Human B Cells Mediate Innate Anti-Cancer Cytotoxicity Through Concurrent Engagement of Multiple TNF Superfamily Ligands

Unravelling the Complexity of HNSCC Using Single-Cell Transcriptomics

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a highly heterogeneous and the most common form of head and neck cancer, posing significant challenges for disease management. The objective of this review is to assess the utility of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) in addressing these challenges by enabling a detailed characterization of the tumor microenvironment (TME) at the cellular level.

METHODS

This review compiles and analyzes current strategies that utilize scRNAseq and other single-cell technologies in HNSCC research.

RESULTS

For HNSCC etiology, scRNAseq allows for the construction of cellular atlases, characterization of different cell types, and investigation of genes and processes involved in cancer initiation, development, and progression within the TME. In terms of HNSCC diagnosis and prognosis, the resolution offered by scRNAseq enables the identification of cell type-specific signatures, enhancing prognostic models and disease stratifiers for patient outcome assessments. Regarding HNSCC treatment, scRNAseq provides insights into cellular responses to various treatments, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, contributing to a better understanding of treatment efficacy and patient outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

This review highlights the contributions of scRNAseq to HNSCC research, addressing its cellular and biological complexity, and emphasizes its potential for advancing research and clinical practice in other cancer types.

Clinical Efficacy of the HIV Protease Inhibitor Indinavir in Combination with Chemotherapy for Advanced Classic Kaposi Sarcoma Treatment: A Single-Arm, Phase II Trial in the Elderly

Kaposi sarcoma is a rare angioproliferative disease associated with human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) infection. Kaposi sarcoma is frequent and aggressive in HIV-infected people, whereas the classic form (CKS) generally has an indolent course. Notably, all conventional therapies against Kaposi sarcoma have only temporary efficacy. We have previously shown that indinavir, a HIV protease-inhibitor with direct antiangiogenic and antitumor activity, is safe and effective in patients with early CKS, whereas effects are less prominent in advanced disease, probably due to the larger tumor mass. Therefore, the clinical response to indinavir was assessed in patients with advanced CKS after debulking chemotherapy. This was a monocentric phase 2 trial in elderly with progressive/advanced CKS treated with debulking chemotherapy and indinavir combined, followed by a maintenance phase with indinavir alone. Secondary endpoints included safety and Kaposi sarcoma biomarker evaluation.All evaluable patients (22) responded to debulking therapy. Out of these, 16 entered the indinavir maintenance phase. The overall response rate at end of maintenance was 75% (estimated median response-duration 43 months). Moreover, most responders showed further clinical improvements (lesion number/nodularity) during maintenance and post-treatment follow-up. Notably, after relapse, progressors did not require systemic Kaposi sarcoma therapy and showed clinical improvements (including disease stabilization) remaining on study. Responders also showed immune status amelioration with a consistent B-cell increase and positive changes of other biomarkers, including anti-HHV-8 natural killer activity. In advanced CKS a strategy combining indinavir and chemotherapy is safe and associated with high and durable response rates and it could be rapidly adopted for the clinical management of these patients.

SIGNIFICANCE

This phase-2 trial showed that the HIV protease inhibitor indinavir may boost and extend the duration of the effects of chemotherapy in elderly with advanced progressive classic Kaposi sarcoma, without additional toxicity. Further, the amelioration of the immune status seen in responders suggests a better control of HHV-8 infection and tumor-cell killing. Thus, indinavir combined with chemotherapy may represent an important tool for the clinical management of classic Kaposi sarcoma in elderly patients.

Identification and validation of anoikis-related lncRNAs for prognostic significance and immune microenvironment characterization in ovarian cancer

Anoikis, a form of apoptotic cell death resulting from inadequate cell-matrix interactions, has been implicated in tumor progression by regulating tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. However, the potential roles of anoikis-related long non-coding RNAs (arlncRNAs) in the tumor microenvironment are not well understood. In this study, five candidate lncRNAs were screened through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression analysis based on differentially expressed lncRNAs associated with anoikis-related genes (ARGs) from TCGA and GSE40595 datasets. The prognostic accuracy of the risk model was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analyses revealed significant differences in immune-related hallmarks and signal transduction pathways between the high-risk and low-risk groups. Additionally, immune infiltrate analysis showed significant differences in the distribution of macrophages M2, follicular T helper cells, plasma cells, and neutrophils between the two risk groups. Lastly, silencing the expression of PRR34_AS1 and SPAG5_AS1 significantly increased anoikis-induced cell death in ovarian cancer cells. In conclusion, our study constructed a risk model that can predict clinicopathological features, tumor microenvironment characteristics, and prognosis of ovarian cancer patients. The immune-related pathways identified in this study may offer new treatment strategies for ovarian cancer.

Single-cell transcriptome sequencing of B-cell heterogeneity and tertiary lymphoid structure predicts breast cancer prognosis and neoadjuvant therapy efficacy

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC) is a highly heterogeneous disease, and although immunotherapy has recently increased patient survival in a number of solid and hematologic malignancies, most BC subtypes respond poorly to immune checkpoint blockade therapy (ICB). B cells, particularly those that congregate in tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), play a significant role in antitumour immunity. However, B-cell heterogeneity at single-cell resolution and its clinical significance with TLS in BC need to be explored further.

METHODS

Primary tumour lesions and surrounding normal tissues were taken from 14 BC patients, totaling 124,587 cells, for single-cell transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis.

RESULTS

Based on the usual markers, the single-cell transcriptome profiles were classified into various clusters. A thorough single-cell study was conducted with a focus on tumour-infiltrating B cells (TIL-B) and tumour-associated neutrophils (TAN). TIL-B was divided into five clusters, and unusual cell types, such as follicular B cells, which are strongly related to immunotherapy efficacy, were identified. In BC, TAN and TIL-B infiltration are positively correlated, and at the same time, compared with TLS-high, TAN and TIL-B in TLS-low group are significantly positively correlated.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, our study highlights the heterogeneity of B cells in BC, explains how B cells and TLS contribute significantly to antitumour immunity at both the single-cell and clinical level, and offers a straightforward marker for TLS called CD23. These results will offer more pertinent information on the applicability and effectiveness of tumour immunotherapy for BC.

Improving head and neck cancer therapies by immunomodulation of the tumour microenvironment

Targeted immunotherapy has improved patient survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but less than 20% of patients produce a durable response to these treatments. Thus, new immunotherapies that consider all key players of the complex HNSCC tumour microenvironment (TME) are necessary to further enhance tumour-specific T cell responses in patients. HNSCC is an ideal tumour type in which to evaluate immune and non-immune cell differences because of two distinct TME aetiologies (human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative disease), multiple anatomic sites for tumour growth, and clear distinctions between patients with locally advanced disease and those with recurrent and/or metastatic disease. Recent technological and scientific advancements have provided a more complete picture of all cellular constituents within this complex TME and have evaluated the interplay of both immune and non-immune cells within HNSCC. Here, we include a comprehensive analysis of the complete ecosystem of the HNSCC TME, performed utilizing data-rich resources such as The Cancer Genome Atlas, and cutting-edge techniques, such as single-cell RNA sequencing, high-dimensional flow cytometry and spatial multispectral imaging, to generate improved treatment strategies for this diverse disease.

Human papillomavirus infection can alter the level of tumour stemness and T cell infiltration in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) usually has a poor prognosis and is associated with a high mortality rate. Its etiology is mainly the result from long-term exposure to either alcohol, tobacco or human papillomavirus (HPV) infection or a combination of these insults. However, HNSCC patients with HPV have been found to show a survival advantage over those without the virus, but the mechanism that confers this advantage is unclear. Due to the large number of HPV-independent HNSCC cases, there is a possibility that the difference in prognosis between HPV-positive (HPV⁺) and negative (HPV^-) patients is due to different carcinogens. To clarify this, we used scRNA data and viral tracking methods in order to identify HPV⁺ and HPV^- cells in the tumour tissues of patients infected with HPV. By comparing HPV⁺ and HPV^- malignant cells, we found a higher level of tumour stemness in HPV^- tumour cells. Using tumour stemness-related genes, we established a six-gene prognostic signature that was used to divide the patients into low- and high-risk groups. It was found that HPV patients who were at low-risk of contracting HNSCC had a higher number of CD8⁺ T-cells as well as a higher expression of immune checkpoint molecules. Correspondingly, we found that HPV⁺ tumour cells expressed higher levels of CCL4, and these were highly correlated with CD8⁺ T cells infiltration and immune checkpoint molecules. These data suggest that the stemness features of tumour cells are not only associated with the prognostic risk, but that it could also affect the immune cell interactions and associated signalling pathways.

Cannabis smoke condensate induces human gingival epithelial cell damage through apoptosis, autophagy, and oxidative stress

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to investigate the effects of cannabis smoke condensate (CSC) on the adhesion, growth, and signaling pathways of human gingival epithelial cells.

DESIGN

The effects of CSC on cell shape and adhesion, and viability were evaluated after 30 min, 60 min, 2 h, and 24 h of exposure using microscopic observation, cell metabolic activity, and lactate dehydrogenase activity assays. The effects of CSC on cell apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, and oxidative stress were determined through flow cytometry, while apoptotic and autophagic gene expression were identified via an RT2-PCR array. Phosphorylated signaling pathway proteins were measured using flow cytometry.

RESULTS

CSC deregulated gingival epithelial cell shape and adhesion, decreased cell viability, and increased lactate dehydrogenase release. Its toxic effects included apoptosis, autophagy, and oxidative stress. Moreover, it modulated seven specific apoptotic and six autophagic genes. Furthermore, it decreased phosphorylation in signaling proteins, such as STAT5, ERK12, P38, and nuclear factor κB.

CONCLUSIONS

CSC has notable adverse effects on gingival epithelial cells. This finding indicates that cannabis smoke could impair gingival epithelial cell innate immune function, leading to gingivitis and periodontitis. Oral health professionals may need to document observed modifications in the oral cavity of patients who smoke cannabis and consider these potential changes during clinical care.

Antibody Diversity in Cancer: Translational Implications and Beyond

Patients with cancer tend to develop antibodies to autologous proteins. This phenomenon has been observed across multiple cancer types, including bladder, lung, colon, prostate, and melanoma. These antibodies potentially arise due to induced inflammation or an increase in self-antigens. Studies focusing on antibody diversity are particularly attractive for their diagnostic value considering antibodies are present at an early diseased stage, serum samples are relatively easy to obtain, and the prevalence of antibodies is high even when the target antigen is minimally expressed. Conversely, the surveillance of serum proteins in cancer patients is relatively challenging because they often show variability in expression and are less abundant. Moreover, an antibody’s presence is also useful as it suggests the relative immunogenicity of a given antigen. For these reasons, profiling antibodies’ responses is actively considered to detect the spread of antigens following immunotherapy. The current review focuses on expanding the knowledge of antibodies and their diversity, and the impact of antibody diversity on cancer regression and progression.