Generation of diffuse large B cell lymphoma-associated antigen-specific Vα6/Vβ13+T cells by TCR gene transfer

Modelling liver cancer microenvironment using a novel 3D culture system

The tumor microenvironment and its contribution to tumorigenesis has been a focal highlight in recent years. A two-way communication between the tumor and the surrounding microenvironment sustains and contributes to the growth and metastasis of tumors. Progression and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been reported to be exceedingly influenced by diverse microenvironmental cues. In this study, we present a 3D-culture model of liver cancer to better mimic in vivo tumor settings. By creating novel 3D co-culture model that combines free-floating and scaffold-based 3D-culture techniques of liver cancer cells and fibroblasts, we aimed to establish a simple albeit reproducible ex vivo cancer microenvironment model that captures tumor-stroma interactions. The model presented herein exhibited unique gene expression and protein expression profiles when compared to 2D and 3D mono-cultures of liver cancer cells. Our results showed that in vivo like conditions cannot be mimicked by simply growing cancer cells as spheroids, but by co-culturing them with 3D fibroblast with which they were able to crosstalk. This was evident by the upregulation of several pathways involved in HCC, and the increase in secreted factors by co-cultured cancer cells, many of which are also involved in tumor-stroma interactions. Compared to the conventional 2D culture, the proposed model exhibits an increase in the expression of genes associated with development, progression, and poor prognosis of HCC. Our results correlated with an aggressive outcome that better mirrors in vivo HCC, and therefore, a more reliable platform for molecular understanding of HCC.

Predictive value of TCR Vβ-Jβ profile for adjuvant gefitinib in EGFR mutant NSCLC from ADJUVANT-CTONG 1104 trial

Herein, we characterize the landscape and prognostic significance of the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for patients with an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. β Chain TCR sequencing was used to characterize the TCR repertoires of paraffin-preserved pretreatment tumor and tumor-adjacent tissues from 57 and 44 patients with stage II/III NSCLC with an EGFR mutation treated with gefitinib or chemotherapy in the ADJUVANT-CTONG 1104 trial. The TCR diversity was significantly decreased in patients with an EGFR mutation, and patients with high TCR diversity had a favorable overall survival (OS). A total of 10 TCR Vβ-Jβ rearrangements were significantly associated with OS. Patients with a higher frequency of Vβ5-6Jβ2-1, Vβ20-1Jβ2-1, Vβ24-1Jβ2-1, and Vβ29-1Jβ2-7 had significantly longer OS. Weighted combinations of the 4 TCRs were significantly associated with OS and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients, which could further stratify the high and low TCR diversity groups. Importantly, Vβ5-6Jβ2-1, Vβ20-1Jβ2-1, and Vβ24-1Jβ2-1 had a significant relationship with gefitinib treatment, while Vβ29-1Jβ2-7 was associated with chemotherapy. Four TCR Vβ-Jβ rearrangements related to favorable OS and DFS for adjuvant gefitinib and chemotherapy in patients with an EGFR mutation with stage II/III NSCLC; this may provide a novel perspective for the adjuvant setting for resectable NSCLC.

Prognostic values and clinical implications of programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), fork head transcription factor P-1 (FOXP-1) and signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL); an immunohistochemical study

Context

PD-L1 is an inhibitory ligand that functions as an essential immune checkpoint. FOXP-1 is a member of the FOXP family. STAT-3 plays a critical role in regulation of cell proliferation and survival. The detailed expression of the three markers together in DLBCL tissues and their prognostic value in patients with DLBCL were not fully investigated.

Aim was to assess the expression of PD-L1, FOXP-1 and STAT-3 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and to correlate their expression with the pathological findings, prognostic parameters and clinical implications of patients.

Methods

PD-L1, FOXP-1 and STAT-3 were assessed in DLBCL tissues derived from 50 patients using immunohistochemistry. Patients were followed up for 3 years for response to therapy progression, recurrence and survival.

Results

High PD-L1 expression was associated with bone marrow involvement (p = 0.004), extra-nodal involvement (p = 0.006) and advanced stage (p = 0.003). High FOXP-1 expression was associated with presence of bone marrow involvement and high risk group (p < 0.001). High STAT-3 expression was associated with older age of the patient (p < 0.001), presence of bone marrow involvement (p = 0.002), extra-nodal involvement (p = 0.009), and high risk group (p = 0.005). High expression of PD-L1, FOXP-1 and STAT-3 was related to poor response to therapy, poor OS rate and RFS rates (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

High expression of PD-L1, FOXP-1 and STAT-3 was related poor prognosis in DLBCL patients.

A skewed distribution and increased PD-1+Vβ+CD4+/CD8+ T cells in patients with acute myeloid leukemia

The limited application of immunotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) may be due to poor understanding of the global T cell immune dysfunction in AML. In this study, we analyzed the distribution characteristics of 24 TCR Vβ subfamilies in CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells in AML patients and healthy controls. The percentage of TCR Vβ subfamily T cells was predominately lower in most AML cases, while it was increased in some cases. TCR Vβ2+T cells were increased in AML, particularly TCR Vβ2+CD4+T cells, which were significantly higher. To further address the immunosuppression in different Vβ subfamilies, we characterized the distribution of program death-1 (PD-1)+T cells in TCR Vβ subfamilies of CD4+ and CD8+T cells. Significantly higher levels of PD-1+Vβ+T cells were found for most Vβ subfamilies in most AML cases. A higher percentage of PD-1+Vβ2+T cells with a high number of Vβ2+T cells was found in all of the CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cell subsets. Moreover, increasing PD-1+Vβ7.2, Vβ8+, Vβ14+, Vβ16+, and Vβ22+CD8+T cells were distributed in the AML-M5 subtype group compared with the AML-M3 group. In addition, higher PD-1+ Vβ5.2+ and PD-1+ Vβ12+CD8+T cells were associated with AML patients who had a poor response to chemotherapy. In conclusion, increased PD-1+Vβ+T cells is a common characteristic of AML, higher PD-1+Vβ2+T cells may be associated with a low antileukemia effect, and higher PD-1+Vβ5.2+ and PD-1+Vβ12+CD8+T cells may be related to poor prognosis in AML. These characteristics may be worth considering as immune biomarkers for clinical outcome in AML.

Generation of V α13/β21+T cell specific target CML cells by TCR gene transfer

Adoptive immunotherapy with antigen-specific T cells can be effective for treating melanoma and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, to obtain sufficient antigen-specific T cells for treatment, the T cells have to be cultured for several weeks in vitro, but in vitro T cell expansion is difficult to control. Alternatively, the transfer of T cell receptors (TCRs) with defined antigen specificity into recipient T cells may be a simple solution for generating antigen-specific T cells. The objective of this study was to identify CML-associated, antigen-specific TCR genes and generate CML-associated, antigen-specific T cells with T cell receptor (TCR) gene transfer. Our previous study has screened an oligoclonal Vβ21 with a different oligoclonal Vα partner in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) derived from patients with CML. In this study, oligoclonally expanded TCR α genes, which pair with TCR Vβ21, were cloned into the pIRES eukaryotic expression vector (TCR Vα-IRES-Vβ21). Next, two recombinant plasmids, TCR Vα13-IRES-Vβ21 and TCR Vα18-IRES-Vβ21, were successfully transferred into T cells, and the TCR gene-modified T cells acquired CML-specific cytotoxicity with the best cytotoxic effects for HLA-A11⁺ K562 cells observed for the TCR Vα13/Vβ21 gene redirected T cells. In summary, our data confirmed TCRVα13/Vβ21 as a CML-associated, antigen-specific TCR. This study provided new evidence that genetically engineered antigen-specific TCR may become a druggable approach for gene therapy of CML.

The role of chemotherapy and operation on lymphocytes accumulation in peripheral blood obtained from patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

The "Cancer Immunoediting" concept has provided critical insights suggesting dual functions of immune system during the cancer initiation and development. However, the dynamics and roles of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, CD19(+) B cells, and CD56(+) NK cells in the patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma during treatment remain unclear. A total of 43 patients with OSCC were divided into different groups according to different clinical factors (TNM staging, pathological patterns, age and genders) for assessment of relations with CD3(+)CD4(+) T cells, CD3(+)CD8(+) T cells, CD3(-)CD19(+) B cells and CD3(-)CD16(+)CD56(+) NK cells and different chemotherapy and radical operation. The expression of CD3(+)CD4(+) T cells were significantly increased in advanced tumor stage, large tumor size and positive lymph nodes metastasis, compared to that in early groups. The accumulation of CD3(+)CD4(+) T cells were significantly increased in OSCC patients received 2 cycles CT and radical operation. Moreover, the accumulation of CD3(+)CD8(+) T cells were significantly decreased in OSCC patients received 2 cycles CT and radical operation. The distribution of circulating CD3(-)CD19(+) B cells was related with radical operation in patients with OSCC. This study indicate that CD4(+) T cells have opposing roles in OSCC progression and outcomes, which provides new insights relevant for the development of effective cancer immunotherapeutic approaches. 2 cycles TP regime chemotherapy and radical therapy may contribute to increase the effects of anti-tumor immunity on patients with OSCC.

Changes of T-lymphocyte subpopulation and differential expression pattern of the T-bet and GATA-3 genes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients after chemotherapy

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

T cell-mediated immunity plays an important role in enhancing antitumor response.This study aimed to investigate the changes in the T-lymphocyte subpopulation and to characterize the differential expression pattern of corresponding regulatory genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients before and after chemotherapy.

METHODS

A total of 56 DLBCL patients were recruited for analysis of T-cell subset distribution in the peripheral blood using flow cytometry; serum interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4 levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays; and early growth response protein 1 (EGR-1), T-bet, GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA-3), and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β mRNA levels using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Twenty-six healthy subjects served as controls.

RESULTS

The percentage of CD3(+)CD4(+)T lymphocytes in peripheral blood from DLBCL patients was significantly decreased, whereas the percentages of CD3(+)CD8(+)T and CD4(+)CD25(+)T cells were significantly increased compared to those in controls (p < 0.05). Serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-4 were also significantly lower in DLBCL patients than those in controls (p < 0.05), and the levels of EGR-1, T-bet, and GATA-3 mRNA in PBMCs were lower (2.69 ± 1.48, 9.43 ± 2.14, and 20.83 ± 9.05 fold, respectively) in DLBCL patients than those in controls. Furthermore, there was a positive association between the levels of EGR-1 and T-bet mRNA (p = 0.001). However, the level of TGF-β mRNA was significantly increased in DLBCL patients, which was inversely associated with the T-bet mRNA level (p = 0.008), but positively associated with the percentage of T regulatory cells in PBMCs (p = 0.011). After three cycles of chemotherapy, the distribution of T-lymphocyte subsets in DLBCL patients were changed, and the levels of EGR-1, T-bet, and GATA-3 mRNA were significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared to those before chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate the changes in T-lymphocyte subpopulations and the altered expression 34 pattern of the corresponding regulatory genes in PBMCs from DLBCL patients after chemotherapy, which are associated with the response of patients to treatment. The preferential expression of the T-bet gene after chemotherapy was closely correlated with the increased expression of the EGR-1 gene and decreased expression of the TGF-β gene.

T-cell immune suppression in patients with hematologic malignancies: clinical implications

SUMMARY 

The reversion of immune suppression and restoration of T-cell function against leukemia remains a significant clinical challenge. However, the advent of improved antileukemia-specific T-cell induction and the generation of gene-modified T cells has extended cellular immunotherapy to hematological malignancies. Numerous immunotherapeutic protocols have been developed aiming to enhance antileukemia T-cell immune function, eliminate leukemic cells and prevent relapse. By contrast, abnormal expression of CTLA-4 and PD1/PD-L1 plays a critical role in effector T-cell responses and increases Treg suppressive activity in patients with tumors; therefore, blocking CTLA-4, PD1 and PD-L1 is a novel approach for immunotherapy.

The feature of distribution and clonality of TCR γ/δ subfamilies T cells in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Restricted T-cell receptor (TCR) Vα/Vβ repertoire expression and clonal expansion of αβ T cells especially for putative tumor-associated antigens were observed in patients with hematological malignancies. To further characterize the γδ T-cell immune status in B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), we investigated the distribution and clonality of TCR Vγ/Vδ repertoire in peripheral blood (PB), bone marrow (BM), and lymph node (LN) from patients with B-NHL. Four newly diagnosed B-NHL cases, including three with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and one with small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), were enrolled. The restrictive expression of TCR Vγ/Vδ subfamilies with different distribution patterns could be detected in PB, BM, or LN from all of four patients, and partial subfamily T cells showed clonal proliferation. At least one clonally expanded Vδ subfamily member was found in PB from each patient. However, the expression pattern and clonality of TCR Vγ/Vδ changed in different immune organs and showed individual feature in different patients. The clonally expanded Vδ5, Vδ6, and Vδ8 were detected only in PB but neither in BM nor LN while clonally expanded Vδ2 and Vδ3 could be detected in both PB and BM/LN. In conclusion, the results provide a preliminary profile of distribution and clonality of TCR γ/δ subfamilies T cells in PB, BM, and LN from B-NHL; similar clonally expanded Vδ subfamily T cells in PB and BM may be related to the same B-cell lymphoma-associated antigens, while the different reactive clonally expanded Vγ/Vδ T cells may be due to local immune response.

The biophysical property of A549 cells transferred by VEGF-D

Vascular endothelial growth factor-D (VEGF-D) together with VEGF-C is considered to be associated with lymphangiogenesis and angiogenesis and involve in tumorization. This study aims to investigate the influence of exogenous VEGF-D gene on the biophysical property of cell surface of lung adenocarcinoma cell line. A panel of lung adenocarcinoma cell lines were examined the expression of VEGF-D and VEGF-C by real-time PCR. The VEGF-D recombinant plasmid containing enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) was constructed and transfected to the cell line with no expression of VEGF-D and confirmed by real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. Topographic images of cells were obtained by using atomic force microscope (AFM) in contact mode. Unlike VEGF-C, VEGF-D was found to have a very low expression or undetectable expression in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. The VEGF-D recombinant plasmid had been constructed successfully and was transferred into the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 cells which had no endogenous expression of VEGF-D, and exogenous VEGF-D could be detected in mRNA and protein expression levels in the gene modified cells, while the VEGF-C gene expression had no change after VEGF-D transfection. After transfection, the irregular microspikes or nano clusters could observe on the surface of A549 cells, and VEGF-D transfected A549 cells became more rigid. The exogenous VEGF-D gene might cause the remarkable biophysical architectural changes in the A549 cells, which might as a novel biomarker for evaluation of its biological function.

The TCR γδ repertoire and relative gene expression characteristics of T-ALL cases with biclonal malignant Vδ1 and Vδ2 T cells

Despite significant improvement in our understanding of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) biology and pathogenesis, many questions remain unanswered. In previous studies, we found a T-ALL case with two malignant T-cell clones with Vδ1Dδ2Dδ3Jδ1 and Vδ2Dδ3Jδ2 rearrangements. In this study, we further characterized T-ALL cases with two malignant clones containing Vδ1Dδ3Jδ1 and Vδ2Dδ1Jδ1 rearrangements using fine-tiling array comparative genomic hybridization, ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (LM-PCR), sequencing, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. We further analyzed the distribution and clonality of the T-cell receptor (TCR) Vγ and Vδ subfamily T cells in the two T-ALL cases by RT-PCR and GeneScan. Monoclonal Vδ1 and Vδ2 subfamilies were confirmed in both samples, the Vδ3 through Vδ7 subfamilies could not be detected in the T-ALL samples, whereas the oligoclonal Vδ8 subfamily could be identified. Based on the clinical finding that both of the T-ALL cases with two malignant T-cell clones had a poor outcome, we attempted to compare the expression pattern of genes related to T-cell activation and proliferation between cases with the malignant Vδ1 and Vδ2 T-cell clones and T-ALL cases with a mono-malignant Vα T-cell clone. We selected two T-ALL cases with VαJα rearrangements and analyzed the expression level of Notch1, TAL1, and the CARMA-BCL10-MALT-A20-NF-κB pathway genes by real-time PCR. A20 had significantly higher expression in the biclonal compared with the monoclonal T-ALL group (p=0.0354), and there was a trend toward higher expression for the other genes in the biclonal group with the exception of TAL1, although the differences were not statistically significant. In conclusion, we identified two T-ALL cases with biclonal malignant T-cell clones and described the characteristics of the biclonal T-ALL subtype and its gene expression pattern. Thus, our findings may improve the understanding of biclonal T-ALL.

The evolution of malignant and reactive γδ + T cell clones in a relapse T-ALL case after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Background

To improve the outcome of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), characterization of the biological features of T-ALL blast cells and the immune status of patients with T-ALL is needed to identify specific therapeutic strategies.

Findings

Using a novel approach based on the combination of fine-tiling comparative genomic hybridization (FT-CGH) and ligation-mediated PCR (LM-PCR), we molecularly identified a malignant γδ + T cell clone with a Vδ5Dδ2Jδ1 rearrangement that was paired with a T cell receptor (TCR) VγI and comprised a Vγ1Vδ5 T cell clone in a relapse T-ALL patient. This malignant Vδ5 T cell clone disappeared after chemotherapy, but the clone was detected again when disease relapsed post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) at 100 weeks. Using PCR and GeneScan analyses, the distribution and clonality of the TCR Vγ and Vδ subfamilies were examined before and after allo-HSCT in the patient. A reactive T cell clone with a Vδ4Dδ3Jδ1 rearrangement was identified in all samples taken at different time points (i.e., 4, 8, 68, 100 and 108 weeks after allo-HSCT). The expression of this Vδ4+ T cell clone was higher in the patient during complete remission (CR) post allo-HSCT and at disease relapse.

Conclusions

This study established a sensitive methodology to detect T cell subclones, which may be used to monitor minimal residual disease and immune reconstitution.

New insights into antigen specific immunotherapy for chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a stem cell disease in which BCR/ABL plays an important role as an oncoprotein and a molecular and immunogenic target. Despite the success of targeted therapy using tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), CML remains largely incurable, most likely due to the treatment resistance of leukemic stem cells. Several immunotherapies have been developed for CML in different stages and relapse after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. In the this review, several specific immunotherapeutic approaches for CML, including vaccination and adoptive cellular immunotherapy, are discussed along with results from clinical trials, and the value of such immunotherapies in the era of imatinib and leukemia-associated antigens (LAAs), which are capable of inducing specific T cell responses and are appropriate target structures for the immunological targeting of CML cells, are also summarized.

Upregulated TCRζ enhances interleukin-2 production in T-cells from patients with CML

T-cell immunodeficiency is a common feature in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and deficiency in CD3 levels was detected in T cells from these patients, which may represent a characteristic that is related to a lower T cell activation. In this study, we explored the possibility that forced TCRζ gene expression may upreg-u-late T cell receptor (TCR) signaling activation and reverse interleukin-2 (IL-2) production in T cells from patients with CML. A recombinant eukaryotic vector expressing TCRζ was transfected into T cells by nucleofection. Phosphorylated TCRζ, phosphorylated NF-κB, and the IL-2 level in TCRζ-transfected CD3+T cells that were activated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies were measured by Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Significantly increased TCRζ levels were found in TCRζ-transfected CD3+T cells. After CD3 and CD28 antibody stimulation, a significantly higher phosphorylated TCRζ chain level was demonstrated, and an increased IL-2 production in TCRζ-upregulated T cells was associated with the increased expression of the phosphorylated NF-κB. In conclusion, TCRζ gene transfection could restore TCRζ chain deficiency and enhance IL-2 production in T cells from patients with CML. It is possible that TCRζ chain reconstitution in leukemia-specific, clonally expanded T cells will effectively increase their activation of antileukemia cytotoxicity.

High nuclear expression of STAT3 is associated with unfavorable prognosis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Background

The purpose of the study was to investigate the expression and prognostic value of STAT3 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods

Seventy-four DLBCL patients from 2001 to 2007 were reviewed in the study. The STAT3 expression in their tumor tissues was examined using the immunohistochemistry (IHC) method, and evaluated for its association with clinicopathological parameters.

Results

Strong nuclear staining of STAT3 and phosphorylated-STAT3^tyr705 (P-STAT3) were observed in 19 cases (25.7%) and 24 cases (32.4%), respectively, and the expression levels were highly consistent between them (P = 0.001). The high nuclear expression of STAT3 was more frequent in the non-germinal center B cell-like (non-GCB) DLBCL than that in the GCB subtype, but not reaching significance (P < 0.061). The high nuclear expression of STAT3 was found to be correlated with poor overall survival (OS) (P = 0.005). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the STAT3 expression was an independent prognostic factor for DLBCL patients regardless of CHOP or R-CHOP regimen used as the first-line therapy.

Conclusion

STAT3 is more frequently expressed in non-GCB DLBCL than that in GCB subtype, and its strong nuclear expression is correlated with poor OS in DLBCL.