Immunotherapeutic strategies in non-small-cell lung cancer: the present and the future

Fresh Insights Into SLC25A26: Potential New Therapeutic Target for Cancers: A Review

SLC25A26 is the only known human mitochondrial S-adenosylmethionine carrier encoding gene. Recent studies have shown that SLC25A26 is abnormally expressed in some cancers, such as cervical cancer, low-grade glioma, non-small cell lung cancer, and liver cancer, which suggests SLC25A26 can affect the occurrence and development of some cancers. This article in brief briefly reviewed mitochondrial S-adenosylmethionine carrier in different species and its encoding gene, focused on the association of SLC25A26 aberrant expression and some cancers as well as potential mechanisms, summarized its potential for cancer prognosis, and characteristics of mitochondrial diseases caused by SLC25A26 mutation. Finally, we provide a brief expectation that needs to be further investigated. We speculate that SLC25A26 will be a potential new therapeutic target for some cancers.

Preparation of Triptolide Nano Drug Delivery System and Its Antitumor Activity In-Vitro

Triptolide (as an effective antitumor drug) is limited in clinical application because of its poor solubility and absorption in-vivo. Herein, we prepared folic acid modified polymer micelles to encapsulate triptolide and enhance its biologicalavailability coupled with antitumor effect. We prepared nano-micelles of triptolide through thin lipid film hydrational method. Physical properties and in vitro release characterization of Fol-Plla-cl-Peg-Plla-cl-Tmicelles were evaluated, while bioavailability of the formulation in rats was investigated. Tumor targeting potential of micelles was determined by observing the uptake of A549 cells. In-Vitro antitumor activity of micelles and free triptolide (API) was investigated with MTT assay. The prepared polymer material exhibited no cytotoxicity. The particle size distribution of Fol-Plla-cl-Peg-Plla-cl-T micelles was uniform and small, with good stability and high efficiency of entrapment. Triptolide In-Vitro release from micelles demonstrated slow and continuous released for 24 h. Compared with API, the half-life of micelles was prolonged, whilst its bioavailability in-vivo was increased by about 6.35 times. More importantly, Fol-Plla-cl-Peg-Plla-cl-T micelles significantly improved the antitumor activity of triptolide and showed good tumor targeting potential. Fol-Plla-cl-Peg-Plla-cl-T micelles could improve the bioavailability and antitumor activity of triptolide, amid demonstration of good tumor targeting and high safety.

Validation and analysis of expression, prognosis and immune infiltration of WNT gene family in non-small cell lung cancer

Early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been challenging. Signaling cascades involving the Wingless-type (WNT) gene family play important biological roles and show prognostic value in various cancers, including NSCLC. On this basis, this study aimed to investigate the significance of WNTs in the prognosis and tumor immunity in NSCLC by comprehensive analysis. Expression and methylation levels of WNTs were obtained from the ONCOMINE, TIMER, and UALCAN. The dataset obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was utilized for prognostic analysis. cBioPortal was used to perform genetic alterations and correlation analysis of WNTs. R software was employed for functional enrichment and pathway analysis, partial statistics, and graph drawing. TRRUST was used to find key transcription factors. GEPIA was utilized for the analysis of expression, pathological staging, etc. Correlative analysis of immune infiltrates from TIMER. TISIDB was used for further immune infiltration validation analysis. Compared with that of normal tissues, WNT2/2B/3A/4/7A/9A/9B/11 expressions decreased, while WNT3/5B/6/7B/8B/10A/10B/16 expressions increased in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD); WNT2/3A/7A/11 expressions were lessened, while WNT2B/3/5A/5B/6/7B/10A/10B/16 expressions were enhanced in squamous cell lung cancer (LUSC). Survival analysis revealed that highly expressed WNT2B and lowly expressed WNT7A predicted better prognostic outcomes in LUAD and LUSC. In the study of immune infiltration levels, WNT2, WNT9B, and WNT10A were positively correlated with six immune cells in LUAD; WNT1, WNT2, and WNT9B were positively correlated with six immune cells in LUSC, while WNT7B was negatively correlated. Our study indicated that WNT2B and WNT7A might have prognostic value in LUAD, and both of them might be important prognostic factors in LUSC and correlated to immune cell infiltration in LUAD and LUSC to a certain extent. Considering the prognostic value of WNT2B and WNT7A in NSCLC, we validated their mRNA and protein expression levels in NSCLC by performing qRT-PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemical staining on NSCLC pathological tissues and cell lines. This study may provide some direction for the subsequent exploration of the prognostic value of the WNTs and their role as biomarkers in NSCLC.

CALR-TLR4 Complex Inhibits Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Progression by Regulating the Migration and Maturation of Dendritic Cells

Background

Lung cancer is a common malignant tumor that threatens human life and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Calreticulin (CALR) is a antigen characteristic of immunogenic cell death in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is closely related to anti-tumor immunity, but its specific mechanism in anti-tumor immunity remains unclear.

Methods

Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of CALR and dendritic cell-lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein (DC-LAMP) in NSCLC tissues. The cell supernatant was used to induce migration and maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). Western blot and real-time PCR were used to investigate the corresponding molecule expression in the CALR-Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-MyD88 signaling pathway. In vivo experiments were conducted to evaluate the role of mCALR in lung cancer progression.

Results

The expression of CALR on NSCLC cell membrane (mCALR) and DC infiltration in NSCLC were positively correlated and were closely related to the prognosis of NSCLC patients. Moreover, mCALR facilitated the migration and maturation of DCs by activating CALR-TLR4-MyD88 signaling and increasing the secretion of TNFα and CCL19, which was inhibited by the loss of TLR4. In vivo experiments demonstrated that mCALR inhibited lung cancer progression by facilitating DC infiltration in lung cancer tissues.

Conclusion

Our study explores the function and mechanism of the CALR-TLR4 complex in DC migration and maturation and investigates the inhibitory effect of the CALR-TLR4 complex on lung cancer progression, providing a theoretical basis and ideas for immunotherapy of NSCLC.

The expression of miRNA-216b is negatively correlated with 18F-FDG uptake in non-small cell lung cancer

Background

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between miRNA-216b expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake by PET/CT and to explore the clinical application value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in miRNA-216b based on therapy for NSCLC.

Methods

Eighty patients with NSCLC and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled in our study. The SUVmax of the lesion area by PET/CT imaging was calculated. SUVmax represented the highest concentration of 18F-FDG in the lesion. The expression of miRNA-216b in the plasma and fiber bronchoscopic puncture of NSCLC patients was detected by RT qPCR. Then Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between miRNA-216b expression and 18F-FDG uptake in patients with different types of NSCLC.

Results

Compared with healthy subjects, SUVmax of early adenocarcinoma and advanced adenocarcinoma were increased. Compared with healthy subjects, SUVmax of early squamous and advanced squamous were increased. And the SUVmax content of advanced adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma was higher than that of early adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Compared with healthy subjects, the expression of miRNA-216b in the plasma of patients with early and advanced adenocarcinoma was reduced, and the expression of miRNA-216b in the plasma of patients with early and advanced squamous cell carcinoma was reduced. Compared with adjacent tissues, the expression of miRNA-216b in early adenocarcinoma tissues and advanced adenocarcinoma tissues was reduced, and the expression in early squamous cell carcinoma and advanced squamous cell carcinoma was reduced. Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between SUVmax and miRNA-216b (plasma and tissue) in patients with four types of NSCLC.

Conclusion

miRNA-216b expression was negatively correlated with ¹⁸F-FDG uptake in NSCLC. miRNA-216b could be used for the classification and staging of non-small cell lung cancer. ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT may be used to evaluate the therapeutic response in application of miRNA-216b-based cancer treatment.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12957-021-02376-2.

Immune-Omics Networks of CD27, PD1, and PDL1 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

To date, there are no prognostic/predictive biomarkers to select chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy in individual non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Major immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have more DNA copy number variations (CNV) than mutations in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) NSCLC tumors. Nevertheless, CNV-mediated dysregulated gene expression in NSCLC is not well understood. Integrated CNV and transcriptional profiles in NSCLC tumors (n = 371) were analyzed using Boolean implication networks for the identification of a multi-omics CD27, PD1, and PDL1 network, containing novel prognostic genes and proliferation genes. A 5-gene (EIF2AK3, F2RL3, FOSL1, SLC25A26, and SPP1) prognostic model was developed and validated for patient stratification (p < 0.02, Kaplan-Meier analyses) in NSCLC tumors (n = 1163). A total of 13 genes (COPA, CSE1L, EIF2B3, LSM3, MCM5, PMPCB, POLR1B, POLR2F, PSMC3, PSMD11, RPL32, RPS18, and SNRPE) had a significant impact on proliferation in 100% of the NSCLC cell lines in both CRISPR-Cas9 (n = 78) and RNA interference (RNAi) assays (n = 92). Multiple identified genes were associated with chemoresponse and radiotherapy response in NSCLC cell lines (n = 117) and patient tumors (n = 966). Repurposing drugs were discovered based on this immune-omics network to improve NSCLC treatment.

Salmonella-Based Therapy Targeting Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase Restructures the Immune Contexture to Improve Checkpoint Blockade Efficacy

Therapeutic options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment have changed dramatically in recent years with the advent of novel immunotherapeutic approaches. Among these, immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) using monoclonal antibodies has shown tremendous promise in approximately 20% of patients. In order to better predict patients that will respond to ICB treatment, biomarkers such as tumor-associated CD8+ T cell frequency, tumor checkpoint protein status and mutational burden have been utilized, however, with mixed success. In this study, we hypothesized that significantly altering the suppressive tumor immune landscape in NSCLC could potentially improve ICB efficacy. Using sub-therapeutic doses of our Salmonella typhimurium-based therapy targeting the suppressive molecule indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (shIDO-ST) in tumor-bearing mice, we observed dramatic changes in immune subset phenotypes that included increases in antigen presentation markers, decreased regulatory T cell frequency and overall reduced checkpoint protein expression. Combination shIDO-ST treatment with anti-PD-1/CTLA-4 antibodies enhanced tumor growth control, compared to either treatment alone, which was associated with significant intratumoral infiltration by CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Ultimately, we show that increases in antigen presentation markers and infiltration by T cells is correlated with significantly increased survival in NSCLC patients. These results suggest that the success of ICB therapy may be more accurately predicted by taking into account multiple factors such as potential for antigen presentation and immune subset repertoire in addition to markers already being considered. Alternatively, combination treatment with agents such as shIDO-ST could be used to create a more conducive tumor microenvironment for improving responses to ICB.

MicroRNA-130a enhances the killing ability of natural killer cells against non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting signal transducers and activators of transcription 3

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a serious threat for human health and life. Natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy is a promising anti-tumor strategy in various cancers including NSCLC. Emerging microRNA (miRNA) has been identified as vital regulators in NK cell-mediated immunosurveillance process. MicroRNA-130a (miR-130a) level and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) mRNA level was measured by RT-qPCR assay. STAT3 protein level was determined by western blot assay. IFN-γ and TNF-α secretion was examined by corresponding ELISA kits. NK cell cytotoxicity was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay. The interaction between miR-130a and STAT3 was explored by bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. We found that MiR-130a level was notably reduced and STAT3 expression was dramatically increased in primary NK cells isolated from NSCLC patients. But, miR-130a was highly expressed and STAT3 was low expressed in IL-2-activated NK-92 cells. Functional analysis revealed that miR-130a overexpression potentiated killing ability of NK cells against A549 cells. Further investigations unveiled that STAT3 was a target of miR-130a and STAT3 overexpression abrogated miR-130a-induced improvement in killing activity of NK cells against NSCLC cells. In conclusion, MiR-130a improved the killing capacity of NK cells against NSCLC cells by targeting STAT3, laying a foundation for future studies on the roles and molecular basis of miR-130a in NK cell-based immunotherapy against various cancers.

A Predictive 7-Gene Assay and Prognostic Protein Biomarkers for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

This study aims to develop a multi-gene assay predictive of the clinical benefits of chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and substantiate their protein expression as potential therapeutic targets.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The mRNA expression of 160 genes identified from microarray was analyzed in qRT-PCR assays of independent 337 snap-frozen NSCLC tumors to develop a predictive signature. A clinical trial JBR.10 was included in the validation. Hazard ratio was used to select genes, and decision-trees were used to construct the predictive model. Protein expression was quantified with AQUA in 500 FFPE NSCLC samples.

RESULTS

A 7-gene signature was identified from training cohort (n = 83) with accurate patient stratification (P = 0.0043) and was validated in independent patient cohorts (n = 248, P < 0.0001) in Kaplan-Meier analyses. In the predicted benefit group, there was a significantly better disease-specific survival in patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy in both training (P = 0.035) and validation (P = 0.0049) sets. In the predicted non-benefit group, there was no survival benefit in patients receiving chemotherapy in either set. The protein expression of ZNF71 quantified with AQUA scores produced robust patient stratification in separate training (P = 0.021) and validation (P = 0.047) NSCLC cohorts. The protein expression of CD27 quantified with ELISA had a strong correlation with its mRNA expression in NSCLC tumors (Spearman coefficient = 0.494, P < 0.0088). Multiple signature genes had concordant DNA copy number variation, mRNA and protein expression in NSCLC progression.

CONCLUSIONS

This study presents a predictive multi-gene assay and prognostic protein biomarkers clinically applicable for improving NSCLC treatment, with important implications in lung cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy.