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White J, White MPJ, Wickremesekera A, Peng L, Gray C. The tumour microenvironment, treatment resistance and recurrence in glioblastoma. J Transl Med 2024; 22:540. [PMID: 38844944 PMCID: PMC11155041 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05301-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The adaptability of glioblastoma (GBM) cells, encouraged by complex interactions with the tumour microenvironment (TME), currently renders GBM an incurable cancer. Despite intensive research, with many clinical trials, GBM patients rely on standard treatments including surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy, which have been observed to induce a more aggressive phenotype in recurrent tumours. This failure to improve treatments is undoubtedly a result of insufficient models which fail to incorporate components of the human brain TME. Research has increasingly uncovered mechanisms of tumour-TME interactions that correlate to worsened patient prognoses, including tumour-associated astrocyte mitochondrial transfer, neuronal circuit remodelling and immunosuppression. This tumour hijacked TME is highly implicated in driving therapy resistance, with further alterations within the TME and tumour resulting from therapy exposure inducing increased tumour growth and invasion. Recent developments improving organoid models, including aspects of the TME, are paving an exciting future for the research and drug development for GBM, with the hopes of improving patient survival growing closer. This review focuses on GBMs interactions with the TME and their effect on tumour pathology and treatment efficiency, with a look at challenges GBM models face in sufficiently recapitulating this complex and highly adaptive cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine White
- Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Newtown, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand
- Centre for Biodiscovery and School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand
| | | | - Agadha Wickremesekera
- Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Newtown, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand
- Department of Neurosurgery, Wellington Regional Hospital, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Lifeng Peng
- Centre for Biodiscovery and School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand.
| | - Clint Gray
- Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, Newtown, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand.
- Centre for Biodiscovery and School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Kelburn, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand.
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2
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Wang Y, Xiong Y, Shi K, Effah CY, Song L, He L, Liu J. DNA nanostructures for exploring cell-cell communication. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:4020-4044. [PMID: 38444346 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00944k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The process of coordinating between the same or multiple types of cells to jointly execute various instructions in a controlled and carefully regulated environment is a very appealing field. In order to provide clearer insight into the role of cell-cell interactions and the cellular communication of this process in their local communities, several interdisciplinary approaches have been employed to enhance the core understanding of this phenomenon. DNA nanostructures have emerged in recent years as one of the most promising tools in exploring cell-cell communication and interactions due to their programmability and addressability. Herein, this review is dedicated to offering a new perspective on using DNA nanostructures to explore the progress of cell-cell communication. After briefly outlining the anchoring strategy of DNA nanostructures on cell membranes and the subsequent dynamic regulation of DNA nanostructures, this paper highlights the significant contribution of DNA nanostructures in monitoring cell-cell communication and regulating its interactions. Finally, we provide a quick overview of the current challenges and potential directions for the application of DNA nanostructures in cellular communication and interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Wang
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
| | - Yamin Xiong
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Kangqi Shi
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
| | - Clement Yaw Effah
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, Zhengzhou Key Laboratory of Sepsis, Henan Engineering Research Center for Critical Care Medicine, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Lulu Song
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
| | - Leiliang He
- College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
| | - Jianbo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory for Bio-Nanotechnology and Molecular Engineering of Hunan Province, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
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3
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Xia Y, Sun M, Huang H, Jin WL. Drug repurposing for cancer therapy. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:92. [PMID: 38637540 PMCID: PMC11026526 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01808-1] [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: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer, a complex and multifactorial disease, presents a significant challenge to global health. Despite significant advances in surgical, radiotherapeutic and immunological approaches, which have improved cancer treatment outcomes, drug therapy continues to serve as a key therapeutic strategy. However, the clinical efficacy of drug therapy is often constrained by drug resistance and severe toxic side effects, and thus there remains a critical need to develop novel cancer therapeutics. One promising strategy that has received widespread attention in recent years is drug repurposing: the identification of new applications for existing, clinically approved drugs. Drug repurposing possesses several inherent advantages in the context of cancer treatment since repurposed drugs are typically cost-effective, proven to be safe, and can significantly expedite the drug development process due to their already established safety profiles. In light of this, the present review offers a comprehensive overview of the various methods employed in drug repurposing, specifically focusing on the repurposing of drugs to treat cancer. We describe the antitumor properties of candidate drugs, and discuss in detail how they target both the hallmarks of cancer in tumor cells and the surrounding tumor microenvironment. In addition, we examine the innovative strategy of integrating drug repurposing with nanotechnology to enhance topical drug delivery. We also emphasize the critical role that repurposed drugs can play when used as part of a combination therapy regimen. To conclude, we outline the challenges associated with repurposing drugs and consider the future prospects of these repurposed drugs transitioning into clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xia
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, PR China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550001, PR China
- School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, PR China
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine and, Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Ming Sun
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, PR China
- School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, PR China
| | - Hai Huang
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, PR China.
- School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, PR China.
| | - Wei-Lin Jin
- Institute of Cancer Neuroscience, Medical Frontier Innovation Research Center, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China.
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4
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Zhang C, Yang K, Yang G. Design strategies for enhancing antitumor efficacy through tumor microenvironment exploitation using albumin-based nanosystems: A review. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 258:129070. [PMID: 38163506 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.129070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex and dynamic system that plays a crucial role in regulating cancer progression, treatment response, and the emergence of acquired resistance mechanisms. The TME is usually featured by severe hypoxia, low pH values, high hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations, and overproduction of glutathione (GSH). The current development of intelligent nanosystems that respond to TME has shown great potential to enhance the efficacy of cancer treatment. As one of the functional macromolecules explored in this field, albumin-based nanocarriers, known for their inherent biocompatibility, serves as a cornerstone for constructing diverse therapeutic platforms. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the design strategies of albumin nanosystems, aiming to enhance cancer therapy by harnessing various features of solid tumors, including tumor hypoxia, acidic pH, the condensed extracellular matrix (ECM) network, excessive GSH, high glucose levels, and tumor immune microenvironment. Furthermore, we highlight representative designs of albumin-based nanoplatforms by exploiting the TME that enhance a broad range of cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy, phototherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and other tumor therapies. Finally, we discuss the existing challenges and future prospects in direction of albumin-based nanosystems for the practical applications in advancing enhanced cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School of Radiation Medicine and Protection & School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Kai Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School of Radiation Medicine and Protection & School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Guangbao Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, School of Radiation Medicine and Protection & School for Radiological and Interdisciplinary Sciences (RAD-X), Collaborative Innovation Center of Radiation Medicine of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China.
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5
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Liu Y, Wang T, Ma W, Jia Z, Wang Q, Zhang M, Luo Y, Sun H. Metabolic reprogramming in the tumor microenvironment: unleashing T cell stemness for enhanced cancer immunotherapy. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1327717. [PMID: 38169800 PMCID: PMC10758489 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1327717] [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: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
T cells play a pivotal role in the immune system by distinguishing between various harmful pathogens and cancerous cells within the human body and initiating an immune response. Within the tumor microenvironment (TME), immune effector T cells encounter both immunosuppressive cells and factors that hinder their functionality. Additionally, they endure robust and persistent antigenic stimulation, often leading to exhaustion and apoptosis. However, the stemness of T cells, characterized by their ability to survive and self-renew over extended periods, represents a primary target in immune checkpoint therapies such as anti-PD-1 therapy. T cell stemness encompasses specific memory T cell subsets and progenitor-exhausted T cells with stem cell-like properties. Therefore, understanding the impact of the TME on T cell stemness, including factors like K+, lactate, and H+, holds significant importance and can facilitate the mitigation of terminal T-cell depletion, the identification of potential resilient biomarkers or therapeutic targets resistant to immune checkpoint therapies, and ultimately lead to sustained anti-tumor effects. Thus, it offers a novel perspective for advancing tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youhan Liu
- College of Sport and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, China
| | - Tao Wang
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo, China
| | - Wen Ma
- College of Sport and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, China
| | - Zixuan Jia
- College of Sport and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, China
| | - Qinglu Wang
- College of Sport and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, China
| | - Maoling Zhang
- College of Sport and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, China
| | - Ying Luo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo, China
| | - Hongmei Sun
- College of Sport and Health, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, China
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Zhang H, Wang J, Li F. Modulation of natural killer cell exhaustion in the lungs: the key components from lung microenvironment and lung tumor microenvironment. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1286986. [PMID: 38022613 PMCID: PMC10657845 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1286986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of tumor-induced death worldwide and remains a primary global health concern. In homeostasis, due to its unique structure and physiological function, the lung microenvironment is in a state of immune tolerance and suppression, which is beneficial to tumor development and metastasis. The lung tumor microenvironment is a more complex system that further enhances the immunosuppressive features in the lungs. NK cells are abundantly located in the lungs and play crucial roles in lung tumor surveillance and antitumor immunity. However, the immunosuppressive microenvironment promotes significant challenges to NK cell features, leading to their hypofunction, exhaustion, and compromised antitumor activity. Thus, understanding the complex interactions among the lung microenvironment, lung tumor microenvironment, and NK cell exhaustion is critical for the development of effective cancer immunotherapeutic strategies. The present review will discuss NK cell hypofunction and exhaustion within the lung microenvironment and lung tumor microenvironment, focusing on lung tissue-specific factors, including key cytokines and unique environmental components, that modulate NK cell activation and function. Understanding the functional mechanisms of key factors would help to design strategies to reverse NK cell exhaustion and restore their antitumor function within the lung tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxia Zhang
- Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Fengqi Li
- Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, Anhui, China
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Zhang SW, Wang H, Ding XH, Xiao YL, Shao ZM, You C, Gu YJ, Jiang YZ. Bidirectional crosstalk between therapeutic cancer vaccines and the tumor microenvironment: Beyond tumor antigens. FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 3:1005-1024. [PMID: 38933006 PMCID: PMC11197801 DOI: 10.1016/j.fmre.2022.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has rejuvenated cancer therapy, especially after anti-PD-(L)1 came onto the scene. Among the many therapeutic options, therapeutic cancer vaccines are one of the most essential players. Although great progress has been made in research on tumor antigen vaccines, few phase III trials have shown clinical benefits. One of the reasons lies in obstruction from the tumor microenvironment (TME). Meanwhile, the therapeutic cancer vaccine reshapes the TME in an ambivalent way, leading to immune stimulation or immune escape. In this review, we summarize recent progress on the interaction between therapeutic cancer vaccines and the TME. With respect to vaccine resistance, innate immunosuppressive TME components and acquired resistance caused by vaccination are both involved. Understanding the underlying mechanism of this crosstalk provides insight into the treatment of cancer by directly targeting the TME or synergizing with other therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Wei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Han Wang
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Ding
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yu-Ling Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhi-Ming Shao
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Chao You
- Department of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong'an Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ya-Jia Gu
- Department of Radiology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 270 Dong'an Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yi-Zhou Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
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Renauer P, Park JJ, Bai M, Acosta A, Lee WH, Lin GH, Zhang Y, Dai X, Wang G, Errami Y, Wu T, Clark P, Ye L, Yang Q, Chen S. Immunogenetic Metabolomics Reveals Key Enzymes That Modulate CAR T-cell Metabolism and Function. Cancer Immunol Res 2023; 11:1068-1084. [PMID: 37253111 PMCID: PMC10527769 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-22-0565] [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: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Immune evasion is a critical step of cancer progression that remains a major obstacle for current T cell-based immunotherapies. Hence, we investigated whether it is possible to genetically reprogram T cells to exploit a common tumor-intrinsic evasion mechanism whereby cancer cells suppress T-cell function by generating a metabolically unfavorable tumor microenvironment (TME). In an in silico screen, we identified ADA and PDK1 as metabolic regulators. We then showed that overexpression (OE) of these genes enhanced the cytolysis of CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells against cognate leukemia cells, and conversely, ADA or PDK1 deficiency dampened this effect. ADA-OE in CAR T cells improved cancer cytolysis under high concentrations of adenosine, the ADA substrate, and an immunosuppressive metabolite in the TME. High-throughput transcriptomics and metabolomics analysis of these CAR T cells revealed alterations of global gene expression and metabolic signatures in both ADA- and PDK1-engineered CAR T cells. Functional and immunologic analyses demonstrated that ADA-OE increased proliferation and decreased exhaustion in CD19-specific and HER2-specific CAR T cells. ADA-OE improved tumor infiltration and clearance by HER2-specific CAR T cells in an in vivo colorectal cancer model. Collectively, these data unveil systematic knowledge of metabolic reprogramming directly in CAR T cells and reveal potential targets for improving CAR T-cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Renauer
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jonathan J. Park
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- M.D.-Ph.D. Program, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Meizhu Bai
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Arianny Acosta
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Won-Ho Lee
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Guang Han Lin
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Yueqi Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Xiaoyun Dai
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Guangchuan Wang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Present Address: Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Youssef Errami
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Present Address: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Terence Wu
- West Campus Analytical Core, Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics Facility, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Paul Clark
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lupeng Ye
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Present Address: Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Quanjun Yang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Present Address: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, China
| | - Sidi Chen
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- M.D.-Ph.D. Program, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Immunobiology Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Stem Cell Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Liver Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Biomedical Data Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Wu-Tsai Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Xi Y, Zhang Y, Zheng K, Zou J, Gui L, Zou X, Chen L, Hao J, Zhang Y. A chemotherapy response prediction model derived from tumor-promoting B and Tregs and proinflammatory macrophages in HGSOC. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1171582. [PMID: 37519793 PMCID: PMC10382026 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1171582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Most patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) experienced disease recurrence with cumulative chemoresistance, leading to treatment failure. However, few biomarkers are currently available in clinical practice that can accurately predict chemotherapy response. The tumor immune microenvironment is critical for cancer development, and its transcriptomic profile may be associated with treatment response and differential outcomes. The aim of this study was to develop a new predictive signature for chemotherapy in patients with HGSOC. Methods Two HGSOC single-cell RNA sequencing datasets from patients receiving chemotherapy were reinvestigated. The subtypes of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related XBP1+ B cells, invasive metastasis-related ACTB+ Tregs, and proinflammatory-related macrophage subtypes with good predictive power and associated with chemotherapy response were identified. These results were verified in an independent HGSOC bulk RNA-seq dataset for chemotherapy. Further validation in clinical cohorts used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Results By combining cluster-specific genes for the aforementioned cell subtypes, we constructed a chemotherapy response prediction model containing 43 signature genes that achieved an area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) of 0.97 (p = 2.1e-07) for the GSE156699 cohort (88 samples). A huge improvement was achieved compared to existing prediction models with a maximum AUC of 0.74. In addition, its predictive capability was validated in multiple independent bulk RNA-seq datasets. The qRT-PCR results demonstrate that the expression of the six genes has the highest diagnostic value, consistent with the trend observed in the analysis of public data. Conclusions The developed chemotherapy response prediction model can be used as a valuable clinical decision tool to guide chemotherapy in HGSOC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Xi
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Yingchun Zhang
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Kun Zheng
- Department of Urology, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiawei Zou
- Institute of Clinical Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lv Gui
- Department of Pathology, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Zou
- Jinshan Hospital Center for Tumor Diagnosis & Therapy, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liang Chen
- Department of Gynecological Oncology, Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Jie Hao
- Institute of Clinical Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yiming Zhang
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China
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10
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Li J, Xia Y, Sun B, Zheng N, Li Y, Pang X, Yang F, Zhao X, Ji Z, Yu H, Chen F, Zhang X, Zhao B, Jin J, Yang S, Cheng Z. Neutrophil extracellular traps induced by the hypoxic microenvironment in gastric cancer augment tumour growth. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:86. [PMID: 37127629 PMCID: PMC10152773 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01112-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inflammation-related predisposition to cancer plays an essential role in cancer progression and is associated with poor prognosis. A hypoxic microenvironment and neutrophil infiltration are commonly present in solid tumours, including gastric cancer (GC). Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have also been demonstrated in the tumour immune microenvironment (TIME), but how NETs affect GC progression remains unknown. Here, we investigated the role of NET formation in the TIME and further explored the underlying mechanism of NETs in GC tumour growth. METHODS Hypoxia-induced factor-1α (HIF-1α), citrulline histone 3 (citH3) and CD66b expression in tumour and adjacent nontumor tissue samples was evaluated by western blotting, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining. The expression of neutrophil-attracting chemokines in GC cells and their hypoxic-CM was measured by qRT‒PCR and ELISA. Neutrophil migration under hypoxic conditions was evaluated by a Transwell assay. Pathway activation in neutrophils in a hypoxic microenvironment were analysed by western blotting. NET formation was measured in vitro by immunofluorescence staining. The protumour effect of NETs on GC cells was identified by Transwell, wound healing and cell proliferation assays. In vivo, an lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NET model and subcutaneous tumour model were established in BALB/c nude mice to explore the mechanism of NETs in tumour growth. RESULTS GC generates a hypoxic microenvironment that recruits neutrophils and induces NET formation. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was translocated to the cytoplasm from the nucleus of GC cells in the hypoxic microenvironment and mediated the formation of NETs via the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/p38 MAPK signalling pathway in neutrophils. HMGB1/TLR4/p38 MAPK pathway inhibition abrogated hypoxia-induced neutrophil activation and NET formation. NETs directly induced GC cell invasion and migration but not proliferation and accelerated the augmentation of GC growth by increasing angiogenesis. This rapid tumour growth was abolished by treatment with the NET inhibitor deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) or a p38 MAPK signalling pathway inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS Hypoxia triggers an inflammatory response and NET formation in the GC TIME to augment tumour growth. Targeting NETs with DNase I or HMGB1/TLR4/p38 MAPK pathway inhibitors is a potential therapeutic strategy to inhibit GC progression. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiacheng Li
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
- Digestive Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Yu Xia
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Biying Sun
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Nanbei Zheng
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Xuehan Pang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Xingwang Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Zhiwu Ji
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Haitao Yu
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Fujun Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Xuemei Zhang
- Digestive Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Bin Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
- Digestive Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China
| | - Jiaqi Jin
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150001, China.
| | - Shifeng Yang
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, 150001, China.
| | - Zhuoxin Cheng
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China.
- Digestive Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jiamusi University, Heilongjiang Province, Jiamusi, 154000, China.
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11
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Esteves M, Silva C, Bovolini A, Pereira SS, Morais T, Moreira Â, Costa MM, Monteiro MP, Duarte JA. Regular Voluntary Running is Associated with Increased Tumor Vascularization and Immune Cell Infiltration and Decreased Tumor Growth in Mice. Int J Sports Med 2023. [PMID: 36931293 DOI: 10.1055/a-2008-7732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
Tumors present dysfunctional vasculature that limits blood perfusion and hinders immune cells delivery. We aimed to investigate if regular voluntary running promotes tumor vascular remodelling, improves intratumoral immune cells infiltration and inhibits tumor growth. Tumors were induced in C57BL/6 male mice (n=28) by subcutaneous inoculation in the dorsal region with a suspension of RM1 cells (1.5×105 cells/500 µL PBS) and randomly allocated into two groups: sedentary (n=14) and voluntarily exercised on a wheel (n=14). Seven mice from each group were sacrificed 14 and 28 days after cells' inoculation to evaluate tumor weight, microvessel density, vessels' lumen regularity and the intratumoral quantity of NKG2D receptors, CD4+and CD8+T cells, by immunohistochemistry. The statistical inference was done through a two-way ANOVA. Exercised mice developed smaller tumors at 14 (0.17±0.1 g vs. 0.48±0.2 g, p<0.05) and 28 (0.92±0.7 g vs. 2.09±1.3 g, p<0.05) days, with higher microvessel density (21.20±3.2 vs. 15.86±4.0 vessels/field, p<0.05), more regular vessels' lumen (1.06±0.2 vs. 1.43±0.2, p<0.05), and higher CD8+T cells (464.95±48.0 vs. 364.70±49.4 cells/mm2, p<0.01), after 28 days. NKG2D expression was higher in exercised mice at 14 (263.27±25.8 cells/mm2, p<0.05) and 28 (295.06±56.2 cells/mm2, p<0.001) days. Regular voluntary running modulates tumor vasculature, increases immune cells infiltration and attenuates tumor growth, in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mário Esteves
- Instituto de Investigação, Inovação e Desenvolvimento Fernando Pessoa (FP-I3ID), Escola Superior de Saude Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal.,Laboratory of Biochemistry and Experimental Morphology, CIAFEL, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carina Silva
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Experimental Morphology, CIAFEL, Porto, Portugal
| | - António Bovolini
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Experimental Morphology, CIAFEL, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sofia S Pereira
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, University of Porto Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal
| | - Tiago Morais
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, University of Porto Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal
| | - Ângela Moreira
- Communication Unit, Universidade do Porto Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Porto, Portugal
| | - Madalena M Costa
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, University of Porto Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mariana P Monteiro
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, Unit for Multidisciplinary Research in Biomedicine, University of Porto Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal
| | - Jose Alberto Duarte
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Experimental Morphology, CIAFEL, Porto, Portugal.,TOXRUN, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, Gandra, Portuga
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12
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Renauer P, Park JJ, Bai M, Acosta A, Lee WH, Lin GH, Zhang Y, Dai X, Wang G, Errami Y, Wu T, Clark P, Ye L, Yang Q, Chen S. Immunogenetic metabolomics revealed key enzymes that modulate CAR-T metabolism and function. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.14.532663. [PMID: 36993638 PMCID: PMC10055032 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.14.532663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Immune evasion is a critical step of cancer progression that remains a major obstacle for current T cell-based immunotherapies. Hence, we seek to genetically reprogram T cells to exploit a common tumor-intrinsic evasion mechanism, whereby cancer cells suppress T cell function by generating a metabolically unfavorable tumor microenvironment (TME). Specifically, we use an in silico screen to identify ADA and PDK1 as metabolic regulators, in which gene overexpression (OE) enhances the cytolysis of CD19-specific CD8 CAR-T cells against cognate leukemia cells, and conversely, ADA or PDK1 deficiency dampens such effect. ADA -OE in CAR-T cells improves cancer cytolysis under high concentrations of adenosine, the ADA substrate and an immunosuppressive metabolite in the TME. High-throughput transcriptomics and metabolomics in these CAR-Ts reveal alterations of global gene expression and metabolic signatures in both ADA- and PDK1- engineered CAR-T cells. Functional and immunological analyses demonstrate that ADA -OE increases proliferation and decreases exhaustion in α-CD19 and α-HER2 CAR-T cells. ADA-OE improves tumor infiltration and clearance by α-HER2 CAR-T cells in an in vivo colorectal cancer model. Collectively, these data unveil systematic knowledge of metabolic reprogramming directly in CAR-T cells, and reveal potential targets for improving CAR-T based cell therapy. Synopsis The authors identify the adenosine deaminase gene (ADA) as a regulatory gene that reprograms T cell metabolism. ADA-overexpression (OE) in α-CD19 and α-HER2 CAR-T cells increases proliferation, cytotoxicity, memory, and decreases exhaustion, and ADA-OE α-HER2 CAR-T cells have enhanced clearance of HT29 human colorectal cancer tumors in vivo .
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Renauer
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jonathan J. Park
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- M.D.-Ph.D. Program, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Meizhu Bai
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Arianny Acosta
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Won-Ho Lee
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Guang Han Lin
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Yueqi Zhang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Xiaoyun Dai
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Guangchuan Wang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Youssef Errami
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Terence Wu
- West Campus Analytical Core, Mass Spectrometry/Proteomics Facility, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Paul Clark
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lupeng Ye
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Quanjun Yang
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Sidi Chen
- Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- System Biology Institute, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Cancer Systems Biology, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Molecular Cell Biology, Genetics, and Development Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- M.D.-Ph.D. Program, Yale University, West Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Immunobiology Program, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Stem Cell Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Liver Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Biomedical Data Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Wu-Tsai Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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13
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Huh H, Chen DW, Foldvari M, Slavcev R, Blay J. EGFR-targeted bacteriophage lambda penetrates model stromal and colorectal carcinoma tissues, is taken up into carcinoma cells, and interferes with 3-dimensional tumor formation. Front Immunol 2022; 13:957233. [PMID: 36591314 PMCID: PMC9800840 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.957233] [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: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Colorectal cancer and other adult solid cancers pose a significant challenge for successful treatment because the tumor microenvironment both hinders the action of conventional therapeutics and suppresses the immune activities of infiltrating leukocytes. The immune suppression is largely the effect of enhanced local mediators such as purine nucleosides and eicosanoids. Genetic approaches have the promise of interfering with these mechanisms of local immunosuppression to allow both intrinsic and therapeutic immunological anticancer processes. Bacterial phages offer a novel means of enabling access into tissues for therapeutic genetic manipulations. Methods We generated spheroids of fibroblastic and CRC cancer cells to model the 3-dimensional stromal and parenchymal components of colorectal tumours. We used these to examine the access and effects of both wildtype (WT) and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-presenting bacteriophage λ (WT- λ and EGF-λ) as a means of delivery of targeted genetic interventions in solid cancers. We used both confocal microscopy of spheroids exposed to AF488-tagged phages, and the recovery of viable phages as measured by plaque-forming assays to evaluate access; and measures of mitochondrial enzyme activity and cellular ATP to evaluate the outcome on the constituent cells. Results Using flourescence-tagged derivatives of these bacteriophages (AF488-WT-λ and AF488-EGF-λ) we showed that phage entry into these tumour microenvironments was possible and that the EGF ligand enabled efficient and persistent uptake into the cancer cell mass. EGF-λ became localized in the intracellular portion of cancer cells and was subjected to subsequent cellular processing. The targeted λ phage had no independent effect upon mature tumour spheroids, but interfered with the early formation and growth of cancer tissues without the need for addition of a toxic payload, suggesting that it might have beneficial effects by itself in addition to any genetic intervention delivered to the tumour. Interference with spheroid formation persisted over the duration of culture. Discussion We conclude that targeted phage technology is a feasible strategy to facilitate delivery into colorectal cancer tumour tissue (and by extension other solid carcinomas) and provides an appropriate delivery vehicle for a gene therapeutic that can reduce local immunosuppression and/or deliver an additional direct anticancer activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haein Huh
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Ding-Wen Chen
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | | | - Roderick Slavcev
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada,*Correspondence: Jonathan Blay, ; Roderick Slavcev,
| | - Jonathan Blay
- School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada,Department of Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada,*Correspondence: Jonathan Blay, ; Roderick Slavcev,
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14
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Zhang W, Lyu P, Andreev D, Jia Y, Zhang F, Bozec A. Hypoxia-immune-related microenvironment prognostic signature for osteosarcoma. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:974851. [PMID: 36578780 PMCID: PMC9791087 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.974851] [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: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Increasing evidences have shown that hypoxia and the immune microenvironment play vital roles in the development of osteosarcoma. However, reliable gene signatures based on the combination of hypoxia and the immune status for prognostic prediction of osteosarcoma have so far not been identified. Methods: The individual hypoxia and immune status of osteosarcoma patients were identified with transcriptomic profiles of a training cohort from the TARGET database using ssGSEA and ESTIMATE algorithms, respectively. Lasso regression and stepwise Cox regression were performed to develop a hypoxia-immune-based gene signature. An independent cohort from the GEO database was used for external validation. Finally, a nomogram was constructed based on the gene signature and clinical features to improve the risk stratification and to quantify the risk assessment for individual patients. Results: Hypoxia and the immune status were significantly associated with the prognosis of osteosarcoma patients. Seven hypoxia- and immune-related genes (BNIP3, SLC38A5, SLC5A3, CKMT2, S100A3, CXCL11 and PGM1) were identified to be involved in our prognostic signature. In the training cohort, the prognostic signature discriminated high-risk patients with osteosarcoma. The hypoxia-immune-based gene signature proved to be a stable and predictive method as determined in different datasets and subgroups of patients. Furthermore, a nomogram based on the prognostic signature was generated to optimize the risk stratification and to quantify the risk assessment. Similar results were validated in an independent GEO cohort, confirming the stability and reliability of the prognostic signature. Conclusion: The hypoxia-immune-based prognostic signature might contribute to the optimization of risk stratification for survival and personalized management of osteosarcoma patients.
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15
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Chesney J, Lewis KD, Kluger H, Hamid O, Whitman E, Thomas S, Wermke M, Cusnir M, Domingo-Musibay E, Phan GQ, Kirkwood JM, Hassel JC, Orloff M, Larkin J, Weber J, Furness AJS, Khushalani NI, Medina T, Egger ME, Graf Finckenstein F, Jagasia M, Hari P, Sulur G, Shi W, Wu X, Sarnaik A. Efficacy and safety of lifileucel, a one-time autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy, in patients with advanced melanoma after progression on immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapies: pooled analysis of consecutive cohorts of the C-144-01 study. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2022-005755. [PMID: 36600653 PMCID: PMC9748991 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with advanced melanoma have limited treatment options after progression on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Lifileucel, a one-time autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy, demonstrated an investigator-assessed objective response rate (ORR) of 36% in 66 patients who progressed after ICI and targeted therapy. Herein, we report independent review committee (IRC)-assessed outcomes of 153 patients treated with lifileucel in a large multicenter Phase 2 cell therapy trial in melanoma. METHODS Eligible patients had advanced melanoma that progressed after ICI and targeted therapy, where appropriate. Melanoma lesions were resected (resected tumor diameter ≥1.5 cm) and shipped to a central good manufacturing practice facility for 22-day lifileucel manufacturing. Patients received a non-myeloablative lymphodepletion regimen, a single lifileucel infusion, and up to six doses of high-dose interleukin-2. The primary endpoint was IRC-assessed ORR (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors V.1.1). RESULTS The Full Analysis Set consisted of 153 patients treated with lifileucel, including longer-term follow-up on the 66 patients previously reported. Patients had received a median of 3.0 lines of prior therapy (81.7% received both anti-programmed cell death protein 1 and anti-cytotoxic lymphocyte-associated protein 4) and had high disease burden at baseline (median target lesion sum of diameters (SOD): 97.8 mm; lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) >upper limit of normal: 54.2%). ORR was 31.4% (95% CI: 24.1% to 39.4%), with 8 complete responses and 40 partial responses. Median duration of response was not reached at a median study follow-up of 27.6 months, with 41.7% of the responses maintained for ≥18 months. Median overall survival and progression-free survival were 13.9 and 4.1 months, respectively. Multivariable analyses adjusted for Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status demonstrated that elevated LDH and target lesion SOD >median were independently correlated with ORR (p=0.008); patients with normal LDH and SOD <median had greater likelihood of response than those with either (OR=2.08) or both (OR=4.42) risk factors. The most common grade 3/4 treatment-emergent adverse events (≥30%) were thrombocytopenia (76.9%), anemia (50.0%), and febrile neutropenia (41.7%). CONCLUSIONS Investigational lifileucel demonstrated clinically meaningful activity in heavily pretreated patients with advanced melanoma and high tumor burden. Durable responses and a favorable safety profile support the potential benefit of one-time lifileucel TIL cell therapy in patients with limited treatment options in ICI-refractory disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Chesney
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Karl D Lewis
- Medical Oncology, University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Harriet Kluger
- Medical Oncology, Hematology & Oncology, Melanoma and Onco-Dermatology, Genitourinary Oncology, Yale New Haven Health Smilow Cancer Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Omid Hamid
- Hematology Oncology, The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute, a Cedars-Sinai Affiliate, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Eric Whitman
- Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, Morristown, New Jersey, USA
| | - Sajeve Thomas
- Hematology and Oncology, Orlando Health Cancer Institute, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Martin Wermke
- Technische Universität Dresden - NCT/UCC Early Clinical Trial Unit, Dresden, Sachsen, Germany
| | - Mike Cusnir
- Division of Hematology & Oncology, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
| | - Evidio Domingo-Musibay
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Giao Q Phan
- Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, Virginia, USA
| | - John M Kirkwood
- Medicine, Dermatology and Translational Science, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jessica C Hassel
- Skin Cancer Center, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
| | - Marlana Orloff
- Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - James Larkin
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Jeffrey Weber
- Department of Medicine, Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Nikhil I Khushalani
- Department of Cutaneous Oncology, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Theresa Medina
- Medical Oncology, University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Michael E Egger
- Department of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | | | - Madan Jagasia
- Iovance Biotherapeutics Inc, San Carlos, California, USA
| | | | - Giri Sulur
- Iovance Biotherapeutics Inc, San Carlos, California, USA
| | - Wen Shi
- Iovance Biotherapeutics Inc, San Carlos, California, USA
| | - Xiao Wu
- Iovance Biotherapeutics Inc, San Carlos, California, USA
| | - Amod Sarnaik
- Department of Cutaneous Oncology, H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
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16
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Bai Y, Zhang X, Zheng J, Liu Z, Yang Z, Zhang X. Overcoming high level adenosine-mediated immunosuppression by DZD2269, a potent and selective A2aR antagonist. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2022; 41:302. [PMID: 36229853 PMCID: PMC9563815 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02511-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adenosine is a potent immunosuppressant whose levels in the tumor microenvironment (TME) are often much higher than those in normal tissues. Binding of adenosine to its receptor A2aR activates a cascade of genes and leads to immunosuppression. In addition, immune checkpoint blockage markedly increases A2aR expression in T cells, which could dampen their anti-tumor response. Several A2aR antagonists are under clinical development, but with limited clinical benefit reported so far. These A2aR antagonists showed much diminished activity at high adenosine levels found in TME, which may explain their clinical underperformance. We report the discovery and early clinical development of DZD2269, a novel A2aR antagonist which can fully block A2aR mediated immunosuppression commonly found in TME. Adenosine stimulates phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) in T cells and inhibits anti-tumor cytokine secretion in PBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. DZD2269 was able to reverse the immunosuppression induced by high concentrations of adenosine, as demonstrated by inhibiting CREB phosphorylation in T cells, restoring Th1 cytokine secretion in PBMCs, and stimulating dendritic cells (DCs) maturation. As a single agent, DZD2269 showed anti-tumor growth in multiple syngeneic mouse tumor models, and more profound anti-tumor effects were observed when DZD2269 was in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. A good PK/PD relationship was observed in these animal models. In the phase 1 clinical study, downregulation of pCREB was detected in human T cells, consistent with preclinical prediction. Our data support further clinical development of DZD2269 in patients with cancer. METHODS The selectivity of DZD2269 for adenosine receptors was tested in engineered cell lines, and its efficacy in blocking A2aR signaling and reversing adenosine-mediated immunosuppression was assessed in human T cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The anti-tumor effects of DZD2269 were evaluated in multiple syngeneic mouse models as a single agent as well as in combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immune checkpoint inhibitors. A phase 1 study in healthy volunteers (NCT04932005) has been initiated to assess safety, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of DZD2269. RESULTS Adenosine stimulates phosphorylation of cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) in T cells and inhibits anti-tumor cytokine secretion in PBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. DZD2269 was able to reverse the immunosuppression induced by high concentrations of adenosine, as demonstrated by inhibiting CREB phosphorylation in T cells, restoring Th1 cytokine secretion in PBMCs, and stimulating dendritic cells (DCs) maturation. As a single agent, DZD2269 showed anti-tumor growth in multiple syngeneic mouse tumor models, and more profound anti-tumor effects were observed when DZD2269 was in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. A good PK/PD relationship was observed in these animal models. In the phase 1 clinical study, downregulation of pCREB was detected in human T cells, consistent with preclinical prediction. CONCLUSION DZD2269 is a novel A2aR antagonist which can fully block A2aR mediated immunosuppression commonly found in TME. Clinical development of DZD2269 in patients with cancer is warranted (NCT04634344).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Bai
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319Biomed-X Center, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China ,Dizal Pharmaceuticals, 199 Liangjing Rd, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong District, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Dizal Pharmaceuticals, 199 Liangjing Rd, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong District, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Jie Zheng
- Dizal Pharmaceuticals, 199 Liangjing Rd, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong District, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Ziyi Liu
- Dizal Pharmaceuticals, 199 Liangjing Rd, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong District, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Zhenfan Yang
- Dizal Pharmaceuticals, 199 Liangjing Rd, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong District, 201203 Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhang
- grid.11135.370000 0001 2256 9319Biomed-X Center, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China ,Dizal Pharmaceuticals, 199 Liangjing Rd, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Pudong District, 201203 Shanghai, China
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17
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Shegay PV, Zabolotneva AA, Shatova OP, Shestopalov AV, Kaprin AD. Evolutionary View on Lactate-Dependent Mechanisms of Maintaining Cancer Cell Stemness and Reprimitivization. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14194552. [PMID: 36230479 PMCID: PMC9559641 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14194552] [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: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of lactic acid (lactate) in cell metabolism has been significantly revised in recent decades. Initially, lactic acid was attributed to the role of a toxic end-product of metabolism, with its accumulation in the cell and extracellular space leading to acidosis, muscle pain, and other adverse effects. However, it has now become obvious that lactate is not only a universal fuel molecule and the main substrate for gluconeogenesis but also one of the most ancient metabolites, with a signaling function that has a wide range of regulatory activity. The Warburg effect, described 100 years ago (the intensification of glycolysis associated with high lactate production), which is characteristic of many malignant tumors, confirms the key role of lactate not only in physiological conditions but also in pathologies. The study of lactate’s role in the malignant transformation becomes more relevant in the light of the “atavistic theory of carcinogenesis,” which suggests that tumor cells return to a more primitive hereditary phenotype during microevolution. In this review, we attempt to summarize the accumulated knowledge about the functions of lactate in cell metabolism and its role in the process of carcinogenesis and to consider the possible evolutionary significance of the Warburg effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr V. Shegay
- Federal State Budget Institution National Medical Research Radiology Center of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, 2nd Botkinsky pas., 3, 125284 Moscow, Russia
| | - Anastasia A. Zabolotneva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, st. Ostrovityanova, 1, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence:
| | - Olga P. Shatova
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, st. Ostrovityanova, 1, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Medicine, RUDN University, st. Miklukho-Maklaya, 6, 117198 Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksandr V. Shestopalov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, st. Ostrovityanova, 1, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, st. Samora Mashela, 1, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrei D. Kaprin
- Federal State Budget Institution National Medical Research Radiology Center of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, 2nd Botkinsky pas., 3, 125284 Moscow, Russia
- Faculty of Medicine, RUDN University, st. Miklukho-Maklaya, 6, 117198 Moscow, Russia
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18
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Downregulation of IL-8 and IL-10 by the Activation of Ca2+-Activated K+ Channel KCa3.1 in THP-1-Derived M2 Macrophages. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158603. [PMID: 35955737 PMCID: PMC9368915 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
THP-1-differentiated macrophages are useful for investigating the physiological significance of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). In the tumor microenvironment (TME), TAMs with the M2-like phenotype play a critical role in promoting cancer progression and metastasis by inhibiting the immune surveillance system. We examined the involvement of Ca2+-activated K+ channel KCa3.1 in TAMs in expressing pro-tumorigenic cytokines and angiogenic growth factors. In THP-1-derived M2 macrophages, the expression levels of IL-8 and IL-10 were significantly decreased by treatment with the selective KCa3.1 activator, SKA-121, without changes in those of VEGF and TGF-β1. Furthermore, under in vitro experimental conditions that mimic extracellular K+ levels in the TME, IL-8 and IL-10 levels were both significantly elevated, and these increases were reversed by combined treatment with SKA-121. Among several signaling pathways potentially involved in the transcriptional regulation of IL-8 and IL-10, respective treatments with ERK and JNK inhibitors significantly repressed their transcriptions, and treatment with SKA-121 significantly reduced the phosphorylated ERK, JNK, c-Jun, and CREB levels. These results strongly suggest that the KCa3.1 activator may suppress IL-10-induced tumor immune surveillance escape and IL-8-induced tumorigenicity and metastasis by inhibiting their production from TAMs through ERK-CREB and JNK-c-Jun cascades.
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How the Potassium Channel Response of T Lymphocytes to the Tumor Microenvironment Shapes Antitumor Immunity. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14153564. [PMID: 35892822 PMCID: PMC9330401 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153564] [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: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Competent antitumor immune cells are fundamental for tumor surveillance and combating active cancers. Once established, tumors generate a tumor microenvironment (TME) consisting of complex cellular and metabolic elements that serve to suppress the function of antitumor immune cells. T lymphocytes are key cellular elements of the TME. In this review, we explore the role of ion channels, particularly K+ channels, in mediating the suppressive effects of the TME on T cells. First, we will review the complex network of ion channels that mediate Ca2+ influx and control effector functions in T cells. Then, we will discuss how multiple features of the TME influence the antitumor capabilities of T cells via ion channels. We will focus on hypoxia, adenosine, and ionic imbalances in the TME, as well as overexpression of programmed cell death ligand 1 by cancer cells that either suppress K+ channels in T cells and/or benefit from regulating these channels’ activity, ultimately shaping the immune response. Finally, we will review some of the cancer treatment implications related to ion channels. A better understanding of the effects of the TME on ion channels in T lymphocytes could promote the development of more effective immunotherapies, especially for resistant solid malignancies.
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20
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Zhao L, Liu Y, Zhang S, Wei L, Cheng H, Wang J, Wang J. Impacts and mechanisms of metabolic reprogramming of tumor microenvironment for immunotherapy in gastric cancer. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:378. [PMID: 35444235 PMCID: PMC9021207 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-04821-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic disorders and abnormal immune function changes occur in tumor tissues and cells to varying degrees. There is increasing evidence that reprogrammed energy metabolism contributes to the development of tumor suppressive immune microenvironment and influences the course of gastric cancer (GC). Current studies have found that tumor microenvironment (TME) also has important clinicopathological significance in predicting prognosis and therapeutic efficacy. Novel approaches targeting TME therapy, such as immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), metabolic inhibitors and key enzymes of immune metabolism, have been involved in the treatment of GC. However, the interaction between GC cells metabolism and immune metabolism and how to make better use of these immunotherapy methods in the complex TME in GC are still being explored. Here, we discuss how metabolic reprogramming of GC cells and immune cells involved in GC immune responses modulate anti-tumor immune responses, as well as the effects of gastrointestinal flora in TME and GC. It is also proposed how to enhance anti-tumor immune response by understanding the targeted metabolism of these metabolic reprogramming to provide direction for the treatment and prognosis of GC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Zhao
- The First Clinical College, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- The First Clinical College, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China
| | - Simiao Zhang
- The First Clinical College, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China
| | - Lingyu Wei
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Aging Mechanism Research and Transformation, Center for Healthy Aging, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China.,Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Basic Research and Clinical Transformation, Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China
| | - Hongbing Cheng
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Aging Mechanism Research and Transformation, Center for Healthy Aging, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China.,Department of Microbiology, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China
| | - Jinsheng Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Aging Mechanism Research and Transformation, Center for Healthy Aging, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China. .,Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Basic Research and Clinical Transformation, Heping Hospital Affiliated to Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China.
| | - Jia Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Aging Mechanism Research and Transformation, Center for Healthy Aging, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China. .,Department of Immunology, Center for Healthy Aging, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, 046000, China.
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21
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Zhang Y, Cao N, Gao J, Liang J, Liang Y, Xie Y, Zhou S, Tang X. ASIC1a stimulates the resistance of human hepatocellular carcinoma by promoting EMT via the AKT/GSK3β/Snail pathway driven by TGFβ/Smad signals. J Cell Mol Med 2022; 26:2777-2792. [PMID: 35426224 PMCID: PMC9097844 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.17288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidrug resistance is the main obstacle to curing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Acid‐sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) has critical roles in all stages of cancer progression, especially invasion and metastasis, and in resistance to therapy. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) transforms epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells after being stimulated by extracellular factors and is closely related to tumour infiltration and resistance. We used Western blotting, immunofluorescence, qRT‐PCR, immunohistochemical staining, MTT, colony formation and scratch healing assay to determine ASIC1a levels and its relationship to cell proliferation, migration and invasion. ASIC1a is overexpressed in HCC tissues, and the amount increased in resistant HCC cells. EMT occurred more frequently in drug‐resistant cells than in parental cells. Inactivation of ASIC1a inhibited cell migration and invasion and increased the chemosensitivity of cells through EMT. Overexpression of ASIC1a upregulated EMT and increased the cells’ proliferation, migration and invasion and induced drug resistance; knocking down ASIC1a with shRNA had the opposite effects. ASIC1a increased cell migration and invasion through EMT by regulating α and β‐catenin, vimentin and fibronectin expression via the AKT/GSK‐3β/Snail pathway driven by TGFβ/Smad signals. ASIC1a mediates drug resistance of HCC through EMT via the AKT/GSK‐3β/Snail pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinci Zhang
- Medcial School Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
- Institute of Environment‐friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui University of Science and Technology Wuhu China
| | - Niandie Cao
- Medcial School Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
- Institute of Environment‐friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui University of Science and Technology Wuhu China
| | - Jiafeng Gao
- Medcial School Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
- Institute of Environment‐friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui University of Science and Technology Wuhu China
| | - Jiaojiao Liang
- Medcial School Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
- Institute of Environment‐friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui University of Science and Technology Wuhu China
| | - Yong Liang
- Institute of Environment‐friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui University of Science and Technology Wuhu China
- Huai’an Hospital Affiliated of Xuzhou Medical College and Huai’an Second Hospital Huai’an China
| | - Yinghai Xie
- Medcial School Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
- First Affiliated Hospital Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
| | - Shuping Zhou
- Medcial School Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
- First Affiliated Hospital Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
| | - Xiaolong Tang
- Medcial School Anhui University of Science & Technology Huainan China
- Institute of Environment‐friendly Materials and Occupational Health of Anhui University of Science and Technology Wuhu China
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22
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Ayoub NM, Jaradat SK, Al-Shami KM, Alkhalifa AE. Targeting Angiogenesis in Breast Cancer: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives of Novel Anti-Angiogenic Approaches. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:838133. [PMID: 35281942 PMCID: PMC8913593 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.838133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Angiogenesis is a vital process for the growth and dissemination of solid cancers. Numerous molecular pathways are known to drive angiogenic switch in cancer cells promoting the growth of new blood vessels and increased incidence of distant metastasis. Several angiogenesis inhibitors are clinically available for the treatment of different types of advanced solid cancers. These inhibitors mostly belong to monoclonal antibodies or small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting the classical vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors. Nevertheless, breast cancer is one example of solid tumors that had constantly failed to respond to angiogenesis inhibitors in terms of improved survival outcomes of patients. Accordingly, it is of paramount importance to assess the molecular mechanisms driving angiogenic signaling in breast cancer to explore suitable drug targets that can be further investigated in preclinical and clinical settings. This review summarizes the current evidence for the effect of clinically available anti-angiogenic drugs in breast cancer treatment. Further, major mechanisms associated with intrinsic or acquired resistance to anti-VEGF therapy are discussed. The review also describes evidence from preclinical and clinical studies on targeting novel non-VEGF angiogenic pathways in breast cancer and several approaches to the normalization of tumor vasculature by targeting pericytes, utilization of microRNAs and extracellular tumor-associate vesicles, using immunotherapeutic drugs, and nanotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehad M. Ayoub
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Irbid, Jordan
- *Correspondence: Nehad M. Ayoub,
| | - Sara K. Jaradat
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Irbid, Jordan
| | - Kamal M. Al-Shami
- Department of Drug Discovery and Development, Harrison School of Pharmacy, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States
| | - Amer E. Alkhalifa
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Irbid, Jordan
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23
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Fan C, Wu J, Shen Y, Hu H, Wang Q, Mao Y, Ye B, Xiang M. Hypoxia promotes the tolerogenic phenotype of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer Med 2021; 11:922-930. [PMID: 34964283 PMCID: PMC8855917 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.4511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective We aim to review the roles of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and explore the effects of hypoxia on the tolerogenic transformation of pDCs. Background pDCs, best known as professional type I interferon‐secreting cells, play key roles in immune surveillance and antitumor immunity. Recently, pDCs have been shown to be tolerogenic and correlate with poor prognosis in a variety of cancers, including HNSCC. However, it remains unclear what drives the tolerogenic transformation of pDCs in the HNSCC microenvironment. Hypoxia, a prominent hallmark of the tumor microenvironment (TME) of HNSCC, can interfere with multiple immune cells and establish an immunosuppressive TME. Methods In this review, we summarize the antitumor and protumor functions of pDCs, explore the effects of hypoxia on the migration and maturation of pDCs, and discuss related mechanisms in HNSCC. Conclusions pDCs mainly display protumor functions in HNSCC. The hypoxic TME in HNSCC can enhance the migration of pDCs and inhibit the differentiation and maturation of pDCs, promoting the tolerogenic phenotype of pDCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cui Fan
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jichang Wu
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yilin Shen
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Haixia Hu
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Quan Wang
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yufeng Mao
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Ye
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingliang Xiang
- Department of Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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24
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Wegge M, Dok R, Nuyts S. Hypoxia and Its Influence on Radiotherapy Response of HPV-Positive and HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5959. [PMID: 34885069 PMCID: PMC8656584 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13235959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cancers are a heterogeneous group of cancers that arise from the upper aerodigestive tract. Etiologically, these tumors are linked to alcohol/tobacco abuse and infections with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV-positive HNSCCs are characterized by a different biology and also demonstrate better therapy response and survival compared to alcohol/tobacco-related HNSCCs. Despite this advantageous therapy response and the clear biological differences, all locally advanced HNSCCs are treated with the same chemo-radiotherapy schedules. Although we have a better understanding of the biology of both groups of HNSCC, the biological factors associated with the increased radiotherapy response are still unclear. Hypoxia, i.e., low oxygen levels because of an imbalance between oxygen demand and supply, is an important biological factor associated with radiotherapy response and has been linked with HPV infections. In this review, we discuss the effects of hypoxia on radiotherapy response, on the tumor biology, and the tumor microenvironment of HPV-positive and HPV-negative HNSCCs by pointing out the differences between these two tumor types. In addition, we provide an overview of the current strategies to detect and target hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn Wegge
- Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (M.W.); (R.D.)
| | - Rüveyda Dok
- Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (M.W.); (R.D.)
| | - Sandra Nuyts
- Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (M.W.); (R.D.)
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, UZ Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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25
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Zhao Y, Chen X, Ding Z, He C, Gao G, Lyu S, Gao Y, Du J. Identification of Novel CD39 Inhibitors Based on Virtual Screening and Enzymatic Assays. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 62:5289-5304. [PMID: 34648290 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.1c00590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The accumulation of adenosine in the tumor microenvironment mediates immunosuppression and promotes tumor growth and proliferation. Intervention of the adenosine pathway is an important direction of antitumor immunity research. CD39 is an important ecto-nucleotidases for adenosine generation, therefore targeting the CD39-adenosine pathway is an emerging immune checkpoint for anticancer treatment. However, currently no CD39 inhibitor has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The development of CD39 drugs is urgent for clinical application. In this study, we combined homology modeling, virtual screening, and in vitro enzymatic activity to characterize the structural features of the CD39 protein and identify a triazinoindole-based compound as a CD39 inhibitor. The identified inhibitor and one of its analogues could effectively prevent the enzymatic activity of CD39 with IC50 values of 27.42 ± 5.52 and 79.24 ± 12.21 μM, respectively. At the same time, the inhibitor significantly inhibited the adenosine monophosphate production in colorectal cancer cell lines (HT29 and MC38) and thereafter prevented cell proliferation. Molecular docking studies, mutagenesis, and microscale thermophoresis indicated that residues such as R85 could be the main contributor in binding triazinoindole compounds. The binding mode can potentially be utilized for hit-to-lead optimization, and the identified inhibitor can be further tested for its anticancer activity in vivo or may serve as a chemical agent to study CD39-related functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunshuo Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Xiaotong Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Zhe Ding
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Chuanjie He
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Guanfei Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Sifan Lyu
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Yanfeng Gao
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Jiangfeng Du
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
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26
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Therapeutic Modification of Hypoxia. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2021; 33:e492-e509. [PMID: 34535359 DOI: 10.1016/j.clon.2021.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Regions of reduced oxygenation (hypoxia) are a characteristic feature of virtually all animal and human solid tumours. Numerous preclinical studies, both in vitro and in vivo, have shown that decreasing oxygen concentration induces resistance to radiation. Importantly, hypoxia in human tumours is a negative indicator of radiotherapy outcome. Hypoxia also contributes to resistance to other cancer therapeutics, including immunotherapy, and increases malignant progression as well as cancer cell dissemination. Consequently, substantial effort has been made to detect hypoxia in human tumours and identify realistic approaches to overcome hypoxia and improve cancer therapy outcomes. Hypoxia-targeting strategies include improving oxygen availability, sensitising hypoxic cells to radiation, preferentially killing these cells, locating the hypoxic regions in tumours and increasing the radiation dose to those areas, or applying high energy transfer radiation, which is less affected by hypoxia. Despite numerous clinical studies with each of these hypoxia-modifying approaches, many of which improved both local tumour control and overall survival, hypoxic modification has not been established in routine clinical practice. Here we review the background and significance of hypoxia, how it can be imaged clinically and focus on the various hypoxia-modifying techniques that have undergone, or are currently in, clinical evaluation.
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27
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Biological consequences of cancer radiotherapy in the context of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Head Face Med 2021; 17:35. [PMID: 34446029 PMCID: PMC8390213 DOI: 10.1186/s13005-021-00286-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 50% of subjects with cancer have been treated with ionizing radiation (IR) either as a curative, adjuvant, neoadjuvant or as a palliative agent, at some point during the clinical course of their disease. IR kills cancer cells directly by injuring their DNA, and indirectly by inducing immunogenic cell killing mediated by cytotoxic T cells; but it can also induce harmful biological responses to non-irradiated neighbouring cells (bystander effect) and to more distant cells (abscopal effect) outside the primary tumour field of irradiation.Although IR can upregulate anti-tumour immune reactions, it can also promote an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. Consequently, radiotherapy by itself is seldom sufficient to generate an effective long lasting immune response that is capable to control growth of metastasis, recurrence of primary tumours and development of second primary cancers. Therefore, combining radiotherapy with the use of immunoadjuvants such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, can potentiate IR-mediated anti-tumour immune reactions, bringing about a synergic immunogenic cell killing effect.The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss some aspects of IR-induced biological responses, including factors that contributes to tumour radiosensitivity/radioresistance, immunogenic cell killing, and the abscopal effect.
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Jiang F, Mao Y, Lu B, Zhou G, Wang J. A hypoxia risk signature for the tumor immune microenvironment evaluation and prognosis prediction in acute myeloid leukemia. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14657. [PMID: 34282207 PMCID: PMC8289869 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94128-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most prevalent form of acute leukemia. Patients with AML often have poor clinical prognoses. Hypoxia can activate a series of immunosuppressive processes in tumors, resulting in diseases and poor clinical prognoses. However, how to evaluate the severity of hypoxia in tumor immune microenvironment remains unknown. In this study, we downloaded the profiles of RNA sequence and clinicopathological data of pediatric AML patients from Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database, as well as those of AML patients from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). In order to explore the immune microenvironment in AML, we established a risk signature to predict clinical prognosis. Our data showed that patients with high hypoxia risk score had shorter overall survival, indicating that higher hypoxia risk scores was significantly linked to immunosuppressive microenvironment in AML. Further analysis showed that the hypoxia could be used to serve as an independent prognostic indicator for AML patients. Moreover, we found gene sets enriched in high-risk AML group participated in the carcinogenesis. In summary, the established hypoxia-related risk model could act as an independent predictor for the clinical prognosis of AML, and also reflect the response intensity of the immune microenvironment in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Jiang
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of Neonatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, No. 419, Fangxie Road, Shanghai, 200011 China
| | - Yan Mao
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China
| | - Binbin Lu
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China
| | - Guoping Zhou
- grid.412676.00000 0004 1799 0784Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029 China
| | - Jimei Wang
- grid.8547.e0000 0001 0125 2443Department of Neonatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, No. 419, Fangxie Road, Shanghai, 200011 China
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Radiobiological Evaluation of Combined Gamma Knife Radiosurgery and Hyperthermia for Pediatric Neuro-Oncology. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13133277. [PMID: 34208909 PMCID: PMC8268088 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13133277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary This study proposes a novel strategy in brain cancer management. Stereotactic radiosurgery delivered by the Gamma Knife was combined with hyperthermia. For the radiobiological modelling of this synergistic treatment modality, we used the linear-quadratic model with temperature-dependent parameters to assess the potential enhancement of the therapeutic outcome. The results indicate that focused intracranial heating can be used to boost the dose to the target. Alternatively, one can conclude that for the same therapeutic effect, hyperthermia can help to minimize the dose undesirably delivered to healthy tissues. This study is also the first to advocate a combination of stereotactic radiosurgery with focused heating and motivates the future development of hyperthermia systems for brain cancer treatment. Abstract Combining radiotherapy (RT) with hyperthermia (HT) has been proven effective in the treatment of a wide range of tumours, but the combination of externally delivered, focused heat and stereotactic radiosurgery has never been investigated. We explore the potential of such treatment enhancement via radiobiological modelling, specifically via the linear-quadratic (LQ) model adapted to thermoradiotherapy through modulating the radiosensitivity of temperature-dependent parameters. We extend this well-established model by incorporating oxygenation effects. To illustrate the methodology, we present a clinically relevant application in pediatric oncology, which is novel in two ways. First, it deals with medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumour in children, a type of brain tumour not previously reported in the literature of thermoradiotherapy studies. Second, it makes use of the Gamma Knife for the radiotherapy part, thereby being the first of its kind in this context. Quantitative metrics like the biologically effective dose (BED) and the tumour control probability (TCP) are used to assess the efficacy of the combined plan.
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Chen M, Xu X, Shu G, Lu C, Wu J, Lv X, Song J, Wu F, Chen C, Zhang N, Du Y, Wang J, Xu M, Fang S, Weng Q, Zhu Y, Huang Y, Zhao Z, Du Y, Ji J. Multifunctional Microspheres Dual-Loaded with Doxorubicin and Sodium Bicarbonate Nanoparticles to Introduce Synergistic Trimodal Interventional Therapy. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2021; 4:3476-3489. [PMID: 35014432 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.1c00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Lactic acid in the tumor microenvironment is highly correlated with the prognosis of tumor chemoembolization, but there are limited clinical strategies to deal with it. To improve the efficacy, NaHCO3 nanoparticles are innovatively introduced into drug-loaded microspheres to neutralize lactic acid in the tumor microenvironment. Here we showed that multifunctional ethyl cellulose microspheres dual-loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and NaHCO3 nanoparticles (DOX/NaHCO3-MS) presented excellent antitumor effects by improving the pH of the tumor microenvironment. The homeostasis of the tumor microenvironment was continuously disturbed due to the sustained release of NaHCO3 nanoparticles, which also led to a significant increase in tumor cell apoptosis (compared with the control and DOX-MS groups). We also showed that the administration of DOX/NaHCO3-MS via the hepatic artery in a rabbit model of VX2 orthotopic liver cancer resulted in optimal antitumor efficacy, and the area of tumor necrosis at the embolization site was significantly increased and the proliferation of tumor cells was significantly weakened. The designed DOX/NaHCO3-MS exhibited strong synergistic antitumor effects of embolization, chemotherapy, and tumor microenvironment improvement. The present microspheres provided a strategy for the enhancement of the chemoembolization of hepatocellular carcinoma, which could also be extended to other clinical embolization treatments for blood-rich solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjiang Chen
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Xiaoling Xu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Gaofeng Shu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Chenying Lu
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Jiahui Wu
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiuling Lv
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Jingjing Song
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Fazong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Chunmiao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Nannan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Yuyin Du
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - Jun Wang
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Min Xu
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Shiji Fang
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Qiaoyou Weng
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Yiling Zhu
- Department of Pathology, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Yuan Huang
- Department of Pathology, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Zhongwei Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
| | - Yongzhong Du
- Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jiansong Ji
- Key Laboratory of Imaging Diagnosis and Minimally Invasive Intervention Research, Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Lishui 323000, China
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Weiss SA, Sznol M. Resistance mechanisms to checkpoint inhibitors. Curr Opin Immunol 2021; 69:47-55. [PMID: 33676271 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2021.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Although multiple immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have been identified and tested in the clinic, antibodies blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 axis have produced the greatest impact on cancer treatment. Many potential mechanisms of treatment failure have been proposed from pre-clinical animal and human translational studies. Pre-clinical studies and clinical trials are underway to better understand how resistance arises and to develop strategies that can circumvent these resistance mechanisms and sensitize patients to anti-PD1/PD-L1 to improve clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Weiss
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine (Section of Medical Oncology), 333 Cedar St., P.O. Box 208032, New Haven, CT 06520, United States.
| | - Mario Sznol
- Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Medicine (Section of Medical Oncology), 333 Cedar St., P.O. Box 208032, New Haven, CT 06520, United States
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Olivier C, Oliver L, Lalier L, Vallette FM. Drug Resistance in Glioblastoma: The Two Faces of Oxidative Stress. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 7:620677. [PMID: 33585565 PMCID: PMC7873048 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.620677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastomas (GBM) are the most common primary brain tumor with a median survival of 15 months. A population of cells with stem cell properties (glioblastoma stem cells, GSCs) drives the initiation and progression of GBM and is localized in specialized microenvironments which support their behavior. GBM are characterized as extremely resistant to therapy, resulting in tumor recurrence. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) control the cellular stability by influencing different signaling pathways. Normally, redox systems prevent cell oxidative damage; however, in gliomagenesis, the cellular redox mechanisms are highly impaired. Herein we review the dual nature of the redox status in drug resistance. ROS generation in tumor cells affects the cell cycle and is involved in tumor progression and drug resistance in GBM. However, excess ROS production has been found to induce cell death programs such as apoptosis and autophagy. Since GBM cells have a high metabolic rate and produce high levels of ROS, metabolic adaptation in these cells plays an essential role in resistance to oxidative stress-induced cell death. Finally, the microenvironment with the stromal components participates in the enhancement of the oxidative stress to promote tumor progression and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Olivier
- Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Nantes, France.,Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, Nantes, France
| | - Lisa Oliver
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Lisenn Lalier
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LaBCT, ICO, Saint Herblain, France
| | - François M Vallette
- Université de Nantes, INSERM, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LaBCT, ICO, Saint Herblain, France
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Wang B, Zhao Q, Zhang Y, Liu Z, Zheng Z, Liu S, Meng L, Xin Y, Jiang X. Targeting hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment: a potential strategy to improve cancer immunotherapy. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2021; 40:24. [PMID: 33422072 PMCID: PMC7796640 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-020-01820-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
With the success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), significant progress has been made in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Despite the long-lasting outcomes in responders, the majority of patients with cancer still do not benefit from this revolutionary therapy. Increasing evidence suggests that one of the major barriers limiting the efficacy of immunotherapy seems to coalesce with the hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME), which is an intrinsic property of all solid tumors. In addition to its impact on shaping tumor invasion and metastasis, the hypoxic TME plays an essential role in inducing immune suppression and resistance though fostering diverse changes in stromal cell biology. Therefore, targeting hypoxia may provide a means to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. In this review, the potential impact of hypoxia within the TME, in terms of key immune cell populations, and the contribution to immune suppression are discussed. In addition, we outline how hypoxia can be manipulated to tailor the immune response and provide a promising combinational therapeutic strategy to improve immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Wang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Qin Zhao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Yuyu Zhang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Zijing Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Zhuangzhuang Zheng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Shiyu Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.,NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China
| | - Lingbin Meng
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Ying Xin
- Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Xin Jiang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China. .,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology & Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China. .,NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
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Niland S, Eble JA. Hold on or Cut? Integrin- and MMP-Mediated Cell-Matrix Interactions in the Tumor Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:ijms22010238. [PMID: 33379400 PMCID: PMC7794804 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) has become the focus of interest in cancer research and treatment. It includes the extracellular matrix (ECM) and ECM-modifying enzymes that are secreted by cancer and neighboring cells. The ECM serves both to anchor the tumor cells embedded in it and as a means of communication between the various cellular and non-cellular components of the TME. The cells of the TME modify their surrounding cancer-characteristic ECM. This in turn provides feedback to them via cellular receptors, thereby regulating, together with cytokines and exosomes, differentiation processes as well as tumor progression and spread. Matrix remodeling is accomplished by altering the repertoire of ECM components and by biophysical changes in stiffness and tension caused by ECM-crosslinking and ECM-degrading enzymes, in particular matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). These can degrade ECM barriers or, by partial proteolysis, release soluble ECM fragments called matrikines, which influence cells inside and outside the TME. This review examines the changes in the ECM of the TME and the interaction between cells and the ECM, with a particular focus on MMPs.
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Qin X, Denton WD, Huiting LN, Smith KS, Feng H. Unraveling the regulatory role of endoplasmic-reticulum-associated degradation in tumor immunity. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2020; 55:322-353. [PMID: 32633575 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2020.1784085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
During malignant transformation and cancer progression, tumor cells face both intrinsic and extrinsic stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in particular. To survive and proliferate, tumor cells use multiple stress response pathways to mitigate ER stress, promoting disease aggression and treatment resistance. Among the stress response pathways is ER-associated degradation (ERAD), which consists of multiple components and steps working together to ensure protein quality and quantity. In addition to its established role in stress responses and tumor cell survival, ERAD has recently been shown to regulate tumor immunity. Here we summarize current knowledge on how ERAD promotes protein degradation, regulates immune cell development and function, participates in antigen presentation, exerts paradoxical roles on tumorigenesis and immunity, and thus impacts current cancer therapy. Collectively, ERAD is a critical protein homeostasis pathway intertwined with cancer development and tumor immunity. Of particular importance is the need to further unveil ERAD's enigmatic roles in tumor immunity to develop effective targeted and combination therapy for successful treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodan Qin
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - William D Denton
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leah N Huiting
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kaylee S Smith
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hui Feng
- Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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Horsman MR, Wittenborn TR, Nielsen PS, Elming PB. Tumors Resistant to Checkpoint Inhibitors Can Become Sensitive after Treatment with Vascular Disrupting Agents. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21134778. [PMID: 32640548 PMCID: PMC7370297 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21134778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune therapy improves cancer outcomes, yet many patients do not respond. This pre-clinical study investigated whether vascular disrupting agents (VDAs) could convert an immune unresponsive tumor into a responder. CDF1 mice, with 200 mm3 C3H mammary carcinomas in the right rear foot, were intraperitoneally injected with combretastatin A-4 phosphate (CA4P), its A-1 analogue OXi4503, and/or checkpoint inhibitors (anti-PD-1, PD-L1, or CTLA-4 antibodies), administered twice weekly for two weeks. Using the endpoint of tumor growth time (TGT5; time to reach five times the starting volume), we found that none of the checkpoint inhibitors (10 mg/kg) had any effect on TGT5 compared to untreated controls. However, CA4P (100 mg/kg) or OXi4503 (5–50 mg/kg) did significantly increase TGT5. This further significantly increased by combining the VDAs with checkpoint inhibitors, but was dependent on the VDA, drug dose, and inhibitor. For CA4P, a significant increase was found when CA4P (100 mg/kg) was combined with anti-PD-L1, but not with the other two checkpoint inhibitors. With OXi4503 (50 mg/kg), a significant enhancement occurred when combined with anti-PD-L1 or anti-CTLA-4, but not anti-PD-1. We observed no significant improvement with lower OXi4503 doses (5–25 mg/kg) and anti-CTLA-4, although 30% of tumors were controlled at the 25 mg/kg dose. Histological assessment of CD4/CD8 expression actually showed decreased levels up to 10 days after treatment with OXi4503 (50 mg/kg). Thus, the non-immunogenic C3H mammary carcinoma was unresponsive to checkpoint inhibitors, but became responsive in mice treated with VDAs, although the mechanism remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Horsman
- Experimental Clinical Oncology-Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark; (T.R.W.); (P.B.E.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +45-78454973
| | - Thomas R. Wittenborn
- Experimental Clinical Oncology-Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark; (T.R.W.); (P.B.E.)
| | - Patricia S. Nielsen
- Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark;
| | - Pernille B. Elming
- Experimental Clinical Oncology-Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, DK-8200 Aarhus, Denmark; (T.R.W.); (P.B.E.)
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Losenkova K, Zuccarini M, Karikoski M, Laurila J, Boison D, Jalkanen S, Yegutkin GG. Compartmentalization of adenosine metabolism in cancer cells and its modulation during acute hypoxia. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs241463. [PMID: 32317394 PMCID: PMC10681022 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.241463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracellular adenosine mediates diverse anti-inflammatory, angiogenic and vasoactive effects, and has become an important therapeutic target for cancer, which has been translated into clinical trials. This study was designed to comprehensively assess adenosine metabolism in prostate and breast cancer cells. We identified cellular adenosine turnover as a complex cascade, comprising (1) the ectoenzymatic breakdown of ATP via sequential ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase-1 (NPP1, officially known as ENPP1), ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73, also known as NT5E), and adenosine deaminase reactions, and ATP re-synthesis through a counteracting adenylate kinase and members of the nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK, also known as NME/NM23) family; (2) the uptake of nucleotide-derived adenosine via equilibrative nucleoside transporters; and (3) the intracellular adenosine phosphorylation into ATP by adenosine kinase and other nucleotide kinases. The exposure of cancer cells to 1% O2 for 24 h triggered an ∼2-fold upregulation of CD73, without affecting nucleoside transporters, adenosine kinase activity and cellular ATP content. The ability of adenosine to inhibit the tumor-initiating potential of breast cancer cells via a receptor-independent mechanism was confirmed in vivo using a xenograft mouse model. The existence of redundant pathways controlling extracellular and intracellular adenosine provides a sufficient justification for reexamination of the current concepts of cellular purine homeostasis and signaling in cancer.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariachiara Zuccarini
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
- Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, 'G. D'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | - Marika Karikoski
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Juha Laurila
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Detlev Boison
- Department of Neurosurgery, Robert Wood Johnson and New Jersey Medical Schools, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Sirpa Jalkanen
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland
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Sørensen BS, Horsman MR. Tumor Hypoxia: Impact on Radiation Therapy and Molecular Pathways. Front Oncol 2020; 10:562. [PMID: 32373534 PMCID: PMC7186437 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor hypoxia is a common feature of the microenvironment in solid tumors, primarily due to an inadequate, and heterogeneous vascular network. It is associated with resistance to radiotherapy and results in a poorer clinical outcome. The presence of hypoxia in tumors can be identified by various invasive and non-invasive techniques, and there are a number of approaches by which hypoxia can be modified to improve outcome. However, despite these factors and the ongoing extensive pre-clinical studies, the clinical focus on hypoxia is still to a large extent lacking. Hypoxia is a major cellular stress factor and affects a wide range of molecular pathways, and further understanding of the molecular processes involved may lead to greater clinical applicability of hypoxic modifiers. This review is a discussion of the characteristics of tumor hypoxia, hypoxia-related molecular pathways, and the role of hypoxia in treatment resistance. Understanding the molecular aspects of hypoxia will improve our ability to clinically monitor hypoxia and to predict and modify the therapeutic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brita Singers Sørensen
- Experimental Clinical Oncology-Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Michael R Horsman
- Experimental Clinical Oncology-Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
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Logozzi M, Spugnini E, Mizzoni D, Di Raimo R, Fais S. Extracellular acidity and increased exosome release as key phenotypes of malignant tumors. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2020; 38:93-101. [PMID: 30715644 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-019-09783-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The tumor milieu is characteristically acidic as a consequence of the fermentative metabolism of glucose that results in massive accumulation of lactic acid within the cytoplasm. Tumor cells get rid of excessive protons through exchangers that are responsible for the extracellular acidification that selects cellular clones that are more apt at surviving in this challenging and culling environment. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vesicles with diameters ranging from nm to μm that are released from the cells to deliver nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids to adjacent or distant cells. EVs are involved in a plethora of biological events that promote tumor progression including unrestricted proliferation, angiogenesis, migration, local invasion, preparation of the metastatic niche, metastasis, downregulation or hijacking of the immune system, and drug resistance. There is evidence that the release of specific exosomes is increased many folds in cancer patients, as shown by many techniques aimed at evaluating "liquid biopsies". The quality of the exosomal contents has been shown to vary at the different moments of tumor life such as local invasion or metastasis. In vitro studies have recently pointed out that cancer acidity is a major determinant in inducing increased exosome release by human cancer cells, by showing that exosomal release was increased as the pH moved from 7.4 pH to the typical pH of cancer that is 6.5. In this review, we emphasize the recent evidence that tumor acidity and exosomes levels are strictly related and strongly contribute to the malignant tumor phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariantonia Logozzi
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Spugnini
- SAFU Department, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Via Elio Chianesi 51, 00144, Rome, Italy
| | - Davide Mizzoni
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Di Raimo
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Fais
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
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Fatal Alliance of Hypoxia-/HIF-1α-Driven Microenvironmental Traits Promoting Cancer Progression. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1232:169-176. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-34461-0_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Multhoff G, Vaupel P. Hypoxia Compromises Anti-Cancer Immune Responses. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1232:131-143. [PMID: 31893404 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-34461-0_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxia, one of the hallmarks of cancer, is caused by an insufficient oxygen supply, mostly due to a chaotic, deficient tumor microcirculation. Apart from a hypoxia-mediated resistance to standard therapies, modulated gene and protein expression, genetic instability and malignant progression, hypoxia also plays a pivotal role in anti-cancer immune responses by (a) reducing survival, cytolytic and migratory activity of effector cells such as CD4+ cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, natural killer-like T cells and natural killer cells, (b) reducing the production and release of effector cytokines, (c) supporting immunosuppressive cells such as regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells and M2 macrophages, (d) increasing the production and release of immunosuppressive cytokines, and (e) inducing the expression of immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this minireview, immunosuppressive effects of hypoxia- and HIF-1a-driven traits in cancers are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Multhoff
- Center for Translational Cancer Research (TranslaTUM), Radiation Immuno-Oncology Group, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TU Munich (TUM), München, Germany.
| | - Peter Vaupel
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, TU München (TUM), München, Germany
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Abstract
Introduction: Lung cancer is a devastating disease with poor overall survival. Despite significant advances in the treatment of lung cancers using radiochemotherapy, targeted therapies and/or immune therapies prognosis remains poor. The capacity of natural killer (NK) cells to provide a first line of defense that can bridge and orchestrate innate and 'downstream' adaptive immune responses renders them to be an ideal platform on which to base new cancer therapeutics.Areas covered: We provide an overview of the mechanisms controlling the effector functions of NK cells, tumor-directed immune escape, the impact and influence of NK cells on the development of effective, protective anti-tumor immunity and the therapeutic potential of combined cytokine-, complement-dependent- and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (CDC/ADCC), NK-92-, KIR mismatch- and CAR-NK cell-based therapies.Expert opinion: Despite promising results of immuno-oncological approaches, a relevant proportion of patients do not profit from these therapies, partly due to an ineffective NK cell activation, a lack of tumor-specific NK cells, an upregulated expression of checkpoint pathways, and a low mutational burden, which hinders the development of long-term adaptive immunity. Strategies that re-activate NK cells in combination with other therapies are therefore likely to be beneficial for the clinical outcome of patients with lung cancer.Abbreviations: ADCC: antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity; ALK: anaplastic lymphoma kinase; CAR: chimeric antigen receptor; CDC: complement-dependent cytotoxicity; CEACAM-1: carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1; DC: dendritic cell; DNAM: activating, maturation receptor; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor; EMT: epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; EpCAM: epithelial cell adhesion molecule; GM-CSF: granulocyte monocyte colony stimulating factor; HIF: hypoxia inducible factor; IDO, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase; IFN: interferon; IL: interleukin; ITIM/ITAM: immune tyrosine-based inhibitory/activatory motif; KIR: killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor; LAG-3: lymphocyte activation gene 3; MDSC: myeloid derived suppressor cells; MICA/B: MHC class I-related proteins A/B; MHC: major histocompatibility complex; mTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin; NCAM: neuronal adhesion molecule; NCR: natural cytotoxicity receptor; NK: natural killer; NSCLC: non-small cell lung cancer; PD-1: programmed cell death 1; PS: phosphatidylserine; SCLC: small cell lung cancer; STAT: signal transducer and activator of transcription; TAM: tumor-associated M2 macrophages; TCR: T cell receptor; TIGIT: T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain; Tim-3: T cell immunoglobulin- and mucin domain-containing 3; TNF: tumor necrosis factor; ULBP: UL16-binding protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Graham Pockley
- John van Geest Cancer Research Centre, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Peter Vaupel
- Campus Klinikum rechts der Isar, Center for Translational Cancer Research Technische Universität München (TranslaTUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Gabriele Multhoff
- Campus Klinikum rechts der Isar, Center for Translational Cancer Research Technische Universität München (TranslaTUM), Munich, Germany
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de Leve S, Wirsdörfer F, Jendrossek V. The CD73/Ado System-A New Player in RT Induced Adverse Late Effects. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11101578. [PMID: 31623231 PMCID: PMC6827091 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11101578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy (RT) is a central component of standard treatment for many cancer patients. RT alone or in multimodal treatment strategies has a documented contribution to enhanced local control and overall survival of cancer patients, and cancer cure. Clinical RT aims at maximizing tumor control, while minimizing the risk for RT-induced adverse late effects. However, acute and late toxicities of IR in normal tissues are still important biological barriers to successful RT: While curative RT may not be tolerable, sub-optimal tolerable RT doses will lead to fatal outcomes by local recurrence or metastatic disease, even when accepting adverse normal tissue effects that decrease the quality of life of irradiated cancer patients. Technical improvements in treatment planning and the increasing use of particle therapy have allowed for a more accurate delivery of IR to the tumor volume and have thereby helped to improve the safety profile of RT for many solid tumors. With these technical and physical strategies reaching their natural limits, current research for improving the therapeutic gain of RT focuses on innovative biological concepts that either selectively limit the adverse effects of RT in normal tissues without protecting the tumor or specifically increase the radiosensitivity of the tumor tissue without enhancing the risk of normal tissue complications. The biology-based optimization of RT requires the identification of biological factors that are linked to differential radiosensitivity of normal or tumor tissues, and are amenable to therapeutic targeting. Extracellular adenosine is an endogenous mediator critical to the maintenance of homeostasis in various tissues. Adenosine is either released from stressed or injured cells or generated from extracellular adenine nucleotides by the concerted action of the ectoenzymes ectoapyrase (CD39) and 5′ ectonucleotidase (NT5E, CD73) that catabolize ATP to adenosine. Recent work revealed a role of the immunoregulatory CD73/adenosine system in radiation-induced fibrotic disease in normal tissues suggesting a potential use as novel therapeutic target for normal tissue protection. The present review summarizes relevant findings on the pathologic roles of CD73 and adenosine in radiation-induced fibrosis in different organs (lung, skin, gut, and kidney) that have been obtained in preclinical models and proposes a refined model of radiation-induced normal tissue toxicity including the disease-promoting effects of radiation-induced activation of CD73/adenosine signaling in the irradiated tissue environment. However, expression and activity of the CD73/adenosine system in the tumor environment has also been linked to increased tumor growth and tumor immune escape, at least in preclinical models. Therefore, we will discuss the use of pharmacologic inhibition of CD73/adenosine-signaling as a promising strategy for improving the therapeutic gain of RT by targeting both, malignant tumor growth and adverse late effects of RT with a focus on fibrotic disease. The consideration of the therapeutic window is particularly important in view of the increasing use of RT in combination with various molecularly targeted agents and immunotherapy to enhance the tumor radiation response, as such combinations may result in increased or novel toxicities, as well as the increasing number of cancer survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone de Leve
- Institute of Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany.
| | - Florian Wirsdörfer
- Institute of Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany.
| | - Verena Jendrossek
- Institute of Cell Biology (Cancer Research), University Hospital Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany.
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44
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Vaisitti T, Arruga F, Guerra G, Deaglio S. Ectonucleotidases in Blood Malignancies: A Tale of Surface Markers and Therapeutic Targets. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2301. [PMID: 31636635 PMCID: PMC6788384 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Leukemia develops as the result of intrinsic features of the transformed cell, such as gene mutations and derived oncogenic signaling, and extrinsic factors, such as a tumor-friendly, immunosuppressed microenvironment, predominantly in the lymph nodes and the bone marrow. There, high extracellular levels of nucleotides, mainly NAD+ and ATP, are catabolized by different ectonucleotidases, which can be divided in two families according to substrate specificity: on one side those that metabolize NAD+, including CD38, CD157, and CD203a; on the other, those that convert ATP, namely CD39 (and other ENTPDases) and CD73. They generate products that modulate intracellular calcium levels and that activate purinergic receptors. They can also converge on adenosine generation with profound effects, both on leukemic cells, enhancing chemoresistance and homing, and on non-malignant immune cells, polarizing them toward tolerance. This review will first provide an overview of ectonucleotidases expression within the immune system, in physiological and pathological conditions. We will then focus on different hematological malignancies, discussing their role as disease markers and possibly pathogenic agents. Lastly, we will describe current efforts aimed at therapeutic targeting of this family of enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Vaisitti
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Francesca Arruga
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Giulia Guerra
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Silvia Deaglio
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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45
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Audrito V, Managò A, Gaudino F, Sorci L, Messana VG, Raffaelli N, Deaglio S. NAD-Biosynthetic and Consuming Enzymes as Central Players of Metabolic Regulation of Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses in Cancer. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1720. [PMID: 31402913 PMCID: PMC6671870 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells, particularly in solid tumors, are surrounded by non-neoplastic elements, including endothelial and stromal cells, as well as cells of immune origin, which can support tumor growth by providing the right conditions. On the other hand, local hypoxia, and lack of nutrients induce tumor cells to reprogram their metabolism in order to survive, proliferate, and disseminate: the same conditions are also responsible for building a tumor-suppressive microenvironment. In addition to tumor cells, it is now well-recognized that metabolic rewiring occurs in all cellular components of the tumor microenvironment, affecting epigenetic regulation of gene expression and influencing differentiation/proliferation decisions of these cells. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is an essential co-factor for energy transduction in metabolic processes. It is also a key component of signaling pathways, through the regulation of NAD-consuming enzymes, including sirtuins and PARPs, which can affect DNA plasticity and accessibility. In addition, both NAD-biosynthetic and NAD-consuming enzymes can be present in the extracellular environment, adding a new layer of complexity to the system. In this review we will discuss the role of the “NADome” in the metabolic cross-talk between cancer and infiltrating immune cells, contributing to cancer growth and immune evasion, with an eye to therapeutic implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Audrito
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | - Antonella Managò
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Gaudino
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | - Leonardo Sorci
- Division of Bioinformatics and Biochemistry, Department of Materials, Environmental Sciences and Urban Planning, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Gianluca Messana
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | - Nadia Raffaelli
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Silvia Deaglio
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
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46
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Liver Cancer Cell Lines Treated with Doxorubicin under Normoxia and Hypoxia: Cell Viability and Oncologic Protein Profile. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11071024. [PMID: 31330834 PMCID: PMC6678640 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11071024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 07/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma is often treated with a combination of doxorubicin and embolization, exposing it to high concentrations and hypoxia. Separation of the possible synergistic effect of this combination in vivo is difficult. Here, treatment with doxorubicin, under hypoxia or normoxia in different liver cancer cell lines, was evaluated. Liver cancer cells HepG2, Huh7, and SNU449 were exposed to doxorubicin, hypoxia, or doxorubicin + hypoxia with different duration. Treatment response was evaluated with cell viability, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and summarized with IC50. The protein profile of a 92-biomarker panel was analyzed on cells treated with 0 or 0.1 µM doxorubicin during 6 or 72 h, under normoxia or hypoxia. Hypoxia decreased viability of HepG2 and SNU499. HepG2 was least and SNU449 most tolerant to doxorubicin treatment. Cytotoxicity of doxorubicin increased over time in HepG2 and Huh7. The combination of doxorubicin + hypoxia affected the cells differently. Normalized protein expression was lower for HepG2 than Huh7 and SNU449. Hierarchical clustering separated HepG2 from Huh7 and SNU449. These three commonly used cell lines have critically different responses to chemotherapy and hypoxia, which was reflected in their different protein expression profile. These different responses suggest that tumors can respond differently to the combination of local chemotherapy and embolization.
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47
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Reck M, Kerr KM, Grohé C, Manegold C, Pavlakis N, Paz-Ares L, Huber RM, Popat S, Thatcher N, Park K, Hilberg F, Barrueco J, Kaiser R. Defining aggressive or early progressing nononcogene-addicted non-small-cell lung cancer: a separate disease entity? Future Oncol 2019; 15:1363-1383. [PMID: 30758227 DOI: 10.2217/fon-2018-0948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A substantial proportion of patients with nononcogene-addicted non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has 'aggressive disease', as reflected in short time to progression or lack of disease control with initial platinum-based chemotherapy. Recently, clinical correlates of aggressive disease behavior during first-line therapy have been shown to predict greater benefit from addition of nintedanib to second-line docetaxel in adenocarcinoma NSCLC. Positive predictive effects of aggressive disease have since been reported with other anti-angiogenic agents (ramucirumab and bevacizumab), while such features may negatively impact on outcomes with nivolumab in nonsquamous NSCLC with low PD-L1 expression. Based on a review of the clinical data, we recommend aggressive nonsquamous NSCLC should be defined by progression within <6-9 months of first-line treatment initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reck
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Lung Clinic Grosshansdorf, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Grosshansdorf, Germany
| | - Keith M Kerr
- Department of Pathology, Aberdeen University Medical School, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, Scotland
| | - Christian Grohé
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Evangelische Lungenklinik Berlin, Lindenberger Weg 27, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Manegold
- Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Nick Pavlakis
- Department of Medical Oncology, Royal North Shore Hospital (Sydney University), Reserve Road, St Leonards 2065, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Luis Paz-Ares
- Medical Oncology Department, University Hospital 12 de Octubre, Complutense University, CNIO & CiberOnc, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rudolf M Huber
- Division of Respiratory Medicine & Thoracic Oncology, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, & Thoracic Oncology Centre Munich, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL CPC-M) Munich, Germany
| | - Sanjay Popat
- Department of Medicine, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Nick Thatcher
- Department of Medical Oncology, Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, UK
| | - Keunchil Park
- Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Frank Hilberg
- Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co. KG, A-1121, Vienna, Austria
| | - José Barrueco
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ridgefield, Connecticut, CT 06877, USA
| | - Rolf Kaiser
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co, KG, Germany & Institute of Pharmacology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany
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48
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Shevtsov M, Sato H, Multhoff G, Shibata A. Novel Approaches to Improve the Efficacy of Immuno-Radiotherapy. Front Oncol 2019; 9:156. [PMID: 30941308 PMCID: PMC6433964 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy (RT) has been applied for decades as a treatment modality in the management of various types of cancer. Ionizing radiation induces tumor cell death, which in turn can either elicit protective anti-tumor immune responses or immunosuppression in the tumor micromilieu that contributes to local tumor recurrence. Immunosuppression is frequently accompanied by the attraction of immunosuppressive cells such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), M2 tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), T regulatory cells (Tregs), N2 neutrophils, and by the release of immunosuppressive cytokines (TGF-β, IL-10) and chemokines. Immune checkpoint pathways, particularly of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, have been determined as key regulators of cancer immune escape. While IFN-dependent upregulation of PD-L1 has been extensively investigated, up-to-date studies indicated the importance of DNA damage signaling in the regulation of PD-L1 expression following RT. DNA damage dependent PD-L1 expression is upregulated by ATM/ATR/Chk1 kinase activities and cGAS/STING-dependent pathway, proving the role of DNA damage signaling in PD-L1 induced expression. Checkpoint blockade immunotherapies (i.e., application of anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies) combined with RT were shown to significantly improve the objective response rates in therapy of various primary and metastatic malignancies. Further improvements in the therapeutic potential of RT are based on combinations of RT with other immunotherapeutic approaches including vaccines, cytokines and cytokine inducers, and an adoptive immune cell transfer (DCs, NK cells, T cells). In the current review we provide immunological rationale for a combination of RT with various immunotherapies as well as analysis of the emerging preclinical evidences for these therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxim Shevtsov
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Technical University of Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich, Germany.,Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), St. Petersburg, Russia.,First Pavlov State Medical University of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Almazov National Medical Research Centre, Polenov Russian Scientific Research Institute of Neurosurgery, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Hiro Sato
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan
| | - Gabriele Multhoff
- Center for Translational Cancer Research, Technical University of Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Munich, Germany
| | - Atsushi Shibata
- Education and Research Support Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan
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Jin X, Luan H, Chai H, Yan L, Zhang J, Wang Q, Cao L. Netrin‑1 interference potentiates epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition through the PI3K/AKT pathway under the hypoxic microenvironment conditions of non‑small cell lung cancer. Int J Oncol 2019; 54:1457-1465. [PMID: 30968155 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2019.4716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Netrin‑1 is overexpressed in several types of cancer. However, whether netrin‑1 can potentiate hypoxia‑induced tumor progression in lung cancer has not been reported to date. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate whether netrin‑1 regulates cancer cell migration and invasion under hypoxic conditions in lung cancer and explore the underlying mechanism. A three‑dimensional microfluidic chip was used to observe real‑time changes in cancer cells, and cobalt chloride (CoCl2) was used to simulate a hypoxic microenvironment. Netrin‑1 siRNA was employed in the A549 and PC9 cell lines to downregulate the expression of netrin‑1. Microfluidic chip, wound healing and Transwell assays were used to examine cell migration and invasion. The expression levels of E‑cadherin and vimentin were detected by western blotting. The data demonstrated that netrin‑1 mediated epithelial‑to‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) of A549 and PC9 cells in vitro, which may be associated with the phosphoinositide 3 kinase/AKT pathway. This effect of netrin‑1 on the EMT was not observed in the normoxic microenvironment. In this retrospective study, netrin‑1 concentrations were evaluated in serum obtained from patients with non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and compared with healthy control samples by quantitative enzyme‑linked immunosorbent analysis. The serum concentration of netrin‑1 was found to be significantly higher in NSCLC patients compared with that in healthy donors. Taken together, the findings of the present study highlight a novel role for netrin‑1 in tumor development under hypoxia in NSCLC and provide further evidence for the use of netrin‑1 as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiayun Jin
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Τhe Second Hospital Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116027, P.R. China
| | - Heqi Luan
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Τhe Second Hospital Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116027, P.R. China
| | - Hua Chai
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Τhe Second Hospital Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116027, P.R. China
| | - Lina Yan
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Τhe Second Hospital Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116027, P.R. China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Τhe Second Hospital Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116027, P.R. China
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Τhe Second Hospital Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116027, P.R. China
| | - Lihua Cao
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Τhe Second Hospital Affiliated to Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116027, P.R. China
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50
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The Adaptive Complexity of Cancer. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 2018:5837235. [PMID: 30627563 PMCID: PMC6304530 DOI: 10.1155/2018/5837235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cancer treatment options are expanding to the benefit of significant segments of patients. However, their therapeutic power is not equally realized for all cancer patients due to drug toxicity and disease resistance. Overcoming these therapeutic challenges would require a better understanding of the adaptive survival mechanisms of cancer. In this respect, an integrated view of the disease as a complex adaptive system is proposed as a framework to explain the dynamic coupling between the various drivers underlying tumor growth and cancer resistance to therapy. In light of this system view of cancer, the immune system is in principal the most appropriate and naturally available therapeutic instrument that can thwart the adaptive survival mechanisms of cancer. In this respect, new cancer therapies should aim at restoring immunosurveillance by priming the induction of an effective immune response through a judicious targeting of immunosuppression, inflammation, and the tumor nutritional lifeline extended by the tumor microenvironment.
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