapies, in particular CAR-iNKT and rTCR-iNKT cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jiyoung Elizabeth Choi
- Agenus Inc., Lexington, MA, United States.,Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mark A Exley
- Agenus Inc., Lexington, MA, United States.,Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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33
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Relation T, Yi T, Guess AJ, La Perle K, Otsuru S, Hasgur S, Dominici M, Breuer C, Horwitz EM. Intratumoral Delivery of Interferonγ-Secreting Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Repolarizes Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Suppresses Neuroblastoma Proliferation In Vivo. Stem Cells 2018; 36:915-924. [PMID: 29430789 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood, remains a therapeutic challenge. However, one promising patient treatment strategy is the delivery of anti-tumor therapeutic agents via mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy. MSCs have been safely used to treat genetic bone diseases such as osteogenesis imperfecta, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. The pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon-gamma (IFNγ) has been shown to decrease tumor proliferation by altering the tumor microenvironment (TME). Despite this, clinical trials of systemic IFNγ therapy have failed due to the high blood concentration required and associated systemic toxicities. Here, we developed an intra-adrenal model of neuroblastoma, characterized by liver and lung metastases. We then engineered MSCs to deliver IFNγ directly to the TME. In vitro, these MSCs polarized murine macrophages to the M1 phenotype. In vivo, we attained a therapeutically active TME concentration of IFNγ without increased systemic concentration or toxicity. The TME-specific IFNγ reduced tumor growth rate and increased survival in two models of T cell deficient athymic nude mice. Absence of this benefit in NOD SCID gamma (NSG) immunodeficient mouse model indicates a mechanism dependent on the innate immune system. IL-17 and IL-23p19, both uniquely M1 polarization markers, transiently increased in the tumor interstitial fluid. Finally, the MSC vehicle did not promote tumor growth. These findings reveal that MSCs can deliver effective cytokine therapy directly to the tumor while avoiding systemic toxicity. This method transiently induces inflammatory M1 macrophage polarization, which reduces tumor burden in our novel neuroblastoma murine model. Stem Cells 2018;36:915-924.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Relation
- The Ohio State University Medical Scientist Training Program, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Tai Yi
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Adam J Guess
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Krista La Perle
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Satoru Otsuru
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Suheyla Hasgur
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Massimo Dominici
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences of Children and Adults, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Christopher Breuer
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Edwin M Horwitz
- Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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34
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Agarwal S, Ghosh R, Chen Z, Lakoma A, Gunaratne PH, Kim ES, Shohet JM. Transmembrane adaptor protein PAG1 is a novel tumor suppressor in neuroblastoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:24018-26. [PMID: 26993602 PMCID: PMC5029681 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
(NB) is the most common extracranial pediatric solid tumor with high mortality rates. The tyrosine kinase c-Src has been known to play an important role in differentiation of NB cells, but the mechanism of c-Src regulation has not been defined. Here, we characterize PAG1 (Cbp, Csk binding protein), a central inhibitor of c-Src and other Src family kinases, as a novel tumor suppressor in NB. Clinical cohort analysis demonstrate that low expression of PAG1 is a significant prognostic factor for high stage disease, increased relapse, and worse overall survival for children with NB. PAG1 knockdown in NB cells promotes proliferation and anchorage-independent colony formation with increased activation of AKT and ERK downstream of c-Src, while PAG1 overexpression significantly rescues these effects. In vivo, PAG1 overexpression significantly inhibits NB tumorigenicity in an orthotopic xenograft model. Our results establish PAG1 as a potent tumor suppressor in NB by inhibiting c-Src and downstream effector pathways. Thus, reactivation of PAG1 and inhibition of c-Src kinase activity represents an important novel therapeutic approach for high-risk NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurabh Agarwal
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children's Cancer Center, and Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Rajib Ghosh
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
| | - Zaowen Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children's Cancer Center, and Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Anna Lakoma
- Michael E. DeBakey, Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Preethi H Gunaratne
- Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
| | - Eugene S Kim
- Michael E. DeBakey, Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.,Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90027, USA
| | - Jason M Shohet
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology-Oncology, Texas Children's Cancer Center, and Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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35
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Zhou H, Zhuo Z, Chen S, Zhao J, Mo Y, Zhang J, He J, Ruan J. Polymorphisms in MYCN gene and neuroblastoma risk in Chinese children: a 3-center case-control study. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:1807-1816. [PMID: 29997440 PMCID: PMC6033082 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s168515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Neuroblastoma is an embryonal tumor of the sympathetic nervous system. The MYCN oncogene is amplified in some neuroblastoma patients and correlated with poor prognosis. However, less is known regarding the relationship between MYCN gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and neuroblastoma risk. PATIENTS AND METHODS To investigate the contribution of MYCN gene polymorphisms to neuroblastoma risk, we performed a 3-center case-control study by genotyping 4 SNPs in the MYCN gene from 429 cases and 884 controls. RESULTS The results showed that only rs57961569 G>A was associated with neuroblastoma risk (GA vs GG: adjusted odds ratio =0.76, 95% confidence interval =0.60-0.98, P=0.033), while the other 3 SNPs were not (rs9653226 T>C, rs13034994 A>G, and rs60226897 G>A). Stratified analysis revealed that rs57961569 GG carriers were more likely to develop neuroblastoma in the following subgroups: children older than 18 months, tumor derived from the adrenal gland, and clinical stages III + IV. The increased neuroblastoma risk associated with the rs9653226 variant CC genotypes was more evident in the following subgroups: females, tumor derived from the adrenal gland, and clinical stages III + IV. The presence of 2-3 risk genotypes had a significant relationship with the following subgroups: tumor derived from the adrenal gland and clinical stages III + IV. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates a weak impact of MYCN gene polymorphisms on neuroblastoma risk, which should be further validated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixia Zhou
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
| | - Zhenjian Zhuo
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Shanshan Chen
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
| | - Jie Zhao
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
| | - Yixiao Mo
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
| | - Jiao Zhang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jing He
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China,
| | - Jichen Ruan
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
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36
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Hadjidaniel MD, Muthugounder S, Hung LT, Sheard MA, Shirinbak S, Chan RY, Nakata R, Borriello L, Malvar J, Kennedy RJ, Iwakura H, Akamizu T, Sposto R, Shimada H, DeClerck YA, Asgharzadeh S. Tumor-associated macrophages promote neuroblastoma via STAT3 phosphorylation and up-regulation of c-MYC. Oncotarget 2017; 8:91516-91529. [PMID: 29207662 PMCID: PMC5710942 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.21066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are strongly associated with poor survival in neuroblastomas that lack MYCN amplification. To study TAM action in neuroblastomas, we used a novel murine model of spontaneous neuroblastoma lacking MYCN amplification, and observed recruitment and polarization of TAMs, which in turn enhanced neuroblastoma proliferation and growth. In both murine and human neuroblastoma cells, we found that TAMs increased STAT3 activation in neuroblastoma cells and transcriptionally up-regulated the MYC oncogene. Analysis of human neuroblastoma tumor specimens revealed that MYC up-regulation correlates with markers of TAM infiltration. In an IL6ko neuroblastoma model, the absence of IL-6 protein had no effect on tumor development and prevented neither STAT3 activation nor MYC up-regulation. In contrast, inhibition of JAK-STAT activation using AZD1480 or the clinically admissible inhibitor ruxolitinib significantly reduced TAM-mediated growth of neuroblastomas implanted subcutaneously in NOD scid gamma mice. Our results point to a unique mechanism in which TAMs promote tumor cells that lack amplification of an oncogene common to the malignancy by up-regulating transcriptional expression of a distinct oncogene from the same gene family, and underscore the role of IL-6-independent activation of STAT3 in this mechanism. Amplification of MYCN or constitutive up-regulation of MYC protein is observed in approximately half of high-risk tumors; our findings indicate a novel role of TAMs as inducers of MYC expression in neuroblastomas lacking independent oncogene activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Hadjidaniel
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sakunthala Muthugounder
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Long T Hung
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Sheard
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Soheila Shirinbak
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Randall Y Chan
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rie Nakata
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lucia Borriello
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jemily Malvar
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rebekah J Kennedy
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hiroshi Iwakura
- The First Department of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan
| | - Takashi Akamizu
- The First Department of Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan
| | - Richard Sposto
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Shimada
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yves A DeClerck
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shahab Asgharzadeh
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Children's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, and The Saban Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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37
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Shum T, Omer B, Tashiro H, Kruse RL, Wagner DL, Parikh K, Yi Z, Sauer T, Liu D, Parihar R, Castillo P, Liu H, Brenner MK, Metelitsa LS, Gottschalk S, Rooney CM. Constitutive Signaling from an Engineered IL7 Receptor Promotes Durable Tumor Elimination by Tumor-Redirected T Cells. Cancer Discov 2017; 7:1238-1247. [PMID: 28830878 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-17-0538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 08/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Successful adoptive T-cell immunotherapy of solid tumors will require improved expansion and cytotoxicity of tumor-directed T cells within tumors. Providing recombinant or transgenic cytokines may produce the desired benefits but is associated with significant toxicities, constraining clinical use. To circumvent this limitation, we constructed a constitutively signaling cytokine receptor, C7R, which potently triggers the IL7 signaling axis but is unresponsive to extracellular cytokine. This strategy augments modified T-cell function following antigen exposure, but avoids stimulating bystander lymphocytes. Coexpressing the C7R with a tumor-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) increased T-cell proliferation, survival, and antitumor activity during repeated exposure to tumor cells, without T-cell dysfunction or autonomous T-cell growth. Furthermore, C7R-coexpressing CAR T cells were active against metastatic neuroblastoma and orthotopic glioblastoma xenograft models even at cell doses that had been ineffective without C7R support. C7R may thus be able to enhance antigen-specific T-cell therapies against cancer.Significance: The constitutively signaling C7R system developed here delivers potent IL7 stimulation to CAR T cells, increasing their persistence and antitumor activity against multiple preclinical tumor models, supporting its clinical development. Cancer Discov; 7(11); 1238-47. ©2017 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1201.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Shum
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Bilal Omer
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Haruko Tashiro
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Robert L Kruse
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Medical Scientist Training Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Dimitrios L Wagner
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Kathan Parikh
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Zhongzhen Yi
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Tim Sauer
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Daofeng Liu
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Robin Parihar
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Paul Castillo
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Hao Liu
- Biostatistics Shared Resource, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Malcolm K Brenner
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Leonid S Metelitsa
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Stephen Gottschalk
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Cliona M Rooney
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. .,Interdepartmental Program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.,Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
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38
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Mitchell WG, Blaes F. Cancer and Autoimmunity: Paraneoplastic Neurological Disorders Associated With Neuroblastic Tumors. Semin Pediatr Neurol 2017; 24:180-188. [PMID: 29103425 DOI: 10.1016/j.spen.2017.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cancer and autoimmunity come together in paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS), which reflect the remote, not direct, effects of cancer. In the pediatric population, a variety of PNS have been described, but the most common of these rare disorders are instigated by neuroblastic tumors, such as neuroblastoma, ganglioneuroblastoma, and ganglioneuroma. The main pediatric-onset neurological PNS are ROHHAD syndrome, anti-ANNA1 (anti-Hu), and opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome. They manifest distinctive neurological features, which aid the diagnosis, though under-recognition still poses serious challenges and risks. In each clinical syndrome, a large subgroup of patients had no demonstrated tumor. Most neurological PNS are immunologically mediated, and CSF neuroimmunological studies show common elements of immune involvement in PNS as well as important differences. Future immunotherapy strategies may be able to take advantage of these abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy G Mitchell
- Neurology Department, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, Attending Physician, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
| | - Franz Blaes
- Department of Neurology Kreiskrankenhaus Gummersbach, Gummersbach, Germany
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39
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Nagarsheth N, Wicha MS, Zou W. Chemokines in the cancer microenvironment and their relevance in cancer immunotherapy. Nat Rev Immunol 2017; 17:559-572. [PMID: 28555670 DOI: 10.1038/nri.2017.49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1320] [Impact Index Per Article: 188.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The tumour microenvironment is the primary location in which tumour cells and the host immune system interact. Different immune cell subsets are recruited into the tumour microenvironment via interactions between chemokines and chemokine receptors, and these populations have distinct effects on tumour progression and therapeutic outcomes. In this Review, we focus on the main chemokines that are found in the human tumour microenvironment; we elaborate on their patterns of expression, their regulation and their roles in immune cell recruitment and in cancer and stromal cell biology, and we consider how they affect cancer immunity and tumorigenesis. We also discuss the potential of targeting chemokine networks, in combination with other immunotherapies, for the treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisha Nagarsheth
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan School of Medicine, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.,Graduate Programs in Immunology and Tumour Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Max S Wicha
- Graduate Programs in Immunology and Tumour Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Michigan School of Medicine, 1150 E. Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.,The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Weiping Zou
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan School of Medicine, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.,Graduate Programs in Immunology and Tumour Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.,The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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40
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Layer JP, Kronmüller MT, Quast T, van den Boorn-Konijnenberg D, Effern M, Hinze D, Althoff K, Schramm A, Westermann F, Peifer M, Hartmann G, Tüting T, Kolanus W, Fischer M, Schulte J, Hölzel M. Amplification of N-Myc is associated with a T-cell-poor microenvironment in metastatic neuroblastoma restraining interferon pathway activity and chemokine expression. Oncoimmunology 2017; 6:e1320626. [PMID: 28680756 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2017.1320626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 03/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have significantly improved the treatment of several cancers. T-cell infiltration and the number of neoantigens caused by tumor-specific mutations are correlated to favorable responses in cancers with a high mutation load. Accordingly, checkpoint immunotherapy is thought to be less effective in tumors with low mutation frequencies such as neuroblastoma, a neuroendocrine tumor of early childhood with poor outcome of the high-risk disease group. However, spontaneous regressions and paraneoplastic syndromes seen in neuroblastoma patients suggest substantial immunogenicity. Using an integrative transcriptomic approach, we investigated the molecular characteristics of T-cell infiltration in primary neuroblastomas as an indicator of pre-existing immune responses and potential responsiveness to checkpoint inhibition. Here, we report that a T-cell-poor microenvironment in primary metastatic neuroblastomas is associated with genomic amplification of the MYCN (N-Myc) proto-oncogene. These tumors exhibited lower interferon pathway activity and chemokine expression in line with reduced immune cell infiltration. Importantly, we identified a global role for N-Myc in the suppression of interferon and pro-inflammatory pathways in human and murine neuroblastoma cell lines. N-Myc depletion potently enhanced targeted interferon pathway activation by a small molecule agonist of the cGAS-STING innate immune pathway. This promoted chemokine expression including Cxcl10 and T-cell recruitment in microfluidics migration assays. Hence, our data suggest N-Myc inhibition plus targeted IFN activation as adjuvant strategy to enforce cytotoxic T-cell recruitment in MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian P Layer
- Unit for RNA Biology, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marie T Kronmüller
- Division of Molecular Immunology and Cell Biology, Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Quast
- Division of Molecular Immunology and Cell Biology, Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Maike Effern
- Unit for RNA Biology, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Daniel Hinze
- Unit for RNA Biology, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kristina Althoff
- Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Alexander Schramm
- Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Molecular Oncology, Internal Medicine/Cancer Research Unit, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Frank Westermann
- Neuroblastoma Genomics B087, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martin Peifer
- Department of Translational Genomics, Center of Integrated Oncology Cologne-Bonn, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Gunther Hartmann
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Tüting
- Laboratory of Experimental Dermatology, Department of Dermatology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Laboratory of Experimental Dermatology, Department of Dermatology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Waldemar Kolanus
- Division of Molecular Immunology and Cell Biology, Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Matthias Fischer
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Department of Experimental Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne, Germany
| | - Johannes Schulte
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and SCT, Charité - University Hospital Berlin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Hölzel
- Unit for RNA Biology, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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41
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Brandetti E, Veneziani I, Melaiu O, Pezzolo A, Castellano A, Boldrini R, Ferretti E, Fruci D, Moretta L, Pistoia V, Locatelli F, Cifaldi L. MYCN is an immunosuppressive oncogene dampening the expression of ligands for NK-cell-activating receptors in human high-risk neuroblastoma. Oncoimmunology 2017; 6:e1316439. [PMID: 28680748 PMCID: PMC5486189 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2017.1316439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor occurring in childhood. Amplification of the MYCN oncogene is associated with poor prognosis. Downregulation on NB cells of ligands recognized by Natural Killer (NK) cell-activating receptors, involved in tumor cell recognition and lysis, may contribute to tumor progression and relapse. Here, we demonstrate that in human NB cell lines MYCN expression inversely correlates with that of ligands recognized by NKG2D and DNAM1 activating receptors in human NB cell lines. In the MYCN-inducible Tet-21/N cell line, downregulation of MYCN resulted in enhanced expression of the activating ligands MICA, ULBPs and PVR, which rendered tumor cells more susceptible to recognition and lysis mediated by NK cells. Conversely, a MYCN non-amplified NB cell line transfected with MYCN showed an opposite behavior compared with control cells. Consistent with these findings, an inverse correlation was detected between the expression of MYCN and that of ligands for NK-cell-activating receptors in 12 NB patient specimens both at mRNA and protein levels. Taken together, these results provide the first demonstration that MYCN acts as an immunosuppressive oncogene in NB cells that negatively regulates the expression of ligands for NKG2D and DNAM-1 NK-cell-activating receptors. Our study provides a clue to exploit MYCN expression levels as a biomarker to predict the efficacy of NK-cell-based immunotherapy in NB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Brandetti
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,School of Medicine, Programme in Immunology and Advanced Biotechnology, "Tor Vergata" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Irene Veneziani
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Molecular Medicine, PhD Programme in Immunological, Heamatological and Rheumatological Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Ombretta Melaiu
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Aurora Castellano
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Renata Boldrini
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Ferretti
- Laboratory of Oncology Giannina Gaslini Institute, Genoa, Italy
| | - Doriana Fruci
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- Immunology Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Vito Pistoia
- Immunology Research Area, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Loredana Cifaldi
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
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Lacalle RA, Blanco R, Carmona-Rodríguez L, Martín-Leal A, Mira E, Mañes S. Chemokine Receptor Signaling and the Hallmarks of Cancer. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 331:181-244. [PMID: 28325212 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ircmb.2016.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The chemokines are a family of chemotactic cytokines that mediate their activity by acting on seven-transmembrane-spanning G protein-coupled receptors. Both the ability of the chemokines and their receptors to form homo- and heterodimers and the promiscuity of the chemokine-chemokine receptor interaction endow this protein family with enormous signaling plasticity and complexity that are not fully understood at present. Chemokines were initially identified as essential regulators of homeostatic and inflammatory trafficking of innate and adaptive leucocytes from lymphoid organs to tissues. Chemokines also mediate the host response to cancer. Nevertheless, chemokine function in this response is not limited to regulating leucocyte infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. It is now known that chemokines and their receptors influence most-if not all-hallmark processes of cancer; they act on both neoplastic and untransformed cells in the tumor microenvironment, including fibroblasts, endothelial cells (blood and lymphatic), bone marrow-derived stem cells, and, obviously, infiltrating leucocytes. This review begins with an overview of chemokine and chemokine receptor structure, to better define how chemokines affect the proliferation, survival, stemness, and metastatic potential of neoplastic cells. We also examine the main mechanisms by which chemokines regulate tumor angiogenesis and immune cell infiltration, emphasizing the pro- and antitumorigenic activity of this protein superfamily in these interrelated processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Lacalle
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - R Blanco
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - A Martín-Leal
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - E Mira
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - S Mañes
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Madrid, Spain.
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Xu Y, Chaudhury A, Zhang M, Savoldo B, Metelitsa LS, Rodgers J, Yustein JT, Neilson JR, Dotti G. Glycolysis determines dichotomous regulation of T cell subsets in hypoxia. J Clin Invest 2016; 126:2678-88. [PMID: 27294526 DOI: 10.1172/jci85834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia occurs in many pathological conditions, including chronic inflammation and tumors, and is considered to be an inhibitor of T cell function. However, robust T cell responses occur at many hypoxic inflammatory sites, suggesting that functions of some subsets are stimulated under low oxygen conditions. Here, we investigated how hypoxic conditions influence human T cell functions and found that, in contrast to naive and central memory T cells (TN and TCM), hypoxia enhances the proliferation, viability, and cytotoxic action of effector memory T cells (TEM). Enhanced TEM expansion in hypoxia corresponded to high hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) expression and glycolytic activity compared with that observed in TN and TCM. We determined that the glycolytic enzyme GAPDH negatively regulates HIF1A expression by binding to adenylate-uridylate-rich elements in the 3'-UTR region of HIF1A mRNA in glycolytically inactive TN and TCM. Conversely, active glycolysis with decreased GAPDH availability in TEM resulted in elevated HIF1α expression. Furthermore, GAPDH overexpression reduced HIF1α expression and impaired proliferation and survival of T cells in hypoxia, indicating that high glycolytic metabolism drives increases in HIF1α to enhance TEM function during hypoxia. This work demonstrates that glycolytic metabolism regulates the translation of HIF1A to determine T cell responses to hypoxia and implicates GAPDH as a potential mechanism for controlling T cell function in peripheral tissue.
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Abstract
Amplification and concomitant overexpression of the MYCN oncogene is a frequent event in many malignancies including the childhood tumors, neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma. MYCN is only expressed in a defined time frame during early developmental processes, (1) which is beneficial for approaches combatting tumor-specific MYCN. However, MYCN is a transcription factors that was considered a poor drug target, until recent approaches suggested that down-regulation of MYCN could be possible by indirect targeting using Aurora kinase inhibitors or BET inhibitors. These concepts were proven using preclinical models (2-6) and are now entering clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Schramm
- a Pediatric Oncology and Hematology , University Children's Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen , Essen , Germany
| | - Holger Lode
- b Pediatric Oncology and Hematology , University Medicine Greifswald , Greifswald , Germany
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45
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Semeraro M, Rusakiewicz S, Minard-Colin V, Delahaye NF, Enot D, Vély F, Marabelle A, Papoular B, Piperoglou C, Ponzoni M, Perri P, Tchirkov A, Matta J, Lapierre V, Shekarian T, Valsesia-Wittmann S, Commo F, Prada N, Poirier-Colame V, Bressac B, Cotteret S, Brugieres L, Farace F, Chaput N, Kroemer G, Valteau-Couanet D, Zitvogel L. Clinical impact of the NKp30/B7-H6 axis in high-risk neuroblastoma patients. Sci Transl Med 2016; 7:283ra55. [PMID: 25877893 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaa2327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The immunosurveillance mechanisms governing high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB), a major pediatric malignancy, have been elusive. We identify a potential role for natural killer (NK) cells, in particular the interaction between the NK receptor NKp30 and its ligand, B7-H6, in the metastatic progression and survival of HR-NB after myeloablative multimodal chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. NB cells expressing the NKp30 ligand B7-H6 stimulated NK cells in an NKp30-dependent manner. Serum concentration of soluble B7-H6 correlated with the down-regulation of NKp30, bone marrow metastases, and chemoresistance, and soluble B7-H6 contained in the serum of HR-NB patients inhibited NK cell functions in vitro. The expression of distinct NKp30 isoforms affecting the polarization of NK cell functions correlated with 10-year event-free survival in three independent cohorts of HR-NB in remission from metastases after induction chemotherapy (n = 196, P < 0.001), adding prognostic value to known risk factors such as N-Myc amplification and age >18 months. We conclude that the interaction between NKp30 and B7-H6 may contribute to the fate of NB patients and that both the expression of NKp30 isoforms on circulating NK cells and the concentration of soluble B7-H6 in the serum may be clinically useful as biomarkers for risk stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Semeraro
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France. Department of Pediatric Oncology, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France. University of Paris Sud XI, 94805 Villejuif, France. Equipe 11 labelisée par la Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, 75006 Paris, France. INSERM U1138, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Sylvie Rusakiewicz
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France. Center of Clinical Investigations in Biotherapies of Cancer, CICBT507, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Véronique Minard-Colin
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France. Department of Pediatric Oncology, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Nicolas F Delahaye
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - David Enot
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. Equipe 11 labelisée par la Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, 75006 Paris, France. INSERM U1138, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Frédéric Vély
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, INSERM, U1104, F-13009 Marseille, France. CNRS, UMR7280, F-13009 Marseille, France. Aix Marseille Université, UM2, F-13009 Marseille, France. Service d'Immunologie, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Hôpital de la Conception, F-13009 Marseille, France
| | - Aurélien Marabelle
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, UMR INSERM U1052 CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, 69000 Lyon, France
| | - Benjamin Papoular
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Christelle Piperoglou
- Service d'Immunologie, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Hôpital de la Conception, F-13009 Marseille, France
| | - Mirco Ponzoni
- Giannina Gaslini Hospital, Experimental Therapy Unit Laboratory of Oncology, 16147 Genoa, Italy
| | - Patrizia Perri
- Giannina Gaslini Hospital, Experimental Therapy Unit Laboratory of Oncology, 16147 Genoa, Italy
| | - Andrei Tchirkov
- EA 4677 ERTICa, CHU et Centre Jean Perrin, 63011 Clermont-Ferrand, France. CHU de Clermont-Ferrand, Service de Cytogénétique Médicale, Hôpital Estaing, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Jessica Matta
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, INSERM, U1104, F-13009 Marseille, France. CNRS, UMR7280, F-13009 Marseille, France. Aix Marseille Université, UM2, F-13009 Marseille, France
| | - Valérie Lapierre
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. Cell Therapy Unit, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Tala Shekarian
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, UMR INSERM U1052 CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, 69000 Lyon, France
| | - Sandrine Valsesia-Wittmann
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, UMR INSERM U1052 CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Université de Lyon, 69000 Lyon, France
| | - Frédéric Commo
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Nicole Prada
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Vichnou Poirier-Colame
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Brigitte Bressac
- Service de Génétique, Molecular Genetic Department, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Sophie Cotteret
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Laurence Brugieres
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. Department of Pediatric Oncology, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Françoise Farace
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U981, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Nathalie Chaput
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France. Center of Clinical Investigations in Biotherapies of Cancer, CICBT507, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. Equipe 11 labelisée par la Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, 75006 Paris, France. INSERM U1138, 94805 Villejuif, France. University of Paris Descartes/ParisV, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75005 Paris, France. Pôle de Biologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Dominique Valteau-Couanet
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France. Department of Pediatric Oncology, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Laurence Zitvogel
- Institut de Cancérologie Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (GRCC), 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, 94805 Villejuif, France. INSERM U1015, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France. University of Paris Sud XI, 94805 Villejuif, France. Center of Clinical Investigations in Biotherapies of Cancer, CICBT507, GRCC, 94805 Villejuif, France.
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46
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Fest S, Soldati R, Christiansen NM, Zenclussen ML, Kilz J, Berger E, Starke S, Lode HN, Engel C, Zenclussen AC, Christiansen H. Targeting of heme oxygenase-1 as a novel immune regulator of neuroblastoma. Int J Cancer 2015; 138:2030-42. [PMID: 26595750 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 catalyzes the degradation of cytotoxic heme into biliverdin and blocks antitumor immune responses, thus protecting cancer against host defense. Whether this scenario also applies to neuroblastoma (NB), the most common extracranial solid childhood tumor, is not known. Here, we demonstrate for the first time a prognostic relevance of HO-1 expression in samples from NB patients and show that targeting of HO-1 prevents both cancer resistance against cellular stress and immune escape in the syngeneic NXS2 A/J mouse model of NB. High HO-1 RNA expression in NB tissues emerged as unfavorable prognostic marker, in particular for patients older than 18 months as indicated by univariate as well as multivariate survival probability analyses including disease stage and MYCN status. On the basis of this observation we aimed to target HO-1 by systemic as well as tumor-specific zinc protoporphyrin-mediated HO-1 suppression in a syngeneic immunocompetent NB mouse model. This resulted in 50% reduction of primary tumor growth and a suppression of spontaneous liver metastases. Importantly, HO-1 inhibition abrogated immune cell paralysis affecting CD4 and CD8 T-effector cells. This in turn reverted HO-1-dependent immune escape mechanisms in NB by increasing NB apoptosis and improved DC maturation. In summary, HO-1 emerges as a novel immune regulator in NB and emerges as a promising target for the development of therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Fest
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunotherapy, Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Pediatric Oncology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rocio Soldati
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunotherapy, Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Maria L Zenclussen
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jana Kilz
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunotherapy, Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Elisa Berger
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunotherapy, Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Sven Starke
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Holger N Lode
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Christoph Engel
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology (IMISE), University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ana C Zenclussen
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke-University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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Borriello L, Seeger RC, Asgharzadeh S, DeClerck YA. More than the genes, the tumor microenvironment in neuroblastoma. Cancer Lett 2015; 380:304-14. [PMID: 26597947 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2015.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 11/06/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Neuroblastoma is the second most common solid tumor in children. Since the seminal discovery of the role of amplification of the MYCN oncogene in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma in the 1980s, much focus has been on the contribution of genetic alterations in the progression of this cancer. However it is now clear that not only genetic events play a role but that the tumor microenvironment (TME) substantially contributes to the biology of neuroblastoma. In this article, we present a comprehensive review of the literature on the contribution of the TME to the ten hallmarks of cancer in neuroblastoma and discuss the mechanisms of communication between neuroblastoma cells and the TME that underlie the influence of the TME on neuroblastoma progression. We end our review by discussing how the knowledge acquired over the last two decades in this field is now leading to new clinical trials targeting the TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Borriello
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
| | - Robert C Seeger
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
| | - Shahab Asgharzadeh
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
| | - Yves A DeClerck
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Saban Research Institute, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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48
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Abstract
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a unique population of T lymphocytes, which lie at the interface between the innate and adaptive immune systems, and are important mediators of immune responses and tumor surveillance. iNKT cells recognize lipid antigens in a CD1d-dependent manner; their subsequent activation results in a rapid and specific downstream response, which enhances both innate and adaptive immunity. The capacity of iNKT cells to modify the immune microenvironment influences the ability of the host to control tumor growth, making them an important population to be harnessed in the clinic for the development of anticancer therapeutics. Indeed, the identification of strong iNKT-cell agonists, such as α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) and its analogues, has led to the development of synthetic lipids that have shown potential in vaccination and treatment against cancers. In this Masters of Immunology article, we discuss these latest findings and summarize the major discoveries in iNKT-cell biology, which have enabled the design of potent strategies for immune-mediated tumor destruction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna M McEwen-Smith
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mariolina Salio
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Vincenzo Cerundolo
- Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, United Kingdom.
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49
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Solari V, Borriello L, Turcatel G, Shimada H, Sposto R, Fernandez GE, Asgharzadeh S, Yates EA, Turnbull JE, DeClerck YA. MYCN-dependent expression of sulfatase-2 regulates neuroblastoma cell survival. Cancer Res 2014; 74:5999-6009. [PMID: 25164011 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-13-2513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) play a critical role in the interaction of tumor cells and their microenvironment. HSPG activity is dictated by sulfation patterns controlled by sulfotransferases, which add sulfate groups, and sulfatases (Sulf), which remove 6-O-sulfates. Here, we report altered expression of these enzymes in human neuroblastoma cells with higher levels of Sulf-2 expression, a specific feature of MYCN-amplified cells (MYCN-A cells) that represent a particularly aggressive subclass. Sulf-2 overexpression in neuroblastoma cells lacking MYCN amplification (MYCN-NA cells) increased their in vitro survival. Mechanistic investigations revealed evidence of a link between Sulf-2 expression and MYCN pathogenicity in vitro and in vivo. Analysis of Sulf-2 protein expression in 65 human neuroblastoma tumors demonstrated a higher level of Sulf-2 expression in MYCN-A tumors than in MYCN-NA tumors. In two different patient cohorts, we confirmed the association in expression patterns of Sulf-2 and MYCN and determined that Sulf-2 overexpression predicted poor outcomes in a nonindependent manner with MYCN. Our findings define Sulf-2 as a novel positive regulator of neuroblastoma pathogenicity that contributes to MYCN oncogenicity. Cancer Res; 74(21); 5999-6009. ©2014 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Solari
- Centre for Glycobiology, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California
| | - Lucia Borriello
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California
| | - Gianluca Turcatel
- The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California
| | - Hiroyuki Shimada
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Richard Sposto
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - G Esteban Fernandez
- The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California
| | - Shahab Asgharzadeh
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Edwin A Yates
- Centre for Glycobiology, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy E Turnbull
- Centre for Glycobiology, Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
| | - Yves A DeClerck
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, California. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
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Berzins SP, Ritchie DS. Natural killer T cells: drivers or passengers in preventing human disease? Nat Rev Immunol 2014; 14:640-6. [PMID: 25103356 DOI: 10.1038/nri3725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer T (NKT) cells are credited with regulatory roles in immunity against cancers, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and bacterial and viral infections. Studies in mice and observational research in patient groups have suggested that NKT cell-based therapies could be used to prevent or treat these diseases, yet the translation into clinical settings has been disappointing. We support the view that NKT cells have regulatory characteristics that could be exploited in clinical settings, but there are doubts about the natural roles of NKT cells in vivo and whether NKT cell defects are fundamental drivers of disease in humans. In this Opinion article, we discuss the uncertainties and opportunities regarding NKT cells in humans, and the potential for NKT cells to be manipulated to prevent or treat disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart P Berzins
- School of Health Sciences, Federation University, Ballarat, Victoria 3350, Australia, the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, Ballarat, Victoria 3350, Australia, and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, the Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - David S Ritchie
- Department of Clinical Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia, and the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia
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