Immunogenetics of prostate cancer: a still unexplored field of study

IL4I1 enhances PD-L1 expression through JAK/STAT signaling pathway in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the major type of lung cancer and is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide. IL4I1, as a gene associated with unsatisfactory prognosis, is involved in tumor immune escape, but its immune regulatory mechanism in LUAD is limited. Bioinformatics analysis was applied to analyze the differentially expressed mRNAs and enriched signaling pathways in LUAD tissue. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was manipulated to test IL4I1 expression. We carried out several methods to examine cell functions: CCK-8 to measure LUAD cell proliferation; flow cytometry to determine cell apoptosis; Western blot to assess the expression of JAK/STAT pathway-related proteins and PD-L1; T cell cytotoxicity assay to evaluate the effect of IL4I1 on the immune escape of LUAD cells. Through bioinformatics analysis, IL4I1 was verified to be highly expressed in LUAD tissue, participate in the modulation of JAK/STAT signaling pathway, and be positively associated with CD274 (PD-L1) expression. Cell function experiments indicated that silencing IL4I1 notably repressed LUAD cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. IL4I1 silence would block JAK/STAT signaling pathway, but this effect could be reversed by RO8191 activator treatment. Moreover, IL4I1 silence suppressed PD-L1 expression and facilitated T cell cytotoxicity, while its inhibitory impact on PD-L1 expression and immune escape of LUAD cells could be reversed by atezolizumab treatment. Overall, we confirmed that IL4I1 promoted the malignant cell behaviors and immune escape of LUAD through JAK/STAT signaling pathway. IL4I1 has the potential to be a diagnostic biomarker for LUAD.

Inflammatory metabolic profile of South African patients with prostate cancer

Background

Men with African ancestry are more likely to develop aggressive prostate cancer (PCa) and to die from this disease. The study of PCa in the South African population represents an opportunity for biomedical research due to the high prevalence of aggressive PCa. While inflammation is known to play a significant role in PCa progression, its association with tumor stage in populations of African descent has not been explored in detail. Identification of new metabolic biomarkers of inflammation may improve diagnosis of patients with aggressive PCa.

Methods

Plasma samples were profiled from 41 South African men with PCa using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A total of 41 features, including metabolites, lipid classes, total protein, and the inflammatory NMR markers, GlycA, and GlycB, were quantified from each NMR spectrum. The Bruker’s B.I.-LISA protocols were used to characterize 114 parameters related to the lipoproteins. The unsupervised KODAMA method was used to stratify the patients of our cohort based on their metabolic profile.

Results

We found that the plasma of patients with very high risk, aggressive PCa and high level of C-reactive protein have a peculiar metabolic phenotype (metabotype) characterized by extremely high levels of GlycA and GlycB. The inflammatory processes linked to the higher level of GlycA and GlycB are characterized by a deep change of the plasma metabolome that may be used to improve the stratification of patients with PCa. We also identified a not previously known relationship between high values of VLDL and low level of GlycB in a different metabotype of patients characterized by lower-risk PCa.

Conclusions

For the first time, a portrait of the metabolic changes in African men with PCa has been delineated indicating a strong association between inflammation and metabolic profiles. Our findings indicate how the metabolic profile could be used to identify those patients with high level of inflammation, characterized by aggressive PCa and short life expectancy. Integrating a metabolomic analysis as a tool for patient stratification could be important for opening the door to the development of new therapies. Further investigations are needed to understand the prevalence of an inflammatory metabotype in patients with aggressive PCa.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40170-021-00265-6.