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Wang D, Dou L, Sui L, Xue Y, Xu S. Natural killer cells in cancer immunotherapy. MedComm (Beijing) 2024; 5:e626. [PMID: 38882209 PMCID: PMC11179524 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.626] [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: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells, as innate lymphocytes, possess cytotoxic capabilities and engage target cells through a repertoire of activating and inhibitory receptors. Particularly, natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) receptor on NK cells recognizes stress-induced ligands-the MHC class I chain-related molecules A and B (MICA/B) presented on tumor cells and is key to trigger the cytolytic response of NK cells. However, tumors have developed sophisticated strategies to evade NK cell surveillance, which lead to failure of tumor immunotherapy. In this paper, we summarized these immune escaping strategies, including the downregulation of ligands for activating receptors, upregulation of ligands for inhibitory receptors, secretion of immunosuppressive compounds, and the development of apoptosis resistance. Then, we focus on recent advancements in NK cell immune therapies, which include engaging activating NK cell receptors, upregulating NKG2D ligand MICA/B expression, blocking inhibitory NK cell receptors, adoptive NK cell therapy, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered NK cells (CAR-NK), and NKG2D CAR-T cells, especially several vaccines targeting MICA/B. This review will inspire the research in NK cell biology in tumor and provide significant hope for improving cancer treatment outcomes by harnessing the potent cytotoxic activity of NK cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- DanRu Wang
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
| | - LingYun Dou
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
| | - LiHao Sui
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
| | - Yiquan Xue
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
| | - Sheng Xu
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
- Shanghai Institute of Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation Dongfang Hospital Shanghai China
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2
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Ramoni D, Montecucco F, Carbone F. CAR T therapy from haematological malignancies to aging-related diseases: An ever-expanding universe. Eur J Clin Invest 2024; 54:e14203. [PMID: 38551245 DOI: 10.1111/eci.14203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short but impactful, the two-decade story of gene editing allowed a significant breakthrough in the treatment of haematological malignancies. However, despite different generations of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T), such a successful therapy has not yet been replicated in solid tumours and non-oncological diseases. METHODS This narrative review discusses how CAR T therapy still faces challenges in overcoming the complexity of the solid tumour microenvironment and the concerns that its long-term activity raises about potential unknown and unpredictable consequences in non-oncological diseases. RESULTS In the most recent studies, the senolytic potential of CAR T is becoming an exciting field of research. Still, experimental but promising results indeed indicate the clearance of senescent cells as an effective strategy to improve exercise capacity and metabolic dysfunction in physiological ageing, with long-term therapeutic and preventive effects. However, an effective expansion of a CAR T population requires a lympho-depleting chemotherapy prior to infusion. While this procedure sounds reasonable for rescue therapy of oncological diseases, it poses genotoxic risks that may not be justified for non-malignant diseases. Those represent the leading gaps for applying CAR T therapy in non-oncological diseases. CONCLUSION More is expected from current studies on the other classes of CAR cells now under investigation. Engineering NK cells and macrophages are candidates to improve cytotoxic and immunomodulating properties, potentially able to broaden application in solid tumours and non-oncological diseases. Finally, engineering autologous T cells in old individuals may generate biologically deteriorated CAR T clones with impaired function and unpredictable effects on cytokine release.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Ramoni
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Montecucco
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino Genoa, Italian Cardiovascular Network, Genoa, Italy
| | - Federico Carbone
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino Genoa, Italian Cardiovascular Network, Genoa, Italy
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3
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Karami N, Barani S, Fani M, Meri S, Shafiei R, Kalantar K. The effects of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genes on susceptibility to severe COVID-19 in the Iranian population. BMC Immunol 2024; 25:38. [PMID: 38943065 PMCID: PMC11212229 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-024-00631-1] [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: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Variations in the innate and adaptive immune response systems are linked to variations in the severity of COVID-19. Natural killer cell (NK) function is regulated by sophisticated receptor system including Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) family. We aimed to investigate the impact of possessing certain KIR genes and genotypes on COVID19 severity in Iranians. KIR genotyping was performed on 394 age/sex matched Iranians with no underlying conditions who developed mild and severe COVID- 19. The presence and/or absence of 11 KIR genes were determined using the PCR with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP). RESULTS Patients with mild symptoms had higher frequency ofKIR2DS1 (p = 0.004) and KIR2DS2 (p = 0.017) genes compared to those with severe disease. While KIR3DL3 and deleted variant of KIR2DS4 occurred more frequently in patients who developed a severe form of the disease. In this study, a significant increase of and B haplotype was observed in the Mild group compared to the Severe group (respectively, p = 0.002 and p = 0.02). Also, the prevalence of haplotype A was significantly higher in the Severe group than in the Mild group (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the KIR2DS1, KIR2DS, and B haplotype maybe have a protective effect against COVID-19 severity. The results also suggest the inhibitory gene KIR2DL3 and haplotype A are risk factors for the severity of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narges Karami
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, 71348-45794, Iran
| | - Shaghik Barani
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, 71348-45794, Iran
- Infection and Immunity Program and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Mona Fani
- Vector-borne Diseases Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Seppo Meri
- Department of Bacteriology & Immunology and Translational immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki Diagnostic Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Reza Shafiei
- Vector-borne Diseases Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.
| | - Kurosh Kalantar
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, 71348-45794, Iran.
- Department of Bacteriology & Immunology and Translational immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki Diagnostic Center, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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4
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Fan C, Xing X, Murphy SJH, Poursine-Laurent J, Schmidt H, Parikh BA, Yoon J, Choudhary MNK, Saligrama N, Piersma SJ, Yokoyama WM, Wang T. Cis-regulatory evolution of the recently expanded Ly49 gene family. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4839. [PMID: 38844462 PMCID: PMC11156856 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48990-y] [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: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Comparative genomics has revealed the rapid expansion of multiple gene families involved in immunity. Members within each gene family often evolved distinct roles in immunity. However, less is known about the evolution of their epigenome and cis-regulation. Here we systematically profile the epigenome of the recently expanded murine Ly49 gene family that mainly encode either inhibitory or activating surface receptors on natural killer cells. We identify a set of cis-regulatory elements (CREs) for activating Ly49 genes. In addition, we show that in mice, inhibitory and activating Ly49 genes are regulated by two separate sets of proximal CREs, likely resulting from lineage-specific losses of CRE activity. Furthermore, we find that some Ly49 genes are cross-regulated by the CREs of other Ly49 genes, suggesting that the Ly49 family has begun to evolve a concerted cis-regulatory mechanism. Collectively, we demonstrate the different modes of cis-regulatory evolution for a rapidly expanding gene family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changxu Fan
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Xiaoyun Xing
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Samuel J H Murphy
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Jennifer Poursine-Laurent
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Heather Schmidt
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Bijal A Parikh
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Jeesang Yoon
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Mayank N K Choudhary
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Naresha Saligrama
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
- Center for Brain Immunology and Glia (BIG), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA
| | - Sytse J Piersma
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA.
| | - Wayne M Yokoyama
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA.
| | - Ting Wang
- Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA.
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA.
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, 63110, USA.
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5
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Beelen NA, Molenbroeck SJJ, Groeneveld L, Voorter CE, Bos GMJ, Wieten L. HLA class I NK-epitopes and KIR diversities in patients with multiple myeloma. Immunogenetics 2024; 76:155-164. [PMID: 38478091 PMCID: PMC11087314 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-024-01336-w] [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: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy caused by the clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Myeloma cells are susceptible to killing by natural killer (NK) cells, but NK cells fail to control disease progression, suggesting immunosuppression. The activation threshold of NK-effector function is regulated by interaction between KIRs and self-HLA class I, during a process called "education" to ensure self-tolerance. NK cells can respond to diseased cells based on the absence of HLA class I expression ("Missing-self" hypothesis). The HLA and KIR repertoire is extremely diverse; thus, the present study aimed to characterize potential variances in genotypic composition of HLA Class I NK-epitopes and KIRs between MM patients and healthy controls. Genotypic expression of KIR and HLA (HLA-C group-C1/C2 and Bw4 motifs (including HLA-A*23, A*24, A*32) were analyzed in 172 MM patients and 195 healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, we did not observe specific KIR genes or genotypes, or HLA NK-epitopes with higher prevalence among MM patients. The presence of all three HLA NK-epitopes (C1+C2+Bw4+) was not associated with MM occurrence. However, MM patients were more likely to be C1-/C2+/Bw4+ (p = 0.049, OR 1.996). In line with this, there was a trend of increased genetic co-occurrence of Bw4 and KIR3DL1 in MM patients (p = 0.05, OR 1.557). Furthermore, MM patients were more likely to genetically express both C2/KIR2DL1 and Bw4/KIR3DL1 (p = 0.019, OR 2.453). Our results reveal an HLA NK-epitope combination that is associated with the occurrence of MM. No specific KIR genotypes were associated with MM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicky A Beelen
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Stefan J J Molenbroeck
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Lisette Groeneveld
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Christien E Voorter
- GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Gerard M J Bos
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Lotte Wieten
- GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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6
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Li Y, Wu X, Sheng C, Liu H, Liu H, Tang Y, Liu C, Ding Q, Xie B, Xiao X, Zheng R, Yu Q, Guo Z, Ma J, Wang J, Gao J, Tian M, Wang W, Zhou J, Jiang L, Gu M, Shi S, Paull M, Yang G, Yang W, Landau S, Bao X, Hu X, Liu XS, Xiao T. IGSF8 is an innate immune checkpoint and cancer immunotherapy target. Cell 2024; 187:2703-2716.e23. [PMID: 38657602 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Antigen presentation defects in tumors are prevalent mechanisms of adaptive immune evasion and resistance to cancer immunotherapy, whereas how tumors evade innate immunity is less clear. Using CRISPR screens, we discovered that IGSF8 expressed on tumors suppresses NK cell function by interacting with human KIR3DL2 and mouse Klra9 receptors on NK cells. IGSF8 is normally expressed in neuronal tissues and is not required for cell survival in vitro or in vivo. It is overexpressed and associated with low antigen presentation, low immune infiltration, and worse clinical outcomes in many tumors. An antibody that blocks IGSF8-NK receptor interaction enhances NK cell killing of malignant cells in vitro and upregulates antigen presentation, NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and T cell signaling in vivo. In syngeneic tumor models, anti-IGSF8 alone, or in combination with anti-PD1, inhibits tumor growth. Our results indicate that IGSF8 is an innate immune checkpoint that could be exploited as a therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulong Li
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Xiangyang Wu
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Caibin Sheng
- GV20 Therapeutics LLC, 237 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Hailing Liu
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Huizhu Liu
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Yixuan Tang
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Chao Liu
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Qingyang Ding
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Bin Xie
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Xi Xiao
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Rongbin Zheng
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Quan Yu
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Zengdan Guo
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Jian Ma
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Jin Wang
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Jinghong Gao
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Mei Tian
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Jia Zhou
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Li Jiang
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Mengmeng Gu
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Sailing Shi
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Michael Paull
- GV20 Therapeutics LLC, 237 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Guanhua Yang
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China
| | - Wei Yang
- GV20 Therapeutics LLC, 237 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Steve Landau
- GV20 Therapeutics LLC, 237 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Xingfeng Bao
- GV20 Therapeutics LLC, 237 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Xihao Hu
- GV20 Therapeutics LLC, 237 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - X Shirley Liu
- GV20 Therapeutics LLC, 237 Putnam Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Tengfei Xiao
- Shanghai Xunbaihui Biotechnology Co., Ltd., 3rd floor of Building 4, No. 3728, Jinke Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, China.
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7
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Gumkowska-Sroka O, Kotyla K, Kotyla P. Immunogenetics of Systemic Sclerosis. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:586. [PMID: 38790215 PMCID: PMC11121022 DOI: 10.3390/genes15050586] [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: 04/07/2024] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare autoimmune connective tissue disorder characterized by massive fibrosis, vascular damage, and immune imbalance. Advances in rheumatology and immunology over the past two decades have led to a redefinition of systemic sclerosis, shifting from its initial perception as primarily a "hyperfibrotic" state towards a recognition of systemic sclerosis as an immune-mediated disease. Consequently, the search for genetic markers has transitioned from focusing on fibrotic mechanisms to exploring immune regulatory pathways. Immunogenetics, an emerging field at the intersection of immunology, molecular biology, and genetics has provided valuable insights into inherited factors that influence immunity. Data from genetic studies conducted thus far indicate that alterations in genetic messages can significantly impact disease risk and progression. While certain genetic variations may confer protective effects, others may exacerbate disease susceptibility. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the most relevant genetic changes that influence both the risk and course of systemic sclerosis. Special emphasis is placed on factors regulating the immune response, recognizing their pivotal role in the pathogenesis of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Przemysław Kotyla
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Medical University of Silesia, Voivodeship Hospital No. 5, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland; (O.G.-S.); (K.K.)
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8
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Yun J, Saddawi-Konefka R, Goldenson B, Al-Msari R, Bernareggi D, Thangaraj JL, Tang S, Patel SH, Luna SM, Gutkind JS, Kaufman D. CHMP2A regulates broad immune cell-mediated antitumor activity in an immunocompetent in vivo head and neck squamous cell carcinoma model. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e007187. [PMID: 38702144 PMCID: PMC11086353 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-007187] [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] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural killer (NK) cells are key effector cells of antitumor immunity. However, tumors can acquire resistance programs to escape NK cell-mediated immunosurveillance. Identifying mechanisms that mediate this resistance enables us to define approaches to improve immune-mediate antitumor activity. In previous studies from our group, a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen identified Charged Multivesicular Body Protein 2A (CHMP2A) as a novel mechanism that mediates tumor intrinsic resistance to NK cell activity. METHODS Here, we use an immunocompetent mouse model to demonstrate that CHMP2A serves as a targetable regulator of not only NK cell-mediated immunity but also other immune cell populations. Using the recently characterized murine 4MOSC model system, a syngeneic, tobacco-signature murine head and neck squamous cell carcinoma model, we deleted mCHMP2A using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-out (KO), following orthotopic transplantation into immunocompetent hosts. RESULTS We found that mCHMP2A KO in 4MOSC1 cells leads to more potent NK-mediated tumor cell killing in vitro in these tumor cells. Moreover, following orthotopic transplantation, KO of mCHMP2A in 4MOSC1 cells, but not the more immune-resistant 4MOSC2 cells enables both T cells and NK cells to better mediate antitumor activity compared with wild type (WT) tumors. However, there was no difference in tumor development between WT and mCHMP2A KO 4MOSC1 or 4MOSC2 tumors when implanted in immunodeficient mice. Mechanistically, we find that mCHMP2A KO 4MOSC1 tumors transplanted into the immunocompetent mice had significantly increased CD4+T cells, CD8+T cells. NK cell, as well as fewer myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). CONCLUSIONS Together, these studies demonstrate that CHMP2A is a targetable inhibitor of cellular antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyoung Yun
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Dept. of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Sanford Stem Cell Institute, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Robert Saddawi-Konefka
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Dept. of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Benjamin Goldenson
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Dept. of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Sanford Stem Cell Institute, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Riyam Al-Msari
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Davide Bernareggi
- Dept. of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Jaya L Thangaraj
- Dept. of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Sanford Stem Cell Institute, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Shiqi Tang
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Sonam H Patel
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Sarah M Luna
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - J Silvio Gutkind
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Dept. of Pharmacology, University of California School of Medicine, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Dan Kaufman
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Dept. of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Sanford Stem Cell Institute, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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9
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Aguilar OA, Fong LK, Lanier LL. ITAM-based receptors in natural killer cells. Immunol Rev 2024; 323:40-53. [PMID: 38411263 PMCID: PMC11102329 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13313] [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: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
The ability of cells of the immune system to acquire features such as increased longevity and enhanced secondary responses was long thought to be restricted to cells of the adaptive immune system. Natural killer (NK) cells have challenged this notion by demonstrating that they can also gain adaptive features. This has been observed in both humans and mice during infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV). The generation of adaptive NK cells requires antigen-specific recognition of virally infected cells through stimulatory NK receptors. These receptors lack the ability to signal on their own and rather rely on adaptor molecules that contain ITAMs for driving signals. Here, we highlight our understanding of how these receptors influence the production of adaptive NK cells and propose areas in the field that merit further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar A. Aguilar
- Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lam-Kiu Fong
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California – San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Lewis L. Lanier
- Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of California - San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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10
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Martin KE, Hammer Q, Perica K, Sadelain M, Malmberg KJ. Engineering immune-evasive allogeneic cellular immunotherapies. Nat Rev Immunol 2024:10.1038/s41577-024-01022-8. [PMID: 38658708 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-024-01022-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Allogeneic cellular immunotherapies hold a great promise for cancer treatment owing to their potential cost-effectiveness, scalability and on-demand availability. However, immune rejection of adoptively transferred allogeneic T and natural killer (NK) cells is a substantial obstacle to achieving clinical responses that are comparable to responses obtained with current autologous chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies. In this Perspective, we discuss strategies to confer cell-intrinsic, immune-evasive properties to allogeneic T cells and NK cells in order to prevent or delay their immune rejection, thereby widening the therapeutic window. We discuss how common viral and cancer immune escape mechanisms can serve as a blueprint for improving the persistence of off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapies. The prospects of harnessing genome editing and synthetic biology to design cell-based precision immunotherapies extend beyond programming target specificities and require careful consideration of innate and adaptive responses in the recipient that may curtail the biodistribution, in vivo expansion and persistence of cellular therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Martin
- Precision Immunotherapy Alliance, The University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Quirin Hammer
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karlo Perica
- Center for Cell Engineering, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Cell Therapy Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michel Sadelain
- Center for Cell Engineering, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Precision Immunotherapy Alliance, The University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research Oslo, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
- Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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11
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Teshnizi SH, Mirzazadeh S, Mashhadi N, Meri S, Kabelitz D, Kalantar K. Association study between killer immunoglobulin-like receptor polymorphisms and susceptibility to COVID-19 disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Immunol Res 2024; 72:175-184. [PMID: 37874432 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-023-09428-7] [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: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a known virus that leads to a respiratory disease called coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Natural killer (NK) cells, as members of innate immunity, possess crucial roles in restricting viral infections, including COVID-19. Their functions and development depend on receiving signals through various receptors, of which killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) belong to the most effective ones. Different studies investigated the association between KIR gene content and susceptibility to COVID-19. Since previous studies have yielded contradictory results, we designed this meta-analysis study to draw comprehensive conclusions about COVID-19 risk and KIR gene association. According to PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was performed in the electronic databases to find all studies investigating KIR gene contents in COVID-19 patients before March 2023. Any association between KIR genes and COVID-19 risk was determined by calculating pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1673 COVID-19 patients and 1526 healthy controls from eight studies were included in this meta-analysis. As the main results, we observed a positive association between the 2DL3 (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.17-1.88, P < 0.001) and susceptibility to COVID-19 and a negative association between the 2DP1 and the risk for COVID-19 (OR = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.23-0.99, P = 0.049). This meta-analysis demonstrated that KIR2DL3, as a member of iKIRs, might be associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Mirzazadeh
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, PO Box: 71345-1798, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Niloofar Mashhadi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, PO Box: 71345-1798, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Seppo Meri
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology and the Translational Immunology Research Program (TRIMM), The University of Helsinki and HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dieter Kabelitz
- Institute of Immunology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel and University Hospital Schleswig, Holstein Campus Kiel, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Kurosh Kalantar
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, PO Box: 71345-1798, Shiraz, Iran.
- Department of Bacteriology and Immunology and the Translational Immunology Research Program (TRIMM), The University of Helsinki and HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
- Autoimmune Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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12
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Schokrpur S, White MG, Roland CL, Patel SP. Immuno-Oncology: New Insights into Targets and Therapies. Surg Oncol Clin N Am 2024; 33:265-278. [PMID: 38401909 DOI: 10.1016/j.soc.2023.12.006] [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] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
The role of immunotherapy in the care of surgical oncology patients promises to expand as investigators and clinicians evaluate new targets and approaches. Currently active clinical trials evaluate new immune checkpoints, including lymphocyte activation gene 3, T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains, and killer Ig-like receptor 2DL1/2L3. Vaccines delivered through mRNA have demonstrated exciting results in early clinical trials and hold promise for expanded application. Investigational approaches include dendritic cell vaccines, peptide vaccines, cytokines therapies, and cellular therapies. These studies have the potential to revolutionize the management of surgical oncology patients and promote durable cures following surgical resection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiruyeh Schokrpur
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Michael G White
- Department of Colon & Rectal Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1400 Pressler Street, Unit 1401, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Christina L Roland
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1400 Pressler St, Unit 1401, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Sandip Pravin Patel
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 3855 Health Sciences Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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13
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Hazrati A, Malekpour K, Khorramdelazad H, Rajaei S, Hashemi SM. Therapeutic and immunomodulatory potentials of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells and immune checkpoints related molecules. Biomark Res 2024; 12:35. [PMID: 38515166 PMCID: PMC10958918 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-024-00580-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) are used in many studies due to their therapeutic potential, including their differentiative ability and immunomodulatory properties. These cells perform their therapeutic functions by using various mechanisms, such as the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, direct cell-to-cell contact, extracellular vesicles (EVs) production, and mitochondrial transfer. However, mechanisms related to immune checkpoints (ICPs) and their effect on the immunomodulatory ability of MSCs are less discussed. The main function of ICPs is to prevent the initiation of unwanted responses and to regulate the immune system responses to maintain the homeostasis of these responses. ICPs are produced by various types of immune system regulatory cells, and defects in their expression and function may be associated with excessive responses that can ultimately lead to autoimmunity. Also, by expressing different types of ICPs and their ligands (ICPLs), tumor cells prevent the formation and durability of immune responses, which leads to tumors' immune escape. ICPs and ICPLs can be produced by MSCs and affect immune cell responses both through their secretion into the microenvironment or direct cell-to-cell interaction. Pre-treatment of MSCs in inflammatory conditions leads to an increase in their therapeutic potential. In addition to the effect that inflammatory environments have on the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines by MSCs, they can increase the expression of various types of ICPLs. In this review, we discuss different types of ICPLs and ICPs expressed by MSCs and their effect on their immunomodulatory and therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Hazrati
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Kosar Malekpour
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Khorramdelazad
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
| | - Samira Rajaei
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Seyed Mahmoud Hashemi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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14
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Parodi M, Centonze G, Murianni F, Orecchia P, Andriani F, Roato I, Gardelli C, Balsamo M, Moro M, Taiè G, Pastorino U, Petretto A, Lavarello C, Milione M, Sozzi G, Roz L, Vitale M, Bertolini G. Hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal status of lung cancer dictates metastatic success through differential interaction with NK cells. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e007895. [PMID: 38458638 PMCID: PMC10921513 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-007895] [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] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows cancer cells with pro-metastatic properties, which appear most effective when cells enter an intermediate hybrid (H) state, characterized by integrated mesenchymal (M) and epithelial (E) traits. The reasons for this advantage are poorly known and, especially, it is totally unexplored whether the interplay between H-cells and NK cells could have a role. Here we characterize the pro-metastatic mechanics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) H-cells and their subset of cancer-initiating cells (CICs), dissecting crucial interactions with NK cells. METHODS Human lung cancer cell lines and sublines representative of E, M, or H states, assessed by proteomics, were analyzed in vivo for their tumor-forming and disseminating capabilities. Interactions with NK cells were investigated in vitro using migration assays, cytotoxic degranulation assays, and evaluation of CD133+ CICs modulation after coculture, and validated in vivo through NK cell neutralization assays. Correlation between EMT status, NK cell infiltration, and survival data, was evaluated in a cohort of surgically resected NSCLC cases (n=79). RESULTS We demonstrated that H-cells, have limited dissemination capability but show the highest potential to initiate metastases in vivo. This property was related to their ability to escape NK cell surveillance. Mechanistically, H-cells expressed low levels of NK-attracting chemokines (CXCL1 and CXCL8), generating poorly infiltrated metastases. Accordingly, proteomics and GO enrichment analysis of E, H, M cell lines showed that the related secretory processes could change during EMT.Furthermore, H-CICs uniquely expressed high levels of the inhibitory ligand B7-H3, which protected H-CIC from NK cell-mediated clearance. In vivo neutralization assays confirmed that, indeed, the pro-metastatic properties of H-cells are poorly controlled by NK cells.Finally, the analysis of patients revealed that detection of hybrid phenotypes associated with low NK infiltration in NSCLC clinical specimens could identify a subset of patients with poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that H-cells play a central role in the metastatic spread in NSCLC. Such pro-metastatic advantage of H-cells is supported by their altered interaction with NK cells and by the critical role of B7-H3 in preserving their H-CIC component, indicating B7-H3 as a potential target in combined NK-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Parodi
- Immunology Operative Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Giovanni Centonze
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Fabio Murianni
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Paola Orecchia
- Immunology Operative Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Francesca Andriani
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Ilaria Roato
- C.I.R Dental School, Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Cecilia Gardelli
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Melissa Balsamo
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Massimo Moro
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Giulia Taiè
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Ugo Pastorino
- Thoracic Surgery Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Petretto
- Core Facilities, Clinical Proteomics and Metabolomics, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy
| | - Chiara Lavarello
- Core Facilities, Clinical Proteomics and Metabolomics, IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genova, Italy
| | - Massimo Milione
- Pathology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Gabriella Sozzi
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Luca Roz
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - Massimo Vitale
- Immunology Operative Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Giulia Bertolini
- Unit of Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
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15
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Zhou Q, Ghezelji M, Hari A, Ford MKB, Holley C, Mirabello L, Chanock S, Sahinalp SC, Numanagić I. Geny: A Genotyping Tool for Allelic Decomposition of Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor Genes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.27.582413. [PMID: 38529502 PMCID: PMC10962708 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.27.582413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
Accurate genotyping of Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR) genes plays a pivotal role in enhancing our understanding of innate immune responses, disease correlations, and the advancement of personalized medicine. However, due to the high variability of the KIR region and high level of sequence similarity among different KIR genes, the currently available genotyping methods are unable to accurately infer copy numbers, genotypes and haplotypes of individual KIR genes from next-generation sequencing data. Here we introduce Geny, a new computational tool for precise genotyping of KIR genes. Geny utilizes available KIR haplotype databases and proposes a novel combination of expectation-maximization filtering schemes and integer linear programming-based combinatorial optimization models to resolve ambiguous reads, provide accurate copy number estimation and estimate the haplotype of each copy for the genes within the KIR region. We evaluated Geny on a large set of simulated short-read datasets covering the known validated KIR region assemblies and a set of Illumina short-read samples sequenced from 25 validated samples from the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium collection and showed that it outperforms the existing genotyping tools in terms of accuracy, precision and recall. We envision Geny becoming a valuable resource for understanding immune system response and consequently advancing the field of patient-centric medicine.
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16
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Shiravani Z, Mirshekari K, Larki MH, Shafiee N, Haghshenas MR, Ghaderi A, Fattahi MJ. Evaluation of the genetic diversity of KIR genes in patients with endometrial cancer. J Reprod Immunol 2024; 162:104217. [PMID: 38387251 DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2024.104217] [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: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Endometrial cancer (EC) constitutes more than half of all genital cancers in women, with an increasing incidence in different countries. Natural killer cells (NK cells) are kinds of innate immune cells that are controlled by sets of receptors, such as killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIRs), which can inhibit or activate NK cells. In this study, we evaluated the diversity and genetic association of KIRs in confirmed cases of endometrial cancer compared to healthy controls. A total of 151 women with EC and 167 age/race-matched healthy controls were analyzed for KIR genes. Demographic and histopathologic data were gathered in questionnaires, and 16 KIR genes along with two variants of KIR2DS4 (KIR2DS4fl and KIR2DS4del), were genotyped by usingsequence specific primers-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) method. A comparison between cases and controls revealed that although there were not any significant differences in A haplotype associated genes and also the variants of KIR2DS4 (p >0.05), B haplotype associated genes such as KIR2DS2 and KIR2DL2 decreased significantly in EC patients in comparison with healthy controls (p=0.03 and p=0.01, respectively). Furthermore, we found that EC mostly developed in cases with the AA genotype; however, the carriers of Bx and C4T4 genotypes were less frequent in patients with EC. Our results revealed that KIR2DS2 and KIR2DL2, along with Bx and C4T4 genotypes, have a protective impact against developing endometrial cancer in Iranians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Shiravani
- Gynecology Oncology Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Kimia Mirshekari
- Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Marjan Hematian Larki
- Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Nargess Shafiee
- Gynecology Oncology Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Reza Haghshenas
- Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Abbas Ghaderi
- Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Javad Fattahi
- Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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17
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Saadh MJ, Rasulova I, Khalil M, Farahim F, Sârbu I, Ciongradi CI, Omar TM, Alhili A, Jawad MJ, Hani T, Ali T, Lakshmaiya N. Natural killer cell-mediated immune surveillance in cancer: Role of tumor microenvironment. Pathol Res Pract 2024; 254:155120. [PMID: 38280274 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2024.155120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
In the immunological surveillance against cancer, natural killer (NK) cells are essential effectors that help eradicate altered cells. The complex interactions that occur between NK cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) are thoroughly examined in this review. The review examines how cytokine stimulation affects NK cell activation, focusing on the dynamic modulation of NK cell function within the TME. It looks at NK cell-related biomarkers such as PD-1/PD-L1, methylation HOXA9 (Homeobox A9), Stroma AReactive Invasion Front Areas (SARIFA), and NKG2A/HLA-E, providing critical information about prognosis and treatment outcomes. The changing landscape of immunotherapies-including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-NK cells, and cytokine-based interventions-is examined in the context of enhancing NK cell activity. The review highlights the potential pathways for precision medicine going forward, focusing on customized immunotherapies based on unique biomarker profiles and investigating combination medicines to produce more robust anti-tumor responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed J Saadh
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Middle East University, Amman 11831, Jordan; Applied Science Research Center. Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan
| | - Irodakhon Rasulova
- MD, PhD, Senior Researcher, School of Humanities, Natural & Social Sciences, New Uzbekistan University, 54 Mustaqillik Ave., Tashkent, 100007, Uzbekistan; Department of Public Health, Samarkand State Medical University, Amir Temur street 18, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
| | | | - Farha Farahim
- Department of Nursing, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Ioan Sârbu
- 2nd Department of Surgery-Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iași, Romania.
| | - Carmen Iulia Ciongradi
- 2nd Department of Surgery-Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iași, Romania.
| | - Thabit Moath Omar
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technics, Al-Noor University College, Nineveh, Iraq
| | - Ahmed Alhili
- Medical Technical College, Al-Farahidi University, Iraq
| | | | - Thamer Hani
- Dentistry Department, Al-Turath University College, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Talat Ali
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Natrayan Lakshmaiya
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saveetha School of Engineering, SIMATS, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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18
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Nowak J, Witkowska A, Rogatko-Koroś M, Malinowska A, Graczyk-Pol E, Nestorowicz-Kałużna K, Flaga A, Szlendak U, Wnorowska A, Gawron A. Molecular relapse monitoring reveals the domination of impaired NK cell education over impaired inhibition in missing KIR-ligand recognition in patients after unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for malignant diseases. HLA 2024; 103:e15364. [PMID: 38312022 DOI: 10.1111/tan.15364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Transplantation of HLA and/or KIR mismatched allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells can lead NK cells to different states of activation/inhibition or education/resetting and change anti-tumor immunosurveillance. In this study, we used molecular relapse monitoring to investigate a correlation between either missing ligand recognition or variation of the cognate iKIR-HLA pairs with clinical outcomes in patients with hematological malignancies requiring allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Patients (N = 418) with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), or lymphoma receiving T-cell repleted graft from HLA-matched or partly mismatched unrelated donors between 2012 and 2020 in our center were included in this study. Missing-ligand recognition was assessed through the presence or absence of recipients' HLA ligand for a particular inhibitory KIR (iKIR) exhibited by the donor. Inhibitory KIR-HLA pair number variation was defined by loss or gain of a new cognate pair of HLA-KIR within the new HLA environment of the recipient, compared with the donor's one. Considering the results of our research, we drew the following conclusions: (i) loss of iKIR-HLA cognate pair for C1, C2, and/or Bw4 groups led to significant deterioration of disease-free survival (DFS), molecular relapse, overall survival (OS) and non-relapse mortality (NRM) for patients undergoing allo-HSCT in the standard phase of the disease. This phenomenon was not observed in patients who underwent transplantation in advanced hematological cancer. (ii) The missing ligand recognition had no impact if the proportion of HLA mismatches was not considered; however, adjustments of HLA mismatch level in the compared groups highlighted the adverse effect of the missing ligand constellation. (iii) The adverse effect of adjusted missing ligand suggests a predominance of lost NK cell education over lost NK cell inhibition in posttransplant recipients' new HLA environment. Our results suggested that donors with the loss of an iKIR-HLA cognate pair after transplantation should be avoided, and donors who provided an additional iKIR-HLA cognate pair should be preferred in the allo-HSCT donor selection process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacek Nowak
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Witkowska
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta Rogatko-Koroś
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Malinowska
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Elżbieta Graczyk-Pol
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Anna Flaga
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Urszula Szlendak
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Wnorowska
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Gawron
- Department of Immunogenetics, Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
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19
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Zhang B, Yang M, Zhang W, Liu N, Wang D, Jing L, Xu N, Yang N, Ren T. Chimeric antigen receptor-based natural killer cell immunotherapy in cancer: from bench to bedside. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:50. [PMID: 38221520 PMCID: PMC10788349 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-024-06438-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Immunotherapy has rapidly evolved in the past decades in the battle against cancer. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells have demonstrated significant success in certain hematologic malignancies, although they still face certain limitations, including high costs and toxic effects. Natural killer cells (NK cells), as a vital component of the immune system, serve as the "first responders" in the context of cancer development. In this literature review, we provide an updated understanding of NK cell development, functions, and their applications in disease therapy. Furthermore, we explore the rationale for utilizing engineered NK cell therapies, such as CAR-NK cells, and discuss the differences between CAR-T and CAR-NK cells. We also provide insights into the key elements and strategies involved in CAR design for engineered NK cells. In addition, we highlight the challenges currently encountered and discuss the future directions in NK cell research and utilization, including pre-clinical investigations and ongoing clinical trials. Based on the outstanding antitumor potential of NK cells, it is highly likely that they will lead to groundbreaking advancements in cancer treatment in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Zhang
- Institute of Biomedical Research, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China.
| | - Mengzhe Yang
- Graduate School of Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Weiming Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Wuming Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530199, China
| | - Ning Liu
- Department of Hematology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, 518052, China
| | - Daogang Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, 530000, China
| | - Liangfang Jing
- Department of Neonatology, Women and Children's Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, 530005, China
| | - Ning Xu
- Department of Clinical Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530000, China
| | - Na Yang
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Yunnan, 650101, China.
| | - Tao Ren
- Department of Oncology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530000, China.
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He Z, Chen M, Luo Z. Identification of immune-related genes and integrated analysis of immune-cell infiltration in melanoma. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:911-927. [PMID: 38217549 PMCID: PMC10817386 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205427] [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: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to screen out immune-related genes in connection with the prognosis of melanoma, construct a prognosis model and explore the relevant mechanisms. METHODS AND MATERIALS 1973 genes associated with immune system were derived from the Immport database, and RNA-seq data of melanoma and information of patients were searched from the Xena database. Cox univariate analysis, Lasso analysis and Cox multivariate analysis were used to screen out six genes to construct the model. Then the risk scores were estimated for patients based on our constructed prognosis model. Estimate was used to affirm that the model was about immune infiltration, and CIBERSORT was used to screen out immune cells associated with prognosis. TIDE was applied to predict the efficacy of immunotherapy. Finally, GSE65904 and GSE19234 were used to confirm the effectiveness of the model. RESULTS ADCYAP1R1, GPI, NTS might cause poor prognosis while IFITM1, KIR2DL4, LIF were more likely conductive to prognosis of melanoma patients and a model of prognosis was constructed on the basis of these six genes. The effectiveness of the model has been proven by the ROC curve, and the miRNAs targeting the screened genes were found out, suggesting that the immune system might impact on the prognosis of melanoma by T cell CD8+, T cell CD4+ memory and NK cells. CONCLUSIONS In this study, the screened six genes were associated with the prognosis of melanoma, which was conductive to clinical prognostic prediction and individualized treatment strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenghao He
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Zhongshan City People's Hospital, Zhongshan 528403, Guangdong, China
| | - Manli Chen
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Zhongshan City People's Hospital, Zhongshan 528403, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhijun Luo
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Zhongshan City People's Hospital, Zhongshan 528403, Guangdong, China
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21
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Baek IC, Choi EJ, Kim HJ, Choi H, Shin HS, Lim DG, Kim TG. Association of KIR Genes with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection in South Koreans. J Clin Med 2024; 13:258. [PMID: 38202265 PMCID: PMC10779705 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13010258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a lower respiratory tract disease caused by a beta coronavirus (CoV) called MERS-CoV, characterized by a high mortality rate. We aimed to evaluate the association between genetic variation in killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and the risk of MERS in South Koreans. METHODS KIR genes were genotyped by multiplex polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). A case-control study was performed to identify the odds ratios (OR) of KIR genes for MERS and the association of KIR genes and their ligands, human leukocyte antigens (HLA) genes. RESULTS KIR2DS4D and KIR3DP1F showed higher frequencies in the group of all patients infected with MERS-CoV than in the control group (p = 0.023, OR = 2.4; p = 0.039, OR = 2.7). KIR2DL1, KIR2DP1, and KIR3DP1D were significantly associated with moderate/mild (Mo/Mi) cases. KIR2DL2, KIR2DS1, and KIR3DP1F were affected in severe cases. When we investigated the association between KIR genes and their ligands in MERS patient and control groups, KIR3DL1+/Bw4(80I)+, KIR3DL1+/Bw6+, KIR3DL1+/Bw6-, KIR2DS1+/C2+, and KIR3DS+/Bw4(80I)+ were associated with MERS. KIR3DL1+/Bw6- was found in Mo/Mi cases. KIR2DS1+/C2+ and KIR2DS2+/C1+ were found in severe cases. CONCLUSION Further investigations are needed to prove the various immune responses of MERS-CoV-infected cells according to variations in the KIR gene and ligand gene. A treatment strategy based on current research on the KIR gene and MERS-CoV will suggest potential treatment targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- In-Cheol Baek
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea; (I.-C.B.); (E.-J.C.); (H.-J.K.); (H.C.)
| | - Eun-Jeong Choi
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea; (I.-C.B.); (E.-J.C.); (H.-J.K.); (H.C.)
| | - Hyoung-Jae Kim
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea; (I.-C.B.); (E.-J.C.); (H.-J.K.); (H.C.)
| | - Haeyoun Choi
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea; (I.-C.B.); (E.-J.C.); (H.-J.K.); (H.C.)
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyoung-Shik Shin
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, Eulji University, Daejeon 34824, Republic of Korea;
| | - Dong-Gyun Lim
- Translational Research Center, Research Institute of Public Health, National Medical Center, Seoul 04564, Republic of Korea
| | - Tai-Gyu Kim
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea; (I.-C.B.); (E.-J.C.); (H.-J.K.); (H.C.)
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea
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22
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Li L, Li A, Jin H, Li M, Jia Q. Inhibitory receptors and checkpoints on NK cells: Implications for cancer immunotherapy. Pathol Res Pract 2024; 253:155003. [PMID: 38042093 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2023.155003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
With the success of immunosuppressive checkpoint in tumor therapy, the corresponding adverse response and drug resistance defects have been exposed. T cells and NK cells are the body's immune system of the two substantial main forces. in recent years, study of T cell checkpoints appeared a certain block, such as PD-1 the effect not benign, on the distribution of NK cell surface excitatory and inhibitory receptors under normal conditions to maintain steady, could be targeted in the tumor treatment blockade have therapeutic effect. This paper reviews the function of NK cells and the effects of corresponding receptors in various types of tumors, providing a direction for the selection of appropriate gate control sites for future treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingfei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Pathology, Xijing Hospital and School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ang Li
- Department of Cardiology, 2nd Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Hai Jin
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Shenyang, China.
| | - Mingyang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cancer Biology, Department of Pathology, Xijing Hospital and School of Basic Medicine, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
| | - Qingge Jia
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital, Northwest University, Xi'an, China.
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23
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Farias TD, Brugiapaglia S, Croci S, Magistroni P, Curcio C, Zguro K, Fallerini C, Fava F, Pettini F, Kichula KM, Pollock NR, Font-Porterias N, Palmer WH, Marin WM, Baldassarri M, Bruttini M, Hollenbach JA, Hendricks AE, Meloni I, Novelli F, Renieri A, Furini S, Norman PJ, Amoroso A. HLA-DPB1*13:01 associates with enhanced, and KIR2DS4*001 with diminished protection from developing severe COVID-19. HLA 2024; 103:e15251. [PMID: 37850268 PMCID: PMC10873037 DOI: 10.1111/tan.15251] [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: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Extreme polymorphism of HLA and killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) differentiates immune responses across individuals. Additional to T cell receptor interactions, subsets of HLA class I act as ligands for inhibitory and activating KIR, allowing natural killer (NK) cells to detect and kill infected cells. We investigated the impact of HLA and KIR polymorphism on the severity of COVID-19. High resolution HLA class I and II and KIR genotypes were determined from 403 non-hospitalized and 1575 hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected patients from Italy collected in 2020. We observed that possession of the activating KIR2DS4*001 allotype is associated with severe disease, requiring hospitalization (OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.20-1.85, pc = 0.017), and this effect is greater in individuals homozygous for KIR2DS4*001 (OR = 3.74, 95% CI 1.75-9.29, pc = 0.003). We also observed the HLA class II allotype, HLA-DPB1*13:01 protects SARS-CoV-2 infected patients from severe disease (OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.33-0.74, pc = 0.019). These association analyses were replicated using logistic regression with sex and age as covariates. Autoantibodies against IFN-α associated with COVID-19 severity were detected in 26% of 156 hospitalized patients tested. HLA-C*08:02 was more frequent in patients with IFN-α autoantibodies than those without, and KIR3DL1*01502 was only present in patients lacking IFN-α antibodies. These findings suggest that KIR and HLA polymorphism is integral in determining the clinical outcome following SARS-CoV-2 infection, by influencing the course both of innate and adaptive immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ticiana D.J. Farias
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
| | - Silvia Brugiapaglia
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, 10126, Italy
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Center for Experimental Research and Medical Studies, Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, 10126, Italy
| | - Susanna Croci
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Paola Magistroni
- Immunogenetics and Transplant Biology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, 10126, Italy
| | - Claudia Curcio
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, 10126, Italy
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Center for Experimental Research and Medical Studies, Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, 10126, Italy
| | - Kristina Zguro
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Chiara Fallerini
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Francesca Fava
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Senese, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Francesco Pettini
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Katherine M. Kichula
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
| | - Nicholas R. Pollock
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
| | - Neus Font-Porterias
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
| | - William H. Palmer
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
| | - Wesley M. Marin
- UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Margherita Baldassarri
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Mirella Bruttini
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Senese, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Jill A. Hollenbach
- UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Audrey E. Hendricks
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, and Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
| | - Ilaria Meloni
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Francesco Novelli
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, 10126, Italy
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology Center for Experimental Research and Medical Studies, Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, 10126, Italy
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Turin, Turin, 10126, Italy
| | | | - Alessandra Renieri
- Medical Genetics, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Genetica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Senese, Siena, 53100, Italy
- Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Simone Furini
- Med Biotech Hub and Competence Center, Department of Medical Biotechnologies, University of Siena, Siena, 53100, Italy
| | - Paul J. Norman
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, 80045, USA
| | - Antonio Amoroso
- Immunogenetics and Transplant Biology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, 10126, Italy
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, 10126, Italy
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Wasilewska A, Grabowska M, Moskalik-Kierat D, Brzoza M, Laudański P, Garley M. Immunological Aspects of Infertility-The Role of KIR Receptors and HLA-C Antigen. Cells 2023; 13:59. [PMID: 38201263 PMCID: PMC10778566 DOI: 10.3390/cells13010059] [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: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms of immune tolerance of a mother against an antigenically foreign fetus without a concomitant loss of defense capabilities against pathogens are the factors underlying the success of a pregnancy. A significant role in human defense is played by killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) receptors, which regulate the function of the natural killer (NK) cells capable of destroying antigenically foreign cells, virus-infected cells, or tumor-lesioned cells. A special subpopulation of NK cells called uterine NK cells (uNK) is found in the uterus. Disruption of the tolerance process or overactivity of immune-competent cells can lead to immune infertility, a situation in which a woman's immune system attacks her own reproductive cells, making it impossible to conceive or maintain a pregnancy. Since the prominent role of the inflammatory response in infertility, including KIR receptors and NK cells, has been postulated, the process of antigen presentation involving major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules (HLA) appears to be crucial for a successful pregnancy. Proper interactions between KIR receptors on female uNK cells and HLA class I molecules, with a predominant role for HLA-C, found on the surface of germ cells, are strategically important during embryo implantation. In addition, maintaining a functional balance between activating and inhibitory KIR receptors is essential for proper placenta formation and embryo implantation in the uterus. A disruption of this balance can lead to complications during pregnancy. The discovery of links between KIR and HLA-C has provided valuable information about the complexity of maternal-fetal immune interactions that determine the success of a pregnancy. The great diversity of maternal KIR and fetal HLA-C ligands is associated with the occurrence of KIR/HLA-C combinations that are more or less favorable for reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Wasilewska
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, University Clinical Center, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland; (A.W.)
| | - Marcelina Grabowska
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, University Clinical Center, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland; (A.W.)
| | - Dominika Moskalik-Kierat
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, University Clinical Center, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland; (A.W.)
| | - Martyna Brzoza
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, University Clinical Center, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland; (A.W.)
| | - Piotr Laudański
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Gynecological Oncology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland
- Women’s Health Research Institute, Calisia University, 62-800 Kalisz, Poland
- OVIklinika Infertility Center, 01-377 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marzena Garley
- Department of Immunology, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-269 Białystok, Poland
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25
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Ghosh S, Bhatti GK, Sharma PK, Kandimalla R, Mastana SS, Bhatti JS. Potential of Nano-Engineered Stem Cells in the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis: A Comprehensive Review. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2023; 44:6. [PMID: 38104307 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-023-01434-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and degrading autoimmune disorder mainly targeting the central nervous system, leading to progressive neurodegeneration, demyelination, and axonal damage. Current treatment options for MS are limited in efficacy, generally linked to adverse side effects, and do not offer a cure. Stem cell therapies have emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for MS, potentially promoting remyelination, exerting immunomodulatory effects and protecting against neurodegeneration. Therefore, this review article focussed on the potential of nano-engineering in stem cells as a therapeutic approach for MS, focusing on the synergistic effects of combining stem cell biology with nanotechnology to stimulate the proliferation of oligodendrocytes (OLs) from neural stem cells and OL precursor cells, by manipulating neural signalling pathways-PDGF, BMP, Wnt, Notch and their essential genes such as Sox, bHLH, Nkx. Here we discuss the pathophysiology of MS, the use of various types of stem cells in MS treatment and their mechanisms of action. In the context of nanotechnology, we present an overview of its applications in the medical and research field and discuss different methods and materials used to nano-engineer stem cells, including surface modification, biomaterials and scaffolds, and nanoparticle-based delivery systems. We further elaborate on nano-engineered stem cell techniques, such as nano script, nano-exosome hybrid, nano-topography and their potentials in MS. The article also highlights enhanced homing, engraftment, and survival of nano-engineered stem cells, targeted and controlled release of therapeutic agents, and immunomodulatory and tissue repair effects with their challenges and limitations. This visual illustration depicts the process of utilizing nano-engineering in stem cells and exosomes for the purpose of delivering more accurate and improved treatments for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This approach targets specifically the creation of oligodendrocytes, the breakdown of which is the primary pathological factor in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushruta Ghosh
- Laboratory of Translational Medicine and Nanotherapeutics, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Health Sciences Central, University of Punjab, Bathinda, India
| | - Gurjit Kaur Bhatti
- Department of Medical Lab Technology, University Institute of Applied Health Sciences, Chandigarh University, Mohali, India
| | - Pushpender Kumar Sharma
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Rajasthan, India
- Amity Centre for Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, Amity University, Rajasthan, India
| | - Ramesh Kandimalla
- Department of Biochemistry, Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal, Telangana, India
- Department of Applied Biology, CSIR-Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Sarabjit Singh Mastana
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
| | - Jasvinder Singh Bhatti
- Laboratory of Translational Medicine and Nanotherapeutics, Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, School of Health Sciences Central, University of Punjab, Bathinda, India.
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26
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Wang Y, Jin S, Zhuang Q, Liu N, Chen R, Adam SA, Jin J, Sun J. Chimeric antigen receptor natural killer cells: a promising antitumor immunotherapy. MedComm (Beijing) 2023; 4:e422. [PMID: 38045827 PMCID: PMC10691297 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.422] [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: 05/09/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have been successfully used in adoptive cell therapy for malignancies. However, some obstacles, including side effects such as graft-versus-host disease and cytokine release syndrome, therapy resistance, limited sources, as well as high cost, limited the application of CAR T cells. Recently, CAR natural killer (NK) cells have been pursued as the effector cells for adoptive immunotherapy for their attractive merits of strong intrinsic antitumor activity and relatively mild side effects. Additionally, CAR NK cells can be available from various sources and do not require strict human leukocyte antigen matching, which suggests them as promising "off-the-shelf" products for clinical application. Although the use of CAR NK cells is restrained by the limited proliferation and impaired efficiency within the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, further investigation in optimizing CAR structure and combination therapies will overcome these challenges. This review will summarize the advancement of CAR NK cells, CAR NK cell manufacture, the clinical outcomes of CAR NK therapy, the challenges in the field, and prospective solutions. Besides, we will discuss the emerging application of other immune cells for CAR engineering. Collectively, this comprehensive review will provide a valuable and informative summary of current progress and evaluate challenges and future opportunities of CAR NK cells in tumor treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Wang
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Key Laboratory of Hematologic MalignanciesDiagnosis, and TreatmentHangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Shengjie Jin
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Key Laboratory of Hematologic MalignanciesDiagnosis, and TreatmentHangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Qiqi Zhuang
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Key Laboratory of Hematologic MalignanciesDiagnosis, and TreatmentHangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Na Liu
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Key Laboratory of Hematologic MalignanciesDiagnosis, and TreatmentHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Department of OncologyAffiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical UniversitySchool of Clinical MedicineWeifang Medical UniversityWeifangShandongChina
| | - Ruyi Chen
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Key Laboratory of Hematologic MalignanciesDiagnosis, and TreatmentHangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Sofia Abdulkadir Adam
- Key Laboratory of Hematologic MalignanciesDiagnosis, and TreatmentHangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Jie Jin
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Key Laboratory of Hematologic MalignanciesDiagnosis, and TreatmentHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Zhejiang University Cancer CenterHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Hematological DisordersHangzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Jie Sun
- Department of HematologyThe First Affiliated HospitalZhejiang University School of MedicineHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Key Laboratory of Hematologic MalignanciesDiagnosis, and TreatmentHangzhouZhejiangChina
- Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Hematological DisordersHangzhouZhejiangChina
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Nakazawa T, Maeoka R, Morimoto T, Matsuda R, Nakamura M, Nishimura F, Yamada S, Nakagawa I, Park YS, Ito T, Nakase H, Tsujimura T. An efficient feeder-free and chemically-defined expansion strategy for highly purified natural killer cells derived from human cord blood. Regen Ther 2023; 24:32-42. [PMID: 37303464 PMCID: PMC10247952 DOI: 10.1016/j.reth.2023.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Natural killer cells (NKCs) are immune cells that can attack cancer cells through the direct recognition of ligands without prior sensitization. Cord blood-derived NKCs (CBNKCs) represent a promising tool for allogenic NKC-based cancer immunotherapy. Efficient NKC expansion and decreased T cell inclusion are crucial for the success of allogeneic NKC-based immunotherapy without inducing graft-versus-host reactions. We previously established an efficient ex vivo expansion system consisting of highly purified-NKCs derived from human peripheral blood. Herein, we evaluated the performance of the NKC expansion system using CB and characterized the expanded populations. Methods Frozen CB mononuclear cells (CBMCs), with T cells removed, were cultured with recombinant human interleukin (rhIL)-18 and rhIL-2 under conditions where anti-NKp46 and anti-CD16 antibodies were immobilized. Following 7, 14, and 21 days of expansion, the purity, fold-expansion rates of NKCs, and the expression levels of NK activating and inhibitory receptors were assessed. The ability of these NKCs to inhibit the growth of T98G, a glioblastoma (GBM) cell line sensitive to NK activity, was also examined. Results All expanded T cell-depleted CBMCs were included in over 80%, 98%, and 99% of CD3-CD56+ NKCs at 7, 14, and 21 days of expansion, respectively. The NK activating receptors LFA-1, NKG2D, DNAM-1, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, FcγRIII and NK inhibitory receptors TIM-3, TIGIT, TACTILE, NKG2A were expressed on the expanded-CBNKCs. Two out of three of the expanded-CBNKCs weakly expressed PD-1, yet gradually expressed PD-1 according to expansion period. One of the three expanded CBNKCs almost lacked PD-1 expression during the expansion period. LAG-3 expression was variable among donors, and no consistent changes were identified during the expansion period. All of the expanded CBNKCs elicited distinct cytotoxicity-mediated growth inhibition on T98G cells. The level of cytotoxicity was gradually decreased based on the prolonged expansion period. Conclusions Our established feeder-free expansion system yielded large scale highly purified and cytotoxic NKCs derived from human CB. The system provides a stable supply of clinical grade off-the-shelf NKCs and may be feasible for allogeneic NKC-based immunotherapy for cancers, including GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsutomu Nakazawa
- Grandsoul Research Institute for Immunology, Inc., Uda, Nara, 633-2221, Japan
- Clinic Grandsoul Nara, Matsui 8-1, Uda, Nara, 633-2221, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Maeoka
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Takayuki Morimoto
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Matsuda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Mitsutoshi Nakamura
- Clinic Grandsoul Nara, Matsui 8-1, Uda, Nara, 633-2221, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Fumihiko Nishimura
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Shuichi Yamada
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Ichiro Nakagawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Young-Soo Park
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Ito
- Department of Immunology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Nakase
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan
| | - Takahiro Tsujimura
- Grandsoul Research Institute for Immunology, Inc., Uda, Nara, 633-2221, Japan
- Clinic Grandsoul Nara, Matsui 8-1, Uda, Nara, 633-2221, Japan
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Hadiloo K, Taremi S, Heidari M, Esmaeilzadeh A. The CAR macrophage cells, a novel generation of chimeric antigen-based approach against solid tumors. Biomark Res 2023; 11:103. [PMID: 38017494 PMCID: PMC10685521 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-023-00537-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Today, adoptive cell therapy has many successes in cancer therapy, and this subject is brilliant in using chimeric antigen receptor T cells. The CAR T cell therapy, with its FDA-approved drugs, could treat several types of hematological malignancies and thus be very attractive for treating solid cancer. Unfortunately, the CAR T cell cannot be very functional in solid cancers due to its unique features. This treatment method has several harmful adverse effects that limit their applications, so novel treatments must use new cells like NK cells, NKT cells, and macrophage cells. Among these cells, the CAR macrophage cells, due to their brilliant innate features, are more attractive for solid tumor therapy and seem to be a better candidate for the prior treatment methods. The CAR macrophage cells have vital roles in the tumor microenvironment and, with their direct effect, can eliminate tumor cells efficiently. In addition, the CAR macrophage cells, due to being a part of the innate immune system, attended the tumor sites. With the high infiltration, their therapy modulations are more effective. This review investigates the last achievements in CAR-macrophage cells and the future of this immunotherapy treatment method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaveh Hadiloo
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Immunology, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Siavash Taremi
- School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Mahmood Heidari
- School of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran
| | - Abdolreza Esmaeilzadeh
- Department of Immunology, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
- Cancer Gene Therapy Research Center (CGRC), Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
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Li Y, Rezvani K, Rafei H. Next-generation chimeric antigen receptors for T- and natural killer-cell therapies against cancer. Immunol Rev 2023; 320:217-235. [PMID: 37548050 PMCID: PMC10841677 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive cellular therapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has led to a paradigm shift in the treatment of various hematologic malignancies. However, the broad application of this approach for myeloid malignancies and solid cancers has been limited by the paucity and heterogeneity of target antigen expression, and lack of bona fide tumor-specific antigens that can be targeted without cross-reactivity against normal tissues. This may lead to unwanted on-target off-tumor toxicities that could undermine the desired antitumor effect. Recent advances in synthetic biology and genetic engineering have enabled reprogramming of immune effector cells to enhance their selectivity toward tumors, thus mitigating on-target off-tumor adverse effects. In this review, we outline the current strategies being explored to improve CAR selectivity toward tumor cells with a focus on natural killer (NK) cells, and the progress made in translating these strategies to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Li
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Katayoun Rezvani
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hind Rafei
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Bjorgen JC, Dick JK, Cromarty R, Hart GT, Rhein J. NK cell subsets and dysfunction during viral infection: a new avenue for therapeutics? Front Immunol 2023; 14:1267774. [PMID: 37928543 PMCID: PMC10620977 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1267774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In the setting of viral challenge, natural killer (NK) cells play an important role as an early immune responder against infection. During this response, significant changes in the NK cell population occur, particularly in terms of their frequency, location, and subtype prevalence. In this review, changes in the NK cell repertoire associated with several pathogenic viral infections are summarized, with a particular focus placed on changes that contribute to NK cell dysregulation in these settings. This dysregulation, in turn, can contribute to host pathology either by causing NK cells to be hyperresponsive or hyporesponsive. Hyperresponsive NK cells mediate significant host cell death and contribute to generating a hyperinflammatory environment. Hyporesponsive NK cell populations shift toward exhaustion and often fail to limit viral pathogenesis, possibly enabling viral persistence. Several emerging therapeutic approaches aimed at addressing NK cell dysregulation have arisen in the last three decades in the setting of cancer and may prove to hold promise in treating viral diseases. However, the application of such therapeutics to treat viral infections remains critically underexplored. This review briefly explores several therapeutic approaches, including the administration of TGF-β inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive NK cell therapies, CAR NK cells, and NK cell engagers among other therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob C. Bjorgen
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Jenna K. Dick
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Ross Cromarty
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Geoffrey T. Hart
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Joshua Rhein
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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Lee MJ, Blish CA. Defining the role of natural killer cells in COVID-19. Nat Immunol 2023; 24:1628-1638. [PMID: 37460639 PMCID: PMC10538371 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01560-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are critical effectors of antiviral immunity. Researchers have therefore sought to characterize the NK cell response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the virus that causes it, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The NK cells of patients with severe COVID-19 undergo extensive phenotypic and functional changes. For example, the NK cells from critically ill patients with COVID-19 are highly activated and exhausted, with poor cytotoxic function and cytokine production upon stimulation. The NK cell response to SARS-CoV-2 is also modulated by changes induced in virally infected cells, including the ability of a viral peptide to bind HLA-E, preventing NK cells from receiving inhibitory signals, and the downregulation of major histocompatibility complex class I and ligands for the activating receptor NKG2D. These changes have important implications for the ability of infected cells to escape NK cell killing. The implications of these findings for antibody-dependent NK cell activity in COVID-19 are also reviewed. Despite these advances in the understanding of the NK cell response to SARS-CoV-2, there remain critical gaps in our current understanding and a wealth of avenues for future research on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline J Lee
- Stanford Immunology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Catherine A Blish
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Stanford Medical Scientist Training Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Kitamura T. Tumour-associated macrophages as a potential target to improve natural killer cell-based immunotherapies. Essays Biochem 2023; 67:1003-1014. [PMID: 37313600 PMCID: PMC10539946 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20230002] [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: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of natural killer (NK) cells has been proposed as a novel immunotherapy for malignant tumours resistant to current therapeutic modalities. Several clinical studies have demonstrated that the NK cell-infusion is well tolerated without severe side effects and shows promising results in haematological malignancies. However, patients with malignant solid tumours do not show significant responses to this therapy. Such disappointing results largely arise from the inefficient delivery of infused NK cells and the impairment of their functions in the tumour microenvironment (TME). Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the most abundant stromal cells in the TME of most solid tumours, and a high TAM density correlates with poor prognosis of cancer patients. Although our knowledge of the interactions between TAMs and NK cells is limited, many studies have indicated that TAMs suppress NK cell cytotoxicity against cancer cells. Therefore, blockade of TAM functions can be an attractive strategy to improve NK cell-based immunotherapies. On the other hand, macrophages are reported to activate NK cells under certain circumstances. This essay presents our current knowledge about mechanisms by which macrophages regulate NK cell functions and discusses possible therapeutic approaches to block macrophage-mediated NK cell suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takanori Kitamura
- MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4TJ, United Kingdom
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Andersson H, Sobti A, Jimenez DG, de Coaña YP, Ambarkhane SV, Hägerbrand K, Smith KE, Lindstedt M, Ellmark P. Early Pharmacodynamic Changes Measured Using RNA Sequencing of Peripheral Blood from Patients in a Phase I Study with Mitazalimab, a Potent CD40 Agonistic Monoclonal Antibody. Cells 2023; 12:2365. [PMID: 37830579 PMCID: PMC10572020 DOI: 10.3390/cells12192365] [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: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
CD40-targeting therapies can enhance the dendritic cell priming of tumor-specific T cells and repolarize intratumoral macrophages to alleviate the tumoral immunosuppressive environment and remodel the extracellular matrix. Mitazalimab is a potent agonistic CD40 monoclonal IgG1 antibody currently under clinical development. This study used RNA sequencing of blood samples from a subset of patients from a Phase I trial with mitazalimab (NCT02829099) to assess peripheral pharmacodynamic activity. We found that mitazalimab induced transient peripheral transcriptomic alterations (at 600 µg/kg and 900 µg/kg dose administered intravenously), which mainly were attributed to immune activation. In particular, the transcriptomic alterations showed a reduction in effector cells (e.g., CD8+ T cells and natural killer cells) and B cells peripherally with the remaining cells (e.g., dendritic cells, monocytes, B cells, and natural killer cells) showing transcription profiles consistent with activation. Lastly, distinct patient subgroups based on the pattern of transcriptomic alterations could be identified. In summary, the data presented herein reinforce the anticipated mode of action of mitazalimab and support its ongoing clinical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hampus Andersson
- Alligator Bioscience AB, 223 81 Lund, Sweden; (H.A.); (A.S.); (D.G.J.); (Y.P.d.C.); (M.L.)
- Department of Immunotechnology, Lund University, 223 81 Lund, Sweden
| | - Aastha Sobti
- Alligator Bioscience AB, 223 81 Lund, Sweden; (H.A.); (A.S.); (D.G.J.); (Y.P.d.C.); (M.L.)
| | - David Gomez Jimenez
- Alligator Bioscience AB, 223 81 Lund, Sweden; (H.A.); (A.S.); (D.G.J.); (Y.P.d.C.); (M.L.)
| | - Yago Pico de Coaña
- Alligator Bioscience AB, 223 81 Lund, Sweden; (H.A.); (A.S.); (D.G.J.); (Y.P.d.C.); (M.L.)
| | | | - Karin Hägerbrand
- Alligator Bioscience AB, 223 81 Lund, Sweden; (H.A.); (A.S.); (D.G.J.); (Y.P.d.C.); (M.L.)
| | - Karin Enell Smith
- Alligator Bioscience AB, 223 81 Lund, Sweden; (H.A.); (A.S.); (D.G.J.); (Y.P.d.C.); (M.L.)
| | - Malin Lindstedt
- Alligator Bioscience AB, 223 81 Lund, Sweden; (H.A.); (A.S.); (D.G.J.); (Y.P.d.C.); (M.L.)
- Department of Immunotechnology, Lund University, 223 81 Lund, Sweden
| | - Peter Ellmark
- Alligator Bioscience AB, 223 81 Lund, Sweden; (H.A.); (A.S.); (D.G.J.); (Y.P.d.C.); (M.L.)
- Department of Immunotechnology, Lund University, 223 81 Lund, Sweden
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Maeoka R, Nakazawa T, Matsuda R, Morimoto T, Shida Y, Yamada S, Nishimura F, Nakamura M, Nakagawa I, Park YS, Tsujimura T, Nakase H. Therapeutic Anti-KIR Antibody of 1-7F9 Attenuates the Antitumor Effects of Expanded and Activated Human Primary Natural Killer Cells on In Vitro Glioblastoma-like Cells and Orthotopic Tumors Derived Therefrom. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14183. [PMID: 37762486 PMCID: PMC10531877 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the leading malignant intracranial tumor, where prognosis for which has remained extremely poor for two decades. Immunotherapy has recently drawn attention as a cancer treatment, including for GBM. Natural killer (NK) cells are immune cells that attack cancer cells directly and produce antitumor immunity-related cytokines. The adoptive transfer of expanded and activated NK cells is expected to be a promising GBM immunotherapy. We previously established an efficient expansion method that produced highly purified, activated primary human NK cells, which we designated genuine induced NK cells (GiNKs). The GiNKs demonstrated antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo, which were less affected by blockade of the inhibitory checkpoint receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1). In the present study, we assessed the antitumor effects of GiNKs, both alone and combined with an antibody targeting killer Ig-like receptor 2DLs (KIR2DL1 and DL2/3, both inhibitory checkpoint receptors of NK cells) in vitro and in vivo with U87MG GBM-like cells and the T98G GBM cell line. Impedance-based real-time cell growth assays and apoptosis detection assays revealed that the GiNKs exhibited growth inhibitory effects on U87MG and T98G cells by inducing apoptosis. KIR2DL1 blockade attenuated the growth inhibition of the cell lines in vitro. The intracranial administration of GiNKs prolonged the overall survival of the U87MG-derived orthotopic xenograft brain tumor model. The KIR2DL1 blockade did not enhance the antitumor effects; rather, it attenuated it in the same manner as in the in vitro experiment. GiNK immunotherapy directly administered to the brain could be a promising immunotherapeutic alternative for patients with GBM. Furthermore, KIR2DL1 blockade appeared to require caution when used concomitantly with GiNKs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Maeoka
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
| | - Tsutomu Nakazawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
- Grandsoul Research Institute for Immunology, Inc., Uda 633-2221, Japan;
- Clinic Grandsoul Nara, Uda 633-2221, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Matsuda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
| | - Takayuki Morimoto
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
| | - Yoichi Shida
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
| | - Shuichi Yamada
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
| | - Fumihiko Nishimura
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
| | - Mitsutoshi Nakamura
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
- Clinic Grandsoul Nara, Uda 633-2221, Japan
| | - Ichiro Nakagawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
| | - Young-Soo Park
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
| | - Takahiro Tsujimura
- Grandsoul Research Institute for Immunology, Inc., Uda 633-2221, Japan;
- Clinic Grandsoul Nara, Uda 633-2221, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Nakase
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Nara 634-8521, Japan; (R.M.); (T.M.); (Y.S.); (S.Y.); (F.N.); (M.N.); (I.N.); (Y.-S.P.); (H.N.)
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Valipour B, Majidi G, Dizaji Asl K, Nozad Charoudeh H. Cord blood derived NK cells activated in counter with tumor cells. Cell Tissue Bank 2023; 24:551-560. [PMID: 36456837 DOI: 10.1007/s10561-022-10056-y] [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: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
NK cells are initially known for their ability to kill tumor cells with no prior sensitization. Production of mature and long lasting NK cells from Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) by using cytokines could be a promising method for immunotherapy. NK cells were generated from cord blood cells using IL2, IL7, and IL15 cytokines and measured expression of CD57 and NKp46 markers. Afterward, their capacity in the elimination of malignant cells (Reh cell line) was evaluated by assessment of interferon-γ (as cytokine production sign) and CD107-a expression (as cytotoxic function symptom) using flow cytometry. Our results showed efficient NKp46 + , and CD57 + NK cells generated on day 14. Also, expression of CD107-a and IFN-γ following co-culture with Reh cell lines significantly increased in comparison to the control. Taken together, we have reported one of the best culture conditions for the generation of CD57 + NK cells with on feeder cells and showed appropriate capacity in counter reh cell lines as a target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behnaz Valipour
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Sarab Faculty of Medical Sciences, Sarab, Iran
| | - Ghazal Majidi
- Stem Cell Research Centre, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Imam Reza St., Golgasht St., Tabriz, 5166614756, Iran
| | - Khadijeh Dizaji Asl
- Stem Cell Research Centre, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Imam Reza St., Golgasht St., Tabriz, 5166614756, Iran
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Jiang D, Zhang J, Mao Z, Shi J, Ma P. Driving natural killer cell-based cancer immunotherapy for cancer treatment: An arduous journey to promising ground. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 165:115004. [PMID: 37352703 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy represents one of the most effective strategies for cancer treatment. Recently, progress has been made in using natural killer (NK) cells for cancer therapy. NK cells can directly kill tumor cells without pre-sensitization and thus show promise in clinical applications, distinct from the use of T cells. Whereas, research and development on NK cell-based immunotherapy is still in its infancy, and enhancing the therapeutic effects of NK cells remains a key problem to be solved. An incompletely understanding of the mechanisms of action of NK cells, immune resistance in the tumor microenvironment, and obstacles associated with the delivery of therapeutic agents in vivo, represent three mountains that need to be scaled. Here, we firstly describe the mechanisms underlying the development, activity, and maturation of NK cells, and the formation of NK‑cell immunological synapses. Secondly, we discuss strategies for NK cell-based immunotherapy strategies, including adoptive transfer of NK cell therapy and treatment with cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, and immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting NK cells. Finally, we review the use of nanotechnology to overcome immune resistance, including enhancing the anti-tumor efficiency of chimeric antigen receptor-NK, cytokines and immunosuppressive-pathways inhibitors, promoting NK cell homing and developing NK cell-based nano-engagers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Jiang
- Department of Pharmacy, Henan Provincial People's Hospital; People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, China
| | - Jingya Zhang
- Patent Examination Cooperation (Henan) Center of the Patent office, China National Intellectual Property Administration, Henan 450046, China
| | - Zhenkun Mao
- Department of Pharmacy, Henan Provincial People's Hospital; People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, China
| | - Jinjin Shi
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Targeting Therapy and Diagnosis for Critical Diseases, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
| | - Peizhi Ma
- Department of Pharmacy, Henan Provincial People's Hospital; People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, China.
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Lv SJ, Sun JN, Gan L, Sun J. Identification of molecular subtypes and immune infiltration in endometriosis: a novel bioinformatics analysis and In vitro validation. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1130738. [PMID: 37662927 PMCID: PMC10471803 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1130738] [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: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Endometriosis is a worldwide gynacological diseases, affecting in 6-10% of women of reproductive age. The aim of this study was to investigate the gene network and potential signatures of immune infiltration in endometriosis. Methods The expression profiles of GSE51981, GSE6364, and GSE7305 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Core modules and central genes related to immune characteristics were identified using a weighted gene coexpression network analysis. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify central genes in immune infiltration. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was used to identify the hub genes. We then constructed subtypes of endometriosis samples and calculated their correlation with hub genes. qRTPCR and Western blotting were used to verify our findings. Results We identified 10 candidate hub genes (GZMB, PRF1, KIR2DL1, KIR2DL3, KIR3DL1, KIR2DL4, FGB, IGFBP1, RBP4, and PROK1) that were significantly correlated with immune infiltration. Our study established a detailed immune network and systematically elucidated the molecular mechanism underlying endometriosis from the aspect of immune infiltration. Discussion Our study provides comprehensive insights into the immunology involved in endometriosis and might contribute to the development of immunotherapy for endometriosis. Furthermore, our study sheds light on the underlying molecular mechanism of endometriosis and might help improve the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-ji Lv
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia-ni Sun
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lei Gan
- Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Ningbo First Hospital, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jing Sun
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Pasella M, Pisano F, Cannas B, Fanni A, Cocco E, Frau J, Lai F, Mocci S, Littera R, Giglio SR. Decision trees to evaluate the risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Front Neuroinform 2023; 17:1248632. [PMID: 37649987 PMCID: PMC10465164 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2023.1248632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a persistent neurological condition impacting the central nervous system (CNS). The precise cause of multiple sclerosis is still uncertain; however, it is thought to arise from a blend of genetic and environmental factors. MS diagnosis includes assessing medical history, conducting neurological exams, performing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and analyzing cerebrospinal fluid. While there is currently no cure for MS, numerous treatments exist to address symptoms, decelerate disease progression, and enhance the quality of life for individuals with MS. Methods This paper introduces a novel machine learning (ML) algorithm utilizing decision trees to address a key objective: creating a predictive tool for assessing the likelihood of MS development. It achieves this by combining prevalent demographic risk factors, specifically gender, with crucial immunogenetic risk markers, such as the alleles responsible for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules and the killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genes responsible for natural killer lymphocyte receptors. Results The study included 619 healthy controls and 299 patients affected by MS, all of whom originated from Sardinia. The gender feature has been disregarded due to its substantial bias in influencing the classification outcomes. By solely considering immunogenetic risk markers, the algorithm demonstrates an ability to accurately identify 73.24% of MS patients and 66.07% of individuals without the disease. Discussion Given its notable performance, this system has the potential to support clinicians in monitoring the relatives of MS patients and identifying individuals who are at an increased risk of developing the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Pasella
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Fabio Pisano
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Barbara Cannas
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Alessandra Fanni
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Eleonora Cocco
- Department of Medical Science and Public Health, Centro Sclerosi Multipla, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Jessica Frau
- Department of Medical Science and Public Health, Centro Sclerosi Multipla, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesco Lai
- Unit of Oncology and Molecular Pathology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Stefano Mocci
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
- Centre for Research University Services, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
| | - Roberto Littera
- AART-ODV (Association for the Advancement of Research on Transplantation), Cagliari, Italy
- Medical Genetics, R. Binaghi Hospital, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Sabrina Rita Giglio
- Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
- Centre for Research University Services, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Italy
- AART-ODV (Association for the Advancement of Research on Transplantation), Cagliari, Italy
- Medical Genetics, R. Binaghi Hospital, ASSL Cagliari, ATS Sardegna, Cagliari, Italy
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Al-Obeidi AF, Nowatzky J. Immunopathogenesis of Behçet's disease. Clin Immunol 2023; 253:109661. [PMID: 37295542 PMCID: PMC10484394 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2023.109661] [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: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Behçet's disease (BD) is a multi-system inflammatory disorder with vasculitic features. It does not suit any of the current pathogenesis-driven disease classifications well, a unifying concept of its pathogenesis is not unanimously conceivable at present, and its etiology is obscure. Still, evidence from immunogenetic and other studies supports the notion of a complex-polygenic disease with robust innate effector responses, reconstitution of regulatory T cells upon successful treatment, and first clues to the role of an, as of yet, underexplored adaptive immune system and its antigen recognition receptors. Without an attempt to be comprehensive, this review aims to collect and organize impactful parts of this evidence in a way that allows the reader to appreciate the work done and define the efforts needed now. The focus is on literature and notions that drove the field into new directions, whether recent or more remote.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arshed F Al-Obeidi
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Johannes Nowatzky
- New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, New York, NY, USA; New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, USA; New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, NYU Langone Ocular Rheumatology Program, New York, NY, USA; New York University Grossman School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, NYU Langone Center for Behçet's Disease, New York, NY, USA.
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Mirzazadeh S, Bemani P, Halimi H, Sanaee MN, Karami N, Ramzi M, Farjadian S. Association of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors and their cognate HLA class I ligands with susceptibility to acute myeloid leukemia in Iranian patients. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11456. [PMID: 37454198 PMCID: PMC10349836 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38479-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is one of the most prevalent leukemia in adults. Among the various NK receptors, killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) carry out indispensable roles in NK cell development and function through engaging with class I human leukocyte antigens (HLA-I) as their ligands. Besides divergent KIR and HLA loci, KIR/HLA-I combinations have a significant effect on NK cell response. In this case-control study, we aimed to verify the association of KIR/HLA-I combinations with susceptibility to AML in the Southwestern Iranian population. KIR and HLA genotyping was performed with PCR-SSP by some novel primers for 181 patients with AML and 181 healthy controls. According to our results, the frequencies of KIR3DS1 (p = 0.0001, OR = 2.32, 95% CI 1.51-3.58), KIR2DS4fl (p = 0.02, OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.05-2.21), CxT4 genotypes (p = 0.03, OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.05-3.82), and T4 gene cluster (p = 0.01, OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.17-3.41) were significantly higher in patients than controls, while C1/C2 genotype (p = 0.00002, OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.25-0.61), HLA-A Bw4 (p = 0.02, OR = 0.6, 95% CI 0.38-0.94), and HLA-A*11 (p = 0.03, OR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.34-0.95) alleles were more frequent in controls. In addition, inhibitory (i)KIR/HLA-I combinations analysis revealed higher frequencies of KIR2DL1( +)/HLA-C2( +), KIR2DL2/3( +)/HLA-C1( +), KIR3DL1( +)/HLA-A Bw4( +), and KIR3DL2( +)/HLA-A*03/11( +) in the control group (p = 0.002, OR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.3-0.78; p = 0.04, OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.99; p = 0.04, OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.4-0.99; and p = 0.03, OR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.4-0.95, respectively). Overall, the number of iKIR/HLA-I combinations was more in the control group. Moreover, KIR3DS1( +)/HLA-B Bw4Ile80( +) and the sum of HLA-B Bw4/A Bw4 combined with KIR3DS1 as activating KIR/HLA-I combinations were more frequent among patients than controls (p = 0.01, OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.14-3.49 and p = 0.005, OR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.22-3.19, respectively). In conclusion, our results postulate that inhibitory combinations play a protective role against AML by developing potent NK cells during education. It is noteworthy that KIR/HLA-I combination studies can be applicable in donor selection for allogeneic NK cell therapy in hematological malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Mirzazadeh
- Department of Immunology, Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Peyman Bemani
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Hossein Halimi
- Department of Immunology, Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Nabi Sanaee
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Narges Karami
- Department of Immunology, Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mani Ramzi
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Shirin Farjadian
- Department of Immunology, Shiraz Medical School, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Beelen NA, Aberle MR, Bruno V, Olde Damink SWM, Bos GMJ, Rensen SS, Wieten L. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity-inducing antibodies enhance the natural killer cell anti-cancer response against patient-derived pancreatic cancer organoids. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1133796. [PMID: 37520563 PMCID: PMC10375290 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1133796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Pancreatic cancer is associated with poor prognosis, and limited treatment options are available for the majority of patients. Natural killer (NK) cells in combination with antibodies inducing antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) could be a highly effective new therapeutic option in pancreatic cancer. Accurate predictive preclinical models are needed to develop successful NK cell immunotherapy. Tumor organoids, in vitro 3D organ-like structures that retain important pathophysiological characteristics of the in vivo tumor, may provide such a model. In the current study, we assessed the cytotoxic potential of adoptive NK cells against human pancreatic cancer organoids. We hypothesized that NK cell anti-tumor responses could be enhanced by including ADCC-triggering antibodies. Methods We performed cytotoxicity assays with healthy donor-derived IL-2-activated NK cells and pancreatic cancer organoids from four patients. A 3D cytotoxicity assay using live-cell-imaging was developed and enabled real-time assessment of the response. Results We show that NK cells migrate to and target pancreatic cancer organoids, resulting in an increased organoid death, compared to the no NK cell controls (reaching an average fold change from baseline of 2.1±0.8 vs 1.4±0.6). After 24-hours of co-culture, organoid 2D growth increased. Organoids from 2 out of 4 patients were sensitive to NK cells, while organoids from the other two patients were relatively resistant, indicating patient-specific heterogeneity among organoid cultures. The ADCC-inducing antibodies avelumab (anti-PD-L1) and trastuzumab (anti-HER2) increased NK cell-induced organoid cell death (reaching an average fold change from baseline of 3.5±1.0 and 4.5±1.8, respectively). Moreover, combination therapy with avelumab or trastuzumab resulted in complete disintegration of organoids. Finally, inclusion of ADCC-inducing antibodies was able to overcome resistance in NK-organoid combinations with low or no kill. Discussion These results support the use of organoids as a relevant and personalized model to study the anti-tumor response of NK cells in vitro and the potential of ADCC-inducing antibodies to enhance NK cell effector function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicky A. Beelen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, Netherlands
- GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Merel R. Aberle
- Department of Surgery and School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Virginia Bruno
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Steven W. M. Olde Damink
- Department of Surgery and School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Department of General, Visceral- and Transplantation Surgery, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Gerard M. J. Bos
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, Netherlands
- GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Sander S. Rensen
- Department of Surgery and School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Lotte Wieten
- GROW-School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, Netherlands
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Lee G, Schauner R, Burke J, Borocz J, Vasana S, Sobieraj L, Giraudo M, Jackson Z, Ansari Q, Navas M, Sakr H, Wald D. NK cells from COVID-19 positive patients exhibit enhanced cytotoxic activity upon NKG2A and KIR2DL1 blockade. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1022890. [PMID: 37483595 PMCID: PMC10360118 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1022890] [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: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic leading to significant morbidity and mortality. There is a need to elucidate and further understand the implications of COVID-19 disease on the immune system to develop improved therapeutic strategies. In particular, Natural Killer (NK) cells play an essential role in mediating the innate immune response against viral infections. To better understand the role of innate immunity in COVID-19, we characterized the phenotype of circulating NK cells from 74 COVID-19 patients and 25 controls. Through evaluating the protein expression of activating and inhibitory NK cell surface molecules using dimension reduction analysis and clustering, we identified 4 specific clusters of NK cells specific to disease state (COVID-19 positive or COVID-19 negative) and characterized COVID-19 positive NK cells as: NGK2A+KIR2DL1+NKG2C-. Utilizing blocking antibodies specific for receptors NKG2A and KIR2DL1, we found that both NKG2A and KIR2DL1 blockade markedly enhances the ability of NK cells from COVID-19 positive patients to lyse SARS-Cov-2 infected cells. Overall, this study reveals new insights into NK cell phenotypes during SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggests a therapeutic approach worthy of further investigation to enhance NK cell-mediated responses against the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Lee
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Robert Schauner
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Juanita Burke
- Department of Pathology, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Jade Borocz
- Department of Pathology, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Smitha Vasana
- Department of Pediatrics, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Lukasz Sobieraj
- Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Downers Grove, IL, United States
| | - Maria Giraudo
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Zachary Jackson
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Qasim Ansari
- Department of Pathology, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Maria Navas
- Department of Pathology, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Hany Sakr
- Department of Pathology, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - David Wald
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
- Department of Pathology, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, United States
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Maurer K, Soiffer RJ. The delicate balance of graft versus leukemia and graft versus host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Expert Rev Hematol 2023; 16:943-962. [PMID: 37906445 PMCID: PMC11195539 DOI: 10.1080/17474086.2023.2273847] [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: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The curative basis of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) relies in part upon the graft versus leukemia (GvL) effect, whereby donor immune cells recognize and eliminate recipient malignant cells. However, alloreactivity of donor cells against recipient tissues may also be deleterious. Chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD) is an immunologic phenomenon wherein alloreactive donor T cells aberrantly react against host tissues, leading to damaging inflammatory symptoms. AREAS COVERED Here, we discuss biological insights into GvL and cGvHD and strategies to balance the prevention of GvHD with maintenance of GvL in modern HSCT. EXPERT OPINION/COMMENTARY Relapse remains the leading cause of mortality after HSCT with rates as high as 40% for some diseases. GvHD is a major cause of morbidity after HSCT, occurring in up to half of patients and responsible for 15-20% of deaths after HSCT. Intriguingly, the development of chronic GvHD may be linked to lower relapse rates after HSCT, suggesting that GvL and GvHD may be complementary sides of the immunologic foundation of HSCT. The ability to fine tune the balance of GvL and GvHD will lead to improvements in survival, relapse rates, and quality of life for patients undergoing HSCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Maurer
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert J Soiffer
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Schorr C, Krishnan MS, Capitano M. Deficits in our understanding of natural killer cell development in mouse and human. Curr Opin Hematol 2023; 30:106-116. [PMID: 37074304 PMCID: PMC10239331 DOI: 10.1097/moh.0000000000000765] [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] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of immune cell that play a crucial role in the defense against cancer and viral infections. The development and maturation of NK cells is a complex process, involving the coordination of various signaling pathways, transcription factors, and epigenetic modifications. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in studying the development of NK cells. In this review, we discuss the field's current understanding of the journey a hematopoietic stem cell takes to become a fully mature NK cell and detail the sequential steps and regulation of conventional NK leukopoiesis in both mice and humans. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies have highlighted the significance of defining NK development stages. Several groups report differing schema to identify NK cell development and new findings demonstrate novel ways to classify NK cells. Further investigation of NK cell biology and development is needed, as multiomic analysis reveals a large diversity in NK cell development pathways. SUMMARY We provide an overview of current knowledge on the development of NK cells, including the various stages of differentiation, the regulation of development, and the maturation of NK cells in both mice and humans. A deeper understanding of NK cell development has the potential to provide insights into new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Schorr
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
| | - Maya Shraddha Krishnan
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Maegan Capitano
- Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
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Mu Y, Tong J, Wang Y, Yang Y, Wu X. Case Report: Cord blood-derived natural killer cells as new potential immunotherapy drug for solid tumor: a case study for endometrial cancer. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1213161. [PMID: 37457710 PMCID: PMC10348479 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1213161] [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: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of natural killer (NK) cells represents a viable treatment method for patients with advanced malignancies. Our team previously developed a simple, safe, and cost-effective method for obtaining high yields of pure and functional NK cells from cord blood (CB) without the need for cell sorting, feeder cells, or multiple cytokines. We present the case of a 52-year-old female patient diagnosed with poorly differentiated stage IVB (T3N2M1) endometrial cancer, who exhibited leukemoid reaction and pretreatment thrombocytosis as paraneoplastic syndromes. The patient received two courses of CB-derived NK (CB-NK) cell immunotherapy between March and September 2022, due to her extremely low NK cell activity. Two available CB units matched at 8/10 HLA with KIR-mismatch were chosen, and we were able to produce NK cells with high yield (>1.0×1010 NK cells), purity (>90%), and function (>80%) from CB without cell sorting, feeder cells, or multiple cytokines. These cells were then adoptively transferred to the patient. No adverse effects or graft-versus-host disease were observed after infusion of CB-NK cells. Our clinical experience supports the efficacy of CB-NK cell treatment in increasing NK cell activity, depleting tumor activity, improving quality of life, and reducing the size of abdominal and pelvic masses with the disappearance of multiple lymph node metastases through the regulation of systemic antitumor immunity. Remarkably, the white blood cell and platelet counts decreased to normal levels after CB-NK cell immunotherapy. This clinical work suggests that CB-NK cell immunotherapy holds promise as a therapeutic approach for endometrial cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongxu Mu
- Department of Interventional, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, China
| | - Jiabei Tong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yujun Wang
- Department of Technology, Beijing Stem Cell(ProterCell) Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Yuxiao Yang
- Department of Technology, Inner Mongolia Stem Cell(ProterCell) Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hohhot, China
- Department of Technology, Research Center for Hua-Da Precision Medicine of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot, China
| | - Xiaoyun Wu
- Department of Interventional, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, China
- Department of Technology, Beijing Stem Cell(ProterCell) Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
- Department of Technology, Inner Mongolia Stem Cell(ProterCell) Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hohhot, China
- Department of Technology, Research Center for Hua-Da Precision Medicine of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot, China
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Parodi M, Astigiano S, Carrega P, Pietra G, Vitale C, Damele L, Grottoli M, Guevara Lopez MDLL, Ferracini R, Bertolini G, Roato I, Vitale M, Orecchia P. Murine models to study human NK cells in human solid tumors. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1209237. [PMID: 37388731 PMCID: PMC10301748 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1209237] [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: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the first studies, the mouse models have provided crucial support for the most important discoveries on NK cells, on their development, function, and circulation within normal and tumor tissues. Murine tumor models were initially set to study murine NK cells, then, ever more sophisticated human-in-mice models have been developed to investigate the behavior of human NK cells and minimize the interferences from the murine environment. This review presents an overview of the models that have been used along time to study NK cells, focusing on the most popular NOG and NSG models, which work as recipients for the preparation of human-in-mice tumor models, the study of transferred human NK cells, and the evaluation of various enhancers of human NK cell function, including cytokines and chimeric molecules. Finally, an overview of the next generation humanized mice is also provided along with a discussion on how traditional and innovative in-vivo and in-vitro approaches could be integrated to optimize effective pre-clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Parodi
- Unità Operativa UO Patologia e Immunologia Sperimentale, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Simonetta Astigiano
- Animal Facility, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Paolo Carrega
- Laboratory of Immunology and Biotherapy, Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Gabriella Pietra
- Unità Operativa UO Patologia e Immunologia Sperimentale, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Chiara Vitale
- Unità Operativa UO Patologia e Immunologia Sperimentale, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Laura Damele
- Unità Operativa UO Patologia e Immunologia Sperimentale, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Melania Grottoli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Università di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Ferracini
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Bone and Dental Bioengineering Laboratory, C.I.R Dental School, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Department of Surgical Sciences (DISC), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giulia Bertolini
- “Epigenomics and Biomarkers of Solid Tumors”, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Ilaria Roato
- Department of Surgical Sciences, Bone and Dental Bioengineering Laboratory, C.I.R Dental School, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Massimo Vitale
- Unità Operativa UO Patologia e Immunologia Sperimentale, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Paola Orecchia
- Unità Operativa UO Patologia e Immunologia Sperimentale, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
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Su Q, Du J, Xiong X, Xie X, Wang L. B7-H7: A potential target for cancer immunotherapy. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 121:110403. [PMID: 37290327 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy enhances the body's immunity against tumors by mitigating immune escape. Compared with traditional chemotherapy, immunotherapy has the advantages of fewer drugs, a wider range of action and fewer side effects. B7-H7 (also known as HHLA2, B7y) is a member of the B7 family of costimulatory molecules that was discovered more than 20 years ago. B7-H7 is mostly expressed in organs such as the breast, intestine, gallbladder and placenta and is detected predominantly in monocytes/macrophages in the immune system. Its expression is upregulated after stimulation by inflammatory factors such as lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ. B7-H7/transmembrane and immunoglobulin domain containing 2 (TMIGD2) and killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor, three Ig domains and long cytoplasmic tail 3 (KIR3DL3)-B7-H7 are the two currently confirmed signaling pathways for B7-H7. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that B7-H7 is widely present in a variety of human tumor tissues, especially in programmed cell death-1 (PD-L1)-negative human tumors. B7-H7 promotes tumor progression, disrupts T-cell-mediated antitumor immunity, and inhibits immune surveillance. B7-H7 also triggers tumor immune escape and is associated with clinical stage, depth of tumor infiltration, metastasis, prognosis, and survival related to different tumor types. Multiple studies have shown that B7-H7 is a promising immunotherapeutic target. Herein, review the current literature on the expression, regulation, receptors and function of B7-H7 and its regulation/function in tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanping Su
- Central Laboratory, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Health Commission of Shandong Province, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Linyi Key Laboratory of Tumor Biology, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Key Laboratory for Translational Oncology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jingyi Du
- Central Laboratory, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; School of Cinical Medicine, Shandong First Medical Universiy & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
| | - Xingfang Xiong
- Central Laboratory, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Institute of Clinical Medicine College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Xiaoli Xie
- Central Laboratory, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Health Commission of Shandong Province, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Linyi Key Laboratory of Tumor Biology, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Key Laboratory for Translational Oncology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Lijuan Wang
- Central Laboratory, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Health Commission of Shandong Province, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Linyi Key Laboratory of Tumor Biology, Linyi, Shandong Province, China; Key Laboratory for Translational Oncology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China; Department of Hematology, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, Shandong Province, China.
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48
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Mora-Bitria L, Asquith B. Innate receptors modulating adaptive T cell responses: KIR-HLA interactions and T cell-mediated control of chronic viral infections. Immunogenetics 2023; 75:269-282. [PMID: 36719466 PMCID: PMC9887252 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-023-01293-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are mainly expressed on natural killer (NK) cells and are key regulators of innate immune responses. NK cells are the first responders in the face of infection and help promote placentation during pregnancy; the importance of KIRs in these NK-mediated processes is well-established. However, mounting evidence suggests that KIRs also have a prominent and long-lasting effect on the adaptive immune system. Here, we review the evidence for the impact of KIRs on T cell responses with a focus on the clinical significance of this interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Mora-Bitria
- Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Becca Asquith
- Department of Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Song L, Bai G, Liu XS, Li B, Li H. Efficient and accurate KIR and HLA genotyping with massively parallel sequencing data. Genome Res 2023; 33:923-931. [PMID: 37169596 PMCID: PMC10519407 DOI: 10.1101/gr.277585.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Killer cell immunoglobulin like receptor (KIR) genes and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes play important roles in innate and adaptive immunity. They are highly polymorphic and cannot be genotyped with standard variant calling pipelines. Compared with HLA genes, many KIR genes are similar to each other in sequences and may be absent in the chromosomes. Therefore, although many tools have been developed to genotype HLA genes using common sequencing data, none of them work for KIR genes. Even specialized KIR genotypers could not resolve all the KIR genes. Here we describe T1K, a novel computational method for the efficient and accurate inference of KIR or HLA alleles from RNA-seq, whole-genome sequencing, or whole-exome sequencing data. T1K jointly considers alleles across all genotyped genes, so it can reliably identify present genes and distinguish homologous genes, including the challenging KIR2DL5A/KIR2DL5B genes. This model also benefits HLA genotyping, where T1K achieves high accuracy in benchmarks. Moreover, T1K can call novel single-nucleotide variants and process single-cell data. Applying T1K to tumor single-cell RNA-seq data, we found that KIR2DL4 expression was enriched in tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. T1K may open the opportunity for HLA and KIR genotyping across various sequencing applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Song
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Gali Bai
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - X Shirley Liu
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
| | - Bo Li
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390, USA
| | - Heng Li
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA;
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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50
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Rubino V, Carriero F, Palatucci AT, Giovazzino A, Leone S, Nicolella V, Calabrò M, Montanaro R, Brancaleone V, Pane F, Chiurazzi F, Ruggiero G, Terrazzano G. Adaptive and Innate Cytotoxic Effectors in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) Subjects with Stable Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24119596. [PMID: 37298547 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is characterised by the expansion of a neoplastic mature B cell clone. CLL clinical outcome is very heterogeneous, with some subjects never requiring therapy and some showing an aggressive disease. Genetic and epigenetic alterations and pro-inflammatory microenvironment influence CLL progression and prognosis. The involvement of immune-mediated mechanisms in CLL control needs to be investigated. We analyse the activation profile of innate and adaptive cytotoxic immune effectors in a cohort of 26 CLL patients with stable disease, as key elements for immune-mediated control of cancer progression. We observed an increase in CD54 expression and interferon (IFN)-γ production by cytotoxic T cells (CTL). CTL ability to recognise tumour-targets depends on human leukocyte antigens (HLA)-class I expression. We observed a decreased expression of HLA-A and HLA-BC on B cells of CLL subjects, associated with a significant reduction in intracellular calnexin that is relevant for HLA surface expression. Natural killer (NK) cells and CTL from CLL subjects show an increased expression of the activating receptor KIR2DS2 and a reduction of 3DL1 and NKG2A inhibiting molecules. Therefore, an activation profile characterises CTL and NK cells of CLL subjects with stable disease. This profile is conceivable with the functional involvement of cytotoxic effectors in CLL control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Rubino
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Flavia Carriero
- Department of Science, University of Basilicata, 85100 Potenza, Italy
| | | | - Angela Giovazzino
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Stefania Leone
- Division of Hematology, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Valerio Nicolella
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Martina Calabrò
- Division of Hematology, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | | | | | - Fabrizio Pane
- Division of Hematology, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Federico Chiurazzi
- Division of Hematology, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Ruggiero
- Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
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