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Tian L, Sang Y, Han B, Sun Y, Li X, Feng Y, Qin C, Qi J. Gene signature developed based on programmed cell death to predict the therapeutic response and prognosis for liver hepatocellular carcinoma. Heliyon 2024; 10:e34704. [PMID: 39130419 PMCID: PMC11315169 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The prognosis and therapeutic response of patients with liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) can be predicted based on programmed cell death (PCD) as PCD plays a crucial role during tumor progression. We developed a PCD-related gene signature to evaluate the therapeutic response and prognosis for patients with LIHC. Methods Molecular subtypes of LIHC were classified using ConsensusClusterPlus according to the gene biomarkers related to PCD. To predict the prognosis of high- and low-risk LIHC patients, a risk model was established by LASSO regression analysis based on the prognostic genes. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted using clusterProfiler package, and relative abundance of immune cells was quantified applying CIBERSORT package. Finally, to determine drug sensitivity, oncoPredict package was employed. Results PCD was correlated with the clinicopathologic features of LIHC. Then, we defined four molecular subtypes (C1-C4) of LIHC using PCD-related prognostic genes. Specifically, subtype C1 had the worst prognosis with enriched T cells regulatory (Tregs) and Macrophage_M0 and higher expression of T cell exhaustion markers, meanwhile, C1 also had a relatively higher TIDE score and metastasis potential. A risk model was established using 5 prognostic genes. High-risk patients tended to have higher expression of T cell exhaustion markers and TIDE score and unfavorable outcomes, and they were more sensitive to small molecule drug 5.Fluorouracil. Conclusion A PCD-related gene signature was developed and verified to be able to accurately predict the prognosis and drug sensitivity of LIHC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Tian
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Yujie Sang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Bing Han
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Yujing Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Xueyan Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Yuemin Feng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Chengyong Qin
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Jianni Qi
- Central Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, China
- Central Laboratory, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, China
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Wang Y, Zeng Y, Yang W, Wang X, Jiang J. Targeting CD8 + T cells with natural products for tumor therapy: Revealing insights into the mechanisms. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 129:155608. [PMID: 38642413 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2024.155608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite significant advances in cancer immunotherapy over the past decades, such as T cell-engaging chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), therapeutic failure resulting from various factors remains prevalent. Therefore, developing combinational immunotherapeutic strategies is of great significance for improving the clinical outcome of cancer immunotherapy. Natural products are substances that naturally exist in various living organisms with multiple pharmacological or biological activities, and some of them have been found to have anti-tumor potential. Notably, emerging evidences have suggested that several natural compounds may boost the anti-tumor effects through activating immune response of hosts, in which CD8+ T cells play a pivotal role. METHODS The data of this review come from PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ClinicalTrials (https://clinicaltrials.gov/) with the keywords "CD8+ T cell", "anti-tumor", "immunity", "signal 1", "signal 2", "signal 3", "natural products", "T cell receptor (TCR)", "co-stimulation", "co-inhibition", "immune checkpoint", "inflammatory cytokine", "hesperidin", "ginsenoside", "quercetin", "curcumin", "apigenin", "dendrobium officinale polysaccharides (DOPS)", "luteolin", "shikonin", "licochalcone A", "erianin", "resveratrol", "procyanidin", "berberine", "usnic acid", "naringenin", "6-gingerol", "ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide (GL-PS)", "neem leaf glycoprotein (NLGP)", "paclitaxel", "source", "pharmacological activities", and "toxicity". These literatures were published between 1993 and 2023. RESULTS Natural products have considerable advantages as anti-tumor drugs based on the various species, wide distribution, low price, and few side effects. This review summarized the effects and mechanisms of some natural products that exhibit anti-tumor effects via targeting CD8+ T cells, mainly focused on the three signals that activate CD8+ T cells: TCR, co-stimulation, and inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSION Clarifying the role and underlying mechanism of natural products in cancer immunotherapy may provide more options for combinational treatment strategies and benefit cancer therapy, to shed light on identifying potential natural compounds for improving the clinical outcome in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuke Wang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Research Center, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yan Zeng
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Wenyong Yang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical Research Center, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiuxuan Wang
- Research and Development Department, Beijing DCTY Biotech Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Jingwen Jiang
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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3
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Li C, Zhang ED, Ye Y, Xiao Z, Huang H, Zeng Z. Association of mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase with prognosis and immune regulation in hepatocellular carcinoma. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14051. [PMID: 38890507 PMCID: PMC11189538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64907-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK2), a mitochondrial isoenzyme, supports the growth of cancer cells under glucose deficiency conditions in vitro. This study investigated the role and potential mechanism of PCK2 in the occurrence and development of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and other databases distinguish the expression of PCK2 and verified by qRT-PCR and Western blotting. Kaplan-Meier was conducted to assess PCK2 survival in HCC. The potential biological function of PCK2 was verified by enrichment analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). The correlation between PCK2 expression and immune invasion and checkpoint was found by utilizing Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). Lastly, the effects of PCK2 on the proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were evaluated by cell tests, and the expressions of Epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT) and apoptosis related proteins were detected. PCK2 is down-regulated in HCC, indicating a poor prognosis. PCK2 gene mutation accounted for 1.3% of HCC. Functional enrichment analysis indicated the potential of PCK2 as a metabolism-related therapeutic target. Subsequently, we identified several signaling pathways related to the biological function of PCK2. The involvement of PCK2 in immune regulation was verified and key immune checkpoints were predicted. Ultimately, after PCK2 knockdown, cell proliferation and migration were significantly increased, and N-cadherin and vimentin expression were increased. PCK2 has been implicated in immune regulation, proliferation, and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma, and is emerging as a novel predictive biomarker and metabolic-related clinical target.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Youzhi Ye
- Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | | | - Hanfei Huang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
| | - Zhong Zeng
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
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Mitchell RA, Ubillos I, Requena P, Campo JJ, Ome-Kaius M, Hanieh S, Umbers A, Samol P, Barrios D, Jiménez A, Bardají A, Mueller I, Menéndez C, Rogerson S, Dobaño C, Moncunill G. Chronic malaria exposure is associated with inhibitory markers on T cells that correlate with atypical memory and marginal zone-like B cells. Clin Exp Immunol 2024; 216:172-191. [PMID: 38387476 PMCID: PMC11036110 DOI: 10.1093/cei/uxae015] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic immune activation from persistent malaria infections can induce immunophenotypic changes associated with T-cell exhaustion. However, associations between T and B cells during chronic exposure remain undefined. We analyzed peripheral blood mononuclear cells from malaria-exposed pregnant women from Papua New Guinea and Spanish malaria-naïve individuals using flow cytometry to profile T-cell exhaustion markers phenotypically. T-cell lineage (CD3, CD4, and CD8), inhibitory (PD1, TIM3, LAG3, CTLA4, and 2B4), and senescence (CD28-) markers were assessed. Dimensionality reduction methods revealed increased PD1, TIM3, and LAG3 expression in malaria-exposed individuals. Manual gating confirmed significantly higher frequencies of PD1+CD4+ and CD4+, CD8+, and double-negative (DN) T cells expressing TIM3 in malaria-exposed individuals. Increased frequencies of T cells co-expressing multiple markers were also found in malaria-exposed individuals. T-cell data were analyzed with B-cell populations from a previous study where we reported an alteration of B-cell subsets, including increased frequencies of atypical memory B cells (aMBC) and reduction in marginal zone (MZ-like) B cells during malaria exposure. Frequencies of aMBC subsets and MZ-like B cells expressing CD95+ had significant positive correlations with CD28+PD1+TIM3+CD4+ and DN T cells and CD28+TIM3+2B4+CD8+ T cells. Frequencies of aMBC, known to associate with malaria anemia, were inversely correlated with hemoglobin levels in malaria-exposed women. Similarly, inverse correlations with hemoglobin levels were found for TIM3+CD8+ and CD28+PD1+TIM3+CD4+ T cells. Our findings provide further insights into the effects of chronic malaria exposure on circulating B- and T-cell populations, which could impact immunity and responses to vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Mitchell
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Itziar Ubillos
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pilar Requena
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Joseph J Campo
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Antigen Discovery Inc., Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Maria Ome-Kaius
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Sarah Hanieh
- University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Alexandra Umbers
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Paula Samol
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Diana Barrios
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alfons Jiménez
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Azucena Bardají
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Clara Menéndez
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Consorcio de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique
| | | | - Carlota Dobaño
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Moncunill
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Barcelona, Spain
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5
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Cui JW, Li Y, Yang Y, Yang HK, Dong JM, Xiao ZH, He X, Guo JH, Wang RQ, Dai B, Zhou ZL. Tumor immunotherapy resistance: Revealing the mechanism of PD-1 / PD-L1-mediated tumor immune escape. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 171:116203. [PMID: 38280330 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116203] [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: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumor immunotherapy, an innovative anti-cancer therapy, has showcased encouraging outcomes across diverse tumor types. Among these, the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway is a well-known immunological checkpoint, which is significant in the regulation of immune evasion by tumors. Nevertheless, a considerable number of patients develop resistance to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, rendering it ineffective in the long run. This research focuses on exploring the factors of PD-1/PD-L1-mediated resistance in tumor immunotherapy. Initially, the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is characterized by its role in facilitating tumor immune evasion, emphasizing its role in autoimmune homeostasis. Next, the primary mechanisms of resistance to PD-1/PD-L1-based immunotherapy are analyzed, including tumor antigen deletion, T cell dysfunction, increased immunosuppressive cells, and alterations in the expression of PD-L1 within tumor cells. The possible ramifications of altered metabolism, microbiota, and DNA methylation on resistance is also described. Finally, possible resolution strategies for dealing with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy resistance are discussed, placing particular emphasis on personalized therapeutic approaches and the exploration of more potent immunotherapy regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Wen Cui
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China; College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yao Li
- College of Pharmacy, Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), China
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China; College of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau SAR, China
| | - Hai-Kui Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China
| | - Jia-Mei Dong
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China
| | - Zhi-Hua Xiao
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China; College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin He
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China
| | - Jia-Hao Guo
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China; College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rui-Qi Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China.
| | - Bo Dai
- Department of Cardiology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Foshan City 528200, Guangdong Province, China.
| | - Zhi-Ling Zhou
- Department of Pharmacy, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China.
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Ghelfi J, Macek Jilkova Z, Sengel C, Brusset B, Teyssier Y, Costentin C, Mercey-Ressejac M, Dumolard L, Manceau M, Mathieu E, Bricault I, Decaens T. PD1 and TIM3 Expression is Associated with Very Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma Recurrence After Percutaneous Thermal Ablation. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2024; 11:39-50. [PMID: 38223553 PMCID: PMC10787562 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s443134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Percutaneous thermal ablation (PTA) is a cornerstone in the management of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, intrahepatic distant recurrence (IDR) occurs in the majority of patients after PTA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the immune signature associated with very early IDR. Patients and Methods Thirty-one patients (26 men, 5 women; mean age:72.4 ± 8.6; age range:57-86 years) who underwent PTA for HCC were included in this study. After PTA for HCC, patients were followed and later divided into two groups: a "very early recurrence" group in case of IDR within 12 months after PTA, and a "prolonged recurrence-free" group in case of no recurrence before 12 months of follow-up. Freshly harvested intratumoral and nontumoral liver tissues and peripheral blood were obtained before PTA and explored by multiparametric flow cytometry. Results The frequency of PD1+CD4+ T cells was higher in the early recurrence group than in the prolonged recurrence-free group in the peripheral blood (24.3%, IQR: 22.3-36.5 vs 14.0%, IQR: 11.5-16.4, p<0.0001), in the nontumoral liver (37.9%, IQR: 36.0-50.0 vs 22.5%, IQR: 18.0-29.9, p=0.0004), and in the tumor (37.6%, IQR: 32.3-39.3 vs 24.0%, IQR: 20.0-30.3, p=0.0137). Similarly, the frequency of TIM+CD8+ T cells was higher in the very early recurrence group in the peripheral blood (p=0.0021), non-tumoral liver (p=0.0012), and tumor (p=0.0239). Conclusion The expression of immune checkpoint molecules, such as PD1 and TIM3 on T cells identified HCC patients at risk of very early IDR after PTA who would likely benefit from adjuvant immunotherapy. Thus, our study contributes to a better understanding of the potential association of PTA with adjuvant immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Ghelfi
- University of Grenoble-Alpes, Saint Martin d’Hères, France
- Department of Radiology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences - INSERM U1209/CNRS UMR 5309/University of Grenoble-Alpes, La Tronche, France
| | - Zuzana Macek Jilkova
- University of Grenoble-Alpes, Saint Martin d’Hères, France
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences - INSERM U1209/CNRS UMR 5309/University of Grenoble-Alpes, La Tronche, France
- Department of Hepatology and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Christian Sengel
- Department of Radiology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Bleuenn Brusset
- Department of Hepatology and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Yann Teyssier
- Department of Radiology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Charlotte Costentin
- University of Grenoble-Alpes, Saint Martin d’Hères, France
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences - INSERM U1209/CNRS UMR 5309/University of Grenoble-Alpes, La Tronche, France
- Department of Hepatology and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Marion Mercey-Ressejac
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences - INSERM U1209/CNRS UMR 5309/University of Grenoble-Alpes, La Tronche, France
- Department of Hepatology and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Lucile Dumolard
- University of Grenoble-Alpes, Saint Martin d’Hères, France
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences - INSERM U1209/CNRS UMR 5309/University of Grenoble-Alpes, La Tronche, France
| | - Marc Manceau
- Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Inserm Clinical Research Center, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Eliott Mathieu
- Department of Radiology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Ivan Bricault
- University of Grenoble-Alpes, Saint Martin d’Hères, France
- Department of Radiology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
| | - Thomas Decaens
- University of Grenoble-Alpes, Saint Martin d’Hères, France
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences - INSERM U1209/CNRS UMR 5309/University of Grenoble-Alpes, La Tronche, France
- Department of Hepatology and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Grenoble-Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France
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Kou L, Xie X, Chen X, Li B, Li J, Li Y. The progress of research on immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance and reversal strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2023; 72:3953-3969. [PMID: 37917364 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-023-03568-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in humans, which is prone to recurrence and metastasis and has a poor prognosis. The occurrence and progression of HCC are closely related to immune elimination, immune homeostasis, and immune escape of the immune system. In recent years, immunotherapy, represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has shown powerful anti-tumor capabilities in HCC patients. However, there are still some HCC patients who cannot benefit from ICIs treatment due to their innate or acquired drug resistance. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to explore the possible mechanisms of resistance to ICIs in HCC and to use them as a target to design strategies to reverse resistance, to overcome drug resistance in HCC and to improve the prognosis of patients. This article summarizes the possible primary (tumor microenvironment alteration, and signaling pathways, etc.) and acquired (immune checkpoint upregulation) resistance mechanisms in patients with HCC treated with ICIs, and based on this, discusses the status and effectiveness of combination drug strategy to reverse drug resistance, to provide a reference for subsequent related studies and decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqiu Kou
- Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Xiaolu Xie
- Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Xiu Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Bo Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
| | - Yaling Li
- Department of Pharmacy, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
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Bicer F, Kure C, Ozluk AA, El-Rayes BF, Akce M. Advances in Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Curr Oncol 2023; 30:9789-9812. [PMID: 37999131 PMCID: PMC10670350 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30110711] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. More than half of patients with HCC present with advanced stage, and highly active systemic therapies are crucial for improving outcomes. Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies have emerged as novel therapy options for advanced HCC. Only one third of patients achieve an objective response with ICI-based therapies due to primary resistance or acquired resistance. The liver tumor microenvironment is naturally immunosuppressive, and specific mutations in cell signaling pathways allow the tumor to evade the immune response. Next, gene sequencing of the tumor tissue or circulating tumor DNA may delineate resistance mechanisms to ICI-based therapy and provide a rationale for novel combination therapies. In this review, we discuss the results of key clinical trials that have led to approval of ICI-based therapy options in advanced HCC and summarize the ongoing clinical trials. We review resistance mechanisms to ICIs and discuss how immunotherapies may be optimized based on the emerging research of tumor biomarkers and genomic alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuat Bicer
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA;
| | - Catrina Kure
- Department of Medicine, Northside Hospital-Gwinnett, Lawrenceville, GA 30046, USA;
| | - Anil A. Ozluk
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA; (A.A.O.); (B.F.E.-R.)
| | - Bassel F. El-Rayes
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA; (A.A.O.); (B.F.E.-R.)
| | - Mehmet Akce
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA; (A.A.O.); (B.F.E.-R.)
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9
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Liu S, Jia M, Dai R. Deciphering the tumour immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Scand J Immunol 2023; 98:e13327. [PMID: 38441331 DOI: 10.1111/sji.13327] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Current treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are less effective and prone to recurrence after surgery, so it's needed to seek new ideas for its therapy. Tumour immune microenvironment (TME) is crucial for the pathogenesis, development and metastasis of HCC. Interactions between immune cells and tumour cells significantly impact responses to immunotherapies and patient prognosis. In recent years, immunotherapies for HCC have shown promising potential, but the response rate is still unsatisfactory. Understanding their cross-talks is helpful for selecting potential therapeutic targets, predicting immunotherapy responses, determining immunotherapy efficacy, identifying prognostic markers and selecting individualized treatment options. In this paper, we reviewed the research advances on the roles of immune cells and multi-omic research associated with HCC pathogenesis and therapy, and future perspectives on TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sha Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- Department of Pain, Daping Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Man Jia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
| | - Rongyang Dai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
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Zhang X, Cong P, Tian L, Zheng Y, Zhang H, Liu Q, Wu T, Zhang Q, Wu H, Huang X, Xiong L. Genomic gain/methylation modification/hsa-miR-132-3p increases RRS1 overexpression in liver hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Sci 2023; 114:4329-4342. [PMID: 37705317 PMCID: PMC10637089 DOI: 10.1111/cas.15933] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to determine the upstream regulatory factors affecting ribosome biogenesis regulator 1 homolog (RRS1) expression and the development and prognosis of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). The expression profiles of RRS1 were evaluated in pan-cancer tissues and liver tumor cell lines. The associations of RRS1 with pan-cancer survival, immune infiltrations, immune checkpoints, and drug sensitivity were identified. We explored the potential upstream regulatory mechanisms of RRS1 expression. Hsa-miR-132-3p knockdown, CCK-8 assays, transwell, and wound healing assays were performed to validate the regulatory effect of hsa-miR-132-3p on RRS1 expression and the development of LIHC. Our findings demonstrated that RRS1 was significantly elevated in 27 types of cancers. RRS1 predicts a poor outcome of LIHC, lung adenocarcinoma, head and neck cancer, and kidney papillary cell carcinoma. RRS1 expression showed a significant association with immune cell infiltrates and the expression of immune checkpoints-related genes in LIHC tissues. Increased RRS1 expression may have a negative effect on these anticancer drugs of LIHC. Low methylation of the RRS1 promoter and its genomic gain may elevate RRS1 expression and predict poor prognosis for LIHC. Increased hsa-miR-132-3p expression may elevate RRS1 expression and result in poor prognosis for LIHC. Hsa-miR-132-3p inhibition can decrease RRS1 expression and the development of liver tumor cell lines. Low methylation of the RRS1 promoter, RRS1 genomic gain, and hsa-miR-132-3p upregulation in LIHC may promote RRS1 upregulation and thus lead to the development and poor prognosis for LIHC. RRS1 is a promising therapeutic target for LIHC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxia Zhang
- Department of Hospital Infection Management, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Peilin Cong
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Li Tian
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Yinggang Zheng
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Hong Zhang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Qiong Liu
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Tingmei Wu
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Qian Zhang
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Huanghui Wu
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xinwei Huang
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Lize Xiong
- Clinical Research Center for Anesthesiology and Perioperative MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional ModulationShanghaiChina
- Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain‐Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of MedicineTongji UniversityShanghaiChina
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Wang S, Wang R, Xu N, Wei X, Yang Y, Lian Z, Cen B, Shen C, Li W, Wang J, Zhang Z, Tang L, Wei Q, Lu D, Xu X. SULT2B1-CS-DOCK2 axis regulates effector T-cell exhaustion in HCC microenvironment. Hepatology 2023; 78:1064-1078. [PMID: 36626623 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS HCC is a malignant disease. Compared with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (the classical therapy), immune checkpoint inhibitors are more effective in the treatment of HCC, despite their limited efficacy. Among these restricted factors, exhaustion of tumor-infiltrated lymphocytes, especially CD8 + T cells, is a core event. We aimed to determine the key factors contributing to CD8 + T-cell infiltration in HCC and investigate the underlying mechanisms. APPROACH AND RESULTS Using machine learning and multiplex immunohistochemistry analysis, we showed that dedicator of cytokinesis protein 2 (DOCK2) was a potential indicator of infiltrated CD8 + T cells in HCC. Using RNA sequencing, flow cytometry analysis, and mouse HCC models, we demonstrated that DOCK2 inactivation accounted for infiltrated CD8 + T-cell exhaustion in tumors. Using quasi-targeted metabolomics, mass spectrum, and mass cytometry by time of flight analysis, we found that cholesterol sulfate synthesized by sulfotransferase 2B1 in tumor cells suppressed DOCK2 enzymatic activity of T cells. Through virtual screening, molecular docking simulation, and experiments validation, we demonstrated that tolazamide reversed DOCK2 inactivation-mediated CD8 + T-cell exhaustion and enhanced anti-programmed death-ligand 1 antibody+apatinib immunotherapeutic effects on HCC. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that DOCK2 controls CD8 + T-cell infiltration in HCC, and cholesterol sulfate synthesized by sulfotransferase 2B1 in tumor cells promotes effector T-cell exhaustion. The findings suggest that the usage of conventional drugs affects immunotherapy efficacy in HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Wang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Nan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xuyong Wei
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yijie Yang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Zhengxing Lian
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Beini Cen
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Chenchen Shen
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Wangyao Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Jianguo Wang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Zhensheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Linsong Tang
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Qiang Wei
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- Institute of Organ Transplantation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Di Lu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- Institute of Organ Transplantation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Xiao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
- Institute of Organ Transplantation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
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12
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Yadav R, Hakobyan N, Wang JC. Role of Next Generation Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor (ICI) Therapy in Philadelphia Negative Classic Myeloproliferative Neoplasm (MPN): Review of the Literature. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12502. [PMID: 37569880 PMCID: PMC10420159 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph-) myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), which include essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV), and myelofibrosis (MF), are enduring and well-known conditions. These disorders are characterized by the abnormal growth of one or more hematopoietic cell lineages in the body's stem cells, leading to the enlargement of organs and the manifestation of constitutional symptoms. Numerous studies have provided evidence indicating that the pathogenesis of these diseases involves the dysregulation of the immune system and the presence of chronic inflammation, both of which are significant factors. Lately, the treatment of cancer including hematological malignancy has progressed on the agents aiming for the immune system, cytokine environment, immunotherapy agents, and targeted immune therapy. Immune checkpoints are the molecules that regulate T cell function in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The first line of primary immune checkpoints are programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4). Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (ICIT) exerts its anti-tumor actions by blocking the inhibitory pathways in T cells and has reformed cancer treatment. Despite the impressive clinical success of ICIT, tumor internal resistance poses a challenge for oncologists leading to a low response rate in solid tumors and hematological malignancies. A Phase II trial on nivolumab for patients with post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis, primary myelofibrosis, or post-polycythemia myelofibrosis was performed (Identifier: NCT02421354). This trial tested the efficacy of a PD-1 blockade agent, namely nivolumab, but was terminated prematurely due to adverse events and lack of efficacy. A multicenter, Phase II, single-arm open-label study was conducted including pembrolizumab in patients with primary thrombocythemia, post-essential thrombocythemia or post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis that were ineligible for or were previously treated with ruxolitinib. This study showed that pembrolizumab treatment did not have many adverse events, but there were no pertinent clinical responses hence it was terminated after the first stage was completed. To avail the benefits from immunotherapy, the paradigm has shifted to new immune checkpoints in the TME such as lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3), T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), V-domain immunoglobulin-containing suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA), and human endogenous retrovirus-H long terminal repeat-associating protein 2 (HHLA2) forming the basis of next-generation ICIT. The primary aim of this article is to underscore and elucidate the significance of next-generation ICIT in the context of MPN. Specifically, we aim to explore the potential of monoclonal antibodies as targeted immunotherapy and the development of vaccines targeting specific MPN epitopes, with the intent of augmenting tumor-related immune responses. It is anticipated that these therapeutic modalities rooted in immunotherapy will not only expand but also enhance the existing treatment regimens for patients afflicted with MPN. Preliminary studies from our laboratory showed over-expressed MDSC and over-expressed VISTA in MDSC, and in progenitor and immune cells directing the need for more clinical trials using next-generation ICI in the treatment of MPN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruchi Yadav
- Department of Internal Medicine, Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11212, USA; (R.Y.); (N.H.)
| | - Narek Hakobyan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11212, USA; (R.Y.); (N.H.)
| | - Jen-Chin Wang
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11212, USA
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Zhao M, Huang H, He F, Fu X. Current insights into the hepatic microenvironment and advances in immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1188277. [PMID: 37275909 PMCID: PMC10233045 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1188277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer and shows high global incidence and mortality rates. The liver is an immune-tolerated organ with a specific immune microenvironment that causes traditional therapeutic approaches to HCC, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and molecular targeted therapy, to have limited efficacy. The dramatic advances in immuno-oncology in the past few decades have modified the paradigm of cancer therapy, ushering in the era of immunotherapy. Currently, despite the rapid integration of cancer immunotherapy into clinical practice, some patients still show no response to treatment. Therefore, a rational approach is to target the tumor microenvironment when developing the next generation of immunotherapy. This review aims to provide insights into the hepatic immune microenvironment in HCC and summarize the mechanisms of action and clinical usage of immunotherapeutic options for HCC, including immune checkpoint blockade, adoptive therapy, cytokine therapy, vaccine therapy, and oncolytic virus-based therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Feng He
- *Correspondence: Feng He, ; Xiangsheng Fu,
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14
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Zeng L, Xu H, Li SH, Xu SY, Chen K, Qin LJ, Miao L, Wang F, Deng L, Wang FH, Li L, Fu S, Liu N, Wang R, Li YQ, Wang HY. Cross-cohort analysis identified an immune checkpoint-based signature to predict the clinical outcomes of neuroblastoma. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:jitc-2022-005980. [PMID: 37130627 PMCID: PMC10163522 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005980] [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: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroblastoma (NB) places a substantial health burden on families worldwide. This study aimed to develop an immune checkpoint-based signature (ICS) based on the expression of immune checkpoints to better assess patient survival risk and potentially guide patient selection for immunotherapy of NB. METHODS Immunohistochemistry integrated with digital pathology was used to determine the expression levels of 9 immune checkpoints in 212 tumor tissues used as the discovery set. The GSE85047 dataset (n=272) was used as a validation set in this study. In the discovery set, the ICS was constructed using a random forest algorithm and confirmed in the validation set to predict overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS). Kaplan-Meier curves with a log-rank test were drawn to compare the survival differences. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to calculate the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS Seven immune checkpoints, including PD-L1, B7-H3, IDO1, VISTA, T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing-3 (TIM-3), inducible costimulatory molecule (ICOS) and costimulatory molecule 40 (OX40), were identified as abnormally expressed in NB in the discovery set. OX40, B7-H3, ICOS and TIM-3 were eventually selected for the ICS model in the discovery set, and 89 patients with high risk had an inferior OS (HR 15.91, 95% CI 8.87 to 28.55, p<0.001) and EFS (HR 4.30, 95% CI 2.80 to 6.62, p<0.001). Furthermore, the prognostic value of the ICS was confirmed in the validation set (p<0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that age and the ICS were independent risk factors for OS in the discovery set (HR 6.17, 95% CI 1.78 to 21.29 and HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.25, respectively). Furthermore, nomogram A combining the ICS and age demonstrated significantly better prognostic value than age alone in predicting the patients' 1-year, 3-year and 5-year OS in the discovery set (1 year: AUC, 0.891 (95% CI 0.797 to 0.985) vs 0.675 (95% CI 0.592 to 0.758); 3 years: 0.875 (95% CI 0.817 to 0.933) vs 0.701 (95% CI 0.645 to 0.758); 5 years: 0.898 (95% CI 0.851 to 0.940) vs 0.724 (95% CI 0.673 to 0.775), respectively), which was confirmed in the validation set. CONCLUSIONS We propose an ICS that significantly differentiates between low-risk and high-risk patients, which might add prognostic value to age and provide clues for immunotherapy in NB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zeng
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hui Xu
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shu-Hua Li
- Molecular Diagnosis and Gene Testing Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuo-Yu Xu
- Department of General Surgery, Southern Medical University Nanfang Hospital, Guangzhou, China
- Bio-totem Pte. Ltd, Foshan, China
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Liang-Jun Qin
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lei Miao
- Guangzhou Institute of Paediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ling Deng
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feng-Hua Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Le Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sha Fu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumour Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Cellular & Molecular Diagnostics Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Na Liu
- Department of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosis and Therapy, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ran Wang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying-Qing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hai-Yun Wang
- Department of Pathology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
- Guangzhou Institute of Paediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Child Health,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research in Structural Birth Defect Disease, National Children's Medical Center for South Central Region, Guangzhou, China
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15
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Monjaras-Avila CU, Lorenzo-Leal AC, Luque-Badillo AC, D'Costa N, Chavez-Muñoz C, Bach H. The Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24097946. [PMID: 37175653 PMCID: PMC10178526 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a type of kidney cancer that arises from the cells lining the tubes of the kidney. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) of ccRCC is a complex interplay of various immune cells, cytokines, and signaling pathways. One of the critical features of the ccRCC TIME is the presence of infiltrating immune cells, including T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Among these cells, CD8+ T cells are particularly important in controlling tumor growth by recognizing and killing cancer cells. However, the TIME of ccRCC is also characterized by an immunosuppressive environment that hinders the function of immune cells. Several mechanisms contribute to the immunosuppressive nature of the ccRCC TIME. For instance, ccRCC cells produce cytokines such as interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), which suppress immune cell activation and promote the differentiation of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Tregs, in turn, dampen the activity of effector T cells and promote tumor growth. In addition, ccRCC cells can express programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which interacts with the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor on T cells to inhibit their function. In addition, other immune checkpoint proteins, such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3), also contribute to the immunosuppressive milieu of the ccRCC TIME. Finally, the hypoxic and nutrient-poor microenvironment of ccRCC can stimulate the production of immunosuppressive metabolites, such as adenosine and kynurenine, which further impair the function of immune cells. Understanding the complex interplay between tumor cells and the immune system in the ccRCC TIME is crucial for developing effective immunotherapies to treat this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesar U Monjaras-Avila
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2635 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada
| | - Ana C Lorenzo-Leal
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada
| | - Ana C Luque-Badillo
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2635 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada
| | - Ninadh D'Costa
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2635 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada
| | - Claudia Chavez-Muñoz
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2635 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada
| | - Horacio Bach
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2660 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3Z6, Canada
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16
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Zhu W, Li Y, Han M, Jiang J. Regulatory Mechanisms and Reversal of CD8+T Cell Exhaustion: A Literature Review. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12040541. [PMID: 37106742 PMCID: PMC10135681 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
CD8+T cell exhaustion is a state of T cell dysfunction during chronic infection and tumor progression. Exhausted CD8+T cells are characterized by low effector function, high expression of inhibitory receptors, unique metabolic patterns, and altered transcriptional profiles. Recently, advances in understanding and interfering with the regulatory mechanisms associated with T cell exhaustion in tumor immunotherapy have brought greater attention to the field. Therefore, we emphasize the typical features and related mechanisms of CD8+T cell exhaustion and particularly the potential for its reversal, which has clinical implications for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanwan Zhu
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710000, China
| | - Yiming Li
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710000, China
| | - Mingwei Han
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710000, China
| | - Jianli Jiang
- National Translational Science Center for Molecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710000, China
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17
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Hu X, Zhu H, He X, Chen J, Xiong L, Shen Y, Li J, Xu Y, Chen W, Liu X, Cao D, Xu X. The application of nanoparticles in immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. J Control Release 2023; 355:85-108. [PMID: 36708880 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.01.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, however, current clinical diagnostic and treatment approaches remain relatively limited, creating an urgent need for the development of effective technologies. Immunotherapy has emerged as a powerful treatment strategy for advanced cancer. The number of clinically approved drugs for HCC immunotherapy has been increasing. However, it remains challenging to improve their transport and therapeutic efficiency, control their targeting and release, and mitigate their adverse effects. Nanotechnology has recently gained attention for improving the effectiveness of precision therapy for HCC. We summarize the key features of HCC associated with nanoparticle (NPs) targeting, release, and uptake, the roles and limitations of several major immunotherapies in HCC, the use of NPs in immunotherapy, the properties of NPs that influence their design and application, and current clinical trials of NPs in HCC, with the aim of informing the design of delivery platforms that have the potential to improve the safety and efficacy of HCC immunotherapy,and thus, ultimately improve the prognosis of HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyao Hu
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Hua Zhu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Xiaoqin He
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Jiayu Chen
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Lin Xiong
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Yang Shen
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Jiayi Li
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Yangtao Xu
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Wenliang Chen
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China
| | - Dedong Cao
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
| | - Ximing Xu
- Cancer center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
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Jantz-Naeem N, Böttcher-Loschinski R, Borucki K, Mitchell-Flack M, Böttcher M, Schraven B, Mougiakakos D, Kahlfuss S. TIGIT signaling and its influence on T cell metabolism and immune cell function in the tumor microenvironment. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1060112. [PMID: 36874131 PMCID: PMC9982004 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1060112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the key challenges for successful cancer therapy is the capacity of tumors to evade immune surveillance. Tumor immune evasion can be accomplished through the induction of T cell exhaustion via the activation of various immune checkpoint molecules. The most prominent examples of immune checkpoints are PD-1 and CTLA-4. Meanwhile, several other immune checkpoint molecules have since been identified. One of these is the T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), which was first described in 2009. Interestingly, many studies have established a synergistic reciprocity between TIGIT and PD-1. TIGIT has also been described to interfere with the energy metabolism of T cells and thereby affect adaptive anti-tumor immunity. In this context, recent studies have reported a link between TIGIT and the hypoxia-inducible factor 1-α (HIF1-α), a master transcription factor sensing hypoxia in several tissues including tumors that among others regulates the expression of metabolically relevant genes. Furthermore, distinct cancer types were shown to inhibit glucose uptake and effector function by inducing TIGIT expression in CD8+ T cells, resulting in an impaired anti-tumor immunity. In addition, TIGIT was associated with adenosine receptor signaling in T cells and the kynurenine pathway in tumor cells, both altering the tumor microenvironment and T cell-mediated immunity against tumors. Here, we review the most recent literature on the reciprocal interaction of TIGIT and T cell metabolism and specifically how TIGIT affects anti-tumor immunity. We believe understanding this interaction may pave the way for improved immunotherapy to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nouria Jantz-Naeem
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Romy Böttcher-Loschinski
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Magdeburg, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Katrin Borucki
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Pathobiochemistry, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Marisa Mitchell-Flack
- Department of Oncology, The Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Martin Böttcher
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Magdeburg, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GCI), Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Burkhart Schraven
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GCI), Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Dimitrios Mougiakakos
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Magdeburg, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GCI), Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Sascha Kahlfuss
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GCI), Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Health and Medical Prevention (CHaMP), Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
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Zhu J, Zheng Y, Liu Y, Chen M, Liu Y, Li J. Association between HMGA1 and immunosuppression in hepatocellular carcinoma: A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e32707. [PMID: 36705364 PMCID: PMC9876027 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000032707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The high mobility group A1 (HMGA1) gene is overexpressed in malignant tumors, and its expression level correlates with the progression and metastasis of tumors. However, the specific role of HMGA1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and relevant influencing approaches in tumor immunity remain unclear. In this study, the expression and clinical significance of HMGA1 in HCC immunity were analyzed. The expression levels of HMGA1 mRNA and protein in HCC tissue and normal liver tissue were analyzed based on the cancer genome atlas, the gene expression omnibus and the Human Protein Atlas databases. The correlation between HMGA1 and clinicopathological factors was analyzed, and survival was estimated based on the expression of HMGA1. Gene set cancer analysis and the TISIDB database were used to identify tumor-infiltrating immune cells and immune inhibitors. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed to determine the involved signaling pathway. The HMGA1 genetic alterations were identified with the cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics. The expression of HMGA1 mRNA and protein was significantly higher in HCC tissue and negatively correlated with survival. Neutrophils, Th17 cells, several immune inhibitors, and signaling pathways were positively correlated with the expression of HMGA1. Amplification was the main type of genetic alteration in HMGA1. These findings demonstrate that HMGA1 can be a therapeutic target and a potential biomarker to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC. HMGA1 may affect the progression of HCC by suppressing the immune function of these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yongshun Zheng
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yuyao Liu
- Department of Burn, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Mengding Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yanyan Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Center for Surveillance of Bacterial Resistance, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jiabin Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Center for Surveillance of Bacterial Resistance, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- * Correspondence: Jiabin Li, Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Jixi road 218, Hefei, Anhui 230022, China (e-mail: )
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20
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Valente S, Nascimento C, Gameiro A, Ferreira J, Correia J, Ferreira F. TIM-3 Is a Potential Immune Checkpoint Target in Cats with Mammary Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15020384. [PMID: 36672332 PMCID: PMC9856819 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15020384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent findings in human breast cancer (HBC) indicate that T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3 (TIM-3)-targeted therapies may effectively activate anticancer immune responses. Although feline mammary carcinoma (FMC) is a valuable cancer model, no studies on TIM-3 have been developed in this species. Thus, we evaluated the expression of TIM-3 by immunohistochemistry in total (t), stromal (s), and intra-tumoral (i) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and in cancer cells, of 48 cats with mammary carcinoma. In parallel, serum TIM-3 levels were quantified using ELISA and the presence of somatic mutations in the TIM-3 gene was evaluated in 19 tumor samples. sTILs-TIM3+ were more frequent than iTILs-TIM-3+, with the TIM-3 ex-pression in sTILs and cancer cells being associated with more aggressive clinicopathological features. In contrast, the TIM-3 expression in iTILs and tTILs was associated with a more benign clinical course. Moreover, the serum TIM-3 levels were lower in animals with FMC when compared to healthy animals (p < 0.001). Only one somatic mutation was found in the TIM-3 gene, at intron 2, in one tumor sample. Altogether, our results suggest that the expression of TIM-3 among TILs subpopulations and cancer cells may influence the clinical outcome of cats with FMC, in line with the previous reports in HBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Valente
- CIISA—Center of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Catarina Nascimento
- CIISA—Center of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andreia Gameiro
- CIISA—Center of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Ferreira
- iMM João Lobo Antunes, University of Lisbon, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jorge Correia
- CIISA—Center of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Fernando Ferreira
- CIISA—Center of Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +(351)-21-365-2800 (ext. 431234)
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21
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Zhao Y, Wang Z, Shi X, Liu T, Yu W, Ren X, Zhao H. Effect of Chemotherapeutics on In Vitro Immune Checkpoint Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Technol Cancer Res Treat 2023; 22:15330338231202307. [PMID: 37728201 PMCID: PMC10515539 DOI: 10.1177/15330338231202307] [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: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Immune checkpoint (ICP) expression in tumor cells could directly or indirectly affect the results of immunotherapy. ICP ligands on tumor cells usually bind their immune cell receptors to inhibit the activity, resulting in tumor immune escape. Thus, the purpose of this study was to ascertain the impact of various chemotherapeutic drugs on ICP expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines with different pathological subtypes to provide a basis for the development of a superior regimen of chemotherapy combined with ICP blockade. Methods: Several first-line chemotherapy agents (cisplatin, carboplatin, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, vinorelbine, and pemetrexed) were selected to treat different NSCLC cell lines (squamous carcinoma H1703, adenocarcinoma A549, and large cell cancer H460) for 72 hours, and then the changes in ICP expression in the tumor cells were observed through flow cytometry. Results: Cisplatin, carboplatin, and paclitaxel upregulated the expressions of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and programmed cell death ligand 2 (PD-L2) in A549 and H460 cell lines. Meanwhile, vinorelbine and pemetrexed upregulated PD-L1 and PD-L2 in H1703, A549, and H460 cell lines. Paclitaxel, gemcitabine, vinorelbine, and pemetrexed significantly upregulated the expressions of both galectin-9 and high-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) in the A549 cell line. Cisplatin and paclitaxel significantly upregulated the expressions of major histocompatibility complex-II (MHC-II), galectin-3, α-synuclein, and fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) in A549 and H460 cell lines. In addition, cisplatin and vinorelbine significantly upregulated the expressions of both CD155 and CD112 in the H460 cell line. Vinorelbine upregulated MHC-I in all three cell lines. Conclusion: Chemotherapy agents have different effects on the expression of ICP ligands in tumor cells with different pathological types, and this may affect the efficacy of combined immunotherapy. These results provide a theoretical basis for further selection and optimization of the combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhao
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiuhuan Shi
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Ting Liu
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenwen Yu
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiubao Ren
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin, China
- Department of Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Hua Zhao
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
- Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin, China
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22
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Xie T, Liu B, Liu D, Zhou Y, Yang Q, Wang D, Tang M, Liu W. Cuproptosis-related lncRNA signatures predict prognosis and immune relevance of kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1103986. [PMID: 36618928 PMCID: PMC9810632 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1103986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP) has a high mortality rate and a poor prognosis. Cu concentrations differed significantly between renal cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Cuproptosis is a newly identified cell death. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in the progression of KIRP. In this study, we focused on constructing and validating cuproptosis-related lncRNA signatures to predict the prognosis of KIRP patients and their immune correlation. We created prognosis models using Cox regression analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm. We found that patients in the high-risk group had poorer overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) and higher mortality. Risk score and stage are prognosis factors independent of other clinical features. Kaplan-Meier analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and C-index curves showed that cuproptosis-related lncRNA signatures could more accurately predict the prognosis of patients. Functional enrichment analysis suggests that the function of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) is associated with KIRP development and immunity. In immune-related function analysis, we found a significant difference in parainflammation responses between high-risk and low-risk groups. The mutation frequencies of TTN, MET, KMT2C, PKHD1, SETD2, and KMT2D genes in the high-risk group were higher than those in the low-risk group, but the mutation frequencies of MUC16, KIAA109, CUBN, USH2A, DNAH8 and HERC2 genes were significantly lower than those in the low-risk group. Survival analysis of tumor mutation burden (TMB) and combined TMB-risk showed better OS in patients with high TMB. Immune infiltration and immune checkpoint analysis assessed the immune association of six high mutation frequency genes (TTN, MET, KMT2C, PKHD1, SETD2, and KMT2D) with KIRP. Finally, we performed a drug sensitivity analysis and screened 15 potential drugs that differed between high-risk and low-risk patients. In this study, we constructed and validated cuproptosis-related lncRNA signatures that can more accurately predict the prognosis of KIRP patients and provide new potential therapeutic targets and prognosis markers for KIRP patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongjin Xie
- Department of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Department of Urology, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Dongbo Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Yusong Zhou
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Qingping Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
| | - Dai Wang
- Xiangya School of Pharmacy, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Mengjie Tang
- Department of Pathology, Hunan Cancer Hospital, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China,*Correspondence: Wei Liu,
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Catalano M, Shabani S, Venturini J, Ottanelli C, Voltolini L, Roviello G. Lung Cancer Immunotherapy: Beyond Common Immune Checkpoints Inhibitors. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:6145. [PMID: 36551630 PMCID: PMC9777293 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14246145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is an ever-expanding field in lung cancer treatment research. Over the past two decades, there has been significant progress in identifying immunotherapy targets and creating specific therapeutic agents, leading to a major paradigm shift in lung cancer treatment. However, despite the great success achieved with programmed death protein 1/ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) monoclonal antibodies and with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 plus anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), only a minority of lung cancer patients respond to treatment, and of these many subsequently experience disease progression. In addition, immune-related adverse events sometimes can be life-threatening, especially when anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 are used in combination. All of this prompted researchers to identify novel immune checkpoints targets to overcome these limitations. Lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), T cell immunoglobulin (Ig) and Immunoreceptor Tyrosine-Based Inhibitory Motif (ITIM) domain (TIGIT), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3) are promising molecules now under investigation. This review aims to outline the current role of immunotherapy in lung cancer and to examine efficacy and future applications of the new immune regulating molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Catalano
- School of Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Sonia Shabani
- School of Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Jacopo Venturini
- School of Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Carlotta Ottanelli
- School of Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Luca Voltolini
- Thoraco-Pulmonary Surgery Unit, Careggi University Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
| | - Giandomenico Roviello
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50134 Florence, Italy
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Improved anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effect by enhanced Co-delivery of Tim-3 siRNA and sorafenib via multiple pH triggered drug-eluting nanoparticles. Mater Today Bio 2022; 16:100350. [PMID: 35856043 PMCID: PMC9287642 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective systemic treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains urgently needed. Sorafenib is the first FDA-approved systemic treatment for HCC. However, individual HCC patents’ response to sorafenib varies greatly. How to enhance the anti-HCC effect of sorafenib is still a significant challenge. T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) is a newly identified immune checkpoint molecule and a promising target for HCC treatment. Herein, we developed a novel pH-triggered drug-eluting nanoparticle (CC@SR&SF@PP) for simultaneously delivery of Tim-3 siRNA and sorafenib to HCC in situ. By a single emulsification method, a representative HCC targeted-therapeutic drug sorafenib (SF) was encapsulated into the pH-triggered positive-charged mPEG5K-PAE10K (PP) nanoparticles, followed by condensing of negative-charged Tim-3 siRNA. Then, carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS), an amphoteric polysaccharide with negative charge in the physiological pH and positive charge in the acidic environment of the tumor, was eventually adsorbed onto the surface of nanoparticles. This co-delivery nanoparticle rapidly and specifically accumulated in the tumor site of the liver and enhanced the targeted, specific and multiple release of siRNA and sorafenib. Enhanced Tim-3 siRNA transfected into tumor cells can not only directly inhibit the growth of tumor cells by knock down the expression Tim-3, but also induce the immune response and enhance the recruitment of cytotoxic T cells to kill tumor cells. The following pH-triggered sorafenib release from SF@PP NPs greatly inhibited the tumor proliferation and angiogenesis, resulting in remarkable tumor growth inhibition in a mouse hepatoma 22 (H22) orthotopic tumor model. Thus, co-delivery of Tim-3 siRNA and sorafenib via this novel pH triggered drug-eluting nanoparticle enhances their anti-tumor efficacy. We expect that such combination treatment strategy will have great potential in future clinical applications.
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Abstract
Significance: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a liver malignancy with high mortality rate, limited treatment options, and poor prognosis. Sorafenib has been the only systemic treatment option for patients with advanced HCC for more than a decade. HCC is a typical inflammation-related tumor with a distinct immunosuppressive microenvironment especially the upregulation of immune checkpoints. Recent Advances: Immunotherapy has shown persistent and powerful efficacy in HCC treatment. Several preclinical and clinical studies have prompted the application of immunotherapy in first-line, second-line, and postline treatment of HCC, which has profoundly shifted the paradigm for advanced HCC treatment in the past few years. Critical Issues and Future Directions: Major unaddressed challenges in HCC immunotherapy include the discovery and validation of biological markers that predict the efficacy, the application of immunotherapy in patients with impaired liver function and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-associated HCC, and the exploration of immunotherapy combinations with better effectiveness. This review provides the latest advances in the research of immune microenvironment and immunotherapy in HCC. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 37, 1325-1338.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhang
- Institute of Digestive Disease and the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,Department of Oncology; Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- Institute of Digestive Disease and the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ming Kuang
- Center of Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgery; The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jun Yu
- Institute of Digestive Disease and the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Liu J, Mi J, Liu S, Chen H, Jiang L. PSMB5 overexpression is correlated with tumor proliferation and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. FEBS Open Bio 2022; 12:2025-2041. [PMID: 36062301 PMCID: PMC9623531 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Aberrant expression of members of the proteasome subunit beta (PSMB) family (including PSMB2, PSMB4, PSMB7 and PSMB8) has been reported in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However the role of PSMB5 in HCC is unclear. To address this issue, we examined the expression of PSMB5 in HCC tissues using the The Cancer Genome Atlas, International Cancer Genome Consortium and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. A quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry were performed to validate the expression of PSMB5 in HCC. The survival mutation status and immune cell infiltration of PSMB5 were also evaluated in HCC. We then examined the effect of knocking down PSMB5 expression through RNA interference in the HCC cell line Huh7. High expression of PSMB5 was observed in HCC tissues and was associated with poor prognosis. PSMB5 expression and clinical characteristics were then incorporated to build a prognostic nomogram. We observed that PSMB5 expression was closely related to the abundance of B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, dendritic cell macrophages and neutrophils. Moreover silencing of PSMB5 in Huh7 significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration at the same time as increasing apoptosis. Inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin pathway was observed after PSMB5 downregulation in Huh7 cells. Our findings suggest that PSMB5 may promote the proliferation of HCC cells by inactivating the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling pathway and thus PSMB5 may have potential as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- Guangxi Medical UniversityNanningChina
| | - Jinglin Mi
- Department of Radiation OncologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical UniversityNanningChina
| | | | | | - Li Jiang
- Department of Radiation OncologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical UniversityNanningChina
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Liu J, Tao H, Yuan T, Li J, Li J, Liang H, Huang Z, Zhang E. Immunomodulatory effects of regorafenib: Enhancing the efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:992611. [PMID: 36119072 PMCID: PMC9479218 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.992611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy has shown significant benefits in the treatment of a variety of malignancies. However, not all cancer patients can benefit from this strategy due to drug resistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need for methods that can effectively improve the efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Combining anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy with regorafenib has been demonstrated as an effective method to enhance its therapeutic effect in several clinical studies. In this review, we describe common mechanisms of resistance to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy, including lack of tumor immunogenicity, T cell dysfunction, and abnormal expression of PD-L1. Then, we illustrate the role of regorafenib in modifying the tumor microenvironment (TME) from multiple aspects, which is different from other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Regorafenib not only has immunomodulatory effects on various immune cells, but can also regulate PD-L1 and MHC-I on tumor cells and promote normalization of abnormal blood vessels. Therefore, studies on the synergetic mechanism of the combination therapy may usher in a new era for cancer treatment and help us identify the most appropriate individuals for more precise treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Liu
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Haisu Tao
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tong Yuan
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiang Li
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jian Li
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Huifang Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Erlei Zhang, ; Zhiyong Huang, ; Huifang Liang,
| | - Zhiyong Huang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Erlei Zhang, ; Zhiyong Huang, ; Huifang Liang,
| | - Erlei Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Erlei Zhang, ; Zhiyong Huang, ; Huifang Liang,
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Conway JW, Rawson RV, Lo S, Ahmed T, Vergara IA, Gide TN, Attrill GH, Carlino MS, Saw RPM, Thompson JF, Spillane AJ, Shannon KF, Shivalingam B, Menzies AM, Wilmott JS, Long GV, Scolyer RA, Pires da Silva I. Unveiling the tumor immune microenvironment of organ-specific melanoma metastatic sites. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2022-004884. [PMID: 36096531 PMCID: PMC9472156 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-004884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The liver is a known site of resistance to immunotherapy and the presence of liver metastases is associated with shorter progression-free and overall survival (OS) in melanoma, while lung metastases have been associated with a more favorable outcome. There are limited data available regarding the immune microenvironment at different anatomical sites of melanoma metastases. This study sought to characterize and compare the tumor immune microenvironment of liver, brain, lung, subcutaneous (subcut) as well as lymph node (LN) melanoma metastases. Methods We analyzed OS in 1924 systemic treatment-naïve patients with AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) stage IV melanoma with a solitary site of organ metastasis. In an independent cohort we analyzed and compared immune cell densities, subpopulations and spatial distribution in tissue from liver, lung, brain, LN or subcut sites from 130 patients with stage IV melanoma. Results Patients with only liver, brain or bone metastases had shorter OS compared to those with lung, LN or subcutaneous and soft tissue metastases. Liver and brain metastases had significantly lower T-cell infiltration than lung (p=0.0116 and p=0.0252, respectively) and LN metastases (p=0.0116 and p=0.0252, respectively). T cells were further away from melanoma cells in liver than lung metastases (p=0.0335). Liver metastases displayed unique T-cell profiles, with a significantly lower proportion of programmed cell death protein-1+ T cells compared to all other anatomical sites (p<0.05), and a higher proportion of TIM-3+ T cells compared to LN (p=0.0004), subcut (p=0.0082) and brain (p=0.0128) metastases. Brain metastases had a lower macrophage density than subcut (p=0.0105), liver (p=0.0095) and lung (p<0.0001) metastases. Lung metastases had the highest proportion of programmed death ligand-1+ macrophages of the total macrophage population, significantly higher than brain (p<0.0001) and liver metastases (p=0.0392). Conclusions Liver and brain melanoma metastases have a significantly reduced immune infiltrate than lung, subcut and LN metastases, which may account for poorer prognosis and reduced immunotherapy response rates in patients with liver or brain metastases. Increased TIM-3 expression in liver metastases suggests TIM-3 inhibitor therapy as a potential therapeutic opportunity to improve patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan W Conway
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New south Wales, Australia
| | - Robert V Rawson
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and NSW Health Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Serigne Lo
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Tasnia Ahmed
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ismael A Vergara
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New south Wales, Australia
| | - Tuba N Gide
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New south Wales, Australia
| | - Grace Heloise Attrill
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New south Wales, Australia
| | - Matteo S Carlino
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Robyn P M Saw
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Melanoma and Surgical Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Mater Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - John F Thompson
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Melanoma and Surgical Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Mater Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew J Spillane
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kerwin F Shannon
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Department of Melanoma and Surgical Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Brindha Shivalingam
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alexander Maxwell Menzies
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Mater Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - James S Wilmott
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New south Wales, Australia
| | - Georgina V Long
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New south Wales, Australia.,Mater Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Richard A Scolyer
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New south Wales, Australia.,Department of Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and NSW Health Pathology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ines Pires da Silva
- Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia .,Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New south Wales, Australia.,Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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29
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Ouyang T, Kan X, Zheng C. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Monotherapies and Combined Therapies. Front Oncol 2022; 12:898964. [PMID: 35785169 PMCID: PMC9243530 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.898964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an important cause of cancer death and is considered the 3rd most lethal around the world. Hepatectomy, liver transplantation, and ablation therapy are considered curative treatments for early-stage HCC. Transarterial chemoembolization is the preferred therapy for intermediate stage HCC. Ssystemic therapy is recommended for advanced HCC. For more than a decade, sorafenib and lenvatinib were used as the first-line treatment for the advanced HCC. For the great success of immunotherapy in melanoma and lung cancer, some immune-based treatments, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have been applied in the treatment of HCC. The anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) antibodies, including nivolumab and pembrolizumab, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sorafenib-pretreated patients. Moreover, due to the results of durable antitumor responses attained from the phase 3 trials, atezolizumab in combination with bevacizumab is now the standard therapy for advanced HCC. Recently, there are a lot of clinical trials involving the ICIs, as monotherapy or combination therapy, with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, antiangiogenic drugs, cytotoxic agents, and locoregional treatments, providing a promising outcome for advanced HCC. Thus, this review summarized the role of ICIs for HCC patients with monotherapy or combination therapy. The success and failures of monotherapy and combination therapy involving ICIs have provided advanced insights into HCC treatment and led to novel avenues to improve therapy efficacy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Ouyang
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, China
| | - Xuefeng Kan
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, China
| | - Chuansheng Zheng
- Department of Radiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Chuansheng Zheng,
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30
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Zhou X, Ren T, Zan H, Hua C, Guo X. Novel Immune Checkpoints in Esophageal Cancer: From Biomarkers to Therapeutic Targets. Front Immunol 2022; 13:864202. [PMID: 35669786 PMCID: PMC9163322 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.864202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Esophageal cancer ranks as the sixth most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Due to the limited efficacy of conventional therapeutic strategies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, treatments are still far from satisfactory in terms of survival, prompting the search for novel treatment methods. Immune checkpoints play crucial roles in immune evasion mediated by tumor cells, and successful clinical outcomes have been achieved via blocking these pathways. However, only a small fraction of patients can benefit from current immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4. Unfortunately, some patients show primary and/or acquired resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Until now, novel immune checkpoint pathways have rarely been studied in esophageal cancer, and there is a great need for biomarkers to predict who will benefit from existing strategies. Herein, we primarily discuss the roles of new immune checkpoints as predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets for esophageal cancer. In addition, we summarize the ongoing clinical trials and provide future research directions targeting these pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyin Zhou
- School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Ting Ren
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongyuan Zan
- School of Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Chunyan Hua
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Chunyan Hua, ; Xufeng Guo,
| | - Xufeng Guo
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Chunyan Hua, ; Xufeng Guo,
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31
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PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway-Associated Genes Reveal a Putative Prognostic Signature Correlated with Immune Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. DISEASE MARKERS 2022; 2022:7545666. [PMID: 35592706 PMCID: PMC9112180 DOI: 10.1155/2022/7545666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Background The dysregulated PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway acts as the main regulator of tumorigenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Aim Here, we identify the prognostic significance of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway-associated genes (PAGs) as well as their putative signature based on PAGs in an HCC patient's cohort. Methods The transcriptomic data and clinical feature sets were queried to extract the putative prognostic signature. Results We identified nine PAGs with different expressions. GO and KEGG indicated that these differentially expressed genes were associated with various carcinogenic pathways. Based on the signature-computed median risk score, we categorized the patients into groups of low risk and high risk. The survival time for the low-risk group is longer than that of the high-risk group in Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves. The prognostic value of risk score (ROC = 0.736) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves performed better in comparison to that of other clinicopathological features. In both the GEO database and ICGC database, these outcomes were verified. The predictions of the overall survival rates in HCC patients of 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years can be obtained separately from the nomogram. The risk score was associated with the immune infiltrations of CD8 T cells, activated CD4 memory T cells, and follicular helper T cells, and the expression of immune checkpoints (PD-1, TIGIT, TIM-3, BTLA, LAG-3, and CTLA4) was positively relevant to the risk score. The sensitivity to several chemotherapeutic drugs can also be revealed by the signature. CDK1, PITX2, PRKAA2, and SFN were all upregulated in the tumor tissue of clinical samples. Conclusion A putative and differential dataset-validated prognostic signature on the basis of integrated bioinformatic analysis was established in our study, providing the immunotherapeutic targets as well as the personalized treatment in HCC with neoteric insight.
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32
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Akce M, El-Rayes BF, Bekaii-Saab TS. Frontline therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: an update. Therap Adv Gastroenterol 2022; 15:17562848221086126. [PMID: 35432597 PMCID: PMC9006370 DOI: 10.1177/17562848221086126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fastest increasing cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States and is projected to be the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States by 2030. Main risk factors include alcoholic cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). More than half of the patients have advanced-stage disease at presentation. Currently approved frontline systemic therapy options include sorafenib, lenvatinib, and atezolizumab/bevacizumab. Over the past decade, there has been a significant improvement in survival with a median overall survival of 19.2 months reported with first-line treatment with atezolizumab/bevacizumab. Based on positive results of randomized phase III HIMALAYA trial, durvalumab and tremelimumab combination could become another frontline option. Multiple frontline clinical trials with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) or ICI combined with other novel agents are underway. In the frontline setting, identifying predictive biomarkers for ICI-based or tyrosine kinase (TKI)-based therapy is an unmet need. Subsequent treatment is poorly defined in patients with prior ICI-based therapy since all the available second-line and beyond therapy was studied after first-line sorafenib. Frontline systemic therapy is poorly defined in certain subgroups of HCC such as Child-Pugh B and post-transplant recurrent HCC. The landscape of frontline HCC treatment is rapidly changing, and this article reviews the most recent treatment approaches to frontline therapy for advanced HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Akce
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bassel F. El-Rayes
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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Qiu ZQ, Wang X, Ji XW, Jiang FJ, Han XY, Zhang WL, An YH. The clinical relevance of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and its correlations with tumorigenic immune infiltrates in hepatocellular carcinoma. Immunology 2022; 166:185-196. [PMID: 35274290 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a cancer with extremely high mortality. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) may play an important role in the occurrence, invasion, and prognosis of HCC; however, its relationship with immunity in HCC has not yet been studied. Therefore, we investigated the diagnostic and prognostic values of EMT and explored its potential connections with tumorigenic immune infiltrates in HCC. We first proposed a quantitative metric of EMT activity, the EMT score. After applying this metric to 20 datasets from the Integrative Molecular Database of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, The Cancer Genome Atlas, and the Gene Expression Omnibus, we explored the ability of the EMT score to stratify across sample types. We then applied the EMT score for survival analysis and to differentiate patients with/without vascular invasion to test its prognostic value. We also collected and calculated data on the abundance of immune cells and immune cell markers in HCC and investigated their correlations with EMT scores. Finally, we synthesized and analyzed 20 datasets and constructed an EMT-gene-immune linkage network. The results showed higher EMT scores in HCC samples than in cirrhotic and normal livers. The cases with higher EMT scores also showed poorer performance in terms of prognostic factors such as vascular invasion and overall survival time. Our research demonstrated a broad correlation between EMT and the tumor immune microenvironment, and we uncovered multiple potential linkers associated with both EMT and immunity. Studying EMT has clinical relevance and high diagnostic and prognostic value for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Qiang Qiu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Xiang Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Xiang-Wen Ji
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Center for Noncoding RNA Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Fen-Jun Jiang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100093, China.,Department of Research and Development, Beijing Yihua Biological Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, 100041, China
| | - Xin-Ye Han
- Department of Research and Development, Beijing Yihua Biological Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing, 100041, China
| | - Wei-Li Zhang
- Department of Inpatient Administration and Medical Record Management, Third Medical Center, General Hospital of Chinese PLA, Beijing, 100039, China
| | - Yi-Hua An
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100093, China
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Tian S, Hu Y, Yang C, Yu J, Liu J, Xuan G, Liu Y, Sun K, Zhang M, Ma S, Shang Y, Zhou X, Han Y. A novel immune checkpoint-related gene signature for hepatocellular carcinoma to predict clinical outcomes and therapeutic response. MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES AND ENGINEERING : MBE 2022; 19:4719-4736. [PMID: 35430837 DOI: 10.3934/mbe.2022220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) have recently been proven to perform instrumental functions in the maintenance of immune homeostasis and represent a promising therapeutic strategy; however, their expression patterns and prognostic values are not fully elucidated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this investigation, we focused on establishing and validating a prognostic gene signature to facilitate decision-making in clinical practice. Clinical information, as well as transcriptome data, was obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database. Univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox method were employed to build a multi-gene signature in the TCGA database, while the ICGC database was used for validation. Subsequently, utilizing the six-gene signature, we were able to categorize patients into high- and low-risk groups. In two cohorts, survival analysis findings revealed a dismal outlook for the high-risk group. The receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to estimate the gene signature's prediction ability. Moreover, correlation analysis showed high-risk group was linked to advanced pathological stage, infiltration of immune cells and therapeutic response. In summary, this unique gene profile might serve not only as a useful prognostic indicator but also as a marker of therapy responsiveness in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyuan Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Yinan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Chunmei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Jiahao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Jingyi Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Guoyun Xuan
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Yansheng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Keshuai Sun
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Air Force Hospital from Eastern Theater of PLA, Nanjing 210002, China
| | - Miao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Shuoyi Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Yulong Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Xia Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
| | - Ying Han
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China
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Wang T, Zhang J, Li N, Li M, Ma S, Tan S, Guo X, Wang Z, Wu Z, Gao L, Ma C, Liang X. Spatial distribution and functional analysis define the action pathway of Tim-3/Tim-3 ligands in tumor development. Mol Ther 2022; 30:1135-1148. [PMID: 34808386 PMCID: PMC8899527 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial organization of immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME) largely determines the anti-tumor immunity and also highly predicts tumor progression and therapeutic response. Tim-3 is a well-accepted immune checkpoint and plays multifaceted immunoregulatory roles via interaction with distinct Tim-3 ligands (Tim-3L), showing great potential as an immunotherapy target. However, the cell sociology mediated by Tim-3/Tim-3L and their contribution to tumor development remains elusive. Here, we analyzed the spatial distribution of Tim-3/Tim-3L in TME using multiplex fluorescence staining and revealed that despite the increased Tim-3 expression in various tumor-infiltrated lymphocytes, Tim-3+CD4+ cells were more accumulated in parenchymal/tumor region compared with stromal region and exhibited more close association with patient survival. Strikingly, CD4 T cells surrounding Tim-3L+ cells expressed higher Tim-3 than other cells in cancerous tissues. In vivo studies confirmed that depletion of CD4 T cells completely abrogated the inhibition of tumor growth and metastasis, as well as the functional improvement of CD8 T and NK, mediated by Tim-3 blockade, which was further validated in peripheral lymphocytes from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. In conclusion, our findings unravel the importance of CD4 T cells in Tim-3/Tim-3L-mediated immunosuppression and provide new thoughts for Tim-3 targeted cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tixiao Wang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Na Li
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Mengzhen Li
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Shuaiya Ma
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Siyu Tan
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaowei Guo
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Zehua Wang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Zhuanchang Wu
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Lifen Gao
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Chunhong Ma
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China; Shandong Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Equipment for Biological Diagnosis and Therapy, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China.
| | - Xiaohong Liang
- Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity of Shandong Province, and Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo Medical College of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China; Shandong Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Equipment for Biological Diagnosis and Therapy, Jinan 250012, Shandong, China.
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Qian Y, Su H, Ge Y, Lei K, Li Y, Fan H. Prognostic value of PD-L1 expression combined with hypoxia-associated immunosuppression in hepatocellular carcinoma. Biomark Med 2022; 16:435-448. [PMID: 35212229 DOI: 10.2217/bmm-2021-1051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Hypoxia and immunosuppression are two properties of cancer. This study intends to establish the potential relationship between these two hallmarks in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials & methods: A bioinformatics analysis of data obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas and a retrospective single-center analysis based on a tissue microarray were utilized in this study. Results: We identified a hypoxia-high subtype of patients with immunosuppressive HCC which represented a poor prognosis in the Cancer Genome Atlas cohort. Immunohistochemical analysis of the tissue microarray showed that tumor PD-L1 expression was positively linked to HIF-1α expression, pro-tumor immunocyte infiltration and poor survival in HCC patients. Conclusion: This study provides evidence supporting the correlation between hypoxic signals and immunosuppression in HCC; the combined use of them might improve survival prediction and act as a potential predictor for PD-1/PD-L1 therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Qian
- Department of Medical Genetics & Developmental Biology, Medical School of Southeast University, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes & Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Hongmeng Su
- Department of Medical Genetics & Developmental Biology, Medical School of Southeast University, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes & Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Yanping Ge
- Department of Medical Genetics & Developmental Biology, Medical School of Southeast University, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes & Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Kai Lei
- Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Yiping Li
- Department of Pathology, Medical School, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China
| | - Hong Fan
- Department of Medical Genetics & Developmental Biology, Medical School of Southeast University, The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes & Human Diseases, Ministry of Education, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210009, China
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Li J, Wang S, Lin X, Cao Y, Cai Z, Wang J, Zhang Z, Liu X, Wu M, Yao C. Red Blood Cell-Mimic Nanocatalyst Triggering Radical Storm to Augment Cancer Immunotherapy. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2022; 14:57. [PMID: 35122163 PMCID: PMC8817004 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-022-00801-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Red blood cells (RBCs) have recently emerged as promosing candidates for cancer treatment in terms of relieving tumor hypoxia and inducing oxidative damage against cancer cells, but they are still far from satisfactory due to their limited oxygen transport and reactive oxygen species generation rate in tumor tissue. Herein, artificial RBCs (designated FTP@RBCM) with radical storm production ability were developed for oncotherapy through multidimensional reactivity pathways of Fe-protoporphyrin-based hybrid metal-organic frameworks (FTPs, as the core), including photodynamic/chemodynamic-like, catalase-like and glutathione peroxidase-like activities. Meanwhile, owing to the advantages of long circulation abilities of RBCs provided by their cell membranes (RBCMs), FTP with a surface coated with RBCMs (FTP@RBCM) could enormously accumulate at tumor site to achieve remarkably enhanced therapeutic efficiency. Intriguingly, this ROS-mediated dynamic therapy was demonstrated to induce acute local inflammation and high immunogenic cancer death, which evoked a systemic antitumor immune response when combined with the newly identified T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-containing molecule 3 (Tim-3) checkpoint blockade, leading to not only effective elimination of primary tumors but also an abscopal effect of growth suppression of distant tumors. Therefore, such RBC-mimic nanocatalysts with multidimensional catalytic capacities might provide a promising new insight into synergistic cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiong Li
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biomedical Photonics and Sensing, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Sijia Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biomedical Photonics and Sensing, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinyi Lin
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biomedical Photonics and Sensing, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanbing Cao
- The United Innovation of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Technology Key Laboratory of Fujian Province, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, People's Republic of China
- Mengchao Med-X Center, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhixiong Cai
- The United Innovation of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Technology Key Laboratory of Fujian Province, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, People's Republic of China
- Mengchao Med-X Center, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biomedical Photonics and Sensing, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenxi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biomedical Photonics and Sensing, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaolong Liu
- The United Innovation of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Technology Key Laboratory of Fujian Province, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, People's Republic of China
- Mengchao Med-X Center, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Wu
- The United Innovation of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Technology Key Laboratory of Fujian Province, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350025, People's Republic of China.
- Mengchao Med-X Center, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350116, People's Republic of China.
| | - Cuiping Yao
- Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biomedical Photonics and Sensing, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, People's Republic of China.
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Carloni R, Rizzo A, Ricci AD, Frega G, Federico AD, Palloni A, Marco MD, Gadaleta-Caldarola G, Brandi G. Dual immune checkpoint blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma: where do we stand? Future Oncol 2022; 18:1023-1034. [PMID: 35109664 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2021-0905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death. Surgery, local ablative therapies and liver transplantation are the only potentially curative strategies, but the majority of patients present with advanced disease at diagnosis or develop recurrence after surgery. In recent years, immunotherapy for HCC has received growing interest, and one of the most promising strategies is the association of two immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which has already demonstrated its potential in other solid tumors such as melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. Herein, we discuss the role and the biologic rationale of dual immune checkpoint blockade in HCC patients, focusing on the two ICI combinations: nivolumab plus ipilimumab and durvalumab plus tremelimumab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Carloni
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Rizzo
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology Unit, 'Mons. R. Dimiccoli' Hospital, Barletta (BT), Azienda Sanitaria Locale Barletta, 76121, Italy
| | - Angela Dalia Ricci
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy.,Medical Oncology Unit, 'Mons. R. Dimiccoli' Hospital, Barletta (BT), Azienda Sanitaria Locale Barletta, 76121, Italy
| | - Giorgio Frega
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandro Di Federico
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Palloni
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy
| | - Mariacristina Di Marco
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy
| | - Gennaro Gadaleta-Caldarola
- Medical Oncology Unit, 'Mons. R. Dimiccoli' Hospital, Barletta (BT), Azienda Sanitaria Locale Barletta, 76121, Italy
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Via Albertoni 15, Bologna, Italy
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Lu K, Ma H, Wang T, Huang Y, Ru M. The diagnostic value of soluble TIM-3 in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Future Oncol 2022; 18. [PMID: 35051343 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2021-1379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the soluble TIM-3 (sTIM-3) expression level in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and determine its clinical diagnostic potential. Methods: The sTIM-3 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCAg) levels of 199 OSCC patients and 107 healthy individuals were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and their individual and combined efficiency rates were compared. Results: The results showed higher sTIM-3 and SCCAg levels in the OSCC patients and better diagnostic potential for a combination of these markers than for their individual assessments, as well as positive correlation of sTIM-3 levels with clinicopathological factors. Conclusion: sTIM-3 is a potential novel and readily accessible OSCC biomarker, which in combination with SCCAg expression level might better diagnose OSCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kairui Lu
- Department of General Dentistry, The Third People's Hospital of Bengbu, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Hongtao Ma
- Department of General Dentistry, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- National Center for Stomatology; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, China
| | - Tingting Wang
- Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Yongsong Huang
- Department of Stomatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Meilin Ru
- Community Health Service Center of Huajing Town, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
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40
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Zhang H, Zhang W, Jiang L, Chen Y. Recent advances in systemic therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Biomark Res 2022; 10:3. [PMID: 35000616 PMCID: PMC8744248 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-021-00350-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and lethal malignant tumors in the world. Therapeutic options for advanced HCC are limited. Systemic treatment, especially with conventional cytotoxic drugs, is usually ineffective. For more than a decade, sorafenib has been the only systemic drug that has been proven to be clinically effective for treating advanced HCC. However, over the past three years, the rapid progress of molecular targeted therapies has dramatically changed the treatment landscape for advanced HCC. Immune checkpoint therapies are now being incorporated into HCC therapies, and their combination with molecular targeted therapy is emerging as a tool to enhance the immune response. In this review, we summarize the development and progress of molecular targeted agents and immunotherapies in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huajun Zhang
- Department of Oncology, NHC Key Laboratory of Cancer Proteomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Wuyang Zhang
- Clinical skills training center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China
| | - Longying Jiang
- Department of Oncology, NHC Key Laboratory of Cancer Proteomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
| | - Yongheng Chen
- Department of Oncology, NHC Key Laboratory of Cancer Proteomics, Laboratory of Structural Biology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, China.
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41
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Enhancing immunotherapy in cancer by targeting emerging immunomodulatory pathways. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2022; 19:37-50. [PMID: 34580473 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-021-00552-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 352] [Impact Index Per Article: 176.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The discovery and clinical implementation of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting CTLA4, PD-1 and PD-L1 has revolutionized the treatment of cancer, as recognized by the 2018 Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology. This groundbreaking new approach has improved the outcomes of patients with various forms of advanced-stage cancer; however, the majority of patients receiving these therapies, even in combination, do not derive clinical benefit. Further development of agents targeting additional immune checkpoints, co-stimulatory receptors and/or co-inhibitory receptors that control T cell function is therefore critical. In this Review, we discuss the translational potential and clinical development of agents targeting both co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory T cell receptors. Specifically, we describe their mechanisms of action, and provide an overview of ongoing clinical trials involving novel ICIs including those targeting LAG3, TIM3, TIGIT and BTLA as well as agonists of the co-stimulatory receptors GITR, OX40, 41BB and ICOS. We also discuss several additional approaches, such as harnessing T cell metabolism, in particular via adenosine signalling, inhibition of IDO1, and targeting changes in glucose and fatty acid metabolism. We conclude that further efforts are needed to optimize the timing of combination ICI approaches and, most importantly, to individualize immunotherapy based on both patient-specific and tumour-specific characteristics.
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Immune suppressive checkpoint interactions in the tumour microenvironment of primary liver cancers. Br J Cancer 2022; 126:10-23. [PMID: 34400801 PMCID: PMC8727557 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-021-01453-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers, and the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The therapeutic options for the main types of primary liver cancer-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA)-are very limited. HCC and CCA are immunogenic cancers, but effective immune-mediated tumour control is prevented by their immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. Despite the critical involvement of key co-inhibitory immune checkpoint interactions in immunosuppression in liver cancer, only a minority of patients with HCC respond to monotherapy using approved checkpoint inhibitor antibodies. To develop effective (combinatorial) therapeutic immune checkpoint strategies for liver cancer, in-depth knowledge of the different mechanisms that contribute to intratumoral immunosuppression is needed. Here, we review the co-inhibitory pathways that are known to suppress intratumoral T cells in HCC and CCA. We provide a detailed description of insights from preclinical studies in cellular crosstalk within the tumour microenvironment that results in interactions between co-inhibitory receptors on different T-cell subsets and their ligands on other cell types, including tumour cells. We suggest alternative immune checkpoints as promising targets, and draw attention to the possibility of combined targeting of co-inhibitory and co-stimulatory pathways to abrogate immunosuppression.
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Chen K, Gu Y, Cao Y, Fang H, Lv K, Liu X, He X, Wang J, Lin C, Liu H, Zhang H, He H, Xu J, Li H, Li R. TIM3 + cells in gastric cancer: clinical correlates and association with immune context. Br J Cancer 2022; 126:100-108. [PMID: 34725458 PMCID: PMC8727614 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-021-01607-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM3) is a crucial immune checkpoint and is considered as an emerging target for cancer treatment. However, the clinical significance and immune-related role of TIM3+ cells in gastric cancer remain unknown. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of tumour-infiltrating TIM3+ cells and their association with immune contexture in gastric cancer. METHODS This study enrolled three cohorts, including 436 tumour tissue microarray specimens and 58 fresh tumour tissues of gastric cancer patients from Zhongshan Hospital, and 330 transcriptional data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. TIM3+ cells and their association with CD8+ T cells were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry analyses. Kaplan-Meier curves, Cox model and interaction test were performed to assess clinical outcomes. RESULTS Tumour-infiltrating TIM3+ cells' high subgroups experienced poorer overall survival and disease-free survival and predicted inferior therapeutic responsiveness to fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy. TIM3 indicated CD8+ T cell dysfunction, which impeded chemotherapeutic responsiveness. Besides, HAVCR2 messenger RNA expression was associated with specific molecular characteristics. CONCLUSIONS The abundance of tumour-infiltrating TIM3+ cells could identify an immunoevasive subtype gastric cancer with CD8+ T cell dysfunction, suggesting that TIM3 might serve as a promising target for immunotherapy in gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Chen
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yun Gu
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yifan Cao
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hanji Fang
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kunpeng Lv
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Liu
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xudong He
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jieti Wang
- grid.452404.30000 0004 1808 0942Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Chao Lin
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao Liu
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Heng Zhang
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongyong He
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiejie Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - He Li
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Ruochen Li
- Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Cai C, Yang L, Zhou K. 8DEstablishment and validation of a hypoxia-related signature predicting prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma. BMC Gastroenterol 2021; 21:463. [PMID: 34895169 PMCID: PMC8667367 DOI: 10.1186/s12876-021-02057-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hypoxia plays a crucial role in immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by changing the tumor microenvironment. Until now the association between hypoxia genes and prognosis of HCC remains obscure. We attempt to construct a hypoxia model to predict the prognosis in HCC.
Results We screened out 3 hypoxia genes (ENO1, UGP2, TPI1) to make the model, which can predict prognosis in HCC. And this model emerges as an independent prognostic factor for HCC. A Nomogram was drawn to evaluate the overall survival in a more accurate way. Furthermore, immune infiltration state and immunosuppressive microenvironment of the tumor were detected in high-risk patients. Conclusion We establish and validate a risk prognostic model developed by 3 hypoxia genes, which could effectively evaluate the prognosis of HCC patients. This prognostic model can be used as a guidance for hypoxia modification in HCC patients undergoing immunotherapy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-021-02057-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congbo Cai
- Emergency Department of Yinzhou No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, 315000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Lei Yang
- Emergency Department of Yinzhou No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, 315000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kena Zhou
- Gastroenterology Department of Ningbo No. 9 Hospital, Ningbo, 315000, Zhejiang, China.
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45
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Immunotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: New Prospects for the Cancer Therapy. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11121355. [PMID: 34947886 PMCID: PMC8704694 DOI: 10.3390/life11121355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. HCC patients may benefit from liver transplantation, hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, and targeted therapies. The increased infiltration of immunosuppressive immune cells and the elevated expression of immunosuppressive factors in the HCC microenvironment are the main culprits of the immunosuppressive nature of the HCC milieu. The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment can substantially attenuate antitumoral immune responses and facilitate the immune evasion of tumoral cells. Immunotherapy is an innovative treatment method that has been promising in treating HCC. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), adoptive cell transfer (ACT), and cell-based (primarily dendritic cells) and non-cell-based vaccines are the most common immunotherapeutic approaches for HCC treatment. However, these therapeutic approaches have not generally induced robust antitumoral responses in clinical settings. To answer to this, growing evidence has characterized immune cell populations and delineated intercellular cross-talk using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies. This review aims to discuss the various types of tumor-infiltrating immune cells and highlight their roles in HCC development. Besides, we discuss the recent advances in immunotherapeutic approaches for treating HCC, e.g., ICIs, dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines, non-cell-based vaccines, oncolytic viruses (OVs), and ACT. Finally, we discuss the potentiality of scRNA-seq to improve the response rate of HCC patients to immunotherapeutic approaches.
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Rezaei M, Tan J, Zeng C, Li Y, Ganjalikhani-Hakemi M. TIM-3 in Leukemia; Immune Response and Beyond. Front Oncol 2021; 11:753677. [PMID: 34660319 PMCID: PMC8514831 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.753677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3) expression on malignant cells has been reported in some leukemias. In myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), increased TIM-3 expression on TH1 cells, regulatory T cells, CD8+ T cells, and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which play a role in the proliferation of blasts and induction of immune escape, has been reported. In AML, several studies have reported overexpression of TIM-3 on leukemia stem cells (LSCs) but not on healthy HSCs. Overexpression of TIM-3 on exhausted CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and leukemic cells in CML, ALL, and CLL patients could be a prognostic risk factor for poor therapeutic response and relapse in patients. Currently, several TIM-3 inhibitors are used in clinical trials for leukemias, and some have shown encouraging response rates for MDS and AML treatment. For AML immunotherapy, blockade TIM-3 may have dual effects: directly inhibiting AML cell proliferation and restoring T cell function. However, blockade of PD-1 and TIM-3 fails to restore the function of exhausted CD8+ T cells in the early clinical stages of CLL, indicating that the effects of TIM-3 blockade may be different in AML and other leukemias. Thus, further studies are required to evaluate the efficacy of TIM-3 inhibitors in different types and stages of leukemia. In this review, we summarize the biological functions of TIM-3 and its contribution as it relates to leukemias. We also discuss the effects of TIM-3 blockade in hematological malignancies and clinical trials of TIM-3 for leukemia therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahnaz Rezaei
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Jiaxiong Tan
- Department of Hematology, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chengwu Zeng
- Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yangqiu Li
- Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mazdak Ganjalikhani-Hakemi
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.,Acquired Immunodeficiency Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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Zhang W, Kong X, Ai B, Wang Z, Wang X, Wang N, Zheng S, Fang Y, Wang J. Research Progresses in Immunological Checkpoint Inhibitors for Breast Cancer Immunotherapy. Front Oncol 2021; 11:582664. [PMID: 34631507 PMCID: PMC8495193 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.582664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor immune escape refers to the phenomenon in which tumor cells escape the recognition and attack of the body’s immune system through various mechanisms so that they can survive and proliferate in vivo. The imbalance of immune checkpoint protein expression is the primary mechanism for breast cancer to achieve immune escape. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death protein-ligand 1 (PD-L1) are critical immune checkpoints for breast cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors block the checkpoint and relieve its inhibition effect on immune cells, reactivate T-cells and destroy cancer cells and restore the body’s ability to resist tumors. At present, immunological checkpoint inhibitors have made significant progress in breast cancer immunotherapy, and it is expected to become a new treatment for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiang Zhang
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangyi Kong
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Bolun Ai
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongzhao Wang
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangyu Wang
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Nianchang Wang
- Department of Cancer Prevention, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Zheng
- Department of Pathology, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Fang
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Breast Surgical Oncology, China National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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Tian T, Li Z. Targeting Tim-3 in Cancer With Resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 Blockade. Front Oncol 2021; 11:731175. [PMID: 34631560 PMCID: PMC8492972 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.731175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) or programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) blocking therapy has completely changed the treatment pattern of malignant tumors. It has been tested in a wide range of malignant tumors and achieved clinical success. It might be a promising cancer treatment strategy. However, one of the important disadvantages of PD-1/PD-L1 blocking therapy is that only a few patients have a positive response to it. In addition, primary or acquired drug resistance can also lead to cancer recurrence in patients with clinical response. Therefore, it is very important to overcome the resistance of PD-1/PD-L1 blocking therapy and improve the overall response rate of patients to the immunotherapy. T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain molecule 3 (Tim-3) belongs to the co-inhibitory receptor family involved in immune checkpoint function. Due to adaptive resistance, the expression of Tim-3 is up-regulated in PD-1/PD-L1 blocking therapy resistant tumors. Therefore, blocking the immune checkpoint Tim-3 might antagonize the resistance of PD-1/PD-L1 blocking therapy. This review systematically introduces the preclinical and clinical data of combined blockade of Tim-3 and PD-1/PD-L1 in cancer immunotherapy, and discusses the prospect of overcoming the drug resistance of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy through blockade of Tim-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Tian
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhaoming Li
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Han S, Zhu W, Yang W, Guan Q, Chen C, He Q, Zhong Z, Zhao R, Xiong H, Han H, Li Y, Sun Z, Hu X, Tian J. A Prognostic Signature Constructed by CTHRC1 and LRFN4 in Stomach Adenocarcinoma. Front Genet 2021; 12:646818. [PMID: 34512711 PMCID: PMC8427509 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.646818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) is the most common histological type of stomach cancer, which causes a considerable number of deaths worldwide. This study aimed to identify its potential biomarkers with the notion of revealing the underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS Gene expression profile microarray data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The "limma" R package was used to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between STAD and matched normal tissues. The Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used for function enrichment analyses of DEGs. The STAD dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to identify a prognostic gene signature, which was verified in another STAD dataset from the GEO database. CIBERSORT algorithm was used to characterize the 22 human immune cell compositions. The expression of LRFN4 and CTHRC1 in tissues was determined by quantitative real-time PCR from the patients recruited to the present study. RESULTS Three public datasets including 90 STAD patients and 43 healthy controls were analyzed, from which 44 genes were differentially expressed in all three datasets. These genes were implicated in biological processes including cell adhesion, wound healing, and extracellular matrix organization. Five out of 44 genes showed significant survival differences. Among them, CTHRC1 and LRFN4 were selected for construction of prognostic signature by univariate Cox regression and stepwise multivariate Cox regression in the TCGA-STAD dataset. The fidelity of the signature was evaluated in another independent dataset and showed a good classification effect. The infiltration levels of multiple immune cells between high-risk and low-risk groups had significant differences, as well as two immune checkpoints. TIM-3 and PD-L2 were highly correlated with the risk score. Multiple signaling pathways differed between the two groups of patients. At the same time, the expression level of LRFN4 and CTHRC1 in tissues analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR were consistent with the in silico findings. CONCLUSION The present study constructed the prognostic signature by expression of CTHRC1 and LRFN4 for the first time via comprehensive bioinformatics analysis, which provided the potential therapeutic targets of STAD for clinical treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Songling Han
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- Changshu Qiushi Technology Co., Ltd., Suzhou, China
| | - Weili Yang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qijie Guan
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Chao Chen
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qiang He
- Department of Nephrology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhuoheng Zhong
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ruoke Zhao
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hangming Xiong
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haote Han
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yaohan Li
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zijian Sun
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xingjiang Hu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingkui Tian
- The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
- College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Yang F, Zeng Z, Li J, Ren X, Wei F. TIM-3 and CEACAM1 are Prognostic Factors in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:619765. [PMID: 34368221 PMCID: PMC8343070 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.619765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: T-cell Immunoglobulin and Mucin domain-containing molecule-3 (TIM-3) is a new immune checkpoint molecule which plays important and complex roles in regulating immune responses and in inducing immune tolerance. TIM-3 is expressed on activated T cells and its signaling on cytotoxic T cells leads to T cell exhaustion which is mediated by carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1), another well-known molecule expressed on tumor tissues and/or tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Methods: In the present study, we investigated TIM-3 and CEACAM1 immunohistochemical expression in 80 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) specimens, linked to detailed outcome, clinic-pathological parameters. Here we reported scores and absolute counts of TIM-3+/CEACAM1+ TILs, and evaluated the expression of CEACAM1 on tumor tissues. Results: The results showed that more TIM-3+ TILs infiltration correlated with poorer overall survival (p < 0.001), as did the presence of CEACAM1 on cancer cells (p < 0.001) and CEACAM1+ TILs in tumor microenvironment (p = 0.015). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that high TIM-3+ TILs may be considered as an independent prognostic factor of poor disease outcome (hazard ratio, 2.066; 95% confidence interval, 1.027-4.159; p = 0.042), as well as cancer cells expressed CEACAM1 level (hazard ratio, 5.885; 95% confidence interval, 2.832-12.230; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our results indicate that expression of TIM-3 and CEACAM1 may represent a highly dysfunctional population of T cells. Our current findings suggest both of them were valuable predicting markers that might provide help for clinicians to design effective immunotherapeutic regimen against head and neck carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Yang
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Department of Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Ziqing Zeng
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiubao Ren
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,Department of Biotherapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
| | - Feng Wei
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cancer Immunology and Biotherapy, Tianjin, China
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