Cytoplasmic calcium increase via fusion with inactivated Sendai virus induces apoptosis in human multiple myeloma cells by downregulation of c-Myc oncogene

In vitro long-term culture of isolated ovine preantral follicles: Influence of ethanol on steroid production, oocyte meiotic resumption, and metabolomic profile

Ethanol is used routinely to dilute cell culture media supplements with little or no water solubility. This study evaluates the effect of low concentration of ethanol on the follicular development, oocyte maturation, hormone production, gene expression, and metabolomics profile of spent culture medium after long-term culture of isolated ovine preantral follicles. For this, follicles were cultured for 18 days in α-Minimum Essential Medium⁺ alone (control treatment) or supplemented with 100 ng/mL recombinant bovine FSH (rbFSH treatment) or with 0.2%-v/v ethanol (ethanol treatment). Ethanol treatment increased the percentage of degenerated follicles and oocytes significantly, however, it showed the highest estradiol secretion. Also, the rate of meiosis resumption was higher in ethanol treatment than Control treatment. Ethanol treatment decreased the mRNA levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2), BCL2 associated X, Aquaporin 3, Connexin 43, Inhibin Subunit Beta A, kit ligand, Heat Shock Protein (HSP A1A) significantly when compared to the Control treatment. However, mRNA levels of cytochrome P450 family 19, and FSH receptors were significantly higher in ethanol treatment than in the Control treatment. The levels of some metabolites, which are likely amino acids, lipids, an analog of Cyclic guanosine monophosphate, and a derivative of phosphoinositol phosphate metabolism, had higher relative concentrations in ethanol and rbFSH treatments than the Control treatment. In conclusion, ethanol addition augmented the follicular and oocyte degeneration rates but increased the estradiol production and the meiotic resumption. Furthermore, the follicular metabolomic profile was similar between ethanol and rbFSH treatments being both treatments; however, different from the Control treatment.

Germline Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1A) Mutations Confer Susceptibility to Multiple Myeloma

Given the frequent and largely incurable occurrence of multiple myeloma, identification of germline genetic mutations that predispose cells to multiple myeloma may provide insight into disease etiology and the developmental mechanisms of its cell of origin, the plasma cell (PC). Here, we identified familial and early-onset multiple myeloma kindreds with truncating mutations in lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1/KDM1A), an epigenetic transcriptional repressor that primarily demethylates histone H3 on lysine 4 and regulates hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal. In addition, we found higher rates of germline truncating and predicted deleterious missense KDM1A mutations in patients with multiple myeloma unselected for family history compared with controls. Both monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma cells have significantly lower KDM1A transcript levels compared with normal PCs. Transcriptome analysis of multiple myeloma cells from KDM1A mutation carriers shows enrichment of pathways and MYC target genes previously associated with myeloma pathogenesis. In mice, antigen challenge followed by pharmacologic inhibition of KDM1A promoted PC expansion, enhanced secondary immune response, elicited appearance of serum paraprotein, and mediated upregulation of MYC transcriptional targets. These changes are consistent with the development of MGUS. Collectively, our findings show that KDM1A is the first autosomal-dominant multiple myeloma germline predisposition gene providing new insights into its mechanistic roles as a tumor suppressor during post-germinal center B-cell differentiation.Significance: KDM1A is the first germline autosomal dominant predisposition gene identified in multiple myeloma and provides new insights into multiple myeloma etiology and the mechanistic role of KDM1A as a tumor suppressor during post-germinal center B-cell differentiation. Cancer Res; 78(10); 2747-59. ©2018 AACR.

Salmonella mediated the hemagglutinating virus of Japan-envelope transfer suppresses tumor growth

Salmonella can target to tumor microenvironments after systemic treatment. The hemagglutinating virus of Japan-envelope (HVJ-E) induced apoptosis in tumor cells without toxicity in normal cells. Current HVJ-E therapeutic strategies, aimed at using HVJ-E for intratumor treatment, have shown great promise in animal models but have achieved only limited systemic treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the modulation of the anti-tumor efficiency of HVJ-E by coating the particles with poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), designated as P-HVJ-E. Treatment with P-HVJ-E resulted in decreased hemagglutinating activity and maintained tumor cell-selective apoptosis and anti-tumor immunity. The use of Salmonella as a coating for P-HVJ-E (PHS) enhanced the antitumor activity and maintained the tumor-targeting activity. Treatment with PHS resulted in delayed tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice. Furthermore, a Western blot assay of the tumors revealed that HVJ-E targeted to the tumor after systemic treatment with PHS. These results indicate that Salmonella coating viral particles may provide a new approach for tumor therapy.

Virus-stimulated neutrophils in the tumor microenvironment enhance T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity

The tumor microenvironment (TME) fosters tumors by attenuating anti-tumor immunity, reinforcing tumor cell survival and increasing angiogenesis. Among the constituents of the TME, here, we focused on tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs). First, we found that the combination of poly I:C and inactivated Sendai virus particles (hemagglutinating virus of Japan envelope; HVJ-E) synergistically suppressed tumor growth in the B16-F10 melanoma mouse model. In this model, poly I:C contributed to the recruitment of CD11b⁺Ly6G⁺ neutrophils to the TME, and co-injection of poly I:C and HVJ-E increased CD11b⁺Ly6G⁺FAS⁺ TAN in the TME. Depletion of neutrophils abolished the synergistic anti-tumor effect of HVJ-E and poly I:C in B16-F10 tumors. We revealed that C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL2) is produced in the TME by poly I:C, but HVJ-E enhanced neutrophil infiltration of the TME does not occur. An anti-CXCL2 antibody inhibited the tumor suppression by HVJ-E+poly I:C. HVJ-E in combination with recombinant CXCL2 protein or CXCL2 pDNA suppressed mouse melanoma by increasing cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity against B16-F10 melanoma, which was abolished by an anti-Ly6G antibody. HVJ-E directly and indirectly increased FAS and ICAM-1 expression in cultured bone marrow-derived naïve neutrophils. Thus, HVJ-E activates anti-tumor immunity via anti-tumorigenic neutrophils in the TME. An HVJ-E vector containing the CXCL2 gene may be applicable as a novel cancer gene therapy strategy.

Inactivated Sendai virus particle upregulates cancer cell expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and enhances natural killer cell sensitivity on cancer cells

We have already reported that the inactivated Sendai virus (hemagglutinating virus of Japan; HVJ) envelope (HVJ‐E) has multiple anticancer effects, including induction of cancer‐selective cell death and activation of anticancer immunity. The HVJ‐E stimulates dendritic cells to produce cytokines and chemokines such as β‐interferon, interleukin‐6, chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand 5, and chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) ligand 10, which activate both CD8⁺ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells and recruit them to the tumor microenvironment. However, the effect of HVJ‐E on modulating the sensitivity of cancer cells to immune cell attack has yet to be investigated. In this study, we found that HVJ‐E induced the production of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1, CD54), a ligand of lymphocyte function‐associated antigen 1, in several cancer cell lines through the activation of nuclear factor‐κB downstream of retinoic acid‐inducible gene I and the mitochondrial antiviral signaling pathway. The upregulation of ICAM‐1 on the surface of cancer cells increased the sensitivity of cancer cells to NK cells. Knocking out expression of ICAM‐1 in MDA‐MB‐231 cells using the CRISPR/Cas9 method significantly reduced the killing effect of NK cells on ICAM‐1‐depleted MDA‐MB‐231 cells. In addition, HVJ‐E suppressed tumor growth in MDA‐MB‐231 tumor‐bearing SCID mice, and the HVJ‐E antitumor effect was impaired when NK cells were depleted by treatment with the anti‐asialo GM1 antibody. Our findings suggest that HVJ‐E enhances NK cell sensitivity against cancer cells by increasing ICAM‐1 expression on the cancer cell surface.