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Splendiani E, Besharat ZM, Covre A, Maio M, Di Giacomo AM, Ferretti E. Immunotherapy in melanoma: Can we predict response to treatment with circulating biomarkers? Pharmacol Ther 2024; 256:108613. [PMID: 38367867 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2024.108613] [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: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer, representing approximately 4% of all cutaneous neoplasms and accounting for up to 80% of deaths. Advanced stages of melanoma involve metastatic processes and are associated with high mortality and morbidity, mainly due to the rapid dissemination and heterogeneous responses to current therapies, including immunotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are currently used in the treatment of metastatic melanoma (MM) and despite being linked to an increase in patient survival, a high percentage of them still do not benefit from it. Accordingly, the number of therapeutic regimens for MM patients using ICIs either alone or in combination with other therapies has increased, together with the need for reliable biomarkers that can both predict and monitor response to ICIs. In this context, circulating biomarkers, such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and cells, have emerged due to their ability to reflect disease status. Moreover, blood tests are minimally invasive and provide an attractive option to detect biomarkers, avoiding stressful medical procedures. This systematic review aims to evaluate the possibility of a non-invasive biomarker signature that can guide therapeutic decisions. The studies reported here offer valuable insight into how circulating biomarkers can have a role in personalized treatments for melanoma patients receiving ICIs therapy, emphasizing the need for rigorous clinical trials to confirm findings and establish standardized procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Splendiani
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Alessia Covre
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Medical Oncology and Immunotherapy, Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; Medical Oncology, Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Michele Maio
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Medical Oncology and Immunotherapy, Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; Medical Oncology, Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Di Giacomo
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Medical Oncology and Immunotherapy, Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy; Medical Oncology, Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
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Macdonald JK, Clift CL, Saunders J, Zambrzycki SC, Mehta AS, Drake RR, Angel PM. Differential Protease Specificity by Collagenase as a Novel Approach to Serum Proteomics That Includes Identification of Extracellular Matrix Proteins without Enrichment. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2024; 35:487-497. [PMID: 38329320 PMCID: PMC10921462 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.3c00366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Circulating extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are serological biomarkers of interest due to their association with pathologies involving disease processes such as fibrosis and cancers. In this study, we investigate the potential for serum biomarker research using differential protease specificity (DPS), leveraging alternate protease specificity as a targeting mechanism to selectively digest circulating ECM protein serum proteins. A proof-of-concept study is presented using serum from patients with cirrhotic liver or hepatocellular carcinoma. The approach uses collagenase DPS for digestion of deglycosylated serum and liquid-chromatography-trapped ion mobility-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-TIMS-MS/MS) to enhance the detection of ECM proteins in serum. It requires no sample enrichment and minimizes the albumin average precursor intensity readout to less than 1.2%. We further demonstrate the capabilities for using the method as a high-throughput matrix-assisted laser/desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) assay coupled with reference library searching. A goal is to improve the depth and breadth of biofluid proteomics for noninvasive assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jade K. Macdonald
- Department of Cell and Molecular
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
| | | | | | - Stephen C. Zambrzycki
- Department of Cell and Molecular
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
| | - Anand S. Mehta
- Department of Cell and Molecular
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
| | - Richard R. Drake
- Department of Cell and Molecular
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
| | - Peggi M. Angel
- Department of Cell and Molecular
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, United States
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Thorlacius-Ussing J, Jensen C, Nissen NI, Cox TR, Kalluri R, Karsdal M, Willumsen N. The collagen landscape in cancer: profiling collagens in tumors and in circulation reveals novel markers of cancer-associated fibroblast subtypes. J Pathol 2024; 262:22-36. [PMID: 37728068 DOI: 10.1002/path.6207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) deposit and remodel collagens in the tumor stroma, impacting cancer progression and efficacy of interventions. CAFs are the focus of new therapeutics with the aim of normalizing the tumor microenvironment. To do this, a better understanding of CAF heterogeneity and collagen composition in cancer is needed. In this study, we sought to profile the expression of collagens at multiple levels with the goal of identifying cancer biomarkers. We investigated the collagen expression pattern in various cell types and CAF subtypes in a publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) dataset of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Next, we investigated the collagen expression profile in tumor samples across cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and evaluated if specific patterns of collagen expression were associated with prognosis. Finally, we profiled circulating collagen peptides using a panel of immunoassays to measure collagen fragments in the serum of cancer patients. We found that pancreatic stellate cells and fibroblasts were the primary producers of collagens in the pancreas. COL1A1, COL3A1, COL5A1, COL6A1 were expressed in all CAF subtypes, whereas COL8A1, COL10A1, COL11A1, COL12A1 were specific to myofibroblast CAFs (myCAF) and COL14A1 specific to inflammatory CAFs (iCAF). In TCGA database, myCAF collagens COL10A1 and COL11A1 were elevated across solid tumor types, and multiple associations between high expression and worse survival were found. Finally, circulating collagen biomarkers were elevated in the serum of patients with cancer relative to healthy controls with COL11A1 (myCAF) having the best diagnostic accuracy of the markers measured. In conclusion, CAFs express a noncanonical collagen profile with specific collagen subtypes associated with iCAFs and myCAFs in PDAC. These collagens are deregulated at the cellular, tumor, and systemic levels across different solid tumors and associate with survival. These findings could lead to new discoveries such as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. © 2023 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeppe Thorlacius-Ussing
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, København N, Denmark
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | | | - Neel I Nissen
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Thomas R Cox
- Matrix and Metastasis Lab, Cancer Ecosystems Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research and The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Raghu Kalluri
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Morten Karsdal
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience A/S, Herlev, Denmark
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Qu X, Nie B, Zeng Y, Sun C, Li W, Li G. A peptides-based biosensor with target-triggered charge-switchable property for simple and sensitive detection of Granzyme B. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 242:115748. [PMID: 37847984 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115748] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Granzyme B (GrB) is a serine protease released by natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes during immune responses, which not only plays a role in tumor diagnosis but also provides valuable guidance during tumor treatment. In this work, we have designed a charge-switching peptide to fabricate an electrochemical biosensor for quantitative analysis of GrB. Specifically, the designed zwitterionic peptide is in an electrically neutral state before activation, and a door lock structure (proline) is constructed by utilizing the selectivity of carboxypeptidase A (CPA) to the carboxy-terminus of the peptide chain. The door lock is opened when the target is present, allowing CPA to hydrolyze the peptide. At this time, the peptide will convert from neutral to positive, triggering the assembly of a positively charged peptide layer on the electrode surface, resulting in a signal change. Studies have shown that the biosensor has good analytical performance, with a detection range of 0.01 pM-8 pM and a detection limit as low as 3.5 fM. Moreover, the developed biosensor has been effectively applied to the analysis of clinical samples, demonstrating its ability to monitor tumor progression and treatment with clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China
| | - Beibei Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China
| | - Yujing Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China
| | - Chunxiao Sun
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, PR China
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, PR China.
| | - Genxi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China; Center for Molecular Recognition and Biosensing, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, PR China.
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Fejza A, Carobolante G, Poletto E, Camicia L, Schinello G, Di Siena E, Ricci G, Mongiat M, Andreuzzi E. The entanglement of extracellular matrix molecules and immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer: a systematic review of the literature. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1270981. [PMID: 37854588 PMCID: PMC10579931 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1270981] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a core pillar of cancer therapy as single agents or in combination regimens both in adults and children. Unfortunately, ICIs provide a long-lasting therapeutic effect in only one third of the patients. Thus, the search for predictive biomarkers of responsiveness to ICIs remains an urgent clinical need. The efficacy of ICIs treatments is strongly affected not only by the specific characteristics of cancer cells and the levels of immune checkpoint ligands, but also by other components of the tumor microenvironment, among which the extracellular matrix (ECM) is emerging as key player. With the aim to comprehensively describe the relation between ECM and ICIs' efficacy in cancer patients, the present review systematically evaluated the current literature regarding ECM remodeling in association with immunotherapeutic approaches. Methods This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, CRD42022351180). PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were comprehensively searched from inception to January 2023. Titles, abstracts and full text screening was performed to exclude non eligible articles. The risk of bias was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Results After employing relevant MeSH and key terms, we identified a total of 5070 studies. Among them, 2540 duplicates, 1521 reviews or commentaries were found and excluded. Following title and abstract screening, the full text was analyzed, and 47 studies meeting the eligibility criteria were retained. The studies included in this systematic review comprehensively recapitulate the latest observations associating changes of the ECM composition following remodeling with the traits of the tumor immune cell infiltration. The present study provides for the first time a broad view of the tight association between ECM molecules and ICIs efficacy in different tumor types, highlighting the importance of ECM-derived proteolytic products as promising liquid biopsy-based biomarkers to predict the efficacy of ICIs. Conclusion ECM remodeling has an important impact on the immune traits of different tumor types. Increasing evidence pinpoint at ECM-derived molecules as putative biomarkers to identify the patients that would most likely benefit from ICIs treatments. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022351180, identifier CRD42022351180.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albina Fejza
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, UBT-Higher Education Institute, Prishtina, Kosovo
| | - Greta Carobolante
- Department of Research and Diagnosis, Division of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Evelina Poletto
- Department of Research and Diagnosis, Division of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Lucrezia Camicia
- Department of Research and Diagnosis, Division of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Giorgia Schinello
- Department of Research and Diagnosis, Division of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Emanuele Di Siena
- Department of Research and Diagnosis, Division of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Ricci
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Maurizio Mongiat
- Department of Research and Diagnosis, Division of Molecular Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) IRCCS, Aviano, Italy
| | - Eva Andreuzzi
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health, IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy
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Jin Z, Meng Y, Wang M, Chen D, Zhu M, Huang Y, Xiong L, Xia S, Xiong Z. Comprehensive analysis of basement membrane and immune checkpoint related lncRNA and its prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma via machine learning. Heliyon 2023; 9:e20462. [PMID: 37810862 PMCID: PMC10556786 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is characterized by its high malignancy, generally exhibits poor response to immunotherapy. As part of the tumor microenvironment, basement membranes (BMs) are involved in tumor development and immune activities. Presently, there is no integrated analysis linking the basement membrane with immune checkpoints, especially from the perspective of lncRNA. Methods Based on transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, BMs-related and immune checkpoint-related lncRNAs were identified. By applying univariable Cox regression and Machine learning (LASSO and SVM-RFE algorithm), a 10-lncRNA prognosis signature was constructed. The prognostic significance of this signature was assessed by survival analysis. GSEA, ssGSEA, and drug sensitivity analysis were conducted to investigate potential functional pathways, immune status, and clinical implications of guiding individual treatments in HCC. Finally, the promoting migration effect of LINC01224 was validated via in vitro experiments. Results The multiple Cox regression, receiver operating characteristic curves, and stratified survival analysis of clinical subgroups exhibited the robust prognostic ability of the lncRNA signature. Results of the GSEA and drug sensitivity analysis revealed significant differences in potential functional pathways and response to drugs between the two risk groups. In addition, the risk level of HCC patients was distinctly correlated with immune cell infiltration status. More importantly, LINC01224 was independently associated with the OS of HCC patients (P < 0.05), suppressing the expression of LINC01224 inhibited the migration of HCC cells. Conclusion This study developed a reliable signature for the prognosis of HCC based on BM and immune checkpoint related lncRNA, revealing that LINC01224 might be a prognostic biomarker for HCC associated with the progression of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze Jin
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yajun Meng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengmeng Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Di Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengpei Zhu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yumei Huang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lina Xiong
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shang Xia
- Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, NO.169 Donghu Road, Wuhan, 430071, Hubei, China
| | - Zhifan Xiong
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Hasselbalch HC, Junker P, Skov V, Kjær L, Knudsen TA, Larsen MK, Holmström MO, Andersen MH, Jensen C, Karsdal MA, Willumsen N. Revisiting Circulating Extracellular Matrix Fragments as Disease Markers in Myelofibrosis and Related Neoplasms. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4323. [PMID: 37686599 PMCID: PMC10486581 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Philadelphia chromosome-negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) arise due to acquired somatic driver mutations in stem cells and develop over 10-30 years from the earliest cancer stages (essential thrombocythemia, polycythemia vera) towards the advanced myelofibrosis stage with bone marrow failure. The JAK2V617F mutation is the most prevalent driver mutation. Chronic inflammation is considered to be a major pathogenetic player, both as a trigger of MPN development and as a driver of disease progression. Chronic inflammation in MPNs is characterized by persistent connective tissue remodeling, which leads to organ dysfunction and ultimately, organ failure, due to excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Considering that MPNs are acquired clonal stem cell diseases developing in an inflammatory microenvironment in which the hematopoietic cell populations are progressively replaced by stromal proliferation-"a wound that never heals"-we herein aim to provide a comprehensive review of previous promising research in the field of circulating ECM fragments in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of MPNs. We address the rationales and highlight new perspectives for the use of circulating ECM protein fragments as biologically plausible, noninvasive disease markers in the management of MPNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Carl Hasselbalch
- Department of Hematology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (V.S.); (L.K.); (T.A.K.); (M.K.L.)
| | - Peter Junker
- Department of Rheumatology, Odense University Hospital, 5000 Odense, Denmark;
| | - Vibe Skov
- Department of Hematology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (V.S.); (L.K.); (T.A.K.); (M.K.L.)
| | - Lasse Kjær
- Department of Hematology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (V.S.); (L.K.); (T.A.K.); (M.K.L.)
| | - Trine A. Knudsen
- Department of Hematology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (V.S.); (L.K.); (T.A.K.); (M.K.L.)
| | - Morten Kranker Larsen
- Department of Hematology, Zealand University Hospital, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; (V.S.); (L.K.); (T.A.K.); (M.K.L.)
| | - Morten Orebo Holmström
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Herlev Hospital, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (M.O.H.); (M.H.A.)
| | - Mads Hald Andersen
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Herlev Hospital, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (M.O.H.); (M.H.A.)
| | - Christina Jensen
- Nordic Bioscience A/S, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (C.J.); (M.A.K.); (N.W.)
| | - Morten A. Karsdal
- Nordic Bioscience A/S, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (C.J.); (M.A.K.); (N.W.)
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Flies DB, Langermann S, Jensen C, Karsdal MA, Willumsen N. Regulation of tumor immunity and immunotherapy by the tumor collagen extracellular matrix. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1199513. [PMID: 37662958 PMCID: PMC10470046 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1199513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
It has been known for decades that the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) is dysfunctional leading to loss of tissue architecture and promotion of tumor growth. The altered ECM and tumor fibrogenesis leads to tissue stiffness that act as a physical barrier to immune cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment (TME). It is becoming increasingly clear that the ECM plays important roles in tumor immune responses. A growing body of data now indicates that ECM components also play a more active role in immune regulation when dysregulated ECM components act as ligands to interact with receptors on immune cells to inhibit immune cell subpopulations in the TME. In addition, immunotherapies such as checkpoint inhibitors that are approved to treat cancer are often hindered by ECM changes. In this review we highlight the ways by which ECM alterations affect and regulate immunity in cancer. More specifically, how collagens and major ECM components, suppress immunity in the complex TME. Finally, we will review how our increased understanding of immune and immunotherapy regulation by the ECM is leading towards novel disruptive strategies to overcome immune suppression.
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Lim YS, Lee AG, Jiang X, Scott JM, Cofie A, Kumar S, Kennedy D, Granville DJ, Shin H. NK cell-derived extracellular granzyme B drives epithelial ulceration during HSV-2 genital infection. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112410. [PMID: 37071533 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112410] [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: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Genital herpes is characterized by recurrent episodes of epithelial blistering. The mechanisms causing this pathology are ill defined. Using a mouse model of vaginal herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection, we show that interleukin-18 (IL-18) acts upon natural killer (NK) cells to promote accumulation of the serine protease granzyme B in the vagina, coinciding with vaginal epithelial ulceration. Genetic loss of granzyme B or therapeutic inhibition by a specific protease inhibitor reduces disease and restores epithelial integrity without altering viral control. Distinct effects of granzyme B and perforin deficiency on pathology indicates that granzyme B acts independent of its classic cytotoxic role. IL-18 and granzyme B are markedly elevated in human herpetic ulcers compared with non-herpetic ulcers, suggesting engagement of these pathways in HSV-infected patients. Our study reveals a role for granzyme B in destructing mucosal epithelium during HSV-2 infection, identifying a therapeutic target to augment treatment of genital herpes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Shiang Lim
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Aisha G Lee
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Xiaoping Jiang
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jason M Scott
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Adjoa Cofie
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Dania Kennedy
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - David J Granville
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries Centre, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z7, Canada; BC Professional Firefighters' Burn and Wound Healing Research Laboratory, Vancouver, BC V5V 3P1, Canada
| | - Haina Shin
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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10
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Nissen NI, Johansen AZ, Chen IM, Jensen C, Madsen EA, Hansen CP, Thorlacius-Ussing J, Karsdal M, Johansen JS, Diab HMH, Jørgensen LN, Willumsen N. High serum levels of the C-propetide of type V collagen (PRO-C5) are prognostic for short overall survival in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1158058. [PMID: 36968276 PMCID: PMC10036831 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1158058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a pronounced fibrotic tumor microenvironment, which impairs treatment response. Type I and V collagens are responsible for the densely packed fibrils in the tumor fibrosis environment. While the role of the major type I collagen in cancer is well described, less is known about the minor type V collagen. Quantifying collagen propeptides in serum has been shown to have prognostic and predictive value. In this study, we evaluated the clinical utility of measuring the propeptide of type V collagen (PRO-C5) in serum from a discovery cohort and a validation cohort of patients with PDAC as well as in non-pancreatic solid tumor types to explore the relevance of the PRO-C5 biomarker in cancer.Methods: Serum PRO-C5 was measured in three cohorts: a discovery cohort (19 healthy controls, 12 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 33 patients with PDAC (stage I-IV)), a validation cohort (800 patients with PDAC (stage I-IV)), and a non-pancreatic solid tumor type cohort of 33 healthy controls and 200 patients with 10 different non-pancreatic solid tumor types. The levels of serum PRO-C5 in patients with cancer were compared to levels in healthy controls. The association between PRO-C5 levels and overall survival (OS) was evaluated in patients with PDAC after adjusting for established prognostic factors.Results: PRO-C5 was significantly increased in serum from patients with PDAC compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001). High PRO-C5 levels were significantly associated with short OS in both the discovery- and the validation cohort, especially in early stages of PDAC (validation cohort stage II, HR = 2.0, 95%CI1.2-3.4). The association was independent of other prognostic parameters including stage, performance status and CA19-9. Furthermore, serum levels of PRO-C5 were significantly increased in serum from patients with other non-pancreatic solid tumor types compared to healthy controls.Conclusion: High levels of serum PRO-C5 is prognostic for short OS in patients with PDAC and may provide clinical value in many other tumor types beyond PDAC. This underlines the importance of type V collagen in tumor fibrosis. PRO-C5 could have the potential to be used in several aspects within drug discovery, patient stratification and drug efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neel I. Nissen
- Nordic Bioscience A/S, Herlev, Denmark
- *Correspondence: Neel I. Nissen,
| | - Astrid Z. Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Inna M. Chen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | | | | | - Carsten P. Hansen
- Department of Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | - Julia S. Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Hadi M. H. Diab
- Digestive Disease Center, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars N. Jørgensen
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Digestive Disease Center, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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11
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Christensen TD, Jensen C, Larsen O, Leerhøy B, Hansen CP, Madsen K, Høgdall D, Karsdal MA, Chen IM, Nielsen D, Johansen JS, Willumsen N. Blood-based tumor fibrosis markers as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in patients with biliary tract cancer. Int J Cancer 2023; 152:1036-1049. [PMID: 36455598 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is characterized by a desmoplastic extracellular matrix (ECM). We tested the diagnostic and prognostic use of seven circulating biomarkers of ECM remodeling: pro-peptides of type III collagen (PRO-C3), VI (PRO-C6) and XI (PRO-C11), matrix metalloprotease (MMP) degraded type III collagen (C3M) and type IV collagen (C4M) fragments, granzyme B degraded type IV collagen fragments (C4G) and MMP degraded and citrullinated vimentin (VICM) a marker of macrophage activation. The study included 269 patients with all stages of BTC and 49 patients with benign biliary tract diseases. Serum samples from BTC patients were collected before surgery, or before first- or second-line chemotherapy. C3M, C4M, PRO-C3, PRO-C6, PRO-C11 and VICM levels were elevated in patients with BTC compared to patients with benign disease. Receiver operating characteristics curve analyses identified PRO-C3 (area under curve [AUC] = 0.87) as the ECM marker with the best diagnostic performance. The ECM biomarkers correlated with inflammation biomarkers (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6 [IL-6] and YKL-40) but not with CA19-9. To investigate prognostic performance, patients were split into three cohorts (first-line, second-line and surgery). Elevated ECM biomarker levels were associated with short overall survival (OS), but only pretreatment PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 were associated with OS in both the first-line and second-line settings when adjusting for CA19-9, performance status and stage in a multivariate Cox-regression analyses. Our results indicate that collagen remodeling is increased in patients with BTC and associated with survival. The collagen pro-peptides (PRO-C3 and PRO-C6) could be used as novel biomarkers in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troels D Christensen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | | | - Ole Larsen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Bonna Leerhøy
- Digestive Disease Center, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carsten P Hansen
- Department of Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kasper Madsen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Dan Høgdall
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | | | - Inna M Chen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Dorte Nielsen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Julia S Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital - Herlev and Gentofte, Herlev, Denmark
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12
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Blanck G. Time to consider sequencing anti-inflammatory treatments with chemotherapy and immuno-stimulation? Front Immunol 2022; 13:1082142. [PMID: 36618422 PMCID: PMC9817152 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1082142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- George Blanck
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States,Department of Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, United States,*Correspondence: George Blanck,
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13
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Ashenafi S, Brighenti S. Reinventing the human tuberculosis (TB) granuloma: Learning from the cancer field. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1059725. [PMID: 36591229 PMCID: PMC9797505 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1059725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world and every 20 seconds a person dies from TB. An important attribute of human TB is induction of a granulomatous inflammation that creates a dynamic range of local microenvironments in infected organs, where the immune responses may be considerably different compared to the systemic circulation. New and improved technologies for in situ quantification and multimodal imaging of mRNA transcripts and protein expression at the single-cell level have enabled significantly improved insights into the local TB granuloma microenvironment. Here, we review the most recent data on regulation of immunity in the TB granuloma with an enhanced focus on selected in situ studies that enable spatial mapping of immune cell phenotypes and functions. We take advantage of the conceptual framework of the cancer-immunity cycle to speculate how local T cell responses may be enhanced in the granuloma microenvironment at the site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. This includes an exploratory definition of "hot", immune-inflamed, and "cold", immune-excluded TB granulomas that does not refer to the level of bacterial replication or metabolic activity, but to the relative infiltration of T cells into the infected lesions. Finally, we reflect on the current knowledge and controversy related to reactivation of active TB in cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4. An understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in the induction and maintenance or disruption of immunoregulation in the TB granuloma microenvironment may provide new avenues for host-directed therapies that can support standard antibiotic treatment of persistent TB disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senait Ashenafi
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), Karolinska Institutet, ANA Futura, Huddinge, Sweden,Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital and Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Susanna Brighenti
- Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), Karolinska Institutet, ANA Futura, Huddinge, Sweden,*Correspondence: Susanna Brighenti,
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14
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Wu C, Hu Y, Schafer P, Connolly SE, Wong R, Nielsen SH, Bay-Jensen AC, Emery P, Tanaka Y, Bykerk VP, Bingham CO, Huizinga TW, Fleischmann R, Liu J. Baseline serum levels of cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen predict abatacept treatment response in methotrexate-naive, anticitrullinated protein antibody-positive patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. RMD Open 2022; 8:e002683. [PMID: 36585217 PMCID: PMC9809248 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate correlations between biomarkers of bone remodelling and extracellular matrix turnover with baseline disease activity and treatment response in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Assessing Very Early Rheumatoid arthritis Treatment-2 (AVERT-2; NCT02504268) included disease-modifying antirheumatic drug-naive, anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-positive patients randomised to weekly subcutaneous abatacept+methotrexate (MTX) or abatacept placebo+MTX for 56 weeks. This post hoc exploratory subanalysis assessed the association between baseline disease activity and eight biomarkers (Spearman's correlation coefficient), and whether baseline biomarkers (continuous or categorical variables) could predict treatment response at weeks 24 and 52 (logistic regression). RESULTS Patient characteristics were similar between overall (n=752) and biomarker subgroup (n=535) populations and across treatments. At baseline, neoepitopes of matrix metalloproteinase-mediated degradation products of types III and IV collagen and of C reactive protein (CRP) showed the greatest correlations with disease activity; cross-linked carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) showed weak correlation. Only CTX-I predicted treatment response; baseline CTX-I levels were significantly associated with achieving Simplified Disease Activity Index remission and Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28 (CRP)) <2.6 (weeks 24 and 52), and American College of Rheumatology 70 response (week 52), in patients treated with abatacept+MTX but not abatacept placebo+MTX. CTX-I predicted significant differential response between arms for DAS28 (CRP) <2.6 (week 24). Treatment differences were greater for abatacept+MTX in patients with medium/high versus low baseline CTX-I. CONCLUSION In MTX-naive, ACPA-positive patients with early RA, baseline CTX-I predicted treatment response to abatacept+MTX but not abatacept placebo+MTX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Wu
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Yanhua Hu
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | | | | | - Robert Wong
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | | | | | - Paul Emery
- University of Leeds and Leeds NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds, UK
| | - Yoshiya Tanaka
- University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Roy Fleischmann
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Metroplex Clinical Research Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Jinqi Liu
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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15
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Type XXII Collagen Complements Fibrillar Collagens in the Serological Assessment of Tumor Fibrosis and the Outcome in Pancreatic Cancer. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233763. [PMID: 36497023 PMCID: PMC9738409 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233763] [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: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating fragments of type III collagen, measured by PRO-C3, has shown promising results as a tumor fibrosis biomarker. However, the fibrotic tumor microenvironment consists of many other collagens with diverse functions and unexplored biomarker potential. One example hereof is type XXII collagen (COL22). In this study, we investigated the biomarker potential of COL22 by measuring this in serum. An ELISA, named PRO-C22, was developed and measured in two serum cohorts consisting of patients with various solid tumors (n = 220) and healthy subjects (n = 33) (Cohort 1), and patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) (n = 34), and healthy subjects (n = 20) (Cohort 2). In Cohort 1, PRO-C22 was elevated in the serum from patients with solid tumors, compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.01 to p < 0.0001), and the diagnostic accuracy (AUROC) ranged from 0.87 to 0.98, p < 0.0001. In Cohort 2, the high levels of PRO-C22, in patients with PDAC, were predictive of a worse overall survival (HR = 4.52, 95% CI 1.90−10.7, p = 0.0006) and this remained significant after adjusting for PRO-C3 (HR = 4.27, 95% CI 1.24−10.4, p = 0.0013). In conclusion, PRO-C22 has diagnostic biomarker potential in various solid tumor types and prognostic biomarker potential in PDAC. Furthermore, PRO-C22 complemented PRO-C3 in predicting mortality, suggesting an additive prognostic value when quantifying different collagens.
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16
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Richardson KC, Jung K, Pardo J, Turner CT, Granville DJ. Noncytotoxic Roles of Granzymes in Health and Disease. Physiology (Bethesda) 2022; 37:323-348. [PMID: 35820180 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00011.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Granzymes are serine proteases previously believed to play exclusive and somewhat redundant roles in lymphocyte-mediated target cell death. However, recent studies have challenged this paradigm. Distinct substrate profiles and functions have since emerged for each granzyme while their dysregulated proteolytic activities have been linked to diverse pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katlyn C Richardson
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), British Columbia Professional Firefighters' Wound Healing Laboratory, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Karen Jung
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), British Columbia Professional Firefighters' Wound Healing Laboratory, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Julian Pardo
- Fundación Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón (IIS Aragón), Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), Zaragoza, Spain.,Department of Microbiology, Radiology, Pediatrics and Public Health, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,CIBER de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Christopher T Turner
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - David J Granville
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), British Columbia Professional Firefighters' Wound Healing Laboratory, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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17
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Dubchak E, Obasanmi G, Zeglinski MR, Granville DJ, Yeung SN, Matsubara JA. Potential role of extracellular granzyme B in wet age-related macular degeneration and fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:980742. [PMID: 36204224 PMCID: PMC9531149 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.980742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Age-related ocular diseases are the leading cause of blindness in developed countries and constitute a sizable socioeconomic burden worldwide. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) are some of the most common age-related diseases of the retina and cornea, respectively. AMD is characterized by a breakdown of the retinal pigment epithelial monolayer, which maintains retinal homeostasis, leading to retinal degeneration, while FECD is characterized by degeneration of the corneal endothelial monolayer, which maintains corneal hydration status, leading to corneal edema. Both AMD and FECD pathogenesis are characterized by disorganized local extracellular matrix (ECM) and toxic protein deposits, with both processes linked to aberrant protease activity. Granzyme B (GrB) is a serine protease traditionally known for immune-mediated initiation of apoptosis; however, it is now recognized that GrB is expressed by a variety of immune and non-immune cells and aberrant extracellular localization of GrB substantially contributes to various age-related pathologies through dysregulated cleavage of ECM, tight junction, and adherens junction proteins. Despite growing recognition of GrB involvement in multiple age-related pathologies, its role in AMD and FECD remains poorly understood. This review summarizes the pathophysiology of, and similarities between AMD and FECD, outlines the current knowledge of the role of GrB in AMD and FECD, as well as hypothesizes putative contributions of GrB to AMD and FECD pathogenesis and highlights the therapeutic potential of pharmacologically inhibiting GrB as an adjunctive treatment for AMD and FECD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eden Dubchak
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Gideon Obasanmi
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Matthew R. Zeglinski
- ICORD Centre and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David J. Granville
- ICORD Centre and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, UBC, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sonia N. Yeung
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Joanne A. Matsubara
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Joanne A. Matsubara,
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18
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Wu Y, Yu S, Qiao H. Understanding the functional inflammatory factors involved in therapeutic response to immune checkpoint inhibitors for pan-cancer. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:990445. [PMID: 36120342 PMCID: PMC9474995 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.990445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) fight tumor progression by activating immune conditions. The inflammatory factors are playing a functional role in programmed death-1 (PD-1) or other immune checkpoints. They are involved in regulating the expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), the only predictor recognized by the guidelines in response to ICIs. In addition, abundant components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) all interact with various immune factors contributing to the response to ICIs, including infiltration of various immune cells, extracellular matrix, and fibroblasts. Notably, the occurrence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients receiving ICIs is increasingly observed in sundry organs. IrAEs are often regarded as an inflammatory factor-mediated positive feedback loop associated with better response to ICIs. It deserves attention because inflammatory factors were observed to be different when targeting different immune checkpoints or in the presence of different irAEs. In the present review, we address the research progresses on regulating inflammatory factors for an intentional controlling anti-cancer response with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanmeizhi Wu
- Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
| | - Shan Yu
- Department of Pathology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- *Correspondence: Shan Yu, ; Hong Qiao,
| | - Hong Qiao
- Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
- *Correspondence: Shan Yu, ; Hong Qiao,
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19
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Bourgonje AR, Alexdottir MS, Otten AT, Loveikyte R, Bay‐Jensen A, Pehrsson M, van Dullemen HM, Visschedijk MC, Festen EAM, Weersma RK, Karsdal MA, Faber KN, Mortensen JH, Dijkstra G. Serological biomarkers of type I, III and IV collagen turnover are associated with the presence and future progression of stricturing and penetrating Crohn's disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2022; 56:675-693. [PMID: 35661188 PMCID: PMC9544881 DOI: 10.1111/apt.17063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increased collagen remodelling is a key pathophysiological component underlying intestinal stricture and fistula development in Crohn's disease (CD). AIMS To investigate associations between serological biomarkers of collagen turnover and disease behaviour according to the Montreal classification in patients with CD. METHODS Serological biomarkers of type III/IV collagen formation (PRO-C3, PRO-C4) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) or granzyme-B (GrzB)-mediated type I, III, IV and VI collagen degradation (C1M, C3M, C4M, C4G, C6Ma3) were measured using neo-epitope protein fingerprint assays in 101 patients with CD (Montreal B1: n = 37; B2: n = 27; B3: n = 37) and 96 controls. Patients were followed up until their last outpatient visit to monitor stricturing/penetrating disease progression and recurrence and the occurrence of surgical interventions. RESULTS C1M, C3M and C4M were significantly reduced in patients with stricturing disease (Montreal B2) and accurately differentiated them from patients with either non-stricturing, non-penetrating (B1) or penetrating (B3) disease (all p < 0.001, multivariable analysis). Similarly, the type IV collagen formation/degradation (PRO-C4/C4M) ratio demonstrated high discriminative capacity (B1/B2: AUC = 0.90; B1/B3: AUC = 0.87, both p < 0.001, multivariable analysis). Prospectively, higher baseline levels of C1M and C4G were associated with an increased risk of penetrating disease progression (C4G: hazard ratio [HR] 1.71 [1.05-2.81], p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Elevated degradation of type I, III and IV collagen and excessive (relative) formation of type IV collagen strongly associates with stricturing CD. Type I and IV collagen fragments show predictive potential for the risk of penetrating disease progression. These biomarkers may become valuable tools for detection and prediction of stricturing and penetrating CD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arno R. Bourgonje
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
| | | | - Antonius T. Otten
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
| | - Roberta Loveikyte
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Hendrik M. van Dullemen
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
| | - Marijn C. Visschedijk
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
| | - Eleonora A. M. Festen
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
| | - Rinse K. Weersma
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
| | | | - Klaas Nico Faber
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
| | | | - Gerard Dijkstra
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenGroningenthe Netherlands
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20
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Alexdottir MS, Bourgonje AR, Karsdal MA, Pehrsson M, Loveikyte R, van Dullemen HM, Visschedijk MC, Festen EAM, Weersma RK, Faber KN, Dijkstra G, Mortensen JH. Serological Biomarkers of Extracellular Matrix Turnover and Neutrophil Activity Are Associated with Long-Term Use of Vedolizumab in Patients with Crohn's Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158137. [PMID: 35897710 PMCID: PMC9329899 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a relapsing-remitting inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract characterized by increased extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. The introduction of the α4β7-integrin inhibitor vedolizumab (VEDO) has improved disease management, although there is a high rate of primary non-response in patients with CD. We studied whether ECM biomarkers of neutrophil activity and mucosal damage could predict long-term response to VEDO in patients with CD. Serum levels of human neutrophil elastase (HNE)-derived fragments of calprotectin (CPa9-HNE), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-derived fragments of type I (C1M), III (C3M), IV (C4M), and VI (C6Ma3) collagen, type III collagen formation (PRO-C3), basement membrane turnover (PRO-C4) and T-cell activity (C4G), were measured using protein fingerprint assays in patients with CD (n = 32) before VEDO therapy. Long-term response was defined as VEDO treatment of at least 12 months. CPa9-HNE was significantly increased at baseline in non-responders compared with responders (p < 0.05). C1M, C3M, C4M, C6Ma3, and PRO-C4 were also significantly increased at baseline in non-responders compared with responders (all p < 0.05). All biomarkers were associated with response to VEDO (all p < 0.05). To conclude, baseline levels of serum biomarkers for neutrophil activity and mucosal damage are linked to the pathology of CD, and are associated with long-term use of VEDO in patients with CD. Therefore, these biomarkers warrant further validation and could aid in therapeutic decision-making concerning vedolizumab therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta S. Alexdottir
- Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (M.A.K.); (M.P.); (J.H.M.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Arno R. Bourgonje
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands; (A.R.B.); (R.L.); (H.M.v.D.); (M.C.V.); (E.A.M.F.); (R.K.W.); (K.N.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Morten A. Karsdal
- Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (M.A.K.); (M.P.); (J.H.M.)
| | - Martin Pehrsson
- Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (M.A.K.); (M.P.); (J.H.M.)
| | - Roberta Loveikyte
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands; (A.R.B.); (R.L.); (H.M.v.D.); (M.C.V.); (E.A.M.F.); (R.K.W.); (K.N.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Hendrik M. van Dullemen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands; (A.R.B.); (R.L.); (H.M.v.D.); (M.C.V.); (E.A.M.F.); (R.K.W.); (K.N.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Marijn C. Visschedijk
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands; (A.R.B.); (R.L.); (H.M.v.D.); (M.C.V.); (E.A.M.F.); (R.K.W.); (K.N.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Eleonora A. M. Festen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands; (A.R.B.); (R.L.); (H.M.v.D.); (M.C.V.); (E.A.M.F.); (R.K.W.); (K.N.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Rinse K. Weersma
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands; (A.R.B.); (R.L.); (H.M.v.D.); (M.C.V.); (E.A.M.F.); (R.K.W.); (K.N.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Klaas Nico Faber
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands; (A.R.B.); (R.L.); (H.M.v.D.); (M.C.V.); (E.A.M.F.); (R.K.W.); (K.N.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Gerard Dijkstra
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands; (A.R.B.); (R.L.); (H.M.v.D.); (M.C.V.); (E.A.M.F.); (R.K.W.); (K.N.F.); (G.D.)
| | - Joachim H. Mortensen
- Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (M.A.K.); (M.P.); (J.H.M.)
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21
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Alexdottir MS, Bourgonje AR, Karsdal MA, Pehrsson M, Loveikyte R, van Dullemen HM, Visschedijk MC, Festen EAM, Weersma RK, Faber KN, Dijkstra G, Mortensen JH. Serological Biomarkers of Intestinal Collagen Turnover Identify Early Response to Infliximab Therapy in Patients With Crohn's Disease. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:933872. [PMID: 35903311 PMCID: PMC9315105 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.933872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Crohn's disease (CD) is characterized by excessive protease activity and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. To date, 30-50% of patients experience non-response to anti-TNF-α treatment. This study aimed to assess whether serological biomarkers of ECM turnover could monitor or predict response to infliximab (IFX) induction therapy in patients with and without a surgical history. Methods Serum biomarkers of type I (C1M), III (C3M), IV (C4M), and VI (C6Ma3) collagen degradation, type III (PRO-C3) and VI (PRO-C6) collagen formation, basement membrane turnover (PRO-C4), and T-cell activity (C4G), were measured at baseline and week 14, in 63 patients with CD undergoing IFX induction therapy. Patients were stratified according to surgical history. Results C4M was elevated at baseline in responders with a surgical history (n = 10) and associated with response at baseline (P < 0.05). Additionally, C6Ma3, PRO-C3, and PRO-C6 were elevated at week 14 in responders compared with non-responders (n = 8) and could differentiate between the two groups (P < 0.05). Two biomarker ratios (C4M/C4G and PRO-C4/C4G) were elevated at week 14 in non-responders (n = 5) without a surgical history compared with responders (n = 40) and could differentiate between the response groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion Baseline levels of a serological biomarker for type IV collagen degradation associated with response to IFX induction therapy, and biomarkers of type III and VI collagen formation may be used to monitor response at the end of induction therapy in patients with a surgical history. Biomarker ratios of type IV collagen turnover demonstrated promising results in monitoring treatment response in patients without a surgical history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta S. Alexdottir
- Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience A/S, Herlev, Denmark
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Arno R. Bourgonje
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | | | - Martin Pehrsson
- Biomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Roberta Loveikyte
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Hendrik M. van Dullemen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Marijn C. Visschedijk
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Eleonora A. M. Festen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Rinse K. Weersma
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Klaas Nico Faber
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Gerard Dijkstra
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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22
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Zhang J, Liu J, Zhang H, Wang J, Hua H, Jiang Y. The role of network-forming collagens in cancer progression. Int J Cancer 2022; 151:833-842. [PMID: 35322886 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Collagens are the main components of extracellular matrix in the tumor microenvironment. Both fibrillar and nonfibrillar collagens are involved in tumor progression. The nonfibrillar network-forming collagens such as type IV and type VIII collagens are frequently overexpressed in various types of human cancers, which promotes tumor cell proliferation, adhesion, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. Studies on the roles of these collagens have shed light on the mechanisms underpinning the effects of this protein family. Future research has to explicit the role of network-forming collagens with respect to cancer progression and treatment. Herein, we review the regulation of network-forming collagens expression in cancer; the roles of network-forming collagens in tumor invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis; and the clinical significance of network-forming collagens expression in cancer patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zhang
- Laboratory of Oncogene, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jieya Liu
- Laboratory of Oncogene, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hongying Zhang
- Laboratory of Oncogene, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jiao Wang
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China
| | - Hui Hua
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yangfu Jiang
- Laboratory of Oncogene, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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23
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Nissen NI, Johansen AZ, Chen I, Johansen JS, Pedersen RS, Hansen CP, Karsdal MA, Willumsen N. Collagen Biomarkers Quantify Fibroblast Activity In Vitro and Predict Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:819. [PMID: 35159087 PMCID: PMC8833921 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of novel tools to understand tumour-fibrosis in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and novel anti-fibrotic treatments are highly needed. We established a pseudo-3D in vitro model including humane pancreatic fibroblasts (PFs) and pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in combination with clinical collagen biomarkers, as a translational anti-fibrotic drug screening tool. Furthermore, we investigated the prognostic potential of serum collagen biomarkers in 810 patients with PDAC. PFs and CAFs were cultured in Ficoll-media. Cells were treated w/wo TGF-ß1 and the anti-fibrotic compound ALK5i. Biomarkers measuring the formation of type III (PRO-C3) and VI (PRO-C6) collagens were measured by ELISA in supernatant at days 3, 6, 9, and 12. PRO-C3 and PRO-C6, and their association with overall survival (OS), were evaluated in serum with PDAC (n = 810). PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 were upregulated in CAFs compared to PFs (p < 0.0001.). TGF-ß1 increased PRO-C3 in both PFs and CAFs (p < 0.0001). The anti-fibrotic compound ALK5i inhibited both PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 (p < 0.0001). High serum levels of PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 in patients with PDAC were associated with short OS (PRO-C3: HR = 1.48, 95%CI: 1.29-1.71, p < 0.0001 and PRO-C6: HR = 1.31, 95%CI: 1.14-1.50, p = 0.0002). PRO-C3 and PRO-C6 have the potential to be used both pre-clinically and clinically as a measure of tumor fibrosis and CAF activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neel I. Nissen
- Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen (UCPH), 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (R.S.P.); (M.A.K.); (N.W.)
| | - Astrid Z. Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Herlev and Gentofte, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (A.Z.J.); (I.C.); (J.S.J.)
| | - Inna Chen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Herlev and Gentofte, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (A.Z.J.); (I.C.); (J.S.J.)
| | - Julia S. Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital—Herlev and Gentofte, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (A.Z.J.); (I.C.); (J.S.J.)
- Department of Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital—Herlev and Gentofte, 2730 Herlev, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rasmus S. Pedersen
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (R.S.P.); (M.A.K.); (N.W.)
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carsten P. Hansen
- Department of Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital—Rigshospitalet, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark;
| | - Morten A. Karsdal
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (R.S.P.); (M.A.K.); (N.W.)
| | - Nicholas Willumsen
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730 Herlev, Denmark; (R.S.P.); (M.A.K.); (N.W.)
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24
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Jensen C, Nissen NI, Von Arenstorff CS, Karsdal MA, Willumsen N. Serological assessment of collagen fragments and tumor fibrosis may guide immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2021; 40:326. [PMID: 34656158 PMCID: PMC8520279 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-021-02133-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Despite the overall clinical success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for treating patients with solid tumors, a large number of patients do not benefit from this approach. Consequently, there is a need for predictive biomarkers. The most prevalent biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression and tumor mutational burden (TMB) do not reliably predict response to ICIs across different solid tumor types suggesting that a broader view of regulating factors in the tumor microenvironment is needed. Emerging evidence indicates that one central common denominator of resistance to ICIs may be fibrotic activity characterized by extracellular matrix (ECM) and collagen production by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). A fibroblast-and collagen-rich stroma attenuates immunotherapy response by contributing to inhibition and exclusion of T cells. Here we review opportunities and limitations in the utilization of the most prevalent biomarkers for ICIs and elaborate on the unique opportunities with biomarkers originating from the activated fibroblasts producing an impermeable ECM. We propose that ECM and collagen biomarkers measured non-invasively may be a novel and practical approach to optimize treatment strategies and improve patient selection for ICI therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Jensen
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730, Herlev, Denmark.
| | - Neel I Nissen
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, 2730, Herlev, Denmark
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25
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Karsdal MA, Genovese F, Rasmussen DGK, Bay-Jensen AC, Mortensen JH, Holm Nielsen S, Willumsen N, Jensen C, Manon-Jensen T, Jennings L, Reese-Petersen AL, Henriksen K, Sand JM, Bager C, Leeming DJ. Considerations for understanding protein measurements: Identification of formation, degradation and more pathological relevant epitopes. Clin Biochem 2021; 97:11-24. [PMID: 34453894 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2021.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES There is a need for precision medicine and an unspoken promise of an optimal approach for identification of the right patients for value-based medicine based on big data. However, there may be a misconception that measurement of proteins is more valuable than measurement of fewer selected biomarkers. In population-based research, variation may be somewhat eliminated by quantity. However, this fascination of numbers may limit the attention to and understanding of the single. This review highlights that protein measurements (with collagens as examples) may mean different things depending on the targeted epitope - formation or degradation of tissues, and even signaling potential of proteins. DESIGN AND METHODS PubMed was searched for collagen, neo-epitope, biomarkers. RESULTS Ample examples of assays with specific epitopes, either pathological such as HbA1c, or domain specific such as pro-peptides, which total protein arrays would not have identified were evident. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that big data may be considered as the funnel of data points, in which most important parameters will be selected. If the technical precision is low or the biological accuracy is limited, and we include suboptimal quality of biomarkers, disguised as big data, we may not be able to fulfill the promise of helping patients searching for the optimal treatment. Alternatively, if the technical precision of the total protein quantification is high, but we miss the functional domains with the most considerable biological meaning, we miss the most important and valuable information of a given protein. This review highlights that measurements of the same protein in different ways may provide completely different meanings. We need to understand the pathological importance of each epitope quantified to maximize protein measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Karsdal
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark.
| | - F Genovese
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - D G K Rasmussen
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - A C Bay-Jensen
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - J H Mortensen
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - S Holm Nielsen
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - N Willumsen
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - C Jensen
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - T Manon-Jensen
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | | | | | - K Henriksen
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - J M Sand
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - C Bager
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
| | - D J Leeming
- Nordic Bioscience, Biomarkers & Research A/S, Herlev, Denmark
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26
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Nissen NI, Kehlet S, Johansen AZ, Chen IM, Karsdal M, Johansen JS, Diab HMH, Jørgensen LN, Sun S, Manon-Jensen T, He Y, Langholm L, Willumsen N. Noninvasive prognostic biomarker potential of quantifying the propeptides of Type XI collagen alpha-1 chain (PRO-C11) in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Int J Cancer 2021; 149:228-238. [PMID: 33687786 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Type XI collagen has been associated with tumor fibrosis and aggressiveness in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The propeptide on Type XI collagen is released into the circulation after proteolytic processing at either amino acid 253 or 511. This allows for a noninvasive biomarker approach to quantify Type XI collagen production. We developed two ELISA-based biomarkers, targeting the two enzymatic cleavage sites (PRO-C11-253 and PRO-C11-511). In a discovery cohort including serum from patients with PDAC (n = 39, Stages 1-4), chronic pancreatitis (CP, n = 12) and healthy controls (n = 20), PRO-C11-511, but not PRO-C11-253, was significantly upregulated in patients with PDAC and CP compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, PRO-C11-511 levels >75th percentile were associated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR, 95% CI: 3.40, 1.48-7.83). The PRO-C11-511 biomarker potential was validated in serum from 686 patients with PDAC. Again, high levels of PRO-C11-511 (>75th percentile) were associated with poor OS (HR, 95% CI: 1.68, 1.40-2.02). Furthermore, PRO-C11-511 remained significant after adjusting for clinical risk factors (HR, 95% CI: 1.50, 1.22-1.86). In conclusion, quantifying serum levels of Type XI collagen with PRO-C11-511 predicts poor OS in patients with PDAC. This supports that Type XI collagen is important for PDAC biology and that PRO-C11-511 has prognostic noninvasive biomarker potential for patients with PDAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neel Ingemann Nissen
- Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Copenhagen, Denmark
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, Herlev, Denmark
| | | | - Astrid Z Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Inna M Chen
- Department of Oncology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Karsdal
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Julia S Johansen
- Department of Oncology, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Medicine, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Hadi M H Diab
- Digestive Disease Center, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars N Jørgensen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Digestive Disease Center, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Shu Sun
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, Herlev, Denmark
| | | | - Yi He
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Lasse Langholm
- Biomarkers & Research, Nordic Bioscience, Herlev, Denmark
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27
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Ramos MIP, Tian L, de Ruiter EJ, Song C, Paucarmayta A, Singh A, Elshof E, Vijver SV, Shaik J, Bosiacki J, Cusumano Z, Jensen C, Willumsen N, Karsdal MA, Liu L, Langermann S, Willems S, Flies D, Meyaard L. Cancer immunotherapy by NC410, a LAIR-2 Fc protein blocking human LAIR-collagen interaction. eLife 2021; 10:62927. [PMID: 34121658 PMCID: PMC8225389 DOI: 10.7554/elife.62927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Collagens are a primary component of the extracellular matrix and are functional ligands for the inhibitory immune receptor leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor (LAIR)-1. LAIR-2 is a secreted protein that can act as a decoy receptor by binding collagen with higher affinity than LAIR-1. We propose that collagens promote immune evasion by interacting with LAIR-1 expressed on immune cells, and that LAIR-2 releases LAIR-1-mediated immune suppression. Analysis of public human datasets shows that collagens, LAIR-1 and LAIR-2 have unique and overlapping associations with survival in certain tumors. We designed a dimeric LAIR-2 with a functional IgG1 Fc tail, NC410, and showed that NC410 increases human T cell expansion and effector function in vivo in a mouse xenogeneic-graft versus-host disease model. In humanized mouse tumor models, NC410 reduces tumor growth that is dependent on T cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of human tumors shows that NC410 binds to collagen-rich areas where LAIR-1+ immune cells are localized. Our findings show that NC410 might be a novel strategy for cancer immunotherapy for immune-excluded tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ines Pascoal Ramos
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | - Akashdip Singh
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Eline Elshof
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Saskia V Vijver
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Stefan Willems
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - Linde Meyaard
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
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28
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Hurkmans DP, Jensen C, Koolen SLW, Aerts J, Karsdal MA, Mathijssen RHJ, Willumsen N. Blood-based extracellular matrix biomarkers are correlated with clinical outcome after PD-1 inhibition in patients with metastatic melanoma. J Immunother Cancer 2020; 8:jitc-2020-001193. [PMID: 33093157 PMCID: PMC7583811 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors that target the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor induce a response in only a subgroup of patients with metastatic melanoma. Previous research suggests that transforming growth factor beta signaling and a collagen-rich peritumoral stroma (tumor fibrosis), may negatively interfere with the interaction between T cells and tumor cells and thereby contribute to resistance mechanisms by immune-exclusion, while increased tumor infiltration of M1-like macrophages enhances T cell activity. Hence, the current study aimed to assess the relationship between blood-based markers of collagen or vimentin turnover (reflecting M1 macrophage activity) and clinical outcome in patients with metastatic melanoma after PD-1 inhibition. Methods Patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with anti-PD-1 monotherapy between May 2016 and March 2019 were included in a prospective observational study. N-terminal pro-peptide of type III collagen (PRO-C3) cross-linked N-terminal pro-peptides of type III collagen (PC3X), matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-degraded type III (C3M) and type IV collagen (C4M), granzyme B-degraded type IV collagen and citrullinated and MMP-degraded vimentin (VICM) were measured with immunoassays in serum before (n=107), and 6 weeks after the first administration of immunotherapy (n=94). The association between biomarker levels and overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed. Results Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified high baseline PRO-C3 (Q4) and PC3X (Q4) as independent variables of worse PFS (PRO-C3: HR=1.81, 95% CI=1.06 to 3.10, p=0.030 and PC3X: HR=1.86, 95% CI=1.09 to 3.18, p=0.023). High baseline PRO-C3 was also independently related to worse OS (HR=2.08, 95% CI=1.06 to 4.09, p=0.035), whereas a high C3M/PRO-C3 ratio was related to improved OS (HR=0.42, 95% CI=0.20 to 0.90, p=0.025). An increase in VICM (p<0.0001; in 56% of the patients) was observed after 6 weeks of treatment, and an increase in VICM was independently associated with improved OS (HR=0.28, 95% CI=0.10 to 0.77, p=0.014). Conclusions Blood-based biomarkers reflecting excessive type III collagen turnover were associated with worse OS and PFS after PD-1 inhibition in metastatic melanoma. Moreover, an increase in VICM levels after 6 weeks of treatment was associated with improved OS. These findings suggest that type III collagen and vimentin turnover contribute to resistance/response mechanisms of PD-1 inhibitors and hold promise of assessing extracellular matrix-derived and stroma-derived components to predict immunotherapy response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daan P Hurkmans
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands .,Department of Pulmonology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Stijn L W Koolen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Hospital Pharmacy, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joachim Aerts
- Department of Pulmonology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Ron H J Mathijssen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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