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Perevalova AM, Kononchuk VV, Kalinina TS, Kozlov VV, Gulyaeva LF, Pustylnyak VO. Smoking-Mediated miR-301a/IRF1 Axis Controlling Immunotherapy Response in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Revealed by Bioinformatic Analysis. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2208. [PMID: 38927914 PMCID: PMC11202148 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16122208] [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: 05/12/2024] [Revised: 06/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Smoking is an established risk factor for a variety of malignant tumors, the most well-known of which is lung cancer. Various molecular interactions are known to link tobacco smoke exposure to lung cancer, but new data are still emerging on the effects of smoking on lung cancer development, progression, and tumor response to therapy. In this study, we reveal in further detail the previously established association between smoking and hsa-mir-301a activity in lung squamous cell carcinoma, LUSC. Using different bioinformatic tools, we identified IRF1 as a key smoking-regulated target of hsa-mir-301a in LUSC. We further confirmed this relationship experimentally using clinical LUSC tissue samples and intact lung tissue samples. Thus, increased hsa-mir-301a levels, decreased IRF1 mRNA levels, and their negative correlation were shown in LUSC tumor samples. Additional bioinformatic investigation for potential pathways impacted by such a mechanism demonstrated IRF1's multifaceted role in controlling the antitumor immune response in LUSC. IRF1 was then shown to affect tumor immune infiltration, the expression of immune checkpoint molecules, and the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy. As a result, here we suggest a smoking-regulated mir301a/IRF1 molecular axis that could modulate the antitumor immune response and immunotherapy efficacy in LUSC, opening up novel opportunities for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina M. Perevalova
- Zelman Institute for the Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova Street, 1, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (A.M.P.); (L.F.G.)
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, 630117 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.V.K.); (T.S.K.); (V.V.K.)
| | - Vladislav V. Kononchuk
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, 630117 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.V.K.); (T.S.K.); (V.V.K.)
| | - Tatiana S. Kalinina
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, 630117 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.V.K.); (T.S.K.); (V.V.K.)
| | - Vadim V. Kozlov
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, 630117 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.V.K.); (T.S.K.); (V.V.K.)
- Novosibirsk Regional Oncology Center, 630108 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Lyudmila F. Gulyaeva
- Zelman Institute for the Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova Street, 1, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (A.M.P.); (L.F.G.)
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, 630117 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.V.K.); (T.S.K.); (V.V.K.)
| | - Vladimir O. Pustylnyak
- Zelman Institute for the Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova Street, 1, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (A.M.P.); (L.F.G.)
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, 630117 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.V.K.); (T.S.K.); (V.V.K.)
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2
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Perevalova AM, Gulyaeva LF, Pustylnyak VO. Roles of Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 in Tumor Progression and Regression: Two Sides of a Coin. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2153. [PMID: 38396830 PMCID: PMC10889282 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042153] [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: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
IRF1 is a transcription factor well known for its role in IFN signaling. Although IRF1 was initially identified for its involvement in inflammatory processes, there is now evidence that it provides a function in carcinogenesis as well. IRF1 has been shown to affect several important antitumor mechanisms, such as induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, remodeling of tumor immune microenvironment, suppression of telomerase activity, suppression of angiogenesis and others. Nevertheless, the opposite effects of IRF1 on tumor growth have also been demonstrated. In particular, the "immune checkpoint" molecule PD-L1, which is responsible for tumor immune evasion, has IRF1 as a major transcriptional regulator. These and several other properties of IRF1, including its proposed association with response and resistance to immunotherapy and several chemotherapeutic drugs, make it a promising object for further research. Numerous mechanisms of IRF1 regulation in cancer have been identified, including genetic, epigenetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational mechanisms, although their significance for tumor progression remains to be explored. This review will focus on the established tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting functions of IRF1, as well as the molecular mechanisms of IRF1 regulation identified in various cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina M. Perevalova
- Zelman Institute for the Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova Street, 1, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia; (A.M.P.)
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Timakova Street, 2/12, Novosibirsk 630117, Russia
| | - Lyudmila F. Gulyaeva
- Zelman Institute for the Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova Street, 1, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia; (A.M.P.)
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Timakova Street, 2/12, Novosibirsk 630117, Russia
| | - Vladimir O. Pustylnyak
- Zelman Institute for the Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Pirogova Street, 1, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia; (A.M.P.)
- Federal Research Center of Fundamental and Translational Medicine, Timakova Street, 2/12, Novosibirsk 630117, Russia
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3
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Amrane K, Le Meur C, Besse B, Hemon P, Le Noac’h P, Pradier O, Berthou C, Abgral R, Uguen A. HLA-DR expression in melanoma: from misleading therapeutic target to potential immunotherapy biomarker. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1285895. [PMID: 38299143 PMCID: PMC10827890 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1285895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the advent of anti-PD1 immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy, cutaneous melanoma has undergone a true revolution with prolonged survival, as available 5-year updates for progression-free survival and overall survival demonstrate a durable clinical benefit for melanoma patients receiving ICI. However, almost half of patients fail to respond to treatment, or relapse sooner or later after the initial response to therapy. Little is known about the reasons for these failures. The identification of biomarkers seems necessary to better understand this resistance. Among these biomarkers, HLA-DR, a component of MHC II and abnormally expressed in certain tumor types including melanoma for unknown reasons, seems to be an interesting marker. The aim of this review, prepared by an interdisciplinary group of experts, is to take stock of the current literature on the potential interest of HLA-DR expression in melanoma as a predictive biomarker of ICI outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Amrane
- Department of Oncology, Regional Hospital of Morlaix, Morlaix, France
- Inserm, Unité mixte de recherche (UMR1227), Lymphocytes B et Autoimmunité, Univ Brest, Inserm, LabEx Immunotherapy-Graft-Oncology (IGO), Brest, France
| | - Coline Le Meur
- Department of Radiotherapy, University Hospital of Brest, Brest, France
| | - Benjamin Besse
- Department of Cancer Medicine, Gustave Roussy Cancer Centre, Villejuif, France
- Faculty of Medicine, University Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin Bicêtre, France
| | - Patrice Hemon
- Inserm, Unité mixte de recherche (UMR1227), Lymphocytes B et Autoimmunité, Univ Brest, Inserm, LabEx Immunotherapy-Graft-Oncology (IGO), Brest, France
| | - Pierre Le Noac’h
- Inserm, Unité mixte de recherche (UMR1227), Lymphocytes B et Autoimmunité, Univ Brest, Inserm, LabEx Immunotherapy-Graft-Oncology (IGO), Brest, France
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Brest, Brest, France
| | - Olivier Pradier
- Department of Radiotherapy, University Hospital of Brest, Brest, France
| | - Christian Berthou
- Inserm, Unité mixte de recherche (UMR1227), Lymphocytes B et Autoimmunité, Univ Brest, Inserm, LabEx Immunotherapy-Graft-Oncology (IGO), Brest, France
- Department of Hematology, University Hospital of Brest, Brest, France
| | - Ronan Abgral
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Brest, Brest, France
- UMR Inserm 1304 Groupe d'Étude de la Thrombose de Bretagne Occidentale (GETBO), IFR 148, University of Western Brittany, Brest, France
| | - Arnaud Uguen
- Inserm, Unité mixte de recherche (UMR1227), Lymphocytes B et Autoimmunité, Univ Brest, Inserm, LabEx Immunotherapy-Graft-Oncology (IGO), Brest, France
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Brest, Brest, France
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4
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Zou W, Luo X, Gao M, Yu C, Wan X, Yu S, Wu Y, Wang A, Fenical W, Wei Z, Zhao Y, Lu Y. Optimization of cancer immunotherapy on the basis of programmed death ligand-1 distribution and function. Br J Pharmacol 2024; 181:257-272. [PMID: 36775813 PMCID: PMC11080663 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint blockade as a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy has shown unprecedented positive outcomes in the clinic. However, the overall effectiveness of PD-L1 antibody is less than expected. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that PD-L1 is widely distributed and expressed not only on the cell membrane but also on the inside of the cells as well as on the extracellular vesicles secreted by tumour cells. Both endogenous and exogenous PD-L1 play significant roles in influencing the therapeutic effect of anti-tumour immunity. Herein, we mainly focused on the distribution and function of PD-L1 and further summarized the potential targeted therapeutic strategies. More importantly, in addition to taking the overall expression abundance of PD-L1 as a predictive indicator for selecting corresponding PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), we also proposed that personalized combination therapies based on the different distribution of PD-L1 are worth attention to achieve more efficient and effective therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Cancer Microenvironment and Pharmacological Interventions. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v181.2/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xin Luo
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Mengyuan Gao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Chang Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xueting Wan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Suyun Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Joint International Research Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Regenerative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Aiyun Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Joint International Research Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Regenerative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - William Fenical
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Zhonghong Wei
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Joint International Research Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Regenerative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine & Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yin Lu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Materia Medica, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Joint International Research Laboratory of Chinese Medicine and Regenerative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Prevention and Treatment of Tumor, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
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5
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Gibson WJ, Sadagopan A, Shoba VM, Choudhary A, Meyerson M, Schreiber SL. Bifunctional Small Molecules That Induce Nuclear Localization and Targeted Transcriptional Regulation. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:26028-26037. [PMID: 37992275 PMCID: PMC10704550 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c06179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
The aberrant localization of proteins in cells is a key factor in the development of various diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disease. To better understand and potentially manipulate protein localization for therapeutic purposes, we engineered bifunctional compounds that bind to proteins in separate cellular compartments. We show these compounds induce nuclear import of cytosolic cargoes, using nuclear-localized BRD4 as a "carrier" for co-import and nuclear trapping of cytosolic proteins. We use this system to calculate kinetic constants for passive diffusion across the nuclear pore and demonstrate single-cell heterogeneity in response to these bifunctional molecules with cells requiring high carrier to cargo expression for complete import. We also observe incorporation of cargo into BRD4-containing condensates. Proteins shown to be substrates for nuclear transport include oncogenic mutant nucleophosmin (NPM1c) and mutant PI3K catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CAE545K), suggesting potential applications to cancer treatment. In addition, we demonstrate that chemically induced localization of BRD4 to cytosolic-localized DNA-binding proteins, namely, IRF1 with a nuclear export signal, induces target gene expression. These results suggest that induced localization of proteins with bifunctional molecules enables the rewiring of cell circuitry, with significant implications for disease therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J. Gibson
- Broad
Institute of Harvard and MIT, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Dana
Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Medicine and Department of
Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Ananthan Sadagopan
- Broad
Institute of Harvard and MIT, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Dana
Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Veronika M. Shoba
- Broad
Institute of Harvard and MIT, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Amit Choudhary
- Broad
Institute of Harvard and MIT, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Divisions
of Renal Medicine and Engineering, Brigham
and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Matthew Meyerson
- Broad
Institute of Harvard and MIT, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Dana
Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Medicine and Department of
Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Stuart L. Schreiber
- Broad
Institute of Harvard and MIT, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard
University, 12 Oxford
Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
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6
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Horowitch B, Lee DY, Ding M, Martinez-Morilla S, Aung TN, Ouerghi F, Wang X, Wei W, Damsky W, Sznol M, Kluger H, Rimm DL, Ishizuka J. Subsets of IFN Signaling Predict Response to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Patients with Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:2908-2918. [PMID: 37233452 PMCID: PMC10524955 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-0215] [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: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE IFN signaling in the tumor microenvironment is a critical determinant of both response and resistance of cancer to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). We hypothesized that distinct patterns of IFN signaling in melanoma are associated with clinical response or resistance to ICIs. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Two tissue microarrays containing samples from 97 patients with metastatic melanoma who received nivolumab, pembrolizumab, or a combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab at Yale New Haven Hospital between 2011 and 2017 were randomized into discovery and validation cohorts. Samples were stained and visualized using multiplexed immunofluorescence microscopy for STAT1, STAT1 phosphorylated at Y701 (pSTAT1Y701), and PD-L1, and signals were quantified using the automated quantitative analysis method of quantitative immunofluorescence. Treatment response was assessed using RECIST, and overall survival was analyzed. For in vitro studies, human melanoma cell lines were stimulated with IFNγ and IFNβ, and Western blotting was performed. RESULTS Pretreatment STAT1 levels were higher in responders to ICIs [complete response/partial response/stable disease (SD) for > 6 months] than in nonresponders (SD < 6 months/progressive disease). Higher pretreatment STAT1 levels were associated with improved survival after ICIs in both the discovery and validation cohorts. Western blot analysis of human melanoma cell lines stimulated with IFN demonstrated distinct patterns of upregulation of STAT1 compared with pSTAT1Y701 and PD-L1. When combining STAT1 and PD-L1 markers, patients with STAT1highPD-L1low tumors had improved survival compared with those with STAT1lowPD-L1high tumors. CONCLUSIONS STAT1 may better predict melanoma response to ICIs than current strategies, and combined STAT1 and PD-L1 biomarkers may provide insight into IFN-responsive versus IFN-resistant states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke Horowitch
- Department of Internal Medicine (Oncology), Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Daniel Y. Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine (Oncology), Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Min Ding
- Department of Internal Medicine (Oncology), Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | | | - Thazin Nwe Aung
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Feriel Ouerghi
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Xueting Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT
| | - William Damsky
- Department of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Mario Sznol
- Department of Internal Medicine (Oncology), Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Harriet Kluger
- Department of Internal Medicine (Oncology), Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - David L. Rimm
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Jeffrey Ishizuka
- Department of Internal Medicine (Oncology), Yale Cancer Center and Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Pathology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
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7
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Gao K, Shi Q, Gu Y, Yang W, He Y, Lv Z, Ding Y, Cao W, Wang C, Wan X. SPOP mutations promote tumor immune escape in endometrial cancer via the IRF1-PD-L1 axis. Cell Death Differ 2023; 30:475-487. [PMID: 36481790 PMCID: PMC9950446 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-022-01097-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Blockade of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death 1 ligand (PD-L1) has evolved into one of the most promising immunotherapy strategies for cancer patients. Tumor cells frequently overexpress PD-L1 to evade T cell-mediated immune surveillance. However, the specific genetic alterations that drive aberrant overexpression of PD-L1 in cancer cells remain poorly understood. The gene encoding the E3 ubiquitin ligase substrate-binding adaptor SPOP is frequently mutated in endometrial cancer (EC). Here, we report that SPOP negatively regulates PD-L1 expression at the transcriptional level. Wild-type SPOP binds to IRF1, a primary transcription factor responsible for the inducible expression of PD-L1, and subsequently triggers its ubiquitin- proteasomal degradation to suppress IRF1-mediated transcriptional upregulation of PD-L1. In contrast, EC-associated SPOP mutants lose their capacity to degrade IRF1 but stabilize IRF1, and upregulate PD-L1 expression. EC-associated SPOP mutations accelerate xenograft tumor growth partially by increasing IRF1 and PD-L1 expression. Together, we identify SPOP as a negative regulator of the IRF1-PD-L1 axis and characterize the critical roles of IRF1 and PD-L1 in SPOP mutation-driven tumor immune evasion in EC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Gao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| | - Qing Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Ye Gu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Department of Gynecology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Wanqi Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yuanlong He
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Zeheng Lv
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yan Ding
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Wenxin Cao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Chenji Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
| | - Xiaoping Wan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Department of Gynecology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
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8
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Nirmal AJ, Maliga Z, Vallius T, Quattrochi B, Chen AA, Jacobson CA, Pelletier RJ, Yapp C, Arias-Camison R, Chen YA, Lian CG, Murphy GF, Santagata S, Sorger PK. The Spatial Landscape of Progression and Immunoediting in Primary Melanoma at Single-Cell Resolution. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:1518-1541. [PMID: 35404441 PMCID: PMC9167783 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-1357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Cutaneous melanoma is a highly immunogenic malignancy that is surgically curable at early stages but life-threatening when metastatic. Here we integrate high-plex imaging, 3D high-resolution microscopy, and spatially resolved microregion transcriptomics to study immune evasion and immunoediting in primary melanoma. We find that recurrent cellular neighborhoods involving tumor, immune, and stromal cells change significantly along a progression axis involving precursor states, melanoma in situ, and invasive tumor. Hallmarks of immunosuppression are already detectable in precursor regions. When tumors become locally invasive, a consolidated and spatially restricted suppressive environment forms along the tumor-stromal boundary. This environment is established by cytokine gradients that promote expression of MHC-II and IDO1, and by PD1-PDL1-mediated cell contacts involving macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells. A few millimeters away, cytotoxic T cells synapse with melanoma cells in fields of tumor regression. Thus, invasion and immunoediting can coexist within a few millimeters of each other in a single specimen. SIGNIFICANCE The reorganization of the tumor ecosystem in primary melanoma is an excellent setting in which to study immunoediting and immune evasion. Guided by classic histopathology, spatial profiling of proteins and mRNA reveals recurrent morphologic and molecular features of tumor evolution that involve localized paracrine cytokine signaling and direct cell-cell contact. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1397.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajit J. Nirmal
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Zoltan Maliga
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tuulia Vallius
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Brian Quattrochi
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Alyce A. Chen
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Connor A. Jacobson
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Roxanne J. Pelletier
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Clarence Yapp
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Raquel Arias-Camison
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Yu-An Chen
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Christine G. Lian
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - George F. Murphy
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Sandro Santagata
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Peter K. Sorger
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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9
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Laurin KM, Coutu-Beaudry K, Salazar A, Méribout N, Audet-Walsh É, Gravel SP. Low expression of PGC-1β and other mitochondrial biogenesis modulators in melanoma is associated with growth arrest and the induction of an immunosuppressive gene expression program dependent on MEK and IRF-1. Cancer Lett 2022; 541:215738. [PMID: 35594996 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Mitochondria are specialized metabolic and immune organelles that have important roles in tumor progression, metastasis, and response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Mitochondrial biogenesis and function are under the control of the peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PGC-1) transcriptional coactivators. Recent research unveiled the role of PGC-1α in bolstering mitochondrial oxidative functions and in the suppression of metastasis in melanoma, but the role of PGC-1s in tumor immunology remains elusive. Herein, we show that low PGC-1s expression in human melanoma tumors is associated with increased expression of a repertoire of immunosuppressive (CD73, PD-L2, Galectin-9) and pro-inflammatory (IL-8, TNF, IL-1β) transcripts, and that experimental depletion of PGC-1β recapitulates this signature in human melanoma cell lines. The depletion of PGC-1β reduces the expression of HSPA9, impairs mitochondrial activity, and leads to cell cycle arrest. Using pharmacological and gene silencing approaches, we further show that MEK1/2 and IRF-1 mediate the observed immune transcriptional response. Overall, this research suggests that mitochondrial biogenesis modulators can modulate tumor progression, immune evasion, and response to therapeutics through transcriptional control of immune pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl M Laurin
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | | | - Nour Méribout
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada
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10
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Kennedy LC, Lu J, Kuehn S, Ramirez AB, Lo E, Sun Y, U'Ren L, Chow LQM, Chen Z, Grivas P, Kaldjian EP, Gadi VK. Liquid Biopsy Assessment of Circulating Tumor Cell PD-L1 and IRF-1 Expression in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor. Target Oncol 2022; 17:329-341. [PMID: 35696014 PMCID: PMC9674018 DOI: 10.1007/s11523-022-00891-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reliable biomarkers that can be serially monitored to predict treatment response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are still an unmet need. Here, we present a multiplex immunofluorescence (IF) assay that simultaneously detects circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and assesses CTC expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) as a candidate biomarker related to ICI use. OBJECTIVE To assess the potential of CTC PD-L1 and IRF-1 expression as candidate biomarkers for patients with advanced epithelial solid tumors receiving ICIs. PATIENTS AND METHODS We tested the IF CTC assay in a pilot study of 28 patients with advanced solid tumors who were starting ICI. Blood for CTC evaluation was obtained prior to starting ICI, after a single cycle of therapy, and at the time of radiographic assessment or treatment discontinuation. RESULTS At baseline, patients with 0-1 CTCs had longer progression-free survival (PFS) compared to patients with ≥ 2 CTCs (4.3 vs 1.3 months, p = 0.01). The presence of any PD-L1+ CTCs after a single dose of ICI portended shorter PFS compared to patients with no CTCs or PD-L1- CTCs (1.2 vs 4.2 months, p = 0.02); the presence of any PD-L1+ or IRF-1+ CTCs at time of imaging assessment or treatment discontinuation also was associated with shorter PFS (1.9 vs 5.5 months, p < 0.01; 1.6 vs 4.7 months, p = 0.05). CTC PD-L1 and IRF-1 expression did not correlate with tumor tissue PD-L1 or IRF-1 expression. Strong IRF-1 expression in tumor tissue was associated with durable (≥ 1 year) radiographic response (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Based on these results, CTC PD-L1 and IRF-1 expression is of interest in identifying ICI resistance and warrants further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C Kennedy
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Jun Lu
- Divison of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA
- Biostatistics Shared Resource, University of Illinois Cancer Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sydney Kuehn
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Yao Sun
- RareCyte, Inc., Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Laura Q M Chow
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Oncology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Zhengjia Chen
- Divison of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA
- Biostatistics Shared Resource, University of Illinois Cancer Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Petros Grivas
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Vijayakrishna K Gadi
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, USA
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11
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Regulation of the antigen presentation machinery in cancer and its implication for immune surveillance. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:825-837. [PMID: 35343573 PMCID: PMC9162455 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Evading immune destruction is one of the hallmarks of cancer. A key mechanism of immune evasion deployed by tumour cells is to reduce neoantigen presentation through down-regulation of the antigen presentation machinery. MHC-I and MHC-II proteins are key components of the antigen presentation machinery responsible for neoantigen presentation to CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes, respectively. Their expression in tumour cells is modulated by a complex interplay of genomic, transcriptomic and post translational factors involving multiple intracellular antigen processing pathways. Ongoing research investigates mechanisms invoked by cancer cells to abrogate MHC-I expression and attenuate anti-tumour CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response. The discovery of MHC-II on tumour cells has been less characterized. However, this finding has triggered further interest in utilising tumour-specific MHC-II to harness sustained anti-tumour immunity through the activation of CD4+ T helper cells. Tumour-specific expression of MHC-I and MHC-II has been associated with improved patient survival in most clinical studies. Thus, their reactivation represents an attractive way to unleash anti-tumour immunity. This review provides a comprehensive overview of physiologically conserved or novel mechanisms utilised by tumour cells to reduce MHC-I or MHC-II expression. It outlines current approaches employed at the preclinical and clinical trial interface towards reversing these processes in order to improve response to immunotherapy and survival outcomes for patients with cancer.
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12
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Interferon-γ/IRF-1 pathway regulatory mechanisms of PD-L1 expression and relevance for immune checkpoint blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Oncotarget 2021; 12:2316-2317. [PMID: 34786183 PMCID: PMC8590817 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.27995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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13
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Ita MI, Wang JH, Fanning N, Kaar G, Lim C, Redmond HP. Plasma circulating cell free messenger RNA as a potential biomarker of melanoma. Acta Oncol 2021; 60:1201-1209. [PMID: 34086522 DOI: 10.1080/0284186x.2021.1928749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Blood borne cell free nucleic acids are increasingly emerging as significant non-invasive adjuncts to current methods of disease status evaluation in cancer patients. In this study, we sought to examine whether significant differences exist in the plasma transcriptomic profile of advanced melanoma patients with a high disease burden compared to patients with a low disease burden or therapeutic response. METHODS Pathway focussed gene expression analysis was performed using cDNA derived from the plasma circulating cell free messenger ribonucleic acid (ccfmRNA) samples of twenty-two patients with advanced melanoma. Patients were assessed with paired blood sample collection and CT scan assessments at baseline and at 3 months follow up. RESULTS We identified several genes which were significantly over-expressed in patients with a low disease burden or therapeutic response; BCL2L1, CXCL9, IDO1, IL13, MIF, MYD88 and TLR4 (p ≤ 0.001, versus high disease burden). There was an increase in the magnitude of fold change (2^ (-dd CT)) of BCL2L1 (p = 0.031), CCL4 (p = 0.001), CCL5 (p = 0.043), CXCL9 (p = 0.012), GZMB (p = 0.023) and TNFSF10 (p = 0.039) genes in patients with therapeutic response at 3 months follow up assessment relative to baseline assessment. Moreover, in stage IV melanoma patients with brain metastases, CCL18, CCR1, CCR4, CD274, CSF2, EGF, and PTGS2 genes were significantly over-expressed (p < 0.001, versus patients without melanoma brain metastasis). CONCLUSION Significant differences were observed in the plasma transcriptomic profile between the various melanoma patient groups, and we postulate that these differences may be exploited to identify novel therapeutic targets or biomarkers relevant to melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Itak Ita
- Department of Academic Surgery, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Neurosurgery, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Jiang Huai Wang
- Department of Academic Surgery, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Noel Fanning
- Department of Radiology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - George Kaar
- Department of Neurosurgery, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Chris Lim
- Department of Neurosurgery, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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14
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Ozawa N, Yokobori T, Osone K, Katayama C, Suga K, Komine C, Shibasaki Y, Shiraishi T, Okada T, Kato R, Ogawa H, Sano A, Sakai M, Sohda M, Ojima H, Miyazaki T, Motegi Y, Ide M, Yao T, Kuwano H, Shirabe K, Saeki H. PD-L1 upregulation is associated with activation of the DNA double-strand break repair pathway in patients with colitic cancer. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13077. [PMID: 34158547 PMCID: PMC8219733 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92530-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a DNA damage-associated chronic inflammatory disease; the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway participates in UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer carcinogenesis. The DSB/interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) pathway can induce PD-L1 expression transcriptionally. However, the association of PD-L1/DSB/IRF-1 with sporadic colorectal cancer (SCRC), and UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer, remains elusive. Therefore, we investigated the significance of the PD-L1/DSB repair pathway using samples from 17 SCRC and 12 UC patients with rare UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer cases by immunohistochemical analysis. We compared PD-L1 expression between patients with SCRC and UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer and determined the association between PD-L1 and the CD8+ T-cell/DSB/IRF-1 axis in UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer. PD-L1 expression in UC and UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer was higher than in normal mucosa or SCRC, and in CD8-positive T lymphocytes in UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer than in SCRC. Moreover, PD-L1 upregulation was associated with γH2AX (DSB marker) and IRF-1 upregulation in UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer. IRF-1 upregulation was associated with γH2AX upregulation in UC-associated dysplasia/colitic cancer but not in SCRC. Multicolour immunofluorescence staining validated γH2AX/IRF-1/PD-L1 co-expression in colitic cancer tissue sections. Thus, immune cell-induced inflammation might activate the DSB/IRF-1 axis, potentially serving as the primary regulatory mechanism of PD-L1 expression in UC-associated carcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Ozawa
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Takehiko Yokobori
- Division of Integrated Oncology Research, Gunma University Initiative for Advanced Research (GIAR), 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma, 371-8511, Japan.
| | - Katsuya Osone
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Chika Katayama
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Kunihiko Suga
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Chika Komine
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Yuta Shibasaki
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Takuya Shiraishi
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Takuhisa Okada
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Ryuji Kato
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Hiroomi Ogawa
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Akihiko Sano
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Makoto Sakai
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Makoto Sohda
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Ojima
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Gunma Prefectural Cancer Center, Ohta, Gunma, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Miyazaki
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Yoko Motegi
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Munenori Ide
- Department of Pathology Diagnosis, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Takashi Yao
- Department of Human Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Bunkyo City, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kuwano
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Ken Shirabe
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Saeki
- Department of General Surgical Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan
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15
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He Y, Chen L, Zhao L, Dang S, Liu G, Sasada S, Ma PC, van Zandwijk N, Rosell R, Popper HH, Wang H, Jiang M, Guo H, Liu X, Chen S, Zhang X, Xu M, Zhu B, Liu M, Zhou C. Genomic and transcriptional alterations in first-line chemotherapy exert a potentially unfavorable influence on subsequent immunotherapy in NSCLC. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:7092-7109. [PMID: 34093873 PMCID: PMC8171101 DOI: 10.7150/thno.58039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Recent studies in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients have demonstrated that first-line immunotherapy is associated with better therapeutic response than second-line treatment. So far, the mechanisms need to be explored. It prompted us to evaluate the association between first-line chemotherapy and subsequent immunotherapy in NSCLC as well as its underlying mechanisms at the genomic and transcriptomic level. Methods: We launched a prospective, observational clinical study, paired tumor biopsies before and after chemotherapy were collected from NSCLC patients without tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-related driver gene mutations. The analyses included genomic and transcriptional changes performed by next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based whole-exome sequencing (WES) and messager ribonucleic acid (mRNA) sequencing. Characteristic mutational alterations in 1574 genes were investigated based on mutational status, clinicopathological factors, and chemotherapy responses. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, neoantigen prediction and intratumoral heterogeneity evaluation were also performed. Results: Samples and information from 32 NSCLC patients without TKI-related driver gene mutations were obtained. We found that the total number of single nucleotide variants (SNV)/insertion-deletion (INDEL) mutations did not change significantly after chemotherapy. The tumor mutation burden (TMB) decreased significantly after chemotherapy in smoking patients and the decreased TMB correlated with a better survival of smoking patients. The change in copy number variations (CNVs) exhibited a decreasing trend during chemotherapy. Subsequent analysis at mRNA level revealed a significant decrease in the expression levels of genes related to antigen processing and presentation as well as other factors relevant for response to immunotherapy. Pathway enrichment analysis confirmed that the immune-related signaling pathways or biological processes were decreased after first-line chemotherapy. Conclusions: Our study presents an explanation for the unsatisfactory results of immunotherapy when given after chemotherapy, and suggests that first-line chemotherapy is able to influence the tumor microenvironment and decrease the efficacy of subsequent immunotherapy. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03764917, and has completed enrolment; patients are still in follow-up.
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16
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Dhatchinamoorthy K, Colbert JD, Rock KL. Cancer Immune Evasion Through Loss of MHC Class I Antigen Presentation. Front Immunol 2021; 12:636568. [PMID: 33767702 PMCID: PMC7986854 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.636568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 388] [Impact Index Per Article: 129.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Major histocompatibility class I (MHC I) molecules bind peptides derived from a cell's expressed genes and then transport and display this antigenic information on the cell surface. This allows CD8 T cells to identify pathological cells that are synthesizing abnormal proteins, such as cancers that are expressing mutated proteins. In order for many cancers to arise and progress, they need to evolve mechanisms to avoid elimination by CD8 T cells. MHC I molecules are not essential for cell survival and therefore one mechanism by which cancers can evade immune control is by losing MHC I antigen presentation machinery (APM). Not only will this impair the ability of natural immune responses to control cancers, but also frustrate immunotherapies that work by re-invigorating anti-tumor CD8 T cells, such as checkpoint blockade. Here we review the evidence that loss of MHC I antigen presentation is a frequent occurrence in many cancers. We discuss new insights into some common underlying mechanisms through which some cancers inactivate the MHC I pathway and consider some possible strategies to overcome this limitation in ways that could restore immune control of tumors and improve immunotherapy.
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17
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Development of an immune-related gene pairs index for the prognosis analysis of metastatic melanoma. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1253. [PMID: 33441929 PMCID: PMC7806975 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80858-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is a skin cancer with great metastatic potential, which is responsible for the major deaths in skin cancer. Although the prognosis of melanoma patients has been improved with the comprehensive treatment, for patients with metastasis, the complexity and heterogeneity of diffuse diseases make prognosis prediction and systematic treatment difficult and ineffective. Therefore, we established a novel personalized immune-related gene pairs index (IRGPI) to predict the prognosis of patients with metastatic melanoma, which was conducive to provide new insights into clinical decision-making and prognostic monitoring for metastatic melanoma. Through complex analysis and filtering, we identified 24 immune-related gene pairs to build the model and obtained the optimal cut-off value from receiver operating characteristic curves, which divided the patients into high and low immune-risk groups. Meantime, the Kaplan–Meier analysis, Cox regression analysis and subgroup analysis showed that IRGPI had excellent prognostic value. Furthermore, IRGPI was shown that was closely associated with immune system in the subsequent tumor microenvironment analysis and gene set enrichment analysis. In addition, we broken through the data processing limitations of traditional researches in different platforms through the application of gene pairs, which would provide great credibility for our model. We believe that our research would provide a new perspective for clinical decision-making and prognostic monitoring in metastatic melanoma.
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18
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Venkatraman S, Meller J, Hongeng S, Tohtong R, Chutipongtanate S. Transcriptional Regulation of Cancer Immune Checkpoints: Emerging Strategies for Immunotherapy. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:E735. [PMID: 33291616 PMCID: PMC7761936 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of immune evasion has gained a well-deserved eminence in cancer research by successfully developing a new class of therapeutics, immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab, anti-PD-1 antibodies. By aiming at the immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), these new therapeutics have advanced cancer treatment with notable increases in overall survival and tumor remission. However, recent reports reveal that 40-60% of patients fail to benefit from ICB therapy due to acquired resistance or tumor relapse. This resistance may stem from increased expression of co-inhibitory immune checkpoints or alterations in the tumor microenvironment that promotes immune suppression. Because these mechanisms are poorly elucidated, the transcription factors that regulate immune checkpoints, known as "master regulators", have garnered interest. These include AP-1, IRF-1, MYC, and STAT3, which are known to regulate PD/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. Identifying these and other potential master regulators as putative therapeutic targets or biomarkers can be facilitated by mining cancer literature, public datasets, and cancer genomics resources. In this review, we describe recent advances in master regulator identification and characterization of the mechanisms underlying immune checkpoints regulation, and discuss how these master regulators of immune checkpoint molecular expression can be targeted as a form of auxiliary therapeutic strategy to complement traditional immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simran Venkatraman
- Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Science Joint Program Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;
| | - Jarek Meller
- Departments of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA;
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Suradej Hongeng
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;
| | - Rutaiwan Tohtong
- Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Science Joint Program Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand;
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
| | - Somchai Chutipongtanate
- Pediatric Translational Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
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Yan Y, Zheng L, Du Q, Yan B, Geller DA. Interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) and IRF-2 regulate PD-L1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020; 69:1891-1903. [PMID: 32377817 PMCID: PMC10112362 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-020-02586-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The objective response rate of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with anti PD-L1/PD-1 therapy is low. Discovering the signaling pathways regulating PD-L1 might help to improve ICB response rates. Here, we investigate transcription factors IRF-1 and IRF-2 signaling pathways regulating PD-L1 in HCC cells. In vivo studies show that IRF-1 and PD-L1 mRNA expression in human HCC tumors are significantly repressed compared with noncancerous background liver. IRF-1, IRF-2, and PD-L1 mRNA expression correlated positively in HCC tumors. Increased IRF-1 mRNA expression was observed in patients with well-differentiated or early stage HCC tumors. In vitro studies show that IFN-γ induces PD-L1 mRNA and protein expression through upregulation of IRF-1 in mouse and human HCC cells. IRF-1, IRF-2, and PD-L1 mRNA expression is upregulated in murine HCC by co-culture with effector T cells from spleen cells incubated with anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies. IRF-2 over-expression down-regulates IFN-γ induced PD-L1 promoter activity and protein levels in a dose-dependent manner. We identify two IRF-1 response elements (IRE1/IRE2) in the upstream 5'-flanking region of the CD274 (PD-L1) gene promoter. Site-directed mutagenesis shows both IRE1 and IRE2 are functional in transfection promoter assays. IRF-1 traditionally functions as tumor suppressor gene. However, these novel findings show a complex role for IRF-1 which upregulates PD-L1 in the inflammatory tumor microenvironment. IRF-1 antagonizes IRF-2 for binding to the IRE promoter element in PD-L1 which gives new insight to the regulation of PD-L1/PD-1 pathways in HCC ICB therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihe Yan
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530007, Guangxi, China.
| | - Leting Zheng
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, Guangxi, China
| | - Qiang Du
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Bing Yan
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - David A Geller
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.
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MHC Class I Downregulation in Cancer: Underlying Mechanisms and Potential Targets for Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12071760. [PMID: 32630675 PMCID: PMC7409324 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12071760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 50.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, major advances have been made in cancer immunotherapy. This has led to significant improvement in prognosis of cancer patients, especially in the hematological setting. Nonetheless, translation of these successes to solid tumors was found difficult. One major mechanism through which solid tumors can avoid anti-tumor immunity is the downregulation of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I), which causes reduced recognition by- and cytotoxicity of CD8+ T-cells. Downregulation of MHC-I has been described in 40-90% of human tumors, often correlating with worse prognosis. Epigenetic and (post-)transcriptional dysregulations relevant in the stabilization of NFkB, IRFs, and NLRC5 are often responsible for MHC-I downregulation in cancer. The intrinsic reversible nature of these dysregulations provides an opportunity to restore MHC-I expression and facilitate adaptive anti-tumor immunity. In this review, we provide an overview of the mechanisms underlying reversible MHC-I downregulation and describe potential strategies to counteract this reduction in MHC-I antigen presentation in cancer.
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21
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Algazi AP, Twitty CG, Tsai KK, Le M, Pierce R, Browning E, Hermiz R, Canton DA, Bannavong D, Oglesby A, Francisco M, Fong L, Pittet MJ, Arlauckas SP, Garris C, Levine LP, Bifulco C, Ballesteros-Merino C, Bhatia S, Gargosky S, Andtbacka RH, Fox BA, Rosenblum MD, Daud AI. Phase II Trial of IL-12 Plasmid Transfection and PD-1 Blockade in Immunologically Quiescent Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 2020; 26:2827-2837. [DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-19-2217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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22
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Perspectives in HPV Secondary Screening and Personalized Therapy Basing on Our Understanding of HPV-Related Carcinogenesis Pathways. Mediators Inflamm 2020; 2020:2607594. [PMID: 32308553 PMCID: PMC7132589 DOI: 10.1155/2020/2607594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
As cervical cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women worldwide even with present screening methods, the incidence in most developed countries is not decreasing for the last 15-20 years. A shift has been observed in the age of diagnosis in favour of younger women, and treatment of already developed cervical cancer is a challenge for surgeons. It is imperative to find new diagnostic methods for accurately pointing out patients at high risk of developing malignant disease and developing personalized treatment. Since cervical cancer is almost exclusively associated with HPV infection, understanding changes happening in an infected cell may prove invaluable for search of such methods, but it may also prove helpful in the diagnosis and treatment of other anogenital and nasopharyngeal region cancers. This review follows HPV-related changes in infected cell biology to point what potential markers and targets for therapy are in option when dealing with HPV-related diseases.
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23
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Wang X, Chai Z, Li Y, Long F, Hao Y, Pan G, Liu M, Li B. Identification of Potential Biomarkers for Anti-PD-1 Therapy in Melanoma by Weighted Correlation Network Analysis. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11040435. [PMID: 32316408 PMCID: PMC7230292 DOI: 10.3390/genes11040435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is the most malignant form of skin cancer, which seriously threatens human life and health. Anti-PD-1 immunotherapy has shown clinical benefits in improving patients' overall survival, but some melanoma patients failed to respond. Effective therapeutic biomarkers are vital to evaluate and optimize benefits from anti-PD-1 treatment. Although the establishment of immunotherapy biomarkers is well underway, studies that identify predictors by gene network-based approaches are lacking. Here, we retrieved the existing datasets (GSE91061, GSE78220 and GSE93157, 79 samples in total) on anti-PD-1 therapy to explore potential therapeutic biomarkers in melanoma using weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA), function validation and clinical corroboration. As a result, 13 hub genes as critical nodes were traced from the key module associated with clinical features. After receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve validation by an independent dataset (GSE78220), six hub genes with diagnostic significance were further recovered. Moreover, these six genes were revealed to be closely associated not only with the immune system regulation, immune infiltration, and validated immunotherapy biomarkers, but also with excellent prognostic value and significant expression level in melanoma. The random forest prediction model constructed using these six genes presented a great diagnostic ability for anti-PD-1 immunotherapy response. Taken together, IRF1, JAK2, CD8A, IRF8, STAT5B, and SELL may serve as predictive therapeutic biomarkers for melanoma and could facilitate future anti-PD-1 therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanyi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400046, China; (X.W.); (Z.C.); (F.L.); (G.P.)
| | - Zixuan Chai
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400046, China; (X.W.); (Z.C.); (F.L.); (G.P.)
| | - Yinghong Li
- School of Biological Information, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China;
| | - Fei Long
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400046, China; (X.W.); (Z.C.); (F.L.); (G.P.)
| | - Youjin Hao
- College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China;
| | - Guizhi Pan
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400046, China; (X.W.); (Z.C.); (F.L.); (G.P.)
| | - Mingwei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, College of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400046, China; (X.W.); (Z.C.); (F.L.); (G.P.)
- Correspondence: (M.L.); (B.L.)
| | - Bo Li
- College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing 401331, China;
- Correspondence: (M.L.); (B.L.)
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24
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p300/CBP inhibition enhances the efficacy of programmed death-ligand 1 blockade treatment in prostate cancer. Oncogene 2020; 39:3939-3951. [PMID: 32203167 PMCID: PMC7210073 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-020-1270-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Blockade of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) by therapeutic antibodies has shown to be a promising strategy in cancer therapy, yet clinical response in many types of cancer, including prostate cancer (PCa), is limited. Tumor cells secrete PD-L1 through exosomes or splice variants, which has been described as a new mechanism for the resistance to PD-L1 blockade therapy in multiple cancers, including PCa. This suggests that cutting off the secretion or expression of PD-L1 might improve the response rate of PD-L1 blockade therapy in PCa treatment. Here we report that p300/CBP inhibition by a small molecule p300/CBP inhibitor dramatically enhanced the efficacy of PD-L1 blockade treatment in a syngeneic model of PCa by blocking both the intrinsic and interferon gamma (IFN-γ)-induced PD-L1 expression. Mechanistically, p300/CBP could be recruited to the promoter of CD274 (encoding PD-L1) by the transcription factor IRF-1, which induced the acetylation of Histone H3 at CD274 promoter followed by the transcription of CD274. A485, a p300/CBP inhibitor, abrogated this process and cut off the secretion of exosomal PD-L1 by blocking the transcription of CD274, which combined with the anti-PD-L1 antibody to reactivate T cells function for tumor attack. This finding reports a new mechanism of how cancer cells regulate PD-L1 expression through epigenetic factors and provides a novel therapeutic approach to enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors treatment.
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25
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Gupta S, McCann L, Chan YGY, Lai EW, Wei W, Wong PF, Smithy JW, Weidler J, Rhees B, Bates M, Kluger HM, Rimm DL. Closed system RT-qPCR as a potential companion diagnostic test for immunotherapy outcome in metastatic melanoma. J Immunother Cancer 2019; 7:254. [PMID: 31533832 PMCID: PMC6751819 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0731-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In melanoma, there is no companion diagnostic test to predict response to programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) axis immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. In the adjuvant setting, only one in five patients may benefit from ICI, so a biomarker is needed to select those that may or may not benefit. Here, we test a new 4-gene multiplex immunotherapy panel with research use only (RUO) prototype mRNA expression profile on the GeneXpert closed system using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for association with clinical benefit after treatment with ICI therapy in metastatic melanoma patients. Methods Pretreatment formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections from melanoma patients treated with anti-PD-1 therapy (pembrolizumab, nivolumab, or ipilimumab plus nivolumab) between 2011 and 17 were selected from the Yale Pathology archives. FFPE sections were macrodissected to enrich for tumor for quantitative assessment of CD274 (PD-L1), PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2), CD8A, and IRF1 by RT-qPCR multiplex mRNA panel. Multiplex panel transcript levels were correlated with clinical benefit (complete response [CR], partial response [PR], stable disease [SD]); disease outcomes (progression-free survival [PFS] and overall survival [OS]); and protein levels assessed by quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF). Results Transcript levels were significantly higher in responders (CR/PR/SD) than in nonresponders (PD) for CD8A (p = 0.0001) and IRF1 (p = 0.0019). PFS was strongly associated with high CD274 (p = 0.0046), PDCD1LG2 (p = 0.0039), CD8A (p = 0.0002), and IRF1 (p = 0.0030) mRNA expression. Similar associations were observed for OS with high CD274 (p = 0.0004), CD8A (p = 0.0030), and IRF1 (p = 0.0096) mRNA expression. Multivariate analyses revealed significant PFS and OS associations with immunotherapy panel markers independent of baseline variables. Exploratory analyses revealed a novel significant association of high combined CD274 & PDCD1LG2 (L1/L2) transcript expression with PFS (p < 0.0001) and OS (p = 0.0011), which remained significant at a multivariate level for both PFS (HR = 0.31) and OS (HR = 0.39). Conclusions Individual immunotherapy panel markers CD274, PDCD1LG2, CD8A, IRF1 and a combined L1/L2 mRNA levels show promising associations with melanoma immunotherapy outcome. The turnaround time of the test (2 h) and easy standardization of the platform makes this an attractive approach for further study in the search for predictive biomarkers for ICI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Gupta
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, 310 Cedar Street, PO Box 208023, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Leena McCann
- Oncology Research and Development, Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA
| | - Yvonne G Y Chan
- Oncology Research and Development, Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA
| | - Edwin W Lai
- Oncology Research and Development, Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Pok Fai Wong
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, 310 Cedar Street, PO Box 208023, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - James W Smithy
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jodi Weidler
- Medical and Scientific Affairs and Strategy, Oncology, Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA
| | - Brian Rhees
- Oncology Research and Development, Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA
| | - Michael Bates
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Harriet M Kluger
- Department of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - David L Rimm
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, 310 Cedar Street, PO Box 208023, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. .,Department of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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26
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Chen X, Xu Z, Zeng S, Wang X, Liu W, Qian L, Wei J, Yang X, Shen Q, Gong Z, Yan Y. The Molecular Aspect of Antitumor Effects of Protease Inhibitor Nafamostat Mesylate and Its Role in Potential Clinical Applications. Front Oncol 2019; 9:852. [PMID: 31552177 PMCID: PMC6733886 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nafamostat mesylate (NM), a synthetic serine protease inhibitor first placed on the market by Japan Tobacco in 1986, has been approved to treat inflammatory-related diseases, such as pancreatitis. Recently, an increasing number of studies have highlighted the promising effects of NM in inhibiting cancer progression. Alone or in combination treatments, studies have shown that NM attenuates various malignant tumors, including pancreatic, colorectal, gastric, gallbladder, and hepatocellular cancers. In this review, based on several activating pathways, including the canonical Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR1) signaling pathway, and tumorigenesis-related tryptase secreted by mast cells, we summarize the anticancer properties of NM in existing studies both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the efficacy and side effects of NM in cancer patients are summarized in detail. To further clarify NM's antitumor activities, clinical trials devoted to validating the clinical applications and underlying mechanisms are needed in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhijie Xu
- Department of Pathology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Shuangshuang Zeng
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiang Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wanli Liu
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Long Qian
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jie Wei
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xue Yang
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Qiuying Shen
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhicheng Gong
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yuanliang Yan
- Department of Pharmacy, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.,National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
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27
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Interferon regulatory factor-1 reverses chemoresistance by downregulating the expression of P-glycoprotein in gastric cancer. Cancer Lett 2019; 457:28-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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28
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Axelrod ML, Johnson DB, Balko JM. Emerging biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy in melanoma. Semin Cancer Biol 2018; 52:207-215. [PMID: 28917578 PMCID: PMC5851807 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2017.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The treatment and prognosis of metastatic melanoma has changed substantially since the advent of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), agents that enhance the anti-tumor immune response. Despite the success of these agents, clinically actionable biomarkers to aid patient and regimen selection are lacking. Herein, we summarize and review the evidence for candidate biomarkers of response to ICIs in melanoma. Many of these candidates can be examined as parts of a known molecular pathway of immune response, while others are clinical in nature. Due to the ability of ICIs to illicit dramatic and durable responses, well-validated biomarkers that can be effectively implemented in the clinic will require strong negative predictive values that do not limit patients with who may benefit from ICI therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret L Axelrod
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States; Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Douglas B Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States.
| | - Justin M Balko
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States; Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States; Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States.
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29
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Alavi S, Stewart AJ, Kefford RF, Lim SY, Shklovskaya E, Rizos H. Interferon Signaling Is Frequently Downregulated in Melanoma. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1414. [PMID: 29977240 PMCID: PMC6021492 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors that block the programmed cell death protein 1/PD-L1 pathway have significantly improved the survival of patients with advanced melanoma. Immunotherapies are only effective in 15–40% of melanoma patients and resistance is associated with defects in antigen presentation and interferon signaling pathways. In this study, we examined interferon-γ (IFNγ) responses in a large panel of immune checkpoint inhibitor-naïve melanoma cells with defined genetic drivers; BRAF-mutant (n = 11), NRAS-mutant (n = 10), BRAF/NRAS wild type (n = 10), and GNAQ/GNA11-mutant uveal melanomas (UVMs) (n = 8). Cell surface expression of established IFNγ downstream targets PD-L1, PD-L2, HLA-A, -B, and -C, HLA-DR, and nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) were analyzed by flow cytometry. Basal cellular expression levels of HLA-A, -B, -C, HLA-DR, NGFR, and PD-L2 predicted the levels of IFNγ-stimulation, whereas PD-L1 induction was independent of basal expression levels. Only 13/39 (33%) of the melanoma cell lines tested responded to IFNγ with potent induction of all targets, indicating that downregulation of IFNγ signaling is common in melanoma. In addition, we identified two well-recognized mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance, the loss of β-2-microglobulin and interferon gamma receptor 1 expression. We also examined the influence of melanoma driver oncogenes on IFNγ signaling and our data suggest that UVM have diminished capacity to respond to IFNγ, with lower induced expression of several targets, consistent with the disappointing response of UVM to immunotherapies. Our results demonstrate that melanoma responses to IFNγ are heterogeneous, frequently downregulated in immune checkpoint inhibitor-naïve melanoma and potentially predictive of response to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Alavi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ashleigh Jacqueline Stewart
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Richard F Kefford
- Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Su Yin Lim
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Elena Shklovskaya
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Helen Rizos
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Melanoma Institute Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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