GPC3 affects the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma and lung squamous cell carcinoma

Correlation of Glycolysis-immune-related Genes in the Follicular Microenvironment of Endometriosis Patients with ART Outcomes

Endometriosis (EMT) -related infertility has been a challenge for clinical research. Many studies have confirmed that abnormal alterations in the immune microenvironment and glycolysis are instrumental in causing EMT-related infertility. Recently, our research team identified several key glycolysis-immune-related genes in the endometrial cells of EMT patients. This study aimed to further investigate the expression patterns of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 3 (PDK3), glypican-3 (GPC3), and alcohol dehydrogenase 6 (ADH6), which are related to glycolysis and immunity, in the follicular microenvironment of infertile patients with EMT using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assays. According to the results, compared to the patients with tubal factor infertility, the concentrations of PDK3 and GPC3 were considerably increased in the follicular environment of EMT patients, while ADH6 expression was significantly reduced. The number of oocytes retrieved, the transferable embryo rate, and the cumulative clinical pregnancy rate of EMT patients were significantly reduced, and there was a correlation with the level of PDK3, GPC3, and ADH6 in Follicular Fluid (FF). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for predicting clinical pregnancy in infertile patients with EMT for PDK3, GPC3, ADH6, and their combination was 0.732, 0.705, 0.855, and 0.879, respectively (P < 0.05). In conclusion, our research indicates that glycolysis-immune-related genes may contribute to infertility in EMT patients through immune infiltration, and disruption of mitochondrial and oocyte functions. The combined detection of PDK3, GPC3, and ADH6 in FF helps to predict clinical pregnancy outcomes in infertile patients with EMT.

Peptide Binder to Glypican-3 as a Theranostic Agent for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a membrane-associated glycoprotein that is significantly upregulated in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) with minimal to no expression in normal tissues. The differential expression of GPC3 between tumor and normal tissues provides an opportunity for targeted radiopharmaceutical therapy to treat HCC, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Methods: DOTA-RYZ-GPC3 (RAYZ-8009) comprises a novel macrocyclic peptide binder to GPC3, a linker, and a chelator that can be complexed with different radioisotopes. The binding affinity was determined by surface plasma resonance and radioligand binding assays. Target-mediated cellular internalization was radiometrically measured at multiple time points. In vivo biodistribution, monotherapy, and combination treatments with 177Lu or 225Ac were performed on HCC xenografts. Results: RAYZ-8009 showed high binding affinity to GPC3 protein of human, mouse, canine, and cynomolgus monkey origins and no binding to other glypican family members. Potent cellular binding was confirmed in GPC3-positive HepG2 cells and was not affected by isotope switching. RAYZ-8009 achieved efficient internalization on binding to HepG2 cells. Biodistribution study of 177Lu-RAYZ-8009 showed sustained tumor uptake and fast renal clearance, with minimal or no uptake in other normal tissues. Tumor-specific uptake was also demonstrated in orthotopic HCC tumors, with no uptake in surrounding liver tissue. Therapeutically, significant and durable tumor regression and survival benefit were achieved with 177Lu- and 225Ac-labeled RAYZ-8009, as single agents and in combination with lenvatinib, in GPC3-positive HCC xenografts. Conclusion: Preclinical in vitro and in vivo data demonstrate the potential of RAYZ-8009 as a theranostic agent for the treatment of patients with GPC3-positive HCC.

GPC3 Promotes Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression and HLA-A2-Restricted GPC3 Antigenic Peptide-Modified Dendritic Cell-Induced Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes to Kill Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is associated with poor clinical prognosis and lacks available targeted agents. GPC3 is upregulated in LUSC. Our study aimed to explore the roles of GPC3 in LUSC and the antitumor effects of HLA-A2-restricted GPC3 antigenic peptide-sensitized dendritic cell (DC)-induced cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) on LUSC. LUSC cells with GPC3 knockdown and overexpression were built using lentivirus packaging, and cell viability, clone formation, apoptosis, cycle, migration, and invasion were determined. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of cell cycle-related proteins and PI3K-AKT pathway-associated proteins. Subsequently, HLA-A2-restricted GPC3 antigenic peptides were predicted and synthesized by bioinformatic databases, and DCs were induced and cultured in vitro. Finally, HLA-A2-restricted GPC3 antigenic peptide-modified DCs were co-cultured with T cells to generate specific CTLs, and the killing effects of different CTLs on LUSC cells were studied. A series of cell function experiments showed that GPC3 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of LUSC cells, inhibited their apoptosis, increased the number of cells in S phase, and reduced the cells in G2/M phase. GPC3 knockdown downregulated cyclin A, c-Myc, and PI3K, upregulated E2F1, and decreased the pAKT/AKT level. Three HLA-A2-restricted GPC3 antigenic peptides were synthesized, with GPC3522-530 FLAELAYDL and GPC3102-110 FLIIQNAAV antigenic peptide-modified DCs inducing CTL production, and exhibiting strong targeted killing ability in LUSC cells at 80 : 1 multiplicity of infection. GPC3 may advance the onset and progression of LUSC, and GPC3522-530 FLAELAYDL and GPC3102-110 FLIIQNAAV antigenic peptide-loaded DC-induced CTLs have a superior killing ability against LUSC cells.

Lung cancer immunotherapy: progress, pitfalls, and promises

Lung cancer is the primary cause of mortality in the United States and around the globe. Therapeutic options for lung cancer treatment include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted drug therapy. Medical management is often associated with the development of treatment resistance leading to relapse. Immunotherapy is profoundly altering the approach to cancer treatment owing to its tolerable safety profile, sustained therapeutic response due to immunological memory generation, and effectiveness across a broad patient population. Different tumor-specific vaccination strategies are gaining ground in the treatment of lung cancer. Recent advances in adoptive cell therapy (CAR T, TCR, TIL), the associated clinical trials on lung cancer, and associated hurdles are discussed in this review. Recent trials on lung cancer patients (without a targetable oncogenic driver alteration) reveal significant and sustained responses when treated with programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) checkpoint blockade immunotherapies. Accumulating evidence indicates that a loss of effective anti-tumor immunity is associated with lung tumor evolution. Therapeutic cancer vaccines combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) can achieve better therapeutic effects. To this end, the present article encompasses a detailed overview of the recent developments in the immunotherapeutic landscape in targeting small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additionally, the review also explores the implication of nanomedicine in lung cancer immunotherapy as well as the combinatorial application of traditional therapy along with immunotherapy regimens. Finally, ongoing clinical trials, significant obstacles, and the future outlook of this treatment strategy are also highlighted to boost further research in the field.

Recent Trends in Diagnostic Biomarkers of Tumor Microenvironment

The tumor microenvironment (TME) play critical roles in tumor survival, progression, and metastasis and can be considered potential targets for molecular imaging of cancer. The targeting agents for imaging of TME components (e.g., fibroblasts, mesenchymal stromal cells, immune cells, extracellular matrix, blood vessels) provide a promising strategy to target these biomarkers for the early diagnosis of cancers. Moreover, various cancer types have similar tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) features that targeting those biomarkers and offer clinically translatable molecular imaging of cancers. In this review, we categorize and summarize the components in TME which have been targeted for molecular imaging. Moreover, this review updated the recent progress in targeted imaging of TIME biological molecules by various modalities for the early detection of cancer.

Analysis and identification of potential key genes in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury

Background

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) is an unavoidable surgical complication after liver transplantation, but current HIRI treatments cannot achieve satisfactory clinical outcomes. Thus, safer and more effective prevention and treatment methods need to be explored.

Methods

Transcriptome messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) sequencing data were obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats, and these data were used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) between the HIRI and control samples. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was also constructed for the DE-mRNAs to identify candidate genes, and the receiver operating characteristic curves of the 21 candidate genes were plotted to evaluate the diagnostic value of the candidate genes for HIRI. A random forest (RF) model, support vector machine model and generalized linear model were constructed based on the candidate genes. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) of the key genes was conducted to determine the enriched pathways in the high expression groups. The miRWalk and miRanda database were used to constructed the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. Finally, the expressions of the key genes were verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Results

A total of 256 DEGs and 67 DE-lncRNAs were identified in the HIRI and control samples. To explore the interactions between the DE-mRNAs, a PPI network of 130 DEGs was constructed. Further, 21 genes were selected as the candidate genes. Subsequently, 6 genes [i.e., Keratin-14 (Krt14), Uroplakin 3B (Upk3b), Keratin 7 (Krt7), Cadherin 3 (Cdh3), mesothelin (Msln), and Glypican 3 (Gpc3)] in the RF model were defined as the key genes. The GSEA results indicated that these key genes were enriched in the terms of extracellular structure organization, and extracellular matrix organization. Moreover, a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed with 4 lncRNAs, 5 mRNAs, and 11 miRNAs. Finally, the results indicated that the expression of Krt14, Upk3b, Msln, and Gpc3 were more highly expressed in the control samples than the HIRI samples.

Conclusions

A total of 6 key genes (i.e., Krt14, Upk3b, Krt7, Cdh3, Msln, and Gpc3) were identified. Our findings provide novel ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of HIRI.

CAR-T Cells for the Treatment of Lung Cancer

Adoptive cell therapy with genetically modified T lymphocytes that express chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T) is one of the most promising advanced therapies for the treatment of cancer, with unprecedented outcomes in hematological malignancies. However, the efficacy of CAR-T cells in solid tumors is still very unsatisfactory, because of the strong immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that hinders immune responses. The development of next-generation personalized CAR-T cells against solid tumors is a clinical necessity. The identification of therapeutic targets for new CAR-T therapies to increase the efficacy, survival, persistence, and safety in solid tumors remains a critical frontier in cancer immunotherapy. Here, we summarize basic, translational, and clinical results of CAR-T cell immunotherapies in lung cancer, from their molecular engineering and mechanistic studies to preclinical and clinical development.

Identification of Inflammatory Response-Related Gene Signature Associated With Immune Status and Prognosis of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is an exceedingly diverse disease, making prognostication difficult. Inflammatory responses in the tumor or the tumor microenvironment can alter prognosis in the process of the ongoing cross-talk between the host and the tumor. Nonetheless, Inflammatory response-related genes’ prognostic significance in LUAD, on the other hand, has yet to be determined.

Materials and Methods: The clinical data as well as the mRNA expression patterns of LUAD patients were obtained from a public dataset for this investigation. In the TCGA group, a multigene prognostic signature was built utilizing LASSO Cox analysis. Validation was executed on LUAD patients from the GEO cohort. The overall survival (OS) of low- and high-risk cohorts was compared utilizing the Kaplan-Meier analysis. The assessment of independent predictors of OS was carried out utilizing multivariate and univariate Cox analyses. The immune-associated pathway activity and immune cell infiltration score were computed utilizing single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. GO keywords and KEGG pathways were explored utilizing gene set enrichment analysis.

Results: LASSO Cox regression analysis was employed to create an inflammatory response-related gene signature model. The high-risk cohort patients exhibited a considerably shorter OS as opposed to those in the low-risk cohort. The prognostic gene signature’s predictive ability was demonstrated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The risk score was found to be an independent predictor of OS using multivariate Cox analysis. The functional analysis illustrated that the immune status and cancer-related pathways for the two-risk cohorts were clearly different. The tumor stage and kind of immune infiltrate were found to be substantially linked with the risk score. Furthermore, the cancer cells’ susceptibility to anti-tumor medication was substantially associated with the prognostic genes expression levels.

Conclusion: In LUAD, a new signature made up of 8 inflammatory response-related genes may be utilized to forecast prognosis and influence immunological state. Inhibition of these genes could also be used as a treatment option.