|
1
|
Yao Z, Zeng Y, Liu C, Jin H, Wang H, Zhang Y, Ding C, Chen G, Wu D. Focusing on CD8 + T-cell phenotypes: improving solid tumor therapy. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:266. [PMID: 39342365 PMCID: PMC11437975 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03195-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 09/17/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Vigorous CD8+ T cells play a crucial role in recognizing tumor cells and combating solid tumors. How T cells efficiently recognize and target tumor antigens, and how they maintain the activity in the "rejection" of solid tumor microenvironment, are major concerns. Recent advances in understanding of the immunological trajectory and lifespan of CD8+ T cells have provided guidance for the design of more optimal anti-tumor immunotherapy regimens. Here, we review the newly discovered methods to enhance the function of CD8+ T cells against solid tumors, focusing on optimizing T cell receptor (TCR) expression, improving antigen recognition by engineered T cells, enhancing signal transduction of the TCR-CD3 complex, inducing the homing of polyclonal functional T cells to tumors, reversing T cell exhaustion under chronic antigen stimulation, and reprogramming the energy and metabolic pathways of T cells. We also discuss how to participate in the epigenetic changes of CD8+ T cells to regulate two key indicators of anti-tumor responses, namely effectiveness and persistence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhouchi Yao
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Yayun Zeng
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Huimin Jin
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Department of Scientific Research, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning, 121001, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| | - Chengming Ding
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| | - Guodong Chen
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| | - Daichao Wu
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China.
| |
Collapse
|
|
2
|
Luo W, Wen T, Qu X. Tumor immune microenvironment-based therapies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: time to update the concept. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:8. [PMID: 38167055 PMCID: PMC10759657 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02935-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal solid tumors. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) formed by interactions among cancer cells, immune cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), and extracellular matrix (ECM) components drives PDAC in a more immunosuppressive direction: this is a major cause of therapy resistance and poor prognosis. In recent years, research has advanced our understanding of the signaling mechanism by which TIME components interact with the tumor and the evolution of immunophenotyping. Through revolutionary technologies such as single-cell sequencing, we have gone from simply classifying PDACs as "cold" and "hot" to a more comprehensive approach of immunophenotyping that considers all the cells and matrix components. This is key to improving the clinical efficacy of PDAC treatments. In this review, we elaborate on various TIME components in PDAC, the signaling mechanisms underlying their interactions, and the latest research into PDAC immunophenotyping. A deep understanding of these network interactions will contribute to the effective combination of TIME-based therapeutic approaches, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), adoptive cell therapy, therapies targeting myeloid cells, CAF reprogramming, and stromal normalization. By selecting the appropriate integrated therapies based on precise immunophenotyping, significant advances in the future treatment of PDAC are possible.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenyu Luo
- Department of Medical Oncology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China
- Key Laboratory of Anticancer Drugs and Biotherapy of Liaoning Province, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China
- Clinical Cancer Research Center of Shenyang, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumors, Ministry of Education, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China
| | - Ti Wen
- Department of Medical Oncology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China.
- Key Laboratory of Anticancer Drugs and Biotherapy of Liaoning Province, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China.
- Clinical Cancer Research Center of Shenyang, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, China.
- Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumors, Ministry of Education, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China.
| | - Xiujuan Qu
- Department of Medical Oncology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China.
- Key Laboratory of Anticancer Drugs and Biotherapy of Liaoning Province, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China.
- Clinical Cancer Research Center of Shenyang, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, China.
- Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tumors, Ministry of Education, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, China.
| |
Collapse
|
|
3
|
Wang J, Zhang T, Li P, Gai J, Chen S, Espinoza G, Kung HC, Zhang R, Fujiwara K, Fu J, Yu J, Zheng L. Engineered TCR T-cell therapy targeting mass spectrometry-identified natural epitope in PDAC. Cancer Lett 2023; 573:216366. [PMID: 37640197 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Tumor antigens are crucial targets for T-cell-based therapy to induce tumor-specific rejection. However, identifying pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)-specific T-cell epitopes has been challenging. Using advanced mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, we previously identified cancer-associated, class I MHC-bound epitopes shared by multiple PDAC patients with different HLA-A types. Here, we investigated one of these epitopes, LAMC2203-211, a naturally occurring nonmutated epitope on the LAMC2 protein. Following stimulation with the LAMC2203-211 peptide, we cloned T-cell receptors (TCRs) and transduced them into the Jurkat human T-cell line using a lentiviral vector. We found that Jurkat cells expressing LAMC2203-211-specific TCRs resulted in potent, LAMC2 specific, in vitro cytotoxic effects on PDAC cells. Furthermore, in mice that harbored either subcutaneously or orthotopically implanted tumors originating from both HLA-A allele-matched and unmatched PDAC patients, tumor growth was suppressed in a LAMC2-dependent manner following the infusion of LAMC2-targeting T cells. We have therefore developed a LAMC2-specific TCR-based T-cell therapy strategy likely suitable for many PDAC patients. This is the first study to adopt MS analysis to identify natural CD8+ T-cell epitopes in PDAC that could potentially serve as targets for PDAC immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianxin Wang
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tengyi Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Pan Li
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jessica Gai
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Sophia Chen
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Gigi Espinoza
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Heng-Chung Kung
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Kenji Fujiwara
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Surgery, Kimura Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Juan Fu
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Jun Yu
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA
| | - Lei Zheng
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Pancreatic Cancer Precision Medicine Center of Excellence Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; The Bloomberg Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA; Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
| |
Collapse
|