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Cao X, Song Y, Wu H, Ren X, Sun Q, Liang Z. Quantifying spatial CXCL9 distribution with image analysis predicts improved prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer. Front Genet 2024; 15:1421573. [PMID: 38957805 PMCID: PMC11217326 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1421573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: The C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9) plays a pivotal role in tumor immunity by recruiting and activating immune cells. However, the relationship between CXCL9 expression and prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is unclear. Methods: We investigated CXCL9 mRNA expression, clinicopathological features, and prognosis in TNBC patients. We also used computational image analysis to quantify and assess the distribution of CXCL9 protein in the tumor core (TC) and invasive margin (IM). Results: CXCL9 mRNA expression was significantly higher in TNBC tumors compared to normal tissue (p < 0.001) and was associated with smaller tumors (p = 0.022) and earlier stages (p = 0.033). High CXCL9 mRNA expression was correlated with improved overall survival (OS) in three independent cohorts (all p < 0.05). In a separate analysis, low CXCL9 protein expression was associated with increased lymph node metastasis (p = 0.018 and p = 0.036). High CXCL9 protein expression in the TC, IM, or both was associated with prolonged OS (all p < 0.001). Conclusion: High CXCL9 expression, at both the mRNA and protein levels, is associated with improved prognosis in TNBC patients. CXCL9 expression in the TC and/or IM may be an independent prognostic factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Cao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Song
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huanwen Wu
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinyu Ren
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Sun
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyong Liang
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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Ali N, Wolf C, Kanchan S, Veerabhadraiah SR, Bond L, Turner MW, Jorcyk CL, Hampikian G. 9S1R nullomer peptide induces mitochondrial pathology, metabolic suppression, and enhanced immune cell infiltration, in triple-negative breast cancer mouse model. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 170:115997. [PMID: 38118350 PMCID: PMC10872342 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115997] [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: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Nullomers are the shortest strings of absent amino acid (aa) sequences in a species or group of species. Primes are those nullomers that have not been detected in the genome of any species. 9S1R is a 5-aa peptide prime sequence attached to 5-arginine aa, used to treat triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in an in vivo mouse model. This unique peptide, administered with a trehalose carrier (9S1R-NulloPT), offers enhanced solubility and exhibits distinct anti-cancer effects against TNBC. In our study, we investigated the effect of 9S1R-NulloPT on tumor growth, metabolism, metastatic burden, tumor immune-microenvironment (TME), and transcriptome of aggressive mouse TNBC tumors. Notably, treated mice had smaller tumors in the initial phase of the treatment, as compared to untreated control, and diminished in vivo and ex vivo bioluminescence at later-stages - indicative of metabolically quiescent, dying tumors. The treatment also caused changes in TME with increased infiltration of immune cells and altered tumor transcriptome, with 365 upregulated genes and 710 downregulated genes. Consistent with in vitro data, downregulated genes were enriched in cellular metabolic processes (179), specifically mitochondrial TCA cycle/oxidative phosphorylation (44), and translation machinery/ribosome biogenesis (45). The upregulated genes were associated with the developmental (13), ECM organization (12) and focal adhesion pathways (7). In conclusion, our study demonstrates that 9S1R-NulloPT effectively reduced tumor growth during its initial phase, altering the TME and tumor transcriptome. The treatment induced mitochondrial pathology which led to a metabolic deceleration in tumors, aligning with in vitro observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilufar Ali
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA.
| | - Cody Wolf
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA; Biomolecular Sciences Graduate Programs, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Swarna Kanchan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Jaon C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA
| | - Shivakumar R Veerabhadraiah
- Department of Orthopaedics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Biomolecular Sciences Graduate Programs, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Laura Bond
- Center of Biomedical Research Excellence in Matrix Biology, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Matthew W Turner
- Biomolecular Research Center, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA; Biomolecular Sciences Graduate Programs, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Cheryl L Jorcyk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA; Biomolecular Research Center, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA; Biomolecular Sciences Graduate Programs, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Greg Hampikian
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA.
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Cao X, Song Y, Wu H, Ren X, Sun Q, Liang Z. C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 9 Correlates with Favorable Prognosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Promoting Immune Cell Infiltration. Mol Cancer Ther 2023; 22:1493-1502. [PMID: 37669562 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-23-0281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9) plays an important role in antitumor immunity through the recruitment, proliferation, and activation of immune cells (IC). Here, we evaluated the expression patterns of CXCL9 and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in a cohort of 268 patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) by tissue microarray (TMA). The correlations between CXCL9 expression in ICs or tumor cells (TC) and clinicopathologic parameters, PD-L1 expression, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and survival were analyzed in this cohort (n = 268). In addition, we analyzed a TNBC dataset (n = 138) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify correlation between CXCL9 expression and other immune gene expression, immune infiltration, and prognosis. The results of the TMA cohort (n = 268) showed that CXCL9 was expressed in 80.6% cases, with elevated expression levels in ICs relative to in TCs (median: 1% vs. 0%). CXCL9 expressed in ≥1% of ICs was categorized as the CXCL9-IC-positive group. CXCL9-IC expression was strongly and positively correlated with the PD-L1 expression, CD3+ TILs, CD4+ TILs, CD8+ TILs, and CD19+ TILs (all P < 0.0001). Survival analyses showed that the CXCL9-IC-positive group demonstrated prolonged disease-free survival (P = 0.038) and overall survival (P = 0.023) compared with the negative group. The analyses from TCGA cohort (n = 138) showed that elevated CXCL9 expression correlated with increased infiltration of B cells, macrophages, natural killer cells, monocytes and increased expression of immune checkpoint molecules and other CXCL family members, including CXCL10 and CXCL11. These findings confirm the regulatory role of CXCL9 in antitumor immunity and suggest a potential role in treatments involving immune checkpoint blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Cao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Song
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huanwen Wu
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xinyu Ren
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Sun
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhiyong Liang
- Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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Cauli E, Polidoro MA, Marzorati S, Bernardi C, Rasponi M, Lleo A. Cancer-on-chip: a 3D model for the study of the tumor microenvironment. J Biol Eng 2023; 17:53. [PMID: 37592292 PMCID: PMC10436436 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-023-00372-6] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The approval of anticancer therapeutic strategies is still slowed down by the lack of models able to faithfully reproduce in vivo cancer physiology. On one hand, the conventional in vitro models fail to recapitulate the organ and tissue structures, the fluid flows, and the mechanical stimuli characterizing the human body compartments. On the other hand, in vivo animal models cannot reproduce the typical human tumor microenvironment, essential to study cancer behavior and progression. This study reviews the cancer-on-chips as one of the most promising tools to model and investigate the tumor microenvironment and metastasis. We also described how cancer-on-chip devices have been developed and implemented to study the most common primary cancers and their metastatic sites. Pros and cons of this technology are then discussed highlighting the future challenges to close the gap between the pre-clinical and clinical studies and accelerate the approval of new anticancer therapies in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cauli
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico Di Milano, Milan, Italy.
- Accelera Srl, Nerviano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Michela Anna Polidoro
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Simona Marzorati
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Marco Rasponi
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico Di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Ana Lleo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
- Division of Internal Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Gastroenterology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
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5
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Ali N, Wolf C, Kanchan S, Veerabhadraiah SR, Bond L, Turner MW, Jorcyk CL, Hampikian G. Nullomer peptide increases immune cell infiltration and reduces tumor metabolism in triple negative breast cancer mouse model. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3097552. [PMID: 37461536 PMCID: PMC10350184 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3097552/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
Background Nullomers are the shortest strings of absent amino acid (aa) sequences in a species or group of species. Primes are those nullomers that have not been detected in the genome of any species. 9S1R is a 5-aa peptide derived from a prime sequence that is tagged with 5 arginine aa, used to treat triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in an in vivo TNBC mouse model. 9S1R is administered in trehalose (9S1R-NulloPT), which enhances solubility and exhibits some independent effects against tumor growth and is thus an important component in the drug preparation. Method We examined the effect of 9S1R-NulloPT on tumor growth, metabolism, metastatic burden, necrosis, tumor immune microenvironment, and the transcriptome of aggressive mouse TNBC tumors. Results The peptide-treated mice had smaller tumors in the initial phase of the treatment, as compared to the untreated control, and reduced in vivo bioluminescence at later stages, which is indicative of metabolically inactive tumors. A decrease in ex vivo bioluminescence was also observed in the excised tumors of treated mice, but not in the secondary metastasis in the lungs. The treatment also caused changes in tumor immune microenvironment with increased infiltration of immune cells and margin inflammation. The treatment upregulated 365 genes and downregulated 710 genes in tumors compared to the untreated group. Consistent with in vitro findings in breast cancer cell lines, downregulated genes in the treated TNBC tumors include Cellular Metabolic Process Related genes (179), specifically mitochondrial genes associated with TCA cycle/oxidative phosphorylation (44), and translation machinery/ribosome biogenesis genes (45). Among upregulated genes, the Developmental Pathway (13), ECM Organization (12) and Focal Adhesion Related Pathways (7) were noteworthy. We also present data from a pilot study using a bilateral BC mouse model, which supports our findings. Conclusion In conclusion, although 9S1R-NulloPT was moderate at reducing the tumor volume, it altered the tumor immune microenvironment as well as the tumor transcriptome, rendering tumors metabolically less active by downregulating the mitochondrial function and ribosome biogenesis. This corroborates previously published in vitro findings.
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Oshi M, Patel A, Wu R, Le L, Tokumaru Y, Yamada A, Yan L, Matsuyama R, Ishikawa T, Endo I, Takabe K. Enhanced immune response outperform aggressive cancer biology and is associated with better survival in triple-negative breast cancer. NPJ Breast Cancer 2022; 8:92. [PMID: 35945417 PMCID: PMC9363489 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-022-00466-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes is well known, the clinical relevance of an increased immune response, specifically in breast cancer, has not been investigated across large cohorts of patients using computational algorithms. Our hypothesis stated that an enhanced immune response is associated with an improvement in outcomes. To quantify the immune response, we utilized the allograft rejection score correlated with cytolytic activity and with all the other Hallmark immune-related gene sets. The score reflected the amount of infiltrating immune cells that correlated with the immune checkpoint molecule expressions, including CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, T helper type 1 (Th1) and type 2 (Th2) cells, M1 macrophages, B cells, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC). A high score was associated with high levels of intratumor heterogeneity, homologous recombination defects, mutation rate, histological grade, advanced stage, and lymph node metastasis. Breast malignancy with a high score enriched immune-related gene sets and pro-cancer-related gene sets, including epithelial–mesenchymal transition and KRAS pathway, in ER-positive/HER2-negative and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) groups. TNBC had the highest score compared to other subtypes, and was associated with better survival. In conclusion, we found that breast cancer with a high immune response is associated with aggressive cancer biology, but with better survival in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanori Oshi
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA.,Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Ankit Patel
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA
| | - Rongrong Wu
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA.,Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, 160-8402, Japan
| | - Lan Le
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA
| | - Yoshihisa Tokumaru
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA.,Department of Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1194, Japan
| | - Akimitsu Yamada
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Li Yan
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA
| | - Ryusei Matsuyama
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Takashi Ishikawa
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, 160-8402, Japan
| | - Itaru Endo
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Takabe
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA. .,Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama, 236-0004, Japan. .,Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, 160-8402, Japan. .,Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, 951-8520, Japan. .,Department of Breast Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan. .,Department of Surgery, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14263, USA.
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Hozhabri H, Moghaddam MM, Moghaddam MM, Mohammadian A. A comprehensive bioinformatics analysis to identify potential prognostic biomarkers among CC and CXC chemokines in breast cancer. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10374. [PMID: 35725915 PMCID: PMC9209453 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14610-2] [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: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is a major human health problem due to its increasing incidence and mortality rate. CC and CXC chemokines are associated with tumorigenesis and the progression of many cancers. Since the prognostic values of CC and CXC families' expression in various types of cancers are becoming increasingly evident, we aimed to conduct a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis elucidating the prognostic values of the CC and CXC families in BC. Therefore, TCGA, UALCAN, Kaplan–Meier plotter, bc-GenExMiner, cBioPortal, STRING, Enrichr, and TIMER were utilized for analysis. We found that high levels of CCL4/5/14/19/21/22 were associated with better OS and RFS, while elevated expression of CCL24 was correlated with shorter OS in BC patients. Also, high levels of CXCL9/13 indicated longer OS, and enhanced expression of CXCL12/14 was linked with better OS and RFS in BC patients. Meanwhile, increased transcription levels of CXCL8 were associated with worse OS and RFS in BC patients. In addition, our results showed that CCL5, CCL8, CCL14, CCL20, CCL27, CXCL4, and CXCL14 were notably correlated with the clinical outcomes of BC patients. Our findings provide a new point of view that may help the clinical application of CC and CXC chemokines as prognostic biomarkers in BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Hozhabri
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
| | | | - Madiheh Mazaheri Moghaddam
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Ali Mohammadian
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
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Kulasinghe A, Monkman J, Shah ET, Matigian N, Adams MN, O’Byrne K. Spatial Profiling Identifies Prognostic Features of Response to Adjuvant Therapy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). Front Oncol 2022; 11:798296. [PMID: 35083152 PMCID: PMC8784863 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.798296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that has few effective treatment options due to its lack of targetable hormone receptors. Whilst the degree of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has been shown to associate with therapy response and prognosis, deeper characterization of the molecular diversity that may mediate chemotherapeutic response is lacking. Here we applied targeted proteomic analysis of both chemotherapy sensitive and resistant TNBC tissue samples by the Nanostring GeoMx Digital Spatial Platform (DSP). By quantifying 68 targets in the tumour and tumour microenvironment (TME) compartments and performing differential expression analysis between responsive and non-responsive tumours, we show that increased ER-alpha expression and decreased 4-1BB and MART1 within the stromal compartments is associated with adjuvant chemotherapy response. Similarly, higher expression of GZMA, STING and fibronectin and lower levels of CD80 were associated with response within tumour compartments. Univariate overall-survival (OS) analysis of stromal proteins supported these findings, with ER-alpha expression (HR=0.19, p=0.0012) associated with better OS while MART1 expression (HR=2.3, p=0.035) was indicative of poorer OS. Proteins within tumour compartments consistent with longer OS included PD-L1 (HR=0.53, p=0.023), FOXP3 (HR=0.5, p=0.026), GITR (HR=0.51, p=0.036), SMA (HR=0.59, p=0.043), while EPCAM (HR=1.7, p=0.045), and CD95 (HR=4.9, p=0.046) expression were associated with shorter OS. Our data provides early insights into the levels of these markers in the TNBC tumour microenvironment, and their association with chemotherapeutic response and patient survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arutha Kulasinghe
- University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - James Monkman
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Esha T. Shah
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Nicholas Matigian
- QFAB Bioinformatics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark N. Adams
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ken O’Byrne
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Potential Role of CXCL13/CXCR5 Signaling in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14020294. [PMID: 35053457 PMCID: PMC8774093 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14020294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Immunotherapy is currently the backbone of new drug treatments for many cancer patients. CXC chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) is an important factor involved in recruiting immune cells that express CXC chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5) in the tumor microenvironment and serves as a key molecular determinant of tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) formation. An increasing number of studies have identified the influence of CXCL13 on prognosis in patients with cancer, regardless of the use of immunotherapy treatment. However, no comprehensive reviews of the role of CXCL13 in cancer immunotherapy have been published to date. This review aims to provide an overview of the CXCL13/CXCR5 signaling axis to summarize its mechanisms of action in cancer cells and lymphocytes, in addition to effects on immunity and cancer pathobiology, and its potential as a biomarker for the response to cancer immunotherapy. Abstract Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), including antibodies that target programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), or cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4), represent some of the most important breakthroughs in new drug development for oncology therapy from the past decade. CXC chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) exclusively binds CXC chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5), which plays a critical role in immune cell recruitment and activation and the regulation of the adaptive immune response. CXCL13 is a key molecular determinant of the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), which are organized aggregates of T, B, and dendritic cells that participate in the adaptive antitumor immune response. CXCL13 may also serve as a prognostic and predictive factor, and the role played by CXCL13 in some ICI-responsive tumor types has gained intense interest. This review discusses how CXCL13/CXCR5 signaling modulates cancer and immune cells to promote lymphocyte infiltration, activation by tumor antigens, and differentiation to increase the antitumor immune response. We also summarize recent preclinical and clinical evidence regarding the ICI-therapeutic implications of targeting the CXCL13/CXCR5 axis and discuss the potential role of this signaling pathway in cancer immunotherapy.
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OUP accepted manuscript. Brief Funct Genomics 2022; 21:188-201. [DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elac005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Anuraga G, Wang WJ, Phan NN, An Ton NT, Ta HDK, Berenice Prayugo F, Minh Xuan DT, Ku SC, Wu YF, Andriani V, Athoillah M, Lee KH, Wang CY. Potential Prognostic Biomarkers of NIMA (Never in Mitosis, Gene A)-Related Kinase (NEK) Family Members in Breast Cancer. J Pers Med 2021; 11:1089. [PMID: 34834441 PMCID: PMC8625415 DOI: 10.3390/jpm11111089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer remains the most common malignant cancer in women, with a staggering incidence of two million cases annually worldwide; therefore, it is crucial to explore novel biomarkers to assess the diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer patients. NIMA-related kinase (NEK) protein kinase contains 11 family members named NEK1-NEK11, which were discovered from Aspergillus Nidulans; however, the role of NEK family genes for tumor development remains unclear and requires additional study. In the present study, we investigate the prognosis relationships of NEK family genes for breast cancer development, as well as the gene expression signature via the bioinformatics approach. The results of several integrative analyses revealed that most of the NEK family genes are overexpressed in breast cancer. Among these family genes, NEK2/6/8 overexpression had poor prognostic significance in distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) in breast cancer patients. Meanwhile, NEK2/6 had the highest level of DNA methylation, and the functional enrichment analysis from MetaCore and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) suggested that NEK2 was associated with the cell cycle, G2M checkpoint, DNA repair, E2F, MYC, MTORC1, and interferon-related signaling. Moreover, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) results showed that the transcriptional levels of NEK2 were positively correlated with immune infiltration of B cells and CD4+ T Cell. Collectively, the current study indicated that NEK family genes, especially NEK2 which is involved in immune infiltration, and may serve as prognosis biomarkers for breast cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gangga Anuraga
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (G.A.); (H.D.K.T.); (K.-H.L.)
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (F.B.P.); (D.T.M.X.); (S.-C.K.)
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas PGRI Adi Buana, Surabaya 60234, Indonesia;
| | - Wei-Jan Wang
- Research Center for Cancer Biology, Department of Biological Science and Technology, China Medical University, Taichung 40604, Taiwan;
| | - Nam Nhut Phan
- Institute for Environmental Science, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (N.N.P.); (N.T.A.T.)
| | - Nu Thuy An Ton
- Institute for Environmental Science, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam; (N.N.P.); (N.T.A.T.)
| | - Hoang Dang Khoa Ta
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (G.A.); (H.D.K.T.); (K.-H.L.)
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (F.B.P.); (D.T.M.X.); (S.-C.K.)
| | - Fidelia Berenice Prayugo
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (F.B.P.); (D.T.M.X.); (S.-C.K.)
| | - Do Thi Minh Xuan
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (F.B.P.); (D.T.M.X.); (S.-C.K.)
| | - Su-Chi Ku
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (F.B.P.); (D.T.M.X.); (S.-C.K.)
| | - Yung-Fu Wu
- Department of Medical Research, Tri-Service General Hospital, School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan;
| | - Vivin Andriani
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas PGRI Adi Buana, Surabaya 60234, Indonesia;
| | - Muhammad Athoillah
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas PGRI Adi Buana, Surabaya 60234, Indonesia;
| | - Kuen-Haur Lee
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (G.A.); (H.D.K.T.); (K.-H.L.)
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (F.B.P.); (D.T.M.X.); (S.-C.K.)
- Cancer Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Yang Wang
- PhD Program for Cancer Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (G.A.); (H.D.K.T.); (K.-H.L.)
- Graduate Institute of Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan; (F.B.P.); (D.T.M.X.); (S.-C.K.)
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