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Kalaei Z, Shekarchi AA, Hojjat-Farsangi M, Jalali P, Jadidi-Niaragh F. The prognostic and therapeutic potential of vimentin in colorectal cancer. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:1027. [PMID: 39347868 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09965-w] [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: 06/15/2024] [Accepted: 09/20/2024] [Indexed: 10/01/2024]
Abstract
Several cells and molecules in the tumor microenvironment have been introduced as effective factors in the prognosis and progression of colorectal cancer. As a key element of the intermediate filament family, vimentin is expressed by mesenchymal cells in a ubiquitous manner and contributes significantly to cellular integrity and stress resistance in colorectal cancer. Recent studies have shown that alterations in the expression patterns of intermediate filaments are significantly related to cancer progression, especially in phenotypes associated with cellular migration and invasion. In addition to its multiple biological roles, vimentin also has a substantial function in mediating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Therefore, evaluating vimentin as an effective factor involved in the prognosis of colorectal cancer and targeting it as a novel approach to cancer therapy have become one of the main goals of many researchers worldwide. In this article, we will review the various biological functions of vimentin, as well as its relationship with colorectal cancer with the aim of providing novel insights into its clinical importance in the prognosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Kalaei
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Ali Akbar Shekarchi
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | | | - Pooya Jalali
- Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Centre, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farhad Jadidi-Niaragh
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
- Research Center for Integrative Medicine in Aging, Aging Research Institute, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
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van Loon K, van Breest Smallenburg ME, Huijbers EJM, Griffioen AW, van Beijnum JR. Extracellular vimentin as a versatile immune suppressive protein in cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2023; 1878:188985. [PMID: 37717859 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.188985] [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: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
The interest in finding new targets in the tumor microenvironment for anti-cancer therapy has increased rapidly over the years. More specifically, the tumor-associated blood vessels are a promising target. We recently found that the intermediate filament protein vimentin is externalized by endothelial cells of the tumor vasculature. Extracellular vimentin was shown to sustain angiogenesis by mimicking VEGF and supporting cell migration, as well as endothelial cell anergy, the unresponsiveness of the endothelium to proinflammatory cytokines. The latter hampers immune cell infiltration and subsequently provides escape from tumor immunity. Other studies showed that extracellular vimentin plays a role in sustained systemic and local inflammation. Here we will review the reported roles of extracellular vimentin with a particular emphasis on its involvement in the interactions between immune cells and the endothelium in the tumor microenvironment. To this end, we discuss the different ways by which extracellular vimentin modulates the immune system. Moreover, we review how this protein can alter immune cell-vessel wall adhesion by altering the expression of adhesion proteins, attenuating immune cell infiltration into the tumor parenchyma. Finally, we discuss how vimentin-targeting therapy can reverse endothelial cell anergy and promote immune infiltration, supporting anti-tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karlijn van Loon
- Angiogenesis Laboratory, Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mathilda E van Breest Smallenburg
- Angiogenesis Laboratory, Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Elisabeth J M Huijbers
- Angiogenesis Laboratory, Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; CimCure BV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Arjan W Griffioen
- Angiogenesis Laboratory, Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; CimCure BV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Judy R van Beijnum
- Angiogenesis Laboratory, Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; CimCure BV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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Bravaccini S, Bronte G, Petracci E, Puccetti M, D'Arcangelo M, Ravaioli S, Tumedei MM, Maltoni R, Delmonte A, Cappuzzo F, Crinò L. The Expression of Programmed Death Ligand 1 and Vimentin in Resected Non-Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Interplay and Prognostic Effects. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:772216. [PMID: 34917615 PMCID: PMC8669606 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.772216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an immune checkpoint with a role in cancer-related immune evasion. It is a target for cancer immunotherapy and its expression is detected for the use of some immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC). Vimentin is a key component of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition phenotype. Its expression has negative prognostic effects in NSCLC. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated PD-L1 and vimentin expression in tumor cells, immune infiltrate and PD-L1 positive immune infiltrate via immunohistochemistry in tissue samples from resected non-metastatic NSCLC patients. We explored the interplay between PD-L1 and vimentin expression through Spearman’s correlation test. We performed univariate analysis through the Cox models for demographic and clinico-pathological variables, and also for dichotomized biomarkers, i.e., PD-L1 and vimentin in tumor cells, both with 1 and 50% cutoffs. We used Kaplan-Meier method to estimate the overall survival, comparing both vimentin and PD-L1 positive patients with all the others. We found a weak positive correlation between PD-L1 and vimentin expressions in tumor cells (r = 0.25; p = 0.001). We also observed a statistically not significant trend towards a shorter overall survival in patients with both PD-L1 and vimentin expression >1% (HR = 1.36; 95% CI: 0.96–1.93, p = 0.087). In conclusion, these findings suggest that interplay between PD-L1 and vimentin may exist in non-metastatic NSCLC patients and the positivity of both markers in tumor tissue is associated with a trend towards a worse prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bravaccini
- Biosciences Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Bronte
- Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Petracci
- Unit of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy
| | | | | | - Sara Ravaioli
- Biosciences Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy
| | - Maria Maddalena Tumedei
- Biosciences Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy
| | - Roberta Maltoni
- Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy
| | - Angelo Delmonte
- Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy
| | | | - Lucio Crinò
- Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori", Meldola, Italy
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