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Gong C, Yang M, Long H, Liu X, Xu Q, Qiao L, Dong H, Liu Y, Li S. IL-6-Driven Autocrine Lactate Promotes Immune Escape of Uveal Melanoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:37. [PMID: 38551584 PMCID: PMC10981435 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.3.37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Early metastasis, in which immune escape plays a crucial role, is the leading cause of death in patients with uveal melanoma (UM); however, the molecular mechanism underlying UM immune escape remains unclear, which greatly limits the clinical application of immunotherapy for metastatic UM. Methods Transcriptome profiles were revealed by RNA-seq analysis. TALL-104 and NK-92MI-mediated cell killing assays were used to examine the immune resistance of UM cells. The glycolysis rate was measured by extracellular acidification analysis. Protein stability was evaluated by CHX-chase assay. Immunofluorescence histochemistry was performed to detect protein levels in clinical UM specimens. Results Continuous exposure to IL-6 induced the expression of both PD-L1 and HLA-E in UM cells, which promoted UM immune escape. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression of most metabolic enzymes in the glycolysis pathway, especially the rate-limiting enzymes, PFKP and PKM, was upregulated, whereas enzymes involved in the acetyl-CoA synthesis pathway were downregulated after exposure to IL-6. Blocking the glycolytic pathway and lactate production by knocking down PKM and LDHA decreased PD-L1 and HLA-E protein, but not mRNA, levels in UM cells treated with IL-6. Notably, lactate secreted by IL-6-treated UM cells was crucial in influencing PD-L1 and HLA-E stability via the GPR81-cAMP-PKA signaling pathway. Conclusions Our data reveal a novel mechanism by which UM cells acquire an immune-escape phenotype by metabolic reprogramming and reinforce the importance of the link between inflammation and immune escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chaoju Gong
- Xuzhou Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
| | - Meiling Yang
- Xuzhou Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
| | - Huirong Long
- Xuzhou Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
| | - Xia Liu
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Xuzhou, China
| | - Qing Xu
- Xuzhou Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
| | - Lei Qiao
- Xuzhou Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
| | - Haibei Dong
- Cancer Center, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Xuzhou, China
| | - Yalu Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
| | - Suyan Li
- Xuzhou Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
- Department of Ophthalmology, The Affiliated Xuzhou Municipal Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou First People's Hospital, Eye Institute of Xuzhou, Xuzhou, China
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Gracia-Hernandez M, Yende AS, Gajendran N, Alahmadi Z, Li X, Munoz Z, Tan K, Noonepalle S, Shibata M, Villagra A. Targeting HDAC6 improves anti-CD47 immunotherapy. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:60. [PMID: 38414061 PMCID: PMC10898070 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-02982-4] [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: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer cells can overexpress CD47, an innate immune checkpoint that prevents phagocytosis upon interaction with signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) expressed in macrophages and other myeloid cells. Several clinical trials have reported that CD47 blockade reduces tumor growth in hematological malignancies. However, CD47 blockade has shown modest results in solid tumors, including melanoma. Our group has demonstrated that histone deacetylase 6 inhibitors (HDAC6is) have immunomodulatory properties, such as controlling macrophage phenotype and inflammatory properties. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling these processes are not fully understood. In this study, we evaluated the role of HDAC6 in regulating the CD47/SIRPα axis and phagocytosis in macrophages. METHODS We tested the role of HDAC6is, especially Nexturastat A, in regulating macrophage phenotype and phagocytic function using bone marrow-derived macrophages and macrophage cell lines. The modulation of the CD47/SIRPα axis and phagocytosis by HDAC6is was investigated using murine and human melanoma cell lines and macrophages. Phagocytosis was evaluated via coculture assays of macrophages and melanoma cells by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. Lastly, to evaluate the antitumor activity of Nexturastat A in combination with anti-CD47 or anti-SIRPα antibodies, we performed in vivo studies using the SM1 and/or B16F10 melanoma mouse models. RESULTS We observed that HDAC6is enhanced the phenotype of antitumoral M1 macrophages while decreasing the protumoral M2 phenotype. In addition, HDAC6 inhibition diminished the expression of SIRPα, increased the expression of other pro-phagocytic signals in macrophages, and downregulated CD47 expression in mouse and human melanoma cells. This regulatory role on the CD47/SIRPα axis translated into enhanced antitumoral phagocytic capacity of macrophages treated with Nexturastat A and anti-CD47. We also observed that the systemic administration of HDAC6i enhanced the in vivo antitumor activity of anti-CD47 blockade in melanoma by modulating macrophage and natural killer cells in the tumor microenvironment. However, Nexturastat A did not enhance the antitumor activity of anti-SIRPα despite its modulation of macrophage populations in the SM1 tumor microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate the critical regulatory role of HDAC6 in phagocytosis and innate immunity for the first time, further underscoring the use of these inhibitors to potentiate CD47 immune checkpoint blockade therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gracia-Hernandez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ashutosh S Yende
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Nithya Gajendran
- Oncology Department, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Zubaydah Alahmadi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Xintang Li
- Oncology Department, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Zuleima Munoz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Karen Tan
- Oncology Department, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Satish Noonepalle
- Oncology Department, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Maho Shibata
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Alejandro Villagra
- Oncology Department, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
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3
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Midena G, Parrozzani R, Frizziero L, Esposito G, Micera A, Midena E. Expression of GNAQ, BAP1, SF3B1, and EIF1AX Proteins in the Aqueous Humor of Eyes Affected by Uveal Melanoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2024; 65:15. [PMID: 38175637 PMCID: PMC10774693 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.1.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to quantify specific aqueous humor (AH) proteins in eyes affected by posterior uveal melanoma (UM). Methods Thirty-six eyes affected by primary UM were included. Tumor thickness and largest basal diameter were specific clinical characteristics. Tumors were staged with the American Joint Commission on Cancer Eighth Edition (AJCC) classification. During the brachytherapy (Iodine-125) surgical procedure, both the AH sample collection and the 25-gauge transscleral fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) were performed. AH samples were analyzed by immunoprecipitation and SDS PAGE techniques to quantify GNAQ, BAP1, SF3B1, and EIF1AX proteins. Cytologic material underwent fluorescence in situ hybridization for chromosome 3. The AH of 36 healthy eyes was used as the control group. Cluster analysis of groups was also performed. Results Compared with the control group, significantly higher protein levels of: GNAQ (P = 0.02), BAP1 (P = 0.01), and SF3B1 (P = 0.02) were detected in eyes with UM. Cluster analysis of UM group revealed 2 clusters, one showing higher expression of GNAQ and BAP1 protein and one of EIF1AX protein. Moreover, the 2 clusters corresponded with the chromosome 3 status of UM. Conclusions Specific and selected proteins may be detected in the AH of eyes affected by UM. These findings confirm the possibilities provided by AH analysis in UM.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luisa Frizziero
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | | | - Edoardo Midena
- IRCCS–Fondazione Bietti, Rome, Italy
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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4
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Lau APY, Khavkine Binstock SS, Thu KL. CD47: The Next Frontier in Immune Checkpoint Blockade for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5229. [PMID: 37958404 PMCID: PMC10649163 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15215229] [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: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The success of PD-1/PD-L1-targeted therapy in lung cancer has resulted in great enthusiasm for additional immunotherapies in development to elicit similar survival benefits, particularly in patients who do not respond to or are ineligible for PD-1 blockade. CD47 is an immunosuppressive molecule that binds SIRPα on antigen-presenting cells to regulate an innate immune checkpoint that blocks phagocytosis and subsequent activation of adaptive tumor immunity. In lung cancer, CD47 expression is associated with poor survival and tumors with EGFR mutations, which do not typically respond to PD-1 blockade. Given its prognostic relevance, its role in facilitating immune escape, and the number of agents currently in clinical development, CD47 blockade represents a promising next-generation immunotherapy for lung cancer. In this review, we briefly summarize how tumors disrupt the cancer immunity cycle to facilitate immune evasion and their exploitation of immune checkpoints like the CD47-SIRPα axis. We also discuss approved immune checkpoint inhibitors and strategies for targeting CD47 that are currently being investigated. Finally, we review the literature supporting CD47 as a promising immunotherapeutic target in lung cancer and offer our perspective on key obstacles that must be overcome to establish CD47 blockade as the next standard of care for lung cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asa P. Y. Lau
- Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Sharon S. Khavkine Binstock
- Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada
| | - Kelsie L. Thu
- Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1T8, Canada
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5
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Barbagallo C, Stella M, Broggi G, Russo A, Caltabiano R, Ragusa M. Genetics and RNA Regulation of Uveal Melanoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:775. [PMID: 36765733 PMCID: PMC9913768 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15030775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular malignant tumor and the most frequent melanoma not affecting the skin. While the rate of UM occurrence is relatively low, about 50% of patients develop metastasis, primarily to the liver, with lethal outcome despite medical treatment. Notwithstanding that UM etiopathogenesis is still under investigation, a set of known mutations and chromosomal aberrations are associated with its pathogenesis and have a relevant prognostic value. The most frequently mutated genes are BAP1, EIF1AX, GNA11, GNAQ, and SF3B1, with mutually exclusive mutations occurring in GNAQ and GNA11, and almost mutually exclusive ones in BAP1 and SF3B1, and BAP1 and EIF1AX. Among chromosomal aberrations, monosomy of chromosome 3 is the most frequent, followed by gain of chromosome 8q, and full or partial loss of chromosomes 1 and 6. In addition, epigenetic mechanisms regulated by non-coding RNAs (ncRNA), namely microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs, have also been investigated. Several papers investigating the role of ncRNAs in UM have reported that their dysregulated expression affects cancer-related processes in both in vitro and in vivo models. This review will summarize current findings about genetic mutations, chromosomal aberrations, and ncRNA dysregulation establishing UM biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Barbagallo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences—Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Michele Stella
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences—Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Broggi
- Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies G.F. Ingrassia—Section of Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Andrea Russo
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Rosario Caltabiano
- Department of Medical, Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies G.F. Ingrassia—Section of Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Marco Ragusa
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences—Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
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Karizak AZ, Salmasi Z, Gheibihayat SM, Asadi M, Ghasemi Y, Tajbakhsh A, Savardashtaki A. Understanding the regulation of "Don't Eat-Me" signals by inflammatory signaling pathways in the tumor microenvironment for more effective therapy. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2023; 149:511-529. [PMID: 36342520 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-022-04452-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Receptor/ligand pair immune checkpoints are inhibitors that regulate immunity as vital "Don't Find-Me" signals to the adaptive immune system, additionally, the essential goals of anti-cancer therapy. Moreover, the immune checkpoints are involved in treatment resistance in cancer therapy. The immune checkpoints as a signal from "self" and their expression on healthy cells prevent phagocytosis. Cells (e.g., senescent and/or apoptotic cells) with low immune checkpoints, such as low CD47 and/or PD-L1, are phagocytosed, which is necessary for tissue integrity and homeostasis maintenance. In other words, cancer cells induce increased CD47 expression in the tumor microenvironment (TME), avoiding their clearance by immune cells. PD-L1 and/or CD47 expression tumors have also been employed as biomarkers to guide cure prospects. Thus, targeting innate and adaptive immune checkpoints might improve the influence of the treatments on tumor cells. However, the CD47 regulation in the TME stands intricate, so much of this process has stayed a riddle. In this line, less attention has been paid to cytokines in TME. Cytokines are significant regulators of tumor immune surveillance, and they do this by controlling the actions of the immune cell. Recently, it has been suggested that different types of cytokines at TME might cooperate with others that contribute to the regulation of CD47 and/or PD-L1. MATERIALS AND METHODS The data were searched in available databases and a Web Search engine (PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar) using related keywords in the title, abstract, and keywords. CONCLUSION Given the significant role of pro/anti-inflammatory signaling in the TME, we discuss the present understanding of pro/anti-inflammatory signaling implications in "Don't Eat-Me" regulation signals, particularly CD47, in the pathophysiology of cancers and come up with innovative opinions for the clinical transformation and personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashkan Zare Karizak
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zahra Salmasi
- Nanotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Department of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Gheibihayat
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Marzieh Asadi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, 71362 81407, Iran
| | - Younes Ghasemi
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 71345-1583, Shiraz, Iran.,Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Amir Tajbakhsh
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 71345-1583, Shiraz, Iran. .,Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Amir Savardashtaki
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, 71362 81407, Iran. .,Infertility Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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7
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Chen Y, Zheng A, Zhang Y, Xiao M, Zhao Y, Wu X, Li M, Du F, Chen Y, Chen M, Li W, Li X, Sun Y, Gu L, Xiao Z, Shen J. Dysregulation of B7 family and its association with tumor microenvironment in uveal melanoma. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1026076. [PMID: 36311731 PMCID: PMC9615147 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1026076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Uveal melanoma (UVM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults with a poor prognosis. B7 family is an important modulator of the immune response. However, its dysregulation and underlying molecular mechanism in UVM still remains unclear. Methods Data were derived from TCGA and GEO databases. The prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier curve. The ESTIMATE algorithm, CIBERSORT algorithm, and TIMER database were used to demonstrate the correlation between B7 family and tumor immune microenvironment in UVM. Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to detect the expression levels of the B7 family in different cell types of UVM. UVM was classified into different types by consistent clustering. Enrichment analysis revealed downstream signaling pathways of the B7 family. The interaction between different cell types was visualized by cell chat. Results The expression level of B7 family in UVM was significantly dysregulated and negatively correlated with methylation level. The expression of B7 family was associated with prognosis and immune infiltration, and B7 family plays an important role in the tumor microenvironment (TME). B7 family members were highly expressed in monocytes/macrophages of UVM compared with other cell types. Immune response and visual perception were the main functions affected by B7 family. The result of cell chat showed that the interaction between photoreceptor cells and immune-related cells was mainly generated by HLA-C-CD8A. CABP4, KCNJ10 and RORB had the strongest correlation with HLA-C-CD8A, and their high expression was significantly correlated with poor prognosis. CABP4 and RORB were specifically expressed in photoreceptor cells. Conclusions Dysregulation of the B7 family in UVM is associated with poor prognosis and affects the tumor immune microenvironment. CABP4 and RORB can serve as potential therapeutic targets for UVM, which can be regulated by the B7 family to affect the visual perception and immune response function of the eye, thus influencing the prognosis of UVM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Pidu District People’s Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Anfu Zheng
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yao Zhang
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Mintao Xiao
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yueshui Zhao
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Xu Wu
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Mingxing Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Fukuan Du
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Meijuan Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Wanping Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaobing Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuhong Sun
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Li Gu
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhangang Xiao
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Department of Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Jing Shen, ; Zhangang Xiao,
| | - Jing Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- *Correspondence: Jing Shen, ; Zhangang Xiao,
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Genome-wide CRISPR knockout screening identified G protein pathway suppressor 2 as a novel tumor suppressor for uveal melanoma metastasis. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2022:10.1007/s00432-022-04160-5. [PMID: 35941228 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-022-04160-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular malignant tumor in adults. Due to the lack of effective treatments for metastatic UM, the survival of UM has not changed over the past 3 decades. Therefore, it is important to identify essential genes regulating the metastasis of UM. METHODS In this study, a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen in an orthotopic mouse model of UM was performed to identify the regulatory genes conferring the metastatic phenotype. Loss-of-function analyses were performed to explore the function of G protein pathway suppressor 2 (GPS2) in UM metastasis in vitro and in vivo. RNA sequencing was performed to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the function of GPS2 as a tumor suppressor in UM. RESULTS Among the highest-ranking genes, we found several validated tumor suppressors, such as SHPRH, GPS2, PRPH2, and hsa-mir-1229; GPS2 was chosen as the candidate gene for further studies. GPS2 was lower expressed in the tumor tissues of UM patients. Furthermore, knocking-down GPS2 promoted the proliferation and metastatic abilities of UM cells both in vivo and in vitro. Finally, analysis of the transcriptome data revealed that silencing GPS2 upregulates oncogenic signaling pathways MAPK and PI3K-Akt, and in the meantime downregulates tumor suppressor signaling pathway Slit/Robo in UM cells. CONCLUSION Altogether, our study proved that the GPS2 gene functions as a tumor suppressor and might be a novel potential therapeutic target for UM treatment.
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9
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Păsărică MA, Curcă PF, Dragosloveanu CDM, Tătaru CI, Manole IR, Murgoi GE, Grigorescu AC. Underlying Ciliary Body Uveal Melanoma in a Patient with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Presenting for Hyphema. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12061312. [PMID: 35741122 PMCID: PMC9221604 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12061312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Ciliary body uveal melanoma is a rare subtype of uveal melanoma which comprises 3–5% of melanomas, an immunogenic cancer, and can present multifaceted initial clinical manifestations, masquerading as various ocular pathologies. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) presents immunodeficiency and risk for the development of a secondary malignancy, with Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment having a mutagenic effect and a secondary anti-platelet aggregation effect. We present the case of a 65-year-old patient undergoing treatment for CLL with ibrutinib who presented with recurrent hyphema that masked an underlying, inferiorly situated, ciliary body uveal melanoma; (2) Methods: Retrospective case review; (3) Results: An ophthalmological examination together with imaging via mode B ultrasound and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging resulted in the clinical and imagistic diagnosis of a ciliary body uveal melanoma. A pathological examination of the enucleated eye confirmed the diagnosis. Postoperative tumoral reoccurrence was not detected for 1½ years, however, CLL immunosuppression worsened with admission for severe COVID-19 disease. (4) Conclusions: CLL patient screening for melanoma should also include detailed ophthalmological examinations, which could also include ultrasound ophthalmological imaging. The avoidance of uveal melanoma metastatic disease is paramount for patient survival. CLL manifests additional profound immunosuppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihai Adrian Păsărică
- Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (M.A.P.); (C.D.M.D.); (C.I.T.); (A.C.G.)
- Department of Ophthalmology, Clinical Hospital for Ophthalmological Emergencies, 010464 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Paul Filip Curcă
- Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (M.A.P.); (C.D.M.D.); (C.I.T.); (A.C.G.)
- Department of Ophthalmology, Clinical Hospital for Ophthalmological Emergencies, 010464 Bucharest, Romania;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +40-72-015-4452
| | - Christiana Diana Maria Dragosloveanu
- Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (M.A.P.); (C.D.M.D.); (C.I.T.); (A.C.G.)
- Department of Ophthalmology, Clinical Hospital for Ophthalmological Emergencies, 010464 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Cătălina Ioana Tătaru
- Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (M.A.P.); (C.D.M.D.); (C.I.T.); (A.C.G.)
- Department of Ophthalmology, Clinical Hospital for Ophthalmological Emergencies, 010464 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Ioana Roxana Manole
- Department of Ophthalmology, Clinical Hospital for Ophthalmological Emergencies, 010464 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Gabriela Elisabeta Murgoi
- Department of Oncology, Institute of Oncology Prof. Dr. Alexandru Trestioreanu, 022328 Bucharest, Romania;
| | - Alexandru Călin Grigorescu
- Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania; (M.A.P.); (C.D.M.D.); (C.I.T.); (A.C.G.)
- Department of Oncology, Clinical Hospital of Nephrology Dr. Carol Davila, 010731 Bucharest, Romania
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10
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Hendriks MAJM, Britsch I, Ke X, van Wijngarden AP, Samplonius DF, Ploeg EM, Helfrich W. Cancer cells under immune attack acquire CD47-mediated adaptive immune resistance independent of the myeloid CD47-SIRPα axis. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:2005344. [PMID: 34858730 PMCID: PMC8632294 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.2005344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells exploit CD47 overexpression to inhibit phagocytic elimination and neoantigen processing via the myeloid CD47-SIRPα axis and thereby indirectly evade adaptive T cell immunity. Here, we report on a hitherto unrecognized direct immunoinhibitory feature of cancer cell-expressed CD47. We uncovered that in response to IFNγ released during cognate T cell immune attack, cancer cells dynamically enhance CD47 cell surface expression, which coincides with acquiring adaptive immune resistance toward pro-apoptotic effector T cell mechanisms. Indeed, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated CD47-knockout rendered cancer cells more sensitive to cognate T cell immune attack. Subsequently, we developed a cancer-directed strategy to selectively overcome CD47-mediated adaptive immune resistance using bispecific antibody (bsAb) CD47xEGFR-IgG2s that was engineered to induce rapid and prolonged cancer cell surface displacement of CD47 by internalization. Treatment of CD47pos cancer cells with bsAb CD47xEGFR-IgG2s potently enhanced susceptibility to cognate CD8pos T cells. Targeting CD47-mediated adaptive immune resistance may open up new avenues in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A J M Hendriks
- Department of Surgery, Laboratory for Translational Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Isabel Britsch
- Department of Surgery, Laboratory for Translational Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Xiurong Ke
- Department of Surgery, Laboratory for Translational Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands.,Graduate School, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China
| | - Anne P van Wijngarden
- Department of Surgery, Laboratory for Translational Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Douwe F Samplonius
- Department of Surgery, Laboratory for Translational Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Emily M Ploeg
- Department of Surgery, Laboratory for Translational Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wijnand Helfrich
- Department of Surgery, Laboratory for Translational Surgical Oncology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands
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11
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Association of Melanoma-Risk Variants with Primary Melanoma Tumor Prognostic Characteristics and Melanoma-Specific Survival in the GEM Study. Curr Oncol 2021; 28:4756-4771. [PMID: 34898573 PMCID: PMC8628692 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol28060401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and candidate pathway studies have identified low-penetrant genetic variants associated with cutaneous melanoma. We investigated the association of melanoma-risk variants with primary melanoma tumor prognostic characteristics and melanoma-specific survival. The Genes, Environment, and Melanoma Study enrolled 3285 European origin participants with incident invasive primary melanoma. For each of 47 melanoma-risk single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we used linear and logistic regression modeling to estimate, respectively, the per allele mean changes in log of Breslow thickness and odds ratios for presence of ulceration, mitoses, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). We also used Cox proportional hazards regression modeling to estimate the per allele hazard ratios for melanoma-specific survival. Passing the false discovery threshold (p = 0.0026) were associations of IRF4 rs12203592 and CCND1 rs1485993 with log of Breslow thickness, and association of TERT rs2242652 with presence of mitoses. IRF4 rs12203592 also had nominal associations (p < 0.05) with presence of mitoses and melanoma-specific survival, as well as a borderline association (p = 0.07) with ulceration. CCND1 rs1485993 also had a borderline association with presence of mitoses (p = 0.06). MX2 rs45430 had nominal associations with log of Breslow thickness, presence of mitoses, and melanoma-specific survival. Our study indicates that further research investigating the associations of these genetic variants with underlying biologic pathways related to tumor progression is warranted.
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12
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Liao CL, Hu N, Sun XY, Zhou Q, Tian M, Cao Y, Lyu HB. Identification and validation of tumor microenvironment-related lncRNA prognostic signature for uveal melanoma. Int J Ophthalmol 2021; 14:1151-1159. [PMID: 34414077 DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2021.08.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM To investigate the role of tumor microenvironment (TME)-related long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in uveal melanoma (UM), probable prognostic signature and potential small molecule drugs using bioinformatics analysis. METHODS UM expression profile data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and bioinformatics methods were used to find prognostic lncRNAs related to UM immune cell infiltration. The gene expression profile data of 80 TCGA specimens were analyzed using the single sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) method, and the immune cell infiltration of a single specimen was evaluated. Finally, the specimens were divided into high and low infiltration groups. The differential expression between the two groups was analyzed using the R package 'edgeR'. Univariate, multivariate and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) Cox regression analyses were performed to explore the prognostic value of TME-related lncRNAs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional analyses were also performed. The Connectivity Map (CMap) data set was used to screen molecular drugs that may treat UM. RESULTS A total of 2393 differentially expressed genes were identified and met the criteria for the low and high immune cell infiltration groups. Univariate Cox analysis of lncRNA genes with differential expression identified 186 genes associated with prognosis. Eight prognostic markers of TME-included lncRNA genes were established as potentially independent prognostic elements. Among 269 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 69 were up-regulated and 200 were down-regulated. Univariate Cox regression analysis of the risk indicators and clinical characteristics of the 8 lncRNA gene constructs showed that age, TNM stage, tumor base diameter, and low and high risk indices had significant prognostic value. We screened the potential small-molecule drugs for UM, including W-13, AH-6809 and Imatinib. CONCLUSION The prognostic markers identified in this study are reliable biomarkers of UM. This study expands our current understanding of the role of TME-related lncRNAs in UM genesis, which may lay the foundations for future treatment of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Lu Liao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Nan Hu
- Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xing-Yu Sun
- Department of Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Qi Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Min Tian
- Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yang Cao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Hong-Bin Lyu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
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13
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Beizavi Z, Gheibihayat SM, Moghadasian H, Zare H, Yeganeh BS, Askari H, Vakili S, Tajbakhsh A, Savardashtaki A. The regulation of CD47-SIRPα signaling axis by microRNAs in combination with conventional cytotoxic drugs together with the help of nano-delivery: a choice for therapy? Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:5707-5722. [PMID: 34275112 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06547-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
CD47, a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is an important "Don't Eat-Me" signal in phagocytosis process [clearance of apoptotic cells] as well as a regulator of the adaptive immune response. The lower level of CD47 on the cell surface leads to the clearance of apoptotic cells. Dysregulation of CD47 plays a critical role in the development of disorders, particularly cancers. In cancers, recognition of CD47 overexpression on the surface of cancer cells by its receptor, SIRPα on the phagocytic cells, inhibits phagocytosis of cancer cells. Thus, blocking of CD47-SIRPα signaling axis might be as a promising therapeutic target, which promotes phagocytosis of cancer cells, antigen-presenting cell function as well as adaptive T cell-mediated anti-cancer immunity. In this respect, it has been reported that CD47 expression can be regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs can regulate phagocytosis of macrophages apoptotic process, drug resistance, relapse of disease, radio-sensitivity, and suppress cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through post-transcriptional regulation of CD47-SIRPα signaling axis. Moreover, the regulation of CD47 expression by miRNAs and combination with conventional cytotoxic drugs together with the help of nano-delivery represent a valuable opportunity for effective cancer treatment. In this review, we review studies that evaluate the role of miRNAs in the regulation of CD47-SIRPα in disorders to achieve a novel preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategy.Please confirm if the author names are presented accurately and in the correct sequence (given name, middle name/initial, family name). Also, kindly confirm the details in the metadata are correct. Confirmed.Journal standard instruction requires a structured abstract; however, none was provided. Please supply an Abstract with subsections..Not confirmed. This is a review article. According to submission guidelines: "The abstract should be presented divided into subheadings (unless it is a mini or full review article)". Kindly check and confirm whether the corresponding authors and mail ID are correctly identified. Confirmed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Beizavi
- Department of General Surgery, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Gheibihayat
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
| | - Hadis Moghadasian
- Laboratory of Common Basic Sciences, Mohammad Rasool Allah Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Hossein Zare
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Babak Shirazi Yeganeh
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Hassan Askari
- Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Sina Vakili
- Infertility Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Amir Tajbakhsh
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Amir Savardashtaki
- Epilepsy Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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14
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Ye ZH, Jiang XM, Huang MY, Xu YL, Chen YC, Yuan LW, Huang CY, Yu WB, Chen X, Lu JJ. Regulation of CD47 expression by interferon-gamma in cancer cells. Transl Oncol 2021; 14:101162. [PMID: 34171557 PMCID: PMC8243019 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
IFN-γ up-regulated CD47 expression from transcriptional level. IFN-γ induced CD47 expression via JAK-STAT1-IRF1 pathway. The up-regulation of CD47 expression induced by IFN-γ was widespread among cancer.
The anti-phagocytosis signal, CD47, prevents phagocytosis when it interacts with signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) on macrophages. Given the vital role of CD47 in immune response, further investigation on the regulation of CD47 in tumor microenvironment is needed. Herein, we identified that interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), one of the most important cytokines in the immune and inflammatory response, up-regulated CD47 expression in cancer cells and this effect could be inhibited by the JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib, as well as siRNA-mediated silencing of JAK1, STAT1, and IRF1. The IFN-γ-induced surface expression of CD47 contributed to a stronger binding affinity to SIRPα and a decrease in phagocytosis of cancer cells by macrophages. Knockdown of JAK1, STAT1, or IRF1 by siRNA reversed the decreased phagocytosis caused by IFN-γ. Besides, analysis from TCGA revealed that IFNG had a positive correlation with CD47 in various types of cancer, which was supported by the increased surface CD47 expression after IFN-γ treatment in different types of cancer cells. The discovery of IFN-γ-induced up-regulation of CD47 in cancer cells unveils another feedback inhibitory mechanism of IFN-γ, thus providing insights into cancer immunotherapy targeting CD47.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Han Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Xiao-Ming Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Mu-Yang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Yu-Lian Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Yu-Chi Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Luo-Wei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Can-Yu Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Wei-Bang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Xiuping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China
| | - Jin-Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao, China; MoE Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Macao, China.
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15
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Jiu X, Liu Y, Wen J. Artesunate combined with verteporfin inhibits uveal melanoma by regulation of the MALAT1/yes-associated protein signaling pathway. Oncol Lett 2021; 22:597. [PMID: 34188699 PMCID: PMC8228376 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2021.12858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common ocular malignancy and has no effective clinical treatment. Therefore, novel drugs to suppress UM tumor progression are urgently required. The present study aimed to clarify the underlying mechanism of the inhibitory effects of artesunate on UM. By using plasmid transfection and detecting apoptotic level, the present study identified artesunate as a potential candidate for UM treatment. Compared with those in the vehicle (DMSO)-treated control cells, artesunate enhanced the apoptotic rate and increased lactate dehydrogenase release, reactive oxygen species and IL1b and IL18 levels in C918 cells. Overexpression of yes-associated protein (YAP) or metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) in C918 cells reversed the effects of artesunate and reduced the apoptotic rate compared with those observed in cells transfected with the negative control plasmid. Notably, verteporfin enhanced the effects of artesunate on C918 cells by increasing the apoptotic rate, indicating that combined therapy was more effective compared with treatment with artesunate alone. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that artesunate elevated the apoptotic rate and suppressed C918 cell viability by regulating the MALAT1/YAP signaling pathway, and these effects were enhanced by supplementation with verteporfin. These results suggested that artesunate may exert an inhibitory effect on C918 cells and that the MALAT1/YAP signaling may serve important role in mediating these effects, providing evidence of its potential for treating UM in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xudong Jiu
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730020, P.R. China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730020, P.R. China
| | - Jin Wen
- Department of Ophthalmology, People's Hospital of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, P.R. China
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16
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Wang JZ, Lin V, Toumi E, Wang K, Zhu H, Conway RM, Madigan MC, Murray M, Cherepanoff S, Zhou F, Shu W. Development of new therapeutic options for the treatment of uveal melanoma. FEBS J 2021; 288:6226-6249. [PMID: 33838075 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. Important cytogenetic and genetic risk factors for the development of UM include chromosome 3 monosomy, mutations in the guanine nucleotide-binding proteins GNAQ/GNA11, and loss of the BRACA1-associated protein 1 (BAP 1). Most primary UMs are treated conservatively with radiotherapy, but enucleation is necessary for large tumours. Despite the effectiveness of local control, up to 50% of UM patients develop metastasis for which there are no effective therapies. Attempts to utilise the targeted therapies that have been developed for the treatment of other cancers, including a range of signal transduction pathway inhibitors, have rarely produced significant outcomes in UM. Similarly, the application of immunotherapies that are effective in cutaneous melanoma to treat UM have also been disappointing. Other approaches that have been initiated involve proteasomal inhibitors and histone deacetylase inhibitors which are approved for the treatment of other cancers. Nevertheless, there have been occasional positive outcomes from these treatments in UM. Moreover, combination approaches in UM have also yielded some positive developments. It would be valuable to identify how to apply such therapies efficiently in UM, potentially via individualised tumour profiling. It would also be important to characterise UM tumours to differentiate the potential drivers of progression from those in other types of cancers. The recent identification of novel kinases and metastatic genes in UM tumours makes the development of new UM-specific treatments feasible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janney Z Wang
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Vivian Lin
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Elsa Toumi
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ke Wang
- Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Ministry of Health, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, China
| | - Hong Zhu
- Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - R Max Conway
- Ocular Oncology Unit, Sydney Eye Hospital and The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, NSW, Australia.,Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michele C Madigan
- Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.,School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Murray
- Discipline of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Svetlana Cherepanoff
- SydPath, Department of Anatomical Pathology, St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Fanfan Zhou
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Wenying Shu
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Pharmacy School, The University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Department of Pharmacy, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, China
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17
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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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18
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Fallico M, Raciti G, Longo A, Reibaldi M, Bonfiglio V, Russo A, Caltabiano R, Gattuso G, Falzone L, Avitabile T. Current molecular and clinical insights into uveal melanoma (Review). Int J Oncol 2021; 58:10. [PMID: 33649778 PMCID: PMC7910016 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2021.5190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) represents the most prominent primary eye cancer in adults. With an incidence of approximately 5 cases per million individuals annually in the United States, UM could be considered a relatively rare cancer. The 90-95% of UM cases arise from the choroid. Diagnosis is based mainly on a clinical examination and ancillary tests, with ocular ultrasonography being of greatest value. Differential diagnosis can prove challenging in the case of indeterminate choroidal lesions and, sometimes, monitoring for documented growth may be the proper approach. Fine needle aspiration biopsy tends to be performed with a prognostic purpose, often in combination with radiotherapy. Gene expression profiling has allowed for the grading of UMs into two classes, which feature different metastatic risks. Patients with UM require a specialized multidisciplinary management. Primary tumor treatment can be either enucleation or globe preserving. Usually, enucleation is reserved for larger tumors, while radiotherapy is preferred for small/medium melanomas. The prognosis is unfavorable due to the high mortality rate and high tendency to metastasize. Following the development of metastatic disease, the mortality rate increases to 80% within one year, due to both the absence of an effective treatment and the aggressiveness of the condition. Novel molecular studies have allowed for a better understanding of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in UM biological activity, which differs compared to skin melanomas. The most commonly mutated genes are GNAQ, GNA11 and BAP1. Research in this field could help to identify effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Fallico
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Raciti
- Department of Drug Sciences, Section of Biochemistry, University of Catania, I‑95125 Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Longo
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Michele Reibaldi
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Eye Clinic Section, University of Turin, I‑10122 Turin, Italy
| | - Vincenza Bonfiglio
- Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neuroscience, Ophthalmology Section, University of Palermo, I‑90127 Palermo, Italy
| | - Andrea Russo
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Rosario Caltabiano
- Department 'G.F. Ingrassia', Section of Anatomic Pathology, University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gattuso
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Luca Falzone
- Epidemiology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori 'Fondazione G. Pascale', I‑80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Teresio Avitabile
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, I‑95123 Catania, Italy
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19
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Caltabiano R, De Pasquale R, Piombino E, Campo G, Nicoletti F, Cavalli E, Mangano K, Fagone P. Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) and Its Homologue d-Dopachrome Tautomerase (DDT) Inversely Correlate with Inflammation in Discoid Lupus Erythematosus. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26010184. [PMID: 33401503 PMCID: PMC7795694 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26010184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) is a chronic cutaneous disease of unknown etiology and of immunoinflammatory origin that is characterized by inflammatory plaques and may lead to disfiguring scarring and skin atrophy. Current treatments are limited, with a large proportion of patients either poorly or not responsive, which makes DLE an unmet medical need. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is the prototype of a pleiotropic family of cytokine that also includes the recently discovered homologue D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT) or MIF2. MIF and DDT/MIF-2 exert several biological properties, primarily, but not exclusively of a proinflammatory nature. MIF and DDT have been suggested to play a key role in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes, as well as in the development and progression of certain forms of cancers. In the present study, we have performed an immunohistochemistry analysis for the evaluation of MIF in DLE lesions and normal skin. We found high levels of MIF in the basal layer of the epidermis as well as in the cutaneous appendage (eccrine glands and sebocytes) of normal skin. In DLE lesions, we observed a significant negative correlation between the expression of MIF and the severity of inflammation. In addition, we performed an analysis of MIF and DDT expression levels in the skin of DLE patients in a publicly available microarray dataset. Interestingly, while these in silico data only evidenced a trend toward reduced levels of MIF, they demonstrated a significant pattern of expression and correlation of DDT with inflammatory infiltrates in DLE skins. Overall, our data support a protective role for endogenous MIF and possibly DDT in the regulation of homeostasis and inflammation in the skin and open up novel avenues for the treatment of DLE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Caltabiano
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia, 87, 95123 Catania, Italy; (R.C.); (E.P.)
| | - Rocco De Pasquale
- Department of General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy;
| | - Eliana Piombino
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia, 87, 95123 Catania, Italy; (R.C.); (E.P.)
| | - Giorgia Campo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (G.C.); (E.C.); (K.M.); (P.F.)
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (G.C.); (E.C.); (K.M.); (P.F.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Eugenio Cavalli
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (G.C.); (E.C.); (K.M.); (P.F.)
| | - Katia Mangano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (G.C.); (E.C.); (K.M.); (P.F.)
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (G.C.); (E.C.); (K.M.); (P.F.)
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Lanthanide-semiconductor probes for precise imaging-guided phototherapy and immunotherapy. JOURNAL OF BIO-X RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1097/jbr.0000000000000083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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21
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Ortega MA, Fraile-Martínez O, García-Honduvilla N, Coca S, Álvarez-Mon M, Buján J, Teus MA. Update on uveal melanoma: Translational research from biology to clinical practice (Review). Int J Oncol 2020; 57:1262-1279. [PMID: 33173970 PMCID: PMC7646582 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2020.5140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma is the most common type of intraocular cancer with a low mean annual incidence of 5‑10 cases per million. Tumours are located in the choroid (90%), ciliary body (6%) or iris (4%) and of 85% are primary tumours. As in cutaneous melanoma, tumours arise in melanocytes; however, the characteristics of uveal melanoma differ, accounting for 3‑5% of melanocytic cancers. Among the numerous risk factors are age, sex, genetic and phenotypic predisposition, the work environment and dermatological conditions. Management is usually multidisciplinary, including several specialists such as ophthalmologists, oncologists and maxillofacial surgeons, who participate in the diagnosis, treatment and complex follow‑up of these patients, without excluding the management of the immense emotional burden. Clinically, uveal melanoma generates symptoms that depend as much on the affected ocular globe site as on the tumour size. The anatomopathological study of uveal melanoma has recently benefited from developments in molecular biology. In effect, disease classification or staging according to molecular profile is proving useful for the assessment of this type of tumour. Further, the improved knowledge of tumour biology is giving rise to a more targeted approach to diagnosis, prognosis and treatment development; for example, epigenetics driven by microRNAs as a target for disease control. In the present study, the main epidemiological, clinical, physiopathological and molecular features of this disease are reviewed, and the associations among all these factors are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A. Ortega
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid
- University Center for The Defense of Madrid (CUD-ACD), 28047 Madrid
| | - Oscar Fraile-Martínez
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid
| | - Natalio García-Honduvilla
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid
- University Center for The Defense of Madrid (CUD-ACD), 28047 Madrid
| | - Santiago Coca
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid
- University Center for The Defense of Madrid (CUD-ACD), 28047 Madrid
| | - Melchor Álvarez-Mon
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid
- University Center for The Defense of Madrid (CUD-ACD), 28047 Madrid
- Internal and Oncology Service (CIBER-EHD), University Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid
| | - Julia Buján
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialties, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid
- University Center for The Defense of Madrid (CUD-ACD), 28047 Madrid
| | - Miguel A. Teus
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, 28871 Madrid
- Ophthalmology Service, University Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, 28805 Madrid, Spain
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22
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Lombardo SD, Bramanti A, Ciurleo R, Basile MS, Pennisi M, Bella R, Mangano K, Bramanti P, Nicoletti F, Fagone P. Profiling of inhibitory immune checkpoints in glioblastoma: Potential pathogenetic players. Oncol Lett 2020; 20:332. [PMID: 33123243 PMCID: PMC7583708 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.12195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) represents the most frequent glial tumor, with almost 3 new cases per 100,000 people per year. Despite treatment, the prognosis for GBM patients remains extremely poor, with a median survival of 14.6 months, and a 5-year survival less than 5%. It is generally believed that GBM creates a highly immunosuppressive microenvironment, sustained by the expression of immune-regulatory factors, including inhibitory immune checkpoints, on both infiltrating cells and tumor cells. However, the trials assessing the efficacy of current immune checkpoint inhibitors in GBM are still disappointing. In the present study, the expression levels of several inhibitory immune checkpoints in GBM (CD276, VTCN1, CD47, PVR, TNFRSF14, CD200, LGALS9, NECTIN2 and CD48) were characterized in order to evaluate their potential as prognostic and eventually, therapeutic targets. Among the investigated immune checkpoints, TNFRSF14 and NECTIN2 were identified as the most promising targets in GBM. In particular, a higher TNFRSF14 expression was associated with worse overall survival and disease-free survival, and with a lower Th1 response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvo Danilo Lombardo
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Rosella Ciurleo
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, I-98124 Messina, Italy
| | | | - Manuela Pennisi
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Rita Bella
- Department of Medical Sciences, Surgery and Advanced Technologies, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Katia Mangano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | | | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
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23
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Cavalli E, Petralia MC, Basile MS, Bramanti A, Bramanti P, Nicoletti F, Spandidos DA, Shoenfeld Y, Fagone P. Transcriptomic analysis of COVID‑19 lungs and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples reveals predominant B cell activation responses to infection. Int J Mol Med 2020; 46:1266-1273. [PMID: 32945352 PMCID: PMC7447313 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2020.4702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus disease (named, COVID‑19), caused by the novel SARS‑CoV‑2 virus, represents a worldwide severe threat to public health. It is of the utmost importance to characterize the immune responses against the SARS‑CoV‑2 and the mechanisms of hyperinflammation, in order to design better therapeutic strategies for COVID‑19. In the present study, a transcriptomic analysis was performed to profile the immune signatures in lung and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples from COVID‑19 patients and controls. Our data concordantly revealed increased humoral responses to infection. The elucidation of the host responses to SARS‑CoV‑2 infection may further improve our understanding of COVID‑19 pathogenesis and suggest better therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Cavalli
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania
| | - Maria Cristina Petralia
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare) Centro Neurolesi 'Bonino-Pulejo', I-98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Alessia Bramanti
- IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare) Centro Neurolesi 'Bonino-Pulejo', I-98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Placido Bramanti
- IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare) Centro Neurolesi 'Bonino-Pulejo', I-98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania
| | - Demetrios A. Spandidos
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Medical School, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Yehuda Shoenfeld
- Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center (Affiliated to Tel-Aviv University), Tel-Hashomer 5265601, Israel
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119146 Moscow, Russia
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania
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24
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Pesce A, Ciurleo R, Bramanti A, Armeli Iapichino EC, Petralia MC, Magro GG, Fagone P, Bramanti P, Nicoletti F, Mangano K. Effects of Combined Admistration of Imatinib and Sorafenib in a Murine Model of Liver Fibrosis. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25184310. [PMID: 32962198 PMCID: PMC7571085 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25184310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver fibrosis is defined as excessive extracellular matrix deposition in the hepatic parenchyma as a consequence of complex interactions among matrix-producing hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and liver-resident and infiltrating cells. In addition to the liver, the process of fibrosis may represent end-stage disease of several diseases including kidneys, lungs, spleens, heart, muscles and at certain extent, the central nervous system and the peripheral nerves. To date, antifibrotic treatment of fibrosis represents an unconquered area for drug development. The aim of the present study was to test the efficacy of a new drug combination for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis in order to provide a proof-of-concept for the use of therapeutic agents in clinical practice. For this purpose, we have studied the effects of the PDGF inhibitor imatinib and the angiogenesis inhibitor sorafenib, administered alone or in combination, in reducing the progression of the fibrogenetic process in a pre-clinical model of liver damage induced in mice by repeated administration of Concanavalin A (ConA), resembling long-tern autoimmune hepatitis. Our results suggest that treatments with imatinib and sorafenib can modulate potently and, in a superimposable fashion, the fibrinogenic process when administered alone. However, and in agreement with the computational data presently generated, they only exert partial overlapping antifibrotic effects in modulating the main pathways involved in the process of liver fibrosis, without significant additive or synergist effects, when administered in combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Pesce
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technology G.F. Ingrassia, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 86, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.P.); (G.G.M.)
| | - Rosella Ciurleo
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy; (R.C.); (A.B.); (P.B.)
| | - Alessia Bramanti
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy; (R.C.); (A.B.); (P.B.)
| | | | - Maria Cristina Petralia
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.C.P.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
| | - Gaetano Giuseppe Magro
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technology G.F. Ingrassia, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 86, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.P.); (G.G.M.)
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.C.P.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
| | - Placido Bramanti
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy; (R.C.); (A.B.); (P.B.)
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.C.P.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Katia Mangano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.C.P.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
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25
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Regulation of CD47 expression in cancer cells. Transl Oncol 2020; 13:100862. [PMID: 32920329 PMCID: PMC7494507 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2020.100862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
CD47 is overexpressed in various types of cancers and it can directly bind with SIRPα, which is mainly located on macrophages. The binding of CD47-SIRPα transmits a “don't eat me” signal, which can prevent cancer cells from immune clearance. Targeting the phagocytosis checkpoint of CD47-SIRPα axis has shown remarkable anticancer effect in preclinical and clinical research, which indicates the potential application of CD47-SIRPα blockade for cancer treatment. In this case, the comprehensive description of the regulation of CD47 in different types of cancer cells has significant implications for furthering our understanding of the role of CD47 in cancer. Based on the current reports, we summarized the regulatory factors, i.e., cytokines, oncogenes, microRNAs as well as enzymes, of CD47 expression in cancer cells. Accordingly, we also proposed several points needing further research, hoping to provide useful insights for the future investigation on the regulation of CD47 in cancers. Cytokines, oncogenes, microRNAs and enzymes regulate CD47 expression in cancer. CD47 expression could be regulated at the transcriptional, post-transcriptional and post-translational modification level. Further studies are required to determine other factors that regulate CD47 expression.
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26
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Chacón M, Pfluger Y, Angel M, Waisberg F, Enrico D. Uncommon Subtypes of Malignant Melanomas: A Review Based on Clinical and Molecular Perspectives. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E2362. [PMID: 32825562 PMCID: PMC7565756 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12092362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignant melanoma represents the most aggressive type of skin cancer. Modern therapies, including targeted agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors, have changed the dismal prognosis that characterized this disease. However, most evidence was obtained by studying patients with frequent subtypes of cutaneous melanoma (CM). Consequently, there is an emerging need to understand the molecular basis and treatment approaches for unusual melanoma subtypes. Even a standardized definition of infrequent or rare melanoma is not clearly established. For that reason, we reviewed this challenging topic considering clinical and molecular perspectives, including uncommon CMs-not associated with classical V600E/K BRAF mutations-malignant mucosal and uveal melanomas, and some unusual independent entities, such as amelanotic, desmoplastic, or spitzoid melanomas. Finally, we collected information regarding melanomas from non-traditional primary sites, which emerge from locations as unique as meninges, dermis, lymph nodes, the esophagus, and breasts. The aim of this review is to summarize and highlight the main scientific evidence regarding rare melanomas, with a particular focus on treatment perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matías Chacón
- Department of Medical Oncology, Alexander Fleming Cancer Institute, Buenos Aires 1426, Argentina; (Y.P.); (M.A.); (F.W.); (D.E.)
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27
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Lazarević M, Battaglia G, Jevtić B, Đedović N, Bruno V, Cavalli E, Miljković Đ, Nicoletti F, Momčilović M, Fagone P. Upregulation of Tolerogenic Pathways by the Hydrogen Sulfide Donor GYY4137 and Impaired Expression of H 2S-Producing Enzymes in Multiple Sclerosis. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020; 9:E608. [PMID: 32664399 PMCID: PMC7402185 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9070608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the in vitro effects of the slow-releasing H2S donor GYY4137 on the immune cells involved in the pathogenesis of the central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis (MS). GYY4137 specifically potentiated TGF-β expression and production in dendritic cells and significantly reduced IFN-γ and IL-17 production in the lymph node and spinal cord T cells obtained from mice immunized with CNS antigens. Both the proportion of FoxP3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells in the lymph node cells, and the percentage of IL-17+ CD4+ T cells in the spinal cord cells were reduced upon culturing with GYY4137. Interestingly, the peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from the MS patients had a lower expression of the H2S-producing enzyme, 3-mercaptopyruvate-sulfurtransferase (MPST), in comparison to those obtained from healthy donors. A significant inverse correlation between the expression of MPST and several pro-inflammatory factors was also observed. Further studies on the relevance of the observed results for the pathogenesis and therapy of MS are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica Lazarević
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Giuseppe Battaglia
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Piazzale A. Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Neuromed, Località Camerelle, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Bojan Jevtić
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Neda Đedović
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Valeria Bruno
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Piazzale A. Moro, 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
- IRCCS Neuromed, Località Camerelle, 86077 Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Eugenio Cavalli
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Đorđe Miljković
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Miljana Momčilović
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy
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28
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Transcriptional landscape of SARS-CoV-2 infection dismantles pathogenic pathways activated by the virus, proposes unique sex-specific differences and predicts tailored therapeutic strategies. Autoimmun Rev 2020; 19:102571. [PMID: 32376402 PMCID: PMC7252184 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2020.102571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease (COVID-19) has posed a serious threat to global health. As no specific therapeutics are yet available to control disease evolution, more in-depth understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms induced by SARS-CoV-2 will help to characterize new targets for the management of COVID-19. The present study identified a specific set of biological pathways altered in primary human lung epithelium upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, and a comparison with SARS-CoV from the 2003 pandemic was studied. The transcriptomic profiles were also exploited as possible novel therapeutic targets, and anti-signature perturbation analysis predicted potential drugs to control disease progression. Among them, Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), serine-threonine kinase (AKT), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and I kappa B Kinase (IKK) inhibitors emerged as candidate drugs. Finally, sex-specific differences that may underlie the higher COVID-19 mortality in men are proposed.
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29
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Wierenga APA, Cao J, Mouthaan H, van Weeghel C, Verdijk RM, van Duinen SG, Kroes WGM, Dogrusöz M, Marinkovic M, van der Burg SSH, Luyten GPM, Jager MJ. Aqueous Humor Biomarkers Identify Three Prognostic Groups in Uveal Melanoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2020; 60:4740-4747. [PMID: 31731294 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.19-28309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To investigate whether we can identify different patterns of inflammation in the aqueous humor of a uveal melanoma (UM)-containing eye, and whether these are related to prognosis. Methods Ninety samples of aqueous humor from UM-containing eyes were analyzed using a high-throughput multiplex immunoassay that enables simultaneous analysis of 92 predefined protein biomarkers. Cytokine expression was compared to clinical and histopathological characteristics. Cluster analysis was performed, after which the clusters were compared with clinical and histopathological tumor characteristics. Results Cluster analysis revealed three distinct clusters, with one cluster showing hardly any inflammatory cytokines, one showing intermediate levels, and one showing a high expression of inflammation-related biomarkers. Significant differences between the clusters were seen with regard to patient age (P = 0.008), tumor prominence (P = 0.001), ciliary body involvement (P < 0.001), American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P < 0.001), monosomy of chromosome 3 (P = 0.03), and gain of chromosome 8q (P = 0.04), with the cluster with a highest cytokine expression having the worst prognostic markers. Especially apoptosis-related cytokines were differentially expressed. Conclusions Analysis of cytokines in the aqueous humor shows distinct differences between aqueous humor samples and allocates these samples into three different prognostic tumor clusters. Especially large tumors with ciliary body involvement and monosomy 3 were associated with many cytokines, especially apoptosis-related cytokines. The presence of these cytokines in the aqueous humor may play a role in the lack of effective antitumor immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemijn P A Wierenga
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Jinfeng Cao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | | | | | - Robert M Verdijk
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Pathology, Section Ophthalmic Pathology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sjoerd G van Duinen
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wilma G M Kroes
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Mehmet Dogrusöz
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marina Marinkovic
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Gregorius P M Luyten
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Martine J Jager
- Department of Ophthalmology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Mangano K, Lanteri R, Basile MS, Bellavia N, Latino R, Messina D, Fagone P, Colletti G, Nania R, Caltabiano R, Di Marco R, Di Cataldo A. Effects of GIT-27NO, a NO-donating compound, on hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2020; 33:2058738419862736. [PMID: 31298048 PMCID: PMC6628530 DOI: 10.1177/2058738419862736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) is a clinical condition that may lead
to cellular injury and organ dysfunction that can be observed in different
conditions, such as trauma, shock, liver resection, and transplantation.
Moderate levels of nitric oxide (NO) produced by the endothelial isoform of the
NO synthase protect against liver IRI. GIT-27NO is a NO-derivative of the
toll-like receptor 4 antagonist VGX-1027 that has been shown to possess both
antineoplastic and immunomodulatory properties in vitro and in vivo. In this
study, we have investigated the effects of this compound in vitro, in a model of
oxidative stress induced in HepG2 cells by hydrogen peroxide
(H2O2), and in vivo, in a rat model of IRI of the
liver. GIT-27NO significantly counteracted the toxic effects induced by the
H2O2 on the HepG2 cells and in vivo, GIT-27NO reduced
the transaminase levels and the histological liver injury by reducing necrotic
areas with preservation of viable tissue. These effects were almost similar to
that of the positive control drug dimethyl fumarate. These data suggest that the
beneficial effect of GIT-27NO in the hepatic IRI can be secondary to
anti-oxidative effects and hepatocyte necrosis reduction probably mediated by NO
release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katia Mangano
- 1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Raffaele Lanteri
- 2 Department of General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- 1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Noemi Bellavia
- 2 Department of General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Rosalia Latino
- 2 Department of General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Domenico Messina
- 1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Paolo Fagone
- 1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Colletti
- 1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Riccardo Nania
- 1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Rosario Caltabiano
- 3 Department of Surgical Sciences, Organ Transplantation and Advanced Technologies, G.F. Ingrassia, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Roberto Di Marco
- 4 Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "Vincenzo Tiberio," University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
| | - Antonio Di Cataldo
- 2 Department of General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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Petralia MC, Mazzon E, Mangano K, Fagone P, Di Marco R, Falzone L, Basile MS, Nicoletti F, Cavalli E. Transcriptomic analysis reveals moderate modulation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor superfamily genes in alcohol use disorders. Exp Ther Med 2020; 19:1755-1762. [PMID: 32104230 PMCID: PMC7026954 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.8410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a primary, chronic and relapsing disease of brain reward, motivation and memory, which is associated with several comorbidities, including major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. It has been revealed that Ibudilast (IBUD), a dual inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-4 and −10 and of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), exerts beneficial effects on AUD in rodent models and human patients. Therefore, IBUD has attracted increasing interest, with research focusing on the elucidation of the pathogenic role of MIF and its homologue, D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT), in the pathogenesis and maintenance of AUD. By using DNA microarray analysis, the current study performed a transcriptomic expression analysis of MIF, DDT and their co-receptors, including CD74, C-X-C chemokine receptor (CXCR)2, CXCR4 and CXCR7 in patients with AUD. The results revealed that the transcriptomic levels of MIF, DDT and their receptors were superimposable in the prefrontal cortex of rodents and patients with AUD and human patients. Furthermore, peripheral blood cells from heavy drinkers exhibited a moderate increase in MIF and DDT levels, both at the baseline and following exposure to alcohol-associated cues, based on individual situations that included alcohol-related stimuli resulting in subsequent alcohol use (buying alcohol and being at a bar, watching others drink alcohol). Considering the overlapping effects of MIF and DDT, the inverse Fisher's χ2 test was performed on unadjusted P-values to evaluate the combined effect of MIF and DDT. The results revealed a significant increase in these cytokines in heavy drinkers compared with controls (moderate drinkers). To the best of our knowledge, the present study demonstrated for the first time that MIF and DDT expression was upregulated in the blood of patients with AUD. These results therefore warrant further study to evaluate the role of MIF and DDT in the development and maintenance of AUD, to evaluate their use as biomarkers to predict the psychotherapeutic and pharmacological response of patients with AUD and for use as therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cristina Petralia
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare) Centro Neurolesi 'Bonino-Pulejo', I-98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Katia Mangano
- IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare) Centro Neurolesi 'Bonino-Pulejo', I-98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Roberto Di Marco
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences 'Vincenzo Tiberio', University of Molise, I-86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Luca Falzone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Eugenio Cavalli
- IRCCS (Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare) Centro Neurolesi 'Bonino-Pulejo', I-98124 Messina, Italy
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Wang X, Dong Y, Wu Q, Lu T, Wang Y, Liu W, Liu C, Xu W. Analysis of circular RNA-associated competing endogenous RNA network in breast cancer. Oncol Lett 2020; 19:1619-1634. [PMID: 32002039 PMCID: PMC6960389 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.11247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
As the most common type of cancer in female patients, the morbidity and mortality rates of breast cancer (BC) are high, and its incidence is gradually increasing worldwide. However, the underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in the etiopathogenesis of BC remain unclear. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel type of non-coding RNAs that have been verified to serve a crucial role in tumorigenesis. However, the majority of functions and mechanisms of circRNAs remain unknown. The present study identified 47 differentially expressed circRNAs in a dataset from Gene Expression Omnibus. Using the cancer-specific circRNA database, the potential microRNA (miRNA) response elements, RNA-binding proteins and open reading frames of the candidate circRNAs were predicted. Combing the predictions of miRNAs and target mRNAs, a competing endogenous RNA network was constructed, which may serve as the theoretical basis for further research. Furthermore, the analyses conducted using Gene Ontology terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways indicated that candidate circRNAs may serve a role in transcriptional regulation. Moreover, 20 BC tissue specimens and their paired adjacent normal tissue specimens were used to evaluate the expression levels of the screened circRNAs. Thus, the analyses of the raw microarray data conducted in the present study offer perspectives on the exploration of mechanisms associated with BC tumorigenesis with regard to the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuekang Wang
- Department of Inspection, Medical Faculty of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Yanhan Dong
- Center for Developmental Cardiology, Institute of Translational Medicine, College of Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266021, P.R. China
| | - Qiong Wu
- Clinical Laboratory, Qingdao Hiser Medical Center, Qingdao, Shandong 266034, P.R. China
| | - Tong Lu
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Yuanyong Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Wenchao Liu
- Clinical Laboratory Blood Transfusion Service, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, Shandong 266011, P.R. China
| | - Chengyu Liu
- Department of Inspection, Medical Faculty of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
| | - Wenhua Xu
- Department of Inspection, Medical Faculty of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266003, P.R. China
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Cavalli E, Mazzon E, Basile MS, Mammana S, Pennisi M, Fagone P, Kalfin R, Martinovic V, Ivanovic J, Andabaka M, Mesaros S, Pekmezovic T, Drulovic J, Nicoletti F, Petralia MC. In Silico and In Vivo Analysis of IL37 in Multiple Sclerosis Reveals Its Probable Homeostatic Role on the Clinical Activity, Disability, and Treatment with Fingolimod. Molecules 2019; 25:molecules25010020. [PMID: 31861585 PMCID: PMC6982851 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We evaluated the in silico expression and circulating levels of interleukin (IL)37 in patients with different forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and also upon treatment with different disease-modifying drugs. The combined interpretation of the resulting data strengthens and extends the current emerging concept that endogenous IL37 plays an important role in determining onset and progression of MS. The in silico analysis revealed that production of IL37 from cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ T cells from MS patients was reduced in vitro as compared to healthy controls. The analysis of the datasets also demonstrated that “higher” levels of IL37 production from PBMC entailed significant protection from MS relapses. In addition, the in vivo part of the study showed that IL37 was selectively augmented in the sera of MS patients during a relapse and that treatment with the high potency disease-modifying drug fingolimod significantly increased the frequency of patients with circulating blood levels of IL37 (6/9, 66%) as compared to patients receiving no treatment (n = 48) or platform therapy (n = 59) who had levels of IL37 below the limit of the sensitivity of the assay. This finding therefore anticipates that fingolimod may at least partially exert its beneficial effects in MS by upregulating the production of IL37.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Cavalli
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo”, Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy; (E.C.); (E.M.); (S.M.); (M.C.P.)
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo”, Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy; (E.C.); (E.M.); (S.M.); (M.C.P.)
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (M.P.); (P.F.)
| | - Santa Mammana
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo”, Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy; (E.C.); (E.M.); (S.M.); (M.C.P.)
| | - Manuela Pennisi
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (M.P.); (P.F.)
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (M.P.); (P.F.)
| | - Reni Kalfin
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Block 23 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria;
| | - Vanja Martinovic
- Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Dr Subotica 6, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.M.); (J.I.); (M.A.); (S.M.); (T.P.); (J.D.)
| | - Jovana Ivanovic
- Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Dr Subotica 6, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.M.); (J.I.); (M.A.); (S.M.); (T.P.); (J.D.)
| | - Marko Andabaka
- Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Dr Subotica 6, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.M.); (J.I.); (M.A.); (S.M.); (T.P.); (J.D.)
| | - Sarlota Mesaros
- Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Dr Subotica 6, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.M.); (J.I.); (M.A.); (S.M.); (T.P.); (J.D.)
| | - Tatjana Pekmezovic
- Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Dr Subotica 6, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.M.); (J.I.); (M.A.); (S.M.); (T.P.); (J.D.)
| | - Jelena Drulovic
- Clinic of Neurology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Dr Subotica 6, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (V.M.); (J.I.); (M.A.); (S.M.); (T.P.); (J.D.)
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (M.P.); (P.F.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-095-478-1270
| | - Maria Cristina Petralia
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi “Bonino-Pulejo”, Via Provinciale Palermo, Contrada Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy; (E.C.); (E.M.); (S.M.); (M.C.P.)
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Petralia MC, Mazzon E, Basile MS, Cutuli M, Di Marco R, Scandurra F, Saraceno A, Fagone P, Nicoletti F, Mangano K. Effects of Treatment with the Hypomethylating Agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine in Murine Type II Collagen-Induced Arthritis. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2019; 12:ph12040174. [PMID: 31783688 PMCID: PMC6958460 DOI: 10.3390/ph12040174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The emerging role of epigenetics in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases has recently attracted much interest on the possible use of epigenetic modulators for the prevention and treatment of these diseases. In particular, we and others have shown that drugs that inhibit DNA methylation, such as azacitidine (AZA) and decitabine (DAC), already used for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia, exert powerful beneficial effects in rodent models of type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and Guillain Barrè syndrome. Along this line of research, we have presently studied the effects of DAC in a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis induced by type II collagen and have demonstrated that DAC administration was associated with a significant amelioration of the clinical condition, along with in vivo and ex vivo modification of the immunological profile of the so-treated mice, that exhibited a diminished production of Th1 and Th17 pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduction of anti-type II collagen autoantibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy; (M.C.P.); (E.M.)
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (F.S.); (A.S.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
| | - Marco Cutuli
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences “Vincenzo Tiberio”, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy; (M.C.); (R.D.M.)
| | - Roberto Di Marco
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences “Vincenzo Tiberio”, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy; (M.C.); (R.D.M.)
| | - Fabiola Scandurra
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (F.S.); (A.S.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
| | - Andrea Saraceno
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (F.S.); (A.S.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (F.S.); (A.S.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (F.S.); (A.S.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-095-478-1270
| | - Katia Mangano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (M.S.B.); (F.S.); (A.S.); (P.F.); (K.M.)
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Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Involvement of the Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Gene Network in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10110939. [PMID: 31752120 PMCID: PMC6896047 DOI: 10.3390/genes10110939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive hereditary muscular disease with X-linked recessive inheritance, that leads patients to premature death. The loss of dystrophin determines membrane instability, causing cell damage and inflammatory response. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a cytokine that exerts pleiotropic properties and is implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases. Recently, converging data from independent studies have pointed to a possible role of MIF in dystrophic muscle disorders, including DMD. In the present study, we have investigated the modulation of MIF and MIF-related genes in degenerative muscle disorders, by making use of publicly available whole-genome expression datasets. We show here a significant enrichment of MIF and related genes in muscle samples from DMD patients, as well as from patients suffering from Becker’s disease and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B. On the other hand, transcriptomic analysis of in vitro differentiated myotubes from healthy controls and DMD patients revealed no significant alteration in the expression levels of MIF-related genes. Finally, by analyzing DMD samples as a time series, we show that the modulation of the genes belonging to the MIF network is an early event in the DMD muscle and does not change with the increasing age of the patients, Overall, our analysis suggests that MIF may play a role in vivo during muscle degeneration, likely promoting inflammation and local microenvironment reaction.
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Basile MS, Mazzon E, Fagone P, Longo A, Russo A, Fallico M, Bonfiglio V, Nicoletti F, Avitabile T, Reibaldi M. Immunobiology of Uveal Melanoma: State of the Art and Therapeutic Targets. Front Oncol 2019; 9:1145. [PMID: 31750244 PMCID: PMC6848265 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.01145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Uveal Melanoma (UM) represents the most common primary intraocular malignant tumor in adults. Although it originates from melanocytes as cutaneous melanoma, it shows significant clinical and biological differences with the latter, including high resistance to immune therapy. Indeed, UM can evade immune surveillance via multiple mechanisms, such as the expression of inhibitory checkpoints (e.g., PD-L1, CD47, CD200) and the production of IDO-1 and soluble FasL, among others. More in-depth understanding of these mechanisms will suggest potential targets for the design of novel and more effective management strategies for UM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, Messina, Italy
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Antonio Longo
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Andrea Russo
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Matteo Fallico
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Michele Reibaldi
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
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Cavalli E, Mazzon E, Mammana S, Basile MS, Lombardo SD, Mangano K, Bramanti P, Nicoletti F, Fagone P, Petralia MC. Overexpression of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and Its Homologue D-Dopachrome Tautomerase as Negative Prognostic Factor in Neuroblastoma. Brain Sci 2019; 9:brainsci9100284. [PMID: 31635049 PMCID: PMC6826588 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9100284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) represents one of the most frequent pediatric solid tumors. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a cytokine exerting multiple biological functions. More recently, a second member of the MIF family of cytokine has been identified, the D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT), that exerts several overlapping functions with MIF. Growing evidence suggests a key role for MIF and DDT in the development of cancer. The aim of this study is to characterize the prognostic value of MIF and DDT in NB. We show that higher expression levels of MIF and DDT in Stage 4 NB samples are associated with a poorer prognosis, independently of the presence of MYCN amplification. Moreover, higher levels of MIF are mostly enriched by Th1 cells, while lower levels of MIF are associated with an increased proportion of B cells, Cytotoxic T cells, Dendritic cells and Natural Killer T cells. We also show that treatment with the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, vorinostat, of the NB cell line, SH-SY5Y, determines a significant reduction in the expression of both MIF and DDT. Finally, MIF and DDT inhibition by short interfering RNA is able to revert vincristine sensitivity in vitro. Overall, our data suggest that MIF exert pro-tumorigenic properties in NB, likely by dampening antigen presentation and cytotoxic immune responses, and we propose the HDAC inhibitors as a potential therapeutic strategy for NB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Cavalli
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
| | - Santa Mammana
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Salvo Danilo Lombardo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Katia Mangano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Placido Bramanti
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
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Cavalli E, Mazzon E, Basile MS, Mangano K, Di Marco R, Bramanti P, Nicoletti F, Fagone P, Petralia MC. Upregulated Expression of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor, Its Analogue D-Dopachrome Tautomerase, and the CD44 Receptor in Peripheral CD4 T Cells from Clinically Isolated Syndrome Patients with Rapid Conversion to Clinical Defined Multiple Sclerosis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 55:medicina55100667. [PMID: 31581595 PMCID: PMC6843666 DOI: 10.3390/medicina55100667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Background and objectives: Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) and D-Dopachrome Tautomerase (DDT) are two pleiotropic and primarily, but not exclusively, proinflammatory cytokines belonging to the MIF family of cytokines that have recently been shown to be implicated in the pathogenesis of progressive forms of human progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and the experimental model counterpart in rodents. Materials and Methods: We have presently evaluated a transcriptomic analysis of the expression of MIF, DDT, their receptors CD74 and CD44, and MIF co-receptors CXCR2, CXCR4, and CXCR7 in peripheral blood of patients with Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS), with rapid progression to clinical defined MS. Results: Our analysis reveals that MIF, DDT, and CD44 are overexpressed in CD4+ T cells from patients with CIS, as compared to healthy controls. Accordingly, a significant overlap was observed between the genes overexpressed in CD4+ T cells from patients with CIS and the genes belonging to the MIF regulatory network. This upregulated expression appeared to be unique for CD4+ T cells, as other immune cells including CD8+ T cells, B cells, and monocytes from these patients exhibited expression levels of these molecules that were superimposable to those observed in healthy controls. Conclusions: Overall, our data suggest that the overexpression MIF cytokine family signature may occur in CD4+ T cells from patients with CIS, and that this phenomenon may be implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease, offering the possibility to represent both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Cavalli
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Katia Mangano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Roberto Di Marco
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "Vincenzo Tiberio", University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy.
| | - Placido Bramanti
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy.
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
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Verver D, Poirier-Colame V, Tomasic G, Cherif-Rebai K, Grunhagen DJ, Verhoef C, Suciu S, Robert C, Zitvogel L, Eggermont AMM. Upregulation of intratumoral HLA class I and peritumoral Mx1 in ulcerated melanomas. Oncoimmunology 2019; 8:e1660121. [PMID: 31646109 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2019.1660121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Before the era of immune checkpoint blockade, a meta-analysis encompassing fifteen trials reported that adjuvant IFN-α significantly reduces the risk of relapse and improves survival of ulcerated melanoma (UM) with no benefit for higher doses compared to lower doses. IFNa2b affects many cell intrinsic features of tumor cells and modulates the host innate and cognate immune responses. To better understand the biological traits associated with ulceration that could explain the efficacy of prophylactic type 1 IFN, we performed immunohistochemical analysis of various molecules (major histocompatibility complex class I and class II, MX Dynamin Like GTPase 1 (MX1), inducible Nitric-Oxide Synthase (iNOS) or CD47) in two retrospective cohorts of melanoma patients, one diagnosed with a primary cutaneous melanoma (1995-2013, N = 172, among whom 49% were ulcerated melanoma (UM)) and a second one diagnosed with metastatic melanoma amenable to lymph node resection (EORTC 18952 and 18991 trials, N = 98, among whom 44% were UM). We found that primary and metastatic UM exhibit higher basal expression of MHC class I molecules, independently of Breslow thickness, histology and lymphocytic infiltration compared with NUM and that primary UM harbored higher constitutive levels of the antiviral protein Mx1 at the border of tumor beds than NUM. These findings suggest that UM expand in a tumor microenvironment where chronic exposure to type 1 IFN could favor a response to exogenous IFNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniëlle Verver
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vichnou Poirier-Colame
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, Villejuif, France
| | - Gorana Tomasic
- Department of Pathology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, Villejuif, France
| | - Khadija Cherif-Rebai
- Department of Pathology, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, Villejuif, France
| | - Dirk J Grunhagen
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Cornelis Verhoef
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan Suciu
- Department of Biostatistics, European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Caroline Robert
- Department of Medicine, Service of Dermatology Gustave Roussy and University Paris-Sud
| | - Laurence Zitvogel
- INSERM U 1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, Villejuif, France
| | - Alexander M M Eggermont
- INSERM U 1015, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus Grand Paris, Villejuif, France.,University Paris-Sud, Le Kremlin Bicetre, France
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Lombardo SD, Mazzon E, Basile MS, Campo G, Corsico F, Presti M, Bramanti P, Mangano K, Petralia MC, Nicoletti F, Fagone P. Modulation of Tetraspanin 32 (TSPAN32) Expression in T Cell-Mediated Immune Responses and in Multiple Sclerosis. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20184323. [PMID: 31487788 PMCID: PMC6770290 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20184323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tetraspanins are a conserved family of proteins involved in a number of biological processes including, cell–cell interactions, fertility, cancer metastasis and immune responses. It has previously been shown that TSPAN32 knockout mice have normal hemopoiesis and B-cell responses, but hyperproliferative T cells. Here, we show that TSPAN32 is expressed at higher levels in the lymphoid lineage as compared to myeloid cells. In vitro activation of T helper cells via anti-CD3/CD28 is associated with a significant downregulation of TSPAN32. Interestingly, engagement of CD3 is sufficient to modulate TSPAN32 expression, and its effect is potentiated by costimulation with anti-CD28, but not anti-CTLA4, -ICOS nor -PD1. Accordingly, we measured the transcriptomic levels of TSPAN32 in polarized T cells under Th1 and Th2 conditions and TSPAN32 resulted significantly reduced as compared with unstimulated cells. On the other hand, in Treg cells, TSPAN32 underwent minor changes upon activation. The in vitro data were finally translated into the context of multiple sclerosis (MS). Encephalitogenic T cells from Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG)-Induced Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice showed significantly lower levels of TSPAN32 and increased levels of CD9, CD53, CD82 and CD151. Similarly, in vitro-activated circulating CD4 T cells from MS patients showed lower levels of TSPAN32 as compared with cells from healthy donors. Overall, these data suggest an immunoregulatory role for TSPAN32 in T helper immune response and may represent a target of future immunoregulatory therapies for T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvo Danilo Lombardo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Giorgia Campo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Federica Corsico
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Mario Presti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Placido Bramanti
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Katia Mangano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | | | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
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Lombardo SD, Presti M, Mangano K, Petralia MC, Basile MS, Libra M, Candido S, Fagone P, Mazzon E, Nicoletti F, Bramanti A. Prediction of PD-L1 Expression in Neuroblastoma via Computational Modeling. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E221. [PMID: 31480495 PMCID: PMC6770763 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9090221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a promising new therapeutic approach for neuroblastoma (NBM): an anti-GD2 vaccine combined with orally administered soluble beta-glucan is undergoing a phase II clinical trial and nivolumab and ipilimumab are being tested in recurrent and refractory tumors. Unfortunately, predictive biomarkers of response to immunotherapy are currently not available for NBM patients. The aim of this study was to create a computational network model simulating the different intracellular pathways involved in NBM, in order to predict how the tumor phenotype may be influenced to increase the sensitivity to anti-programmed cell death-ligand-1 (PD-L1)/programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) immunotherapy. The model runs on COPASI software. In order to determine the influence of intracellular signaling pathways on the expression of PD-L1 in NBM, we first developed an integrated network of protein kinase cascades. Michaelis-Menten kinetics were associated to each reaction in order to tailor the different enzymes kinetics, creating a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). The data of this study offers a first tool to be considered in the therapeutic management of the NBM patient undergoing immunotherapeutic treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvo Danilo Lombardo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123- Catania, Italy
| | - Mario Presti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123- Catania, Italy
| | - Katia Mangano
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123- Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Petralia
- IRCCS (Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124- Messina, Italy
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123- Catania, Italy
| | - Massimo Libra
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123- Catania, Italy
| | - Saverio Candido
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123- Catania, Italy
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123- Catania, Italy.
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS (Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124- Messina, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123- Catania, Italy
| | - Alessia Bramanti
- IRCCS (Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, C.da Casazza, 98124- Messina, Italy
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42
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Lombardo SD, Mazzon E, Basile MS, Cavalli E, Bramanti P, Nania R, Fagone P, Nicoletti F, Petralia MC. Upregulation of IL-1 Receptor Antagonist in a Mouse Model of Migraine. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E172. [PMID: 31331109 PMCID: PMC6680509 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9070172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Migraine is a disorder characterized by attacks of monolateral headaches, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and photophobia. Around 30% of patients also report aura symptoms. The cause of the aura is believed to be related to the cortical spreading depression (CSD), a wave of neuronal and glial depolarization originating in the occipital cortex, followed by temporary neuronal silencing. During a migraine attack, increased expression of inflammatory mediators, along with a decrease in the expression of anti-inflammatory genes, have been observed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of inflammatory genes, in particular that of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RN), following CSD in a mouse model of familial hemiplegic migraine type 1 (FHM-1). We show here that the expression of IL-1RN was upregulated after the CSD, suggesting a possible attempt to modulate the inflammatory response. This study allows researchers to better understand the development of the disease and aids in the search for new therapeutic strategies in migraine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvo Danilo Lombardo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Strada Statale 113, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Eugenio Cavalli
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Strada Statale 113, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Placido Bramanti
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Strada Statale 113, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Riccardo Nania
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy.
| | - Maria Cristina Petralia
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo, Strada Statale 113, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
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Petralia MC, Mazzon E, Fagone P, Falzone L, Bramanti P, Nicoletti F, Basile MS. Retrospective follow-up analysis of the transcriptomic patterns of cytokines, cytokine receptors and chemokines at preconception and during pregnancy, in women with post-partum depression. Exp Ther Med 2019; 18:2055-2062. [PMID: 31410161 PMCID: PMC6676209 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2019.7774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-partum depression (PPD) occurs in approximately 20% of women usually early following child delivery. PPD represents an important unmet medical need as it is frequently underdiagnosed and, as the neurobiology of the disease is limitedly known, no pathogenic-tailored approach is available and only symptomatic medications are used. In the present study, we carried out a DNA microarray analysis to evaluate the fluctuation of cytokines, cytokine receptors and chemokines during the preconception period, the 1st and 3th trimester of pregnancy and the early post-partum period. The data demonstrated that, as compared to always-depressed patients and euthymic controls, women who developed PPD exhibited significant fluctuations in the levels of different cytokines and cytokine receptors, primarily related to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)18. These data emphasize the role of the immune system in PPD. However, additional studies aimed at evaluating if and how these functional modifications of the immune system during pregnancy are related to the development of PPD warranted to confirm our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emanuela Mazzon
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi 'Bonino-Pulejo', I-98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Paolo Fagone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Luca Falzone
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | | | - Ferdinando Nicoletti
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Sofia Basile
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, I-95123 Catania, Italy
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Characterization of the Pathophysiological Role of CD47 in Uveal Melanoma. Molecules 2019; 24:molecules24132450. [PMID: 31277366 PMCID: PMC6651482 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24132450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Revised: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) represents the most frequent primary intraocular tumor, however, limited therapeutic options are still available. We have previously shown that cluster of differentiation 47 (CD47) is significantly upregulated in UM cells following inflammatory stimuli and that it represents a predictor of disease progression. Here, we aimed to better characterize the pathophysiological role of CD47 in UM. We show that CD47 is not modulated at different cancer stages, although patients with the lowest expression of CD47 show significant better progression-free survival, after correcting for the presence of BAP1, GNAQ, and GNA11 mutations. By stratifying patients based on the expression of CD47 in the tumor, we observed that patients with high levels of CD47 have a significant increase in immune score as compared to patients with low levels of CD47. In particular, deconvolution analysis of infiltrating immune cell populations revealed that a significantly higher number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells can be found in patients with high CD47 levels, with the most enriched populations being the Th2, Treg, and CD8+ Tcm cells. We also show that a large number of transcripts are significantly modulated between the groups of patients with high and low levels of CD47, with a significant enrichment of interferon IFN-alpha regulated genes. The results from this study may propel the development of anti-CD47 therapies for UM patients.
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