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Babamohamadi M, Mohammadi N, Faryadi E, Haddadi M, Merati A, Ghobadinezhad F, Amirian R, Izadi Z, Hadjati J. Anti-CTLA-4 nanobody as a promising approach in cancer immunotherapy. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:17. [PMID: 38191571 PMCID: PMC10774412 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06391-x] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most common diseases and causes of death worldwide. Since common treatment approaches do not yield acceptable results in many patients, developing innovative strategies for effective treatment is necessary. Immunotherapy is one of the promising approaches that has been highly regarded for preventing tumor recurrence and new metastases. Meanwhile, inhibiting immune checkpoints is one of the most attractive methods of cancer immunotherapy. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) is an essential immune molecule that plays a vital role in cell cycle modulation, regulation of T cell proliferation, and cytokine production. This molecule is classically expressed by stimulated T cells. Inhibition of overexpression of immune checkpoints such as CTLA-4 receptors has been confirmed as an effective strategy. In cancer immunotherapy, immune checkpoint-blocking drugs can be enhanced with nanobodies that target immune checkpoint molecules. Nanobodies are derived from the variable domain of heavy antibody chains. These small protein fragments have evolved entirely without a light chain and can be used as a powerful tool in imaging and treating diseases with their unique structure. They have a low molecular weight, which makes them smaller than conventional antibodies while still being able to bind to specific antigens. In addition to low molecular weight, specific binding to targets, resistance to temperature, pH, and enzymes, high ability to penetrate tumor tissues, and low toxicity make nanobodies an ideal approach to overcome the disadvantages of monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy. In this article, while reviewing the cellular and molecular functions of CTLA-4, the structure and mechanisms of nanobodies' activity, and their delivery methods, we will explain the advantages and challenges of using nanobodies, emphasizing immunotherapy treatments based on anti-CTLA-4 nanobodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehregan Babamohamadi
- Department of Biology, School of Natural Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Innovation Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- USERN Office, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Nastaran Mohammadi
- USERN Office, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Elham Faryadi
- USERN Office, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Maryam Haddadi
- USERN Office, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Merati
- USERN Office, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Farbod Ghobadinezhad
- USERN Office, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Roshanak Amirian
- USERN Office, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Zhila Izadi
- USERN Office, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
| | - Jamshid Hadjati
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Mokhtari Z, Rezaei M, Sanei MH, Dehghanian A, Faghih Z, Heidari Z, Tavana S. Tim3 and PD-1 as a therapeutic and prognostic targets in colorectal cancer: Relationship with sidedness, clinicopathological parameters, and survival. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1069696. [PMID: 37035199 PMCID: PMC10076872 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1069696] [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: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease that complicates predicting patients' prognosis and their response to treatment. CRC prognosis is influenced by the tumor microenvironment (TME). The immune system is a critical component of the TME. Programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) and T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (Tim3) are inhibitory immune checkpoints that regulate immune response and may provide prognostic power. However, the effect of their expressions and co-expressions on the CRC prognosis remains unclear. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the CD8, CD3, PD-1, Tim3 expression, and PD-1/Tim3 co-expression in patients with CRC. Materials and Methods One hundred and thirty six patients with CRC who underwent curative surgery were enrolled in the study. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for PD-1, Tim3, CD8, and CD3, and the expression of each marker was evaluated in the center of the tumor (CT), invasive margin (IM), and adjacent normal-like tissue. Result Our results indicated that high expression of PD-1 in IM was significantly associated with lower TNM stage, T-stage, M-stage, lack of metastasis, the presence of tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS), lack of recurrence (in the left-sided tumors), and larger tumor size (in right-sided tumors) (P<0.05). High expression of PD-1 in IM was also associated with improved overall survival (OS) in a subgroup of patients with high CD8 expression. High Tim3 expression in CT was associated with higher M-stage (M1) (in left-sided CRCs) (P<0.05). It was also associated with decreased OS in total cohort and left-sided CRCs and represented an independent prognostic factor for CRC patients in multivariate analysis. PD-1 and Tim3 co-expression had no synergistic effects on predicting OS. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of immune system-related markers such as CD8, PD-1, and Tim3 depends on the primary tumor sides. We also showed that Tim3 could act as a prognostic factor and therapeutic target in CRC. This marker is probably a more preferred target for immunotherapy than PD-1, especially in left-sided CRCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Mokhtari
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Marzieh Rezaei
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
- *Correspondence: Marzieh Rezaei,
| | - Mohammad Hossein Sanei
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Amirreza Dehghanian
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Zahra Faghih
- Institute for Cancer Research (ICR), School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Zahra Heidari
- Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiologyt, School of Public Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Shirin Tavana
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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Zhang J, Jin H, Pan S, Han C, Sun Q, Han X. Immune checkpoints expression patterns in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer predict prognosis and remodel the tumor immune microenvironment. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1073550. [PMID: 36814908 PMCID: PMC9939840 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1073550] [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: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Currently, targeting immune checkpoint molecules holds great promise for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the expression landscape of immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) in TNBC remains largely unknown. Method Herein, we systematically investigated the ICGs expression patterns in 422 TNBC samples. We evaluated the ICGs molecular typing based on the ICGs expression profile and explored the associations between ICGs molecular subtypes and tumor immune characteristics, clinical significance, and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Results Two ICGs clusters and two ICGs-related gene clusters were determined, which were involved in different survival outcomes, biological roles and infiltration levels of immune cells. We established a quantification system ICGs riskscore (named IRS) to assess the ICGs expression patterns for individuals. TNBC patients with lower IRS were characterized by increased immune cell infiltration, favorable clinical outcomes and high sensitivity to ICIs therapy. We also developed a nomogram model combining clinicopathological variables to predict overall survival in TNBC. Genomic feature analysis revealed that high IRS group presented an increased tumor mutation burden compared with the low IRS group. Conclusion Collectively, dissecting the ICGs expression patterns not only provides a new insight into TNBC subtypes but also deepens the understanding of ICGs in the tumor immune microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinguo Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Anhui Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Hongwei Jin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Anhui Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.,School of Medical Oncology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Shuaikang Pan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Anhui Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,School of Medical Oncology, Wan Nan Medical College, Wuhu, China
| | - Chaoqiang Han
- Department of Medical Oncology, Anhui Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Qingqing Sun
- Department of Medical Oncology, Anhui Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.,School of Medical Oncology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xinghua Han
- Department of Medical Oncology, Anhui Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.,School of Medical Oncology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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