CEBPB is associated with active tumor immune environment and favorable prognosis of metastatic skin cutaneous melanoma

Targeting tumor-associated macrophages: Novel insights into immunotherapy of skin cancer

BACKGROUND

The incidence of skin cancer is currently increasing, and conventional treatment options inadequately address the demands of disease management. Fortunately, the recent rapid advancement of immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has ushered in a new era for numerous cancer patients. However, the efficacy of immunotherapy remains suboptimal due to the impact of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), a major component of the TME, play crucial roles in tumor invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and immune evasion, significantly impacting tumor development. Consequently, TAMs have gained considerable attention in recent years, and their roles have been extensively studied in various tumors. However, the specific roles of TAMs and their regulatory mechanisms in skin cancer remain unclear.

AIM OF REVIEW

This paper aims to elucidate the origin and classification of TAMs, investigate the interactions between TAMs and various immune cells, comprehensively understand the precise mechanisms by which TAMs contribute to the pathogenesis of different types of skin cancer, and finally discuss current strategies for targeting TAMs in the treatment of skin cancer.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF OVERVIEW

With a specific emphasis on the interrelationship between TAMs and skin cancer, this paper posits that therapeutic modalities centered on TAMs hold promise in augmenting and harmonizing with prevailing clinical interventions for skin cancer, thereby charting a novel trajectory for advancing the landscape of immunotherapeutic approaches for skin cancer.

Delineating the early dissemination mechanisms of acral melanoma by integrating single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses

Acral melanoma (AM) is a rare subtype of melanoma characterized by a high incidence of lymph node (LN) metastasis, a critical factor in tumor dissemination and therapeutic decision-making. Here, we employ single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses to investigate the dynamic evolution of early AM dissemination. Our findings reveal substantial inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity in AM, alongside a highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and complex intercellular communication networks, particularly in patients with LN metastasis. Notably, we identify a strong association between MYC+ Melanoma (MYC+MEL) and FGFBP2+NKT cells with LN metastasis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that LN metastasis requires a metabolic shift towards fatty acid oxidation (FAO) induced by MITF in MYC+MEL cells. Etomoxir, a clinically approved FAO inhibitor, can effectively suppress MITF-mediated LN metastasis. This comprehensive dataset enhances our understanding of LN metastasis in AM, and provides insights into the potential therapeutic targeting for the management of early AM dissemination.

Cell-permeable peptide-based delivery vehicles useful for subcellular targeting and beyond

Personal medicine aims to provide tailor-made diagnostics and treatments and has been emerged as a promising but challenging strategy during the last years. This includes the active delivery and localization of a therapeutic compound to a targeted site of action within a cell. An example being targeting the interference of a distinct protein-protein interaction (PPI) within the cell nucleus, mitochondria or other subcellular location. Therefore, not only the cell membrane has to be overcome but also the final intracellular destination has to be reached. One approach which fulfills both requirements is to use short peptide sequences that are able to translocate into cells as targeting and delivery vehicles. In fact, recent progress in this field demonstrates how these tools can modulate the pharmacological parameters of a drug without compromising its biological activity. Beside classical targets that are addressed by various small molecule drugs such as receptors, enzymes, or ion channels, PPIs have received increasing attention as potential therapeutic targets. Within this review, we will provide a recent update on cell-permeable peptides targeting subcellular destinations. We include chimeric peptide probes that combine cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) and a targeting sequence, as well peptides having intrinsic cell-permeability and which are often used to target PPIs.

Emerging functions of C/EBPβ in breast cancer

Breast tumorigenesis relies on complex interactions between tumor cells and their surrounding microenvironment, orchestrated by tightly regulated transcriptional networks. C/EBPβ is a key transcription factor that regulates the proliferation and differentiation of multiple cell types and modulates a variety of biological processes such as tissue homeostasis and the immune response. In addition, C/EBPβ has well-established roles in mammary gland development, is overexpressed in breast cancer, and has tumor-promoting functions. In this review, we discuss context-specific roles of C/EBPβ during breast tumorigenesis, isoform-specific gene regulation, and regulation of the tumor immune response. We present challenges in C/EBPβ biology and discuss the importance of C/EBPβ isoform-specific gene regulation in devising new therapeutic strategies.