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Xu Y, Wu KC, Jiang W, Hou Y, Cheow LF, Lee VHF, Chen CH. Single-Cell Secretion Analysis via Microfluidic Cell Membrane Immunosorbent Assay for Immune Profiling. Anal Chem 2024; 96:49-58. [PMID: 38109488 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Single-cell multiplexed phenotypic analysis expands the biomarkers for diagnosis, heralding a new era of precision medicine. Cell secretions are the primary measures of immune function, but single-cell screening remains challenging. Here, a novel cell membrane-based assay was developed using cholesterol-linked antibodies (CLAbs), integrating immunosorbent assays and droplet microfluidics to develop a flexible high-throughput single-cell secretion assay for multiplexed phenotyping. CLAb-grafted single cells were encapsulated in water-in-oil droplets to capture their own secretions. Subsequently, the cells were extracted from droplets for fluorescence labeling and screening. Multiple secretions and surface proteins were simultaneously measured from single cells by flow cytometry. To validate the approach, THP-1 cells, THP-1-derived M1 macrophages, and dendritic cells were assayed, indicating the differentiation efficiency of THP-1 cells under different chemical stimulations. Moreover, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors under various stimuli showed varied active immune cell populations (6.62-47.14%). The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were analyzed to identify a higher percentage of actively cytokine-secreted single cells in the basal state (2.82 ± 1.48%), compared with that in the health donors (0.70 ± 0.29%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Ka-Chun Wu
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Wenxin Jiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Yi Hou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Lih Feng Cheow
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117583, Singapore
| | - Victor Ho-Fun Lee
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Chia-Hung Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen 518057, China
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Zheng D, Zhang J, Jiang W, Xu Y, Meng H, Poh CL, Chen CH. Graphene oxide aptasensor droplet assay for detection of metabolites secreted by single cells applied to synthetic biology. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 24:137-147. [PMID: 38054213 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00959a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology harnesses the power of natural microbes by re-engineering metabolic pathways to manufacture desired compounds. Droplet technology has emerged as a high-throughput tool to screen single cells for synthetic biology, while the challenges in sensitive flexible single-cell secretion assay for bioproduction of high-value chemicals remained. Here, a novel droplet modifiable graphene oxide (GO) aptasensor was developed, enabling sensitive flexible detection of different target compounds secreted from single cells. Fluorophore-labeled aptamers were stably anchored on GO through π-π stacking interactions to minimize the non-specific interactions for low-background detection of target compounds with high signal-to-noise ratios. The assay's versatility was exhibited by adapting aptamer sequences to measure metabolic secretions like ATP and naringenin. To show the case, engineered E. coli were constructed for the bioproduction of naringenin. The high signal-to-noise ratio assay (∼2.72) was approached to precisely measure the naringenins secreted from single E. coli in the droplets. Consequently, secretory cells (Gib) were clearly distinguished from wild-type (WT) cells, with a low overlap in cell populations (∼0%) for bioproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Zheng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, 117583, Singapore.
| | - Jingyun Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, 117583, Singapore.
| | - Wenxin Jiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Ying Xu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Haixu Meng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Chueh Loo Poh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, 117583, Singapore.
| | - Chia-Hung Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China.
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen Virtual University Park, Shenzhen, China
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Gong Z, Li Q, Shi J, Li P, Hua L, Shultz LD, Ren G. Immunosuppressive reprogramming of neutrophils by lung mesenchymal cells promotes breast cancer metastasis. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eadd5204. [PMID: 36800412 PMCID: PMC10067025 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.add5204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
Neutrophils, the most abundant innate immune cells, function as crucial regulators of the adaptive immune system in diverse pathological conditions, including metastatic cancer. However, it remains largely unknown whether their immunomodulatory functions are intrinsic or acquired within the pathological tissue environment. Here, using mouse models of metastatic breast cancer in the lungs, we show that, although neutrophils isolated from bone marrow (BM) or blood are minimally immunosuppressive, lung-infiltrating neutrophils are robustly suppressive of both T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. We found that this tissue-specific immunosuppressive capacity of neutrophils exists in the steady state and is reinforced by tumor-associated inflammation. Acquisition of potent immunosuppression activity by lung-infiltrating neutrophils was endowed by the lung-resident stroma, specifically CD140a+ mesenchymal cells (MCs) and largely via prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), the rate-limiting enzyme for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) biosynthesis. MC-specific deletion of Ptgs2 or pharmacological inhibition of PGE2 receptors reversed lung neutrophil-mediated immunosuppression and mitigated lung metastasis of breast cancer in vivo. These lung stroma-targeting strategies substantially improved the therapeutic efficacy of adoptive T cell-based immunotherapy in treating metastatic disease in mice. Collectively, our results reveal that the immunoregulatory effects of neutrophils are induced by tissue-resident stroma and that targeting tissue-specific stromal factors represents an effective approach to boost tissue-resident immunity against metastatic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Gong
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Qing Li
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Jiayuan Shi
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Peishan Li
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Li Hua
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | | | - Guangwen Ren
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
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Gong Z, Li Q, Shi J, Liu ET, Shultz LD, Ren G. Lipid-laden lung mesenchymal cells foster breast cancer metastasis via metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells and natural killer cells. Cell Metab 2022; 34:1960-1976.e9. [PMID: 36476935 PMCID: PMC9819197 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
While the distant organ environment is known to support metastasis of primary tumors, its metabolic roles in this process remain underdetermined. Here, in breast cancer models, we found lung-resident mesenchymal cells (MCs) accumulating neutral lipids at the pre-metastatic stage. This was partially mediated by interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-induced hypoxia-inducible lipid droplet-associated (HILPDA) that subsequently represses adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) activity in lung MCs. MC-specific ablation of the ATGL or HILPDA genes in mice reinforced and reduced lung metastasis of breast cancer respectively, suggesting a metastasis-promoting effect of lipid-laden MCs. Mechanistically, lipid-laden MCs transported their lipids to tumor cells and natural killer (NK) cells via exosome-like vesicles, leading to heightened tumor cell survival and proliferation and NK cell dysfunction. Blockage of IL-1β, which was effective singly, improved the efficacy of adoptive NK cell immunotherapy in mitigating lung metastasis. Collectively, lung MCs metabolically regulate tumor cells and anti-tumor immunity to facilitate breast cancer lung metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Gong
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Qing Li
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Jiayuan Shi
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Edison T Liu
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | | | - Guangwen Ren
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA; Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA.
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Gong Z, Li Q, Shi J, Wei J, Li P, Chang CH, Shultz LD, Ren G. Lung fibroblasts facilitate pre-metastatic niche formation by remodeling the local immune microenvironment. Immunity 2022; 55:1483-1500.e9. [PMID: 35908547 PMCID: PMC9830653 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Primary tumors are drivers of pre-metastatic niche formation, but the coordination by the secondary organ toward metastatic dissemination is underappreciated. Here, by single-cell RNA sequencing and immunofluorescence, we identified a population of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2)-expressing adventitial fibroblasts that remodeled the lung immune microenvironment. At steady state, fibroblasts in the lungs produced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), which drove dysfunctional dendritic cells (DCs) and suppressive monocytes. This lung-intrinsic stromal program was propagated by tumor-associated inflammation, particularly the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β, supporting a pre-metastatic niche. Genetic ablation of Ptgs2 (encoding COX-2) in fibroblasts was sufficient to reverse the immune-suppressive phenotypes of lung-resident myeloid cells, resulting in heightened immune activation and diminished lung metastasis in multiple breast cancer models. Moreover, the anti-metastatic activity of DC-based therapy and PD-1 blockade was improved by fibroblast-specific Ptgs2 deletion or dual inhibition of PGE2 receptors EP2 and EP4. Collectively, lung-resident fibroblasts reshape the local immune landscape to facilitate breast cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Gong
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Qing Li
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Jiayuan Shi
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Jian Wei
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Peishan Li
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA
| | - Chih-Hao Chang
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA; Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | | | - Guangwen Ren
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA; Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA.
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