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Kirkpatrick C, Lu YCW. Deciphering CD4 + T cell-mediated responses against cancer. Mol Carcinog 2024; 63:1209-1220. [PMID: 38725218 PMCID: PMC11166516 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23730] [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: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/15/2024]
Abstract
It's been long thought that CD8+ cytotoxic T cells play a major role in T cell-mediated antitumor responses, whereas CD4+ T cells merely provide some assistance to CD8+ T cells as the "helpers." In recent years, numerous studies support the notion that CD4+ T cells play an indispensable role in antitumor responses. Here, we summarize and discuss the current knowledge regarding the roles of CD4+ T cells in antitumor responses and immunotherapy, with a focus on the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind these observations. These new insights on CD4+ T cells may pave the way to further optimize cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Kirkpatrick
- Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Yong-Chen William Lu
- Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
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2
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Huang Y, Fan H, Ti H. Tumor microenvironment reprogramming by nanomedicine to enhance the effect of tumor immunotherapy. Asian J Pharm Sci 2024; 19:100902. [PMID: 38595331 PMCID: PMC11002556 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajps.2024.100902] [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: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
With the rapid development of the fields of tumor biology and immunology, tumor immunotherapy has been used in clinical practice and has demonstrated significant therapeutic potential, particularly for treating tumors that do not respond to standard treatment options. Despite its advances, immunotherapy still has limitations, such as poor clinical response rates and differences in individual patient responses, largely because tumor tissues have strong immunosuppressive microenvironments. Many tumors have a tumor microenvironment (TME) that is characterized by hypoxia, low pH, and substantial numbers of immunosuppressive cells, and these are the main factors limiting the efficacy of antitumor immunotherapy. The TME is crucial to the occurrence, growth, and metastasis of tumors. Therefore, numerous studies have been devoted to improving the effects of immunotherapy by remodeling the TME. Effective regulation of the TME and reversal of immunosuppressive conditions are effective strategies for improving tumor immunotherapy. The use of multidrug combinations to improve the TME is an efficient way to enhance antitumor immune efficacy. However, the inability to effectively target drugs decreases therapeutic effects and causes toxic side effects. Nanodrug delivery carriers have the advantageous ability to enhance drug bioavailability and improve drug targeting. Importantly, they can also regulate the TME and deliver large or small therapeutic molecules to decrease the inhibitory effect of the TME on immune cells. Therefore, nanomedicine has great potential for reprogramming immunosuppressive microenvironments and represents a new immunotherapeutic strategy. Therefore, this article reviews strategies for improving the TME and summarizes research on synergistic nanomedicine approaches that enhance the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Huang
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hui Fan
- School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Huihui Ti
- School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
- Guangdong Province Precise Medicine Big Date of Traditional Chinese Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China
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3
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Xu M, Li C, Xiang L, Chen S, Chen L, Ling G, Hu Y, Yang L, Yuan X, Xia X, Zhang H. Assessing the causal relationship between 731 immunophenotypes and the risk of lung cancer: a bidirectional mendelian randomization study. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:270. [PMID: 38408977 PMCID: PMC10898084 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-12014-1] [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: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have observed a link between immunophenotypes and lung cancer, both of which are closely associated with genetic factors. However, the causal relationship between them remains unclear. METHODS Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed on publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics to analyze the causal relationships between 731 immunophenotypes and lung cancer. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to verify the robustness, heterogeneity, and potential horizontal pleiotropy of our findings. RESULTS Following Bonferroni adjustment, CD14- CD16+ monocyte (OR = 0.930, 95%CI 0.900-0.960, P = 8.648 × 10- 6, PBonferroni = 0.006) and CD27 on CD24+ CD27+ B cells (OR = 1.036, 95%CI 1.020-1.053, P = 1.595 × 10 - 5, PBonferroni = 0.012) were identified as having a causal role in lung cancer via the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method. At a more relaxed threshold, CD27 on IgD+ CD24+ B cell (OR = 1.035, 95%CI 1.017-1.053, P = 8.666 × 10- 5, PBonferroni = 0.063) and CD27 on switched memory B cell (OR = 1.037, 95%CI 1.018-1.056, P = 1.154 × 10- 4, PBonferroni = 0.084) were further identified. No statistically significant effects of lung cancer on immunophenotypes were found. CONCLUSIONS The elevated level of CD14- CD16+ monocytes was a protective factor against lung cancer. Conversely, CD27 on CD24+ CD27+ B cell was a risk factor. CD27 on class-switched memory B cells and IgD+ CD24+ B cells were potential risk factors for lung cancer. This research enhanced our comprehension of the interplay between immune responses and lung cancer risk. Additionally, these findings offer valuable perspectives for the development of immunologically oriented therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Xu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Chengkai Li
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Liyan Xiang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Siyue Chen
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Lin Chen
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Gongxia Ling
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Yanqing Hu
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Lan Yang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Xiang Yuan
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China
| | - Xiaodong Xia
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China.
| | - Hailin Zhang
- The Second Affiliated Hospital, Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, Zhejiang, 325007, Wenzhou, PR China.
- Department of Children's Respiration Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, 109 West Xueyuan Road, Lucheng District, 325027, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
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Kaur K, Jewett A. Osteoclasts and Probiotics Mediate Significant Expansion, Functional Activation and Supercharging in NK, γδ T, and CD3+ T Cells: Use in Cancer Immunotherapy. Cells 2024; 13:213. [PMID: 38334605 PMCID: PMC10854567 DOI: 10.3390/cells13030213] [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: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Our previous studies have introduced osteoclasts (OCs) as major activators of NK cells. It was found that OCs exhibit the capabilities of inducing cell expansion as well as increasing the cytotoxic activity of NK cells by granule release and increasing the secretion of TNF-α and TRAIL, leading to increased lysis of tumors in short-term as well as long-term periods, respectively. OC- induced expanded NK cells were named supercharged NK cells (sNK) due to their significantly high functional activity as well as their significantly higher cell expansion rate. It is, however, unclear whether the OC-mediated effect in NK cells is specific or whether other cytotoxic immune cells can also be expanded and activated by OCs. We chose to focus on γδ T cells and pan T cells, which also include CD8+ T cells. In this paper, we report that OCs are capable of expanding and functionally activating both γδ T cells and pan T cells. Expanded γδ T and pan T cells were capable of secreting high levels of INF-γ, albeit with different dynamics to those of NK cells, and, moreover, they are unable to kill NK-specific targets. Since we used humanized-BLT (hu-BLT) mice as a model of human disease, we next determined whether NK and T cell activation through OCs is also evident in cells obtained from hu-BLT mice. Similar to humans, OCs were capable of increasing the cell expansion and secretion of IFN-γ in the culture of either NK or T cells from hu-BLT mice, providing yet further evidence that these mice are appropriate models to study human disease. Therefore, these studies indicated that CD3+ T or γδ T cells can proliferate and be supercharged by OCs similar to the NK cells; thus, they can be used individually or in combination in the cell therapy of cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kawaljit Kaur
- Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, School of Dentistry and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
| | - Anahid Jewett
- Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, School of Dentistry and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
- The Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Dentistry and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Alzamami A. Implications of single-cell immune landscape of tumor microenvironment for the colorectal cancer diagnostics and therapy. Med Oncol 2023; 40:352. [PMID: 37950801 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02226-z] [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: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/13/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) originates from the polyps lining the colon and is among the most common types of cancer. With the increasing popularity of single-cell sequencing technologies, researchers have been able to better understand the immune landscape of colorectal cancer, by analyzing their expression and interactions in detail with the tumor microenvironment (TME) at single-cell level. Since the tumor-immune cell interactions play a critical part in the advancement as well as treatment response in colorectal cancer, the release of inhibitory factors such as T cells are important for recognizing and destroying cancer cells. Such information is vital to identify immunotherapeutic targets for cure and monitoring response to treatments. Therefore, a comprehensive single-cell studies-based overview of key immunogenic agents regulating the TME of CRC is provided in this review. Tumor-associated macrophages can promote tumor growth and resistance to treatment by releasing factors that inhibit the function of other immune cells. Additionally, colorectal cancer cells can express programmed cell death protein 1 and its ligand, which can also inhibit T-cell function. Researchers have found that certain types of immune cells, prominently T cells, natural killer, and dendritic cells, can have a positive impact on the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. Treatments like immune checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T therapies that help to release the inhibitory signals from the cancer cells allow the immune cells to function more effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Alzamami
- Clinical Laboratory Science Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra University, 11961, Al-Quwayiyah, Saudi Arabia.
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Katsuyama N, Kawase T, Barakat C, Mizuno S, Tomita A, Ozeki K, Nishio N, Sato Y, Kajiya R, Shiraishi K, Takahashi Y, Ichinohe T, Nishikawa H, Akatsuka Y. T cell receptor-engineered T cells derived from target human leukocyte antigen-DPB1-specific T cell can be a potential tool for therapy against leukemia relapse following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. NAGOYA JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE 2023; 85:779-796. [PMID: 38155626 PMCID: PMC10751490 DOI: 10.18999/nagjms.85.4.779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DPB1 antigens are mismatched in approximately 70% of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (allo-HSCT) from HLA 10/10 matched unrelated donors. HLA-DP-mismatched transplantation was shown to be associated with an increase in acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and a decreased risk of leukemia relapse due to the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect. Immunotherapy targeting mismatched HLA-DP is considered reasonable to treat leukemia following allo-HCT if performed under non-inflammatory conditions. Therefore, we isolated CD4+ T cell clones that recognize mismatched HLA-DPB1 from healthy volunteer donors and generated T cell receptor (TCR)-gene-modified T cells for future clinical applications. Detailed analysis of TCR-T cells expressing TCR from candidate clone #17 demonstrated specificity to myeloid and monocytic leukemia cell lines that even expressed low levels of targeted HLA-DP. However, they did not react to non-hematopoietic cell lines with a substantial level of targeted HLA-DP expression, suggesting that the TCR recognized antigenic peptide is only present in some hematopoietic cells. This study demonstrated that induction of T cells specific for HLA-DP, consisting of hematopoietic cell lineage-derived peptide and redirection of T cells with cloned TCR cDNA by gene transfer, is feasible when using careful specificity analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Katsuyama
- Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Takakazu Kawase
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
- Department of Immune Regenerative Medicine, International Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Carolyne Barakat
- Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Shohei Mizuno
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Akihiro Tomita
- Department of Hematology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Ozeki
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, JA Aichi Konan Kosei Hospital, Konan, Japan
| | - Nobuhiro Nishio
- Center for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research, Department of Advanced Medicine, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan
- Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yoshie Sato
- Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Ryoko Kajiya
- Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Keiko Shiraishi
- Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Takahashi
- Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Ichinohe
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Hiroyoshi Nishikawa
- Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Akatsuka
- Department of Immunology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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Yan J, Yang Y, Lu J, Yuan Y, Wu X, Huang J, Zhang S. Identification of TMEM178 as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker and Therapeutic Target for Breast Cancer. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 52:2427-2439. [PMID: 38106832 PMCID: PMC10719715 DOI: 10.18502/ijph.v52i11.14042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Background The transmembrane protein (TMEM) family plays important roles in cancer. However, the expression pattern and biological roles of TMEM178, a member of TMEM family, remains unclear in breast cancer (BRCA). Methods Methylation and RNA-seq data were obtained to explore methylation level. Expression of TMEM178, methylation inhibitor 5-Aza-CdR was used to verify the effect of methylation status on the expression of TMEM178. We comprehensively investigated the prognostic outcomes, biological functions and effects on immune cell infiltration of the TMEM178 in BRCA using multiple bioinformatics methods. Results The expression of TMEM178 was downregulated and negatively correlated with the level of DNA methylation and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B) in BRCA. Consistently, TMEM178 mRNA were confirmed to be downregulated, while upregulated in response to treatment with methylation inhibitor 5-Aza-CdR by RT-qPCR. Patients with high expression of TMEM178 have better prognosis and are more sensitive to targeted drug Pazopanib. Immune infiltration analysis showed that the infiltration levels of CD4+ T cell subsets were reduced in BRAC tissues with high TMEM178 expression, and immunosuppressive molecules of T-cell exhaustion were lower expression level. Conclusion Hypermethylation of the TMEM178 promoter region was a contributing factor to the downregulation of its expression, and TMEM178 may reflect a prognostic and immunosuppressive situation in BRCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaoyan Yan
- Department of Basic Clinical Laboratory Medicine, School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China
| | - Ye Yang
- Department of Basic Clinical Laboratory Medicine, School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China
| | - Jingrun Lu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First People’s Hospital of Guiyang, Guiyang, 550002, China
| | - Yan Yuan
- Department of Basic Clinical Laboratory Medicine, School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China
| | - Xiangyi Wu
- Department of Basic Clinical Laboratory Medicine, School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China
| | - Jian Huang
- Department of Basic Clinical Laboratory Medicine, School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China
| | - Shu Zhang
- Department of Basic Clinical Laboratory Medicine, School of Clinical Laboratory Science, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China
- Center for Clinical Laboratories, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550004, China
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Hartmann AK, Bartneck J, Pielenhofer J, Meiser SL, Arnold-Schild D, Klein M, Stassen M, Schild H, Muth S, Probst HC, Langguth P, Grabbe S, Radsak MP. Optimized dithranol-imiquimod-based transcutaneous immunization enables tumor rejection. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1238861. [PMID: 37727790 PMCID: PMC10505723 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1238861] [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: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Transcutaneous immunization (TCI) is a non-invasive vaccination method promoting strong cellular immune responses, crucial for the immunological rejection of cancer. Previously, we reported on the combined application of the TLR7 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) together with the anti-psoriatic drug dithranol as novel TCI platform DIVA (dithranol/IMQ based vaccination). In extension of this work, we further optimized DIVA in terms of drug dose, application pattern and established a new IMQ formulation. Methods C57BL/6 mice were treated on the ear skin with dithranol and IMQ-containing ointments together with ovalbumin-derived peptides. T cell responses were determined by flow cytometry and IFN-ɤ ELISpot assay, local skin inflammation was characterized by ear swelling. Results Applying the adjuvants on separate skin sites, a reduced number of specific CD8+ T cells with effector function was detectable, indicating that the local concurrence of adjuvants and peptide antigens is required for optimal vaccination. Likewise, changing the order of dithranol and IMQ resulted in an increased skin inflammatory reaction, but lower frequencies of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells indicating that dithranol is essential for superior T cell priming upon DIVA. Dispersing nanocrystalline IMQ in a spreadable formulation (IMI-Sol+) facilitated storage and application rendering comparable immune responses. DIVA applied one or two weeks after the first immunization resulted in a massive increase in antigen-specific T cells and up to a ten-fold increased memory response. Finally, in a prophylactic tumor setting, double but no single DIVA treatment enabled complete control of tumor growth, resulting in full tumor protection. Discussion Taken together, the described optimized transcutaneous vaccination method leads to the generation of a strong cellular immune response enabling the effective control of tumor growth and has the potential for clinical development as a novel non-invasive vaccination method for peptide-based cancer vaccines in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann-Kathrin Hartmann
- IIIrd Department of Medicine – Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Joschka Bartneck
- IIIrd Department of Medicine – Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jonas Pielenhofer
- Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sophie Luise Meiser
- Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Danielle Arnold-Schild
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Matthias Klein
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael Stassen
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hansjörg Schild
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Mainz Research School of Translational Biomedicine (TransMed), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sabine Muth
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Hans Christian Probst
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Peter Langguth
- Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Stephan Grabbe
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Mainz Research School of Translational Biomedicine (TransMed), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Markus P. Radsak
- IIIrd Department of Medicine – Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
- Mainz Research School of Translational Biomedicine (TransMed), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
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Lamenza FF, Ryan NM, Upadhaya P, Siddiqui A, Jordanides PP, Springer A, Roth P, Pracha H, Iwenofu OH, Oghumu S. Inducible TgfbR1 and Pten deletion in a model of tongue carcinogenesis and chemoprevention. Cancer Gene Ther 2023; 30:1167-1177. [PMID: 37231058 PMCID: PMC10754272 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-023-00629-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a significant public health problem, with a need for novel approaches to chemoprevention and treatment. Preclinical models that recapitulate molecular alterations that occur in clinical HNSCC patients are needed to better understand molecular and immune mechanisms of HNSCC carcinogenesis, chemoprevention, and efficacy of treatment. We optimized a mouse model of tongue carcinogenesis with discrete quantifiable tumors via conditional deletion of Tgfβr1 and Pten by intralingual injection of tamoxifen. We characterized the localized immune tumor microenvironment, metastasis, systemic immune responses, associated with tongue tumor development. We further determined the efficacy of tongue cancer chemoprevention using dietary administration of black raspberries (BRB). Three Intralingual injections of 500 µg tamoxifen to transgenic K14 Cre, floxed Tgfbr1, Pten (2cKO) knockout mice resulted in tongue tumors with histological and molecular profiles, and lymph node metastasis similar to clinical HNSCC tumors. Bcl2, Bcl-xl, Egfr, Ki-67, and Mmp9, were significantly upregulated in tongue tumors compared to surrounding epithelial tissue. CD4+ and CD8 + T cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes and tumors displayed increased surface CTLA-4 expression, suggestive of impaired T-cell activation and enhanced regulatory T-cell activity. BRB administration resulted in reduced tumor growth, enhanced T-cell infiltration to the tongue tumor microenvironment and robust antitumoral CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell activity characterized by greater granzyme B and perforin expression. Our results demonstrate that intralingual injection of tamoxifen in Tgfβr1/Pten 2cKO mice results in discrete quantifiable tumors suitable for chemoprevention and therapy of experimental HNSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe F Lamenza
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Nathan M Ryan
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Puja Upadhaya
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Arham Siddiqui
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Pete P Jordanides
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Anna Springer
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Peyton Roth
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Hasan Pracha
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - O Hans Iwenofu
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Steve Oghumu
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
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10
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Zheng Z, Wieder T, Mauerer B, Schäfer L, Kesselring R, Braumüller H. T Cells in Colorectal Cancer: Unravelling the Function of Different T Cell Subsets in the Tumor Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11673. [PMID: 37511431 PMCID: PMC10380781 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic options for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are very limited, and the prognosis using combination therapy with a chemotherapeutic drug and a targeted agent, e.g., epidermal growth factor receptor or tyrosine kinase, remains poor. Therefore, mCRC is associated with a poor median overall survival (mOS) of only 25-30 months. Current immunotherapies with checkpoint inhibitor blockade (ICB) have led to a substantial change in the treatment of several cancers, such as melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. In CRC, ICB has only limited effects, except in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) tumors, which comprise about 15% of sporadic CRC patients and about 4% of patients with metastatic CRC. The vast majority of sporadic CRCs are microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors with low levels of infiltrating immune cells, in which immunotherapy has no clinical benefit so far. Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors requires the presence of infiltrating T cells into the tumor microenvironment (TME). This makes T cells the most important effector cells in the TME, as evidenced by the establishment of the immunoscore-a method to estimate the prognosis of CRC patients. The microenvironment of a tumor contains several types of T cells that are anti-tumorigenic, such as CD8+ T cells or pro-tumorigenic, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs) or T helper 17 (Th17) cells. However, even CD8+ T cells show marked heterogeneity, e.g., they can become exhausted, enter a state of hyporesponsiveness or become dysfunctional and express high levels of checkpoint molecules, the targets for ICB. To kill cancer cells, CD8+ T cells need the recognition of the MHC class I, which is often downregulated on colorectal cancer cells. In this case, a population of unconventional T cells with a γδ T cell receptor can overcome the limitations of the conventional CD8+ T cells with an αβT cell receptor. γδ T cells recognize antigens in an MHC-independent manner, thus acting as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. Here, we discuss the effects of different T cell subsets in colorectal cancer with a special emphasis on γδ T cells and the possibility of using them in CAR-T cell therapy. We explain T cell exclusion in microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer and the possibilities to overcome this exclusion to enable immunotherapy even in these "cold" tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziwen Zheng
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Wieder
- Department of Vegetative and Clinical Physiology, Institute of Physiology, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Bernhard Mauerer
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Luisa Schäfer
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rebecca Kesselring
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Heidi Braumüller
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
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11
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CD4 + T cells in cancer. NATURE CANCER 2023; 4:317-329. [PMID: 36894637 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-023-00521-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 84.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Cancer immunology and immunotherapy are driving forces of research and development in oncology, mostly focusing on CD8+ T cells and the tumor microenvironment. Recent progress highlights the importance of CD4+ T cells, corresponding to the long-known fact that CD4+ T cells are central players and coordinators of innate and antigen-specific immune responses. Moreover, they have now been recognized as anti-tumor effector cells in their own right. Here we review the current status of CD4+ T cells in cancer, which hold great promise for improving knowledge and therapies in cancer.
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12
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Multiplexed imaging mass cytometry reveals distinct tumor-immune microenvironments linked to immunotherapy responses in melanoma. COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE 2022; 2:131. [PMID: 36281356 PMCID: PMC9587266 DOI: 10.1038/s43856-022-00197-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Single-cell technologies have enabled extensive analysis of complex immune composition, phenotype and interactions within tumor, which is crucial in understanding the mechanisms behind cancer progression and treatment resistance. Unfortunately, knowledge on cell phenotypes and their spatial interactions has only had limited impact on the pathological stratification of patients in the clinic so far. We explore the relationship between different tumor environments (TMEs) and response to immunotherapy by deciphering the composition and spatial relationships of different cell types. Methods Here we used imaging mass cytometry to simultaneously quantify 35 proteins in a spatially resolved manner on tumor tissues from 26 melanoma patients receiving anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1) therapy. Using unsupervised clustering, we profiled 662,266 single cells to identify lymphocytes, myeloid derived monocytes, stromal and tumor cells, and characterized TME of different melanomas. Results Combined single-cell and spatial analysis reveals highly dynamic TMEs that are characterized with variable tumor and immune cell phenotypes and their spatial organizations in melanomas, and many of these multicellular features are associated with response to anti-PD-1 therapy. We further identify six distinct TME archetypes based on their multicellular compositions, and find that patients with different TME archetypes responded differently to anti-PD-1 therapy. Finally, we find that classifying patients based on the gene expression signature derived from TME archetypes predicts anti-PD-1 therapy response across multiple validation cohorts. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the utility of multiplex proteomic imaging technologies in studying complex molecular events in a spatially resolved manner for the development of new strategies for patient stratification and treatment outcome prediction.
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13
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Tian Z, Yao W. PD-1/L1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy in the treatment of sarcomas. Front Immunol 2022; 13:898255. [PMID: 36072581 PMCID: PMC9441887 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.898255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent clinical need for new therapeutic regimens for the effective treatment of advanced sarcomas. Accumulating evidence suggests that programmed death receptor-1/programmed death protein ligand-1 (PD-1/L1) inhibitors have synergistic effects with chemotherapy and have been approved for treatment of lung cancer, gastroesophageal cancer, and breast cancer. In this review, we reviewed the synergistic mechanism of PD-1/L1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy in the treatment of cancers, and the application of this combined regimen in several cancers, followed by a summary of the current evidence on the application of this combined regimen in the treatment of sarcomas as well as the main clinical trials currently underway. Based on the findings of this review, we believe that this combined approach will play an important role in the treatment of some subtypes of sarcomas in the future.
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14
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Cortellino S, Raveane A, Chiodoni C, Delfanti G, Pisati F, Spagnolo V, Visco E, Fragale G, Ferrante F, Magni S, Iannelli F, Zanardi F, Casorati G, Bertolini F, Dellabona P, Colombo MP, Tripodo C, Longo VD. Fasting renders immunotherapy effective against low-immunogenic breast cancer while reducing side effects. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111256. [PMID: 36001966 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is improving the prognosis and survival of cancer patients, but despite encouraging outcomes in different cancers, the majority of tumors are resistant to it, and the immunotherapy combinations are often accompanied by severe side effects. Here, we show that a periodic fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) can act on the tumor microenvironment and increase the efficacy of immunotherapy (anti-PD-L1 and anti-OX40) against the poorly immunogenic triple-negative breast tumors (TNBCs) by expanding early exhausted effector T cells, switching the cancer metabolism from glycolytic to respiratory, and reducing collagen deposition. Furthermore, FMD reduces the occurrence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) by preventing the hyperactivation of the immune response. These results indicate that FMD cycles have the potential to enhance the efficacy of anti-cancer immune responses, expand the portion of tumors sensitive to immunotherapy, and reduce its side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alessandro Raveane
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan 20141, Italy
| | - Claudia Chiodoni
- Department of Research, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Gloria Delfanti
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Pisati
- IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy
| | | | - Euplio Visco
- IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy
| | | | | | - Serena Magni
- IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy
| | - Fabio Iannelli
- IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy
| | | | - Giulia Casorati
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Bertolini
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan 20141, Italy; Onco-Tech Lab, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS and Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Dellabona
- Experimental Immunology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario P Colombo
- Department of Research, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudio Tripodo
- IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy; University of Palermo School of Medicine, Palermo, Italy
| | - Valter D Longo
- IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan 20139, Italy; Longevity Institute and Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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15
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Liu Q, Wang L, Lin H, Wang Z, Wu J, Guo J, Wen S, Ran L, Yue Z, Su X, Wu Q, Tang J, Li Z, Hu L, Xu L, Ye L, Huang Q. Tumor-Specific CD4+ T Cells Restrain Established Metastatic Melanoma by Developing Into Cytotoxic CD4– T Cells. Front Immunol 2022; 13:875718. [PMID: 35784297 PMCID: PMC9243303 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.875718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells are the main focus of efforts to understand anti-tumor immunity and immunotherapy. The adoptive transfer of tumor-reactive cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes expanded and differentiated in vitro has long been considered the primary strategy in adaptive anti-tumor immunity, however, the majority of the transferred tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells differentiated into CD39+CD69+ exhausted progenies, limiting its effects in repressing tumor growth. Contrarily, less attention has been addressed to the role of CD4+ T cells during tumorigenesis. Using a mouse model of metastatic melanoma, we found that transferring tumor-specific CD4+ T cells into recipients induces substantial regression of the established metastatic tumors. Notably, in vitro activated CD4+ T cells developed into cytotoxic CD4- T cells in vivo and get exhausted gradually. The blockade of PD-L1 signaling resulted in an expansion of tumor specific CD4+ T cells, which could better control the established metastatic melanoma. Moreover, the tumor-specific memory CD4+ T cell can prevent mice from tumor metastasis, and the tumor-specific effector CD4+ T cells can also mitigate the established metastatic tumor. Overall, our findings suggest a novel mechanism of CD4+ T cells in curtailing tumor metastasis and confirm their therapeutic role in combination with PD-L1 blockade in cancer immunotherapy. Hence, a better understanding of cytotoxic CD4- T cell-mediated tumor regression could provide an alternative choice for patients exhibiting suboptimal or no response to CD8+ T cell-based immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiao Liu
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Qiao Liu, ; Lilin Ye, ; ; Qizhao Huang,
| | - Lisha Wang
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Huayu Lin
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhiming Wang
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jialin Wu
- Department of Respiratory Disease, General Hospital of Xinjiang Military Command, Urumqi, China
| | - Junyi Guo
- Guanghua School of Stomatology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuqiong Wen
- Guanghua School of Stomatology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ling Ran
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhengliang Yue
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xingxing Su
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qing Wu
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jianfang Tang
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zhirong Li
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Li Hu
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lifan Xu
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lilin Ye
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
- *Correspondence: Qiao Liu, ; Lilin Ye, ; ; Qizhao Huang,
| | - Qizhao Huang
- Institute of Immunology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Immune Regulation and Immunotherapy, School of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Qiao Liu, ; Lilin Ye, ; ; Qizhao Huang,
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16
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Wei Z, Zhang Y. Immune Cells in Hyperprogressive Disease under Immune Checkpoint-Based Immunotherapy. Cells 2022; 11:cells11111758. [PMID: 35681453 PMCID: PMC9179330 DOI: 10.3390/cells11111758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy, an antitumor therapy designed to activate antitumor immune responses to eliminate tumor cells, has been deeply studied and widely applied in recent years. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are capable of preventing the immune responses from being turned off before tumor cells are eliminated. ICIs have been demonstrated to be one of the most effective and promising tumor treatments and significantly improve the survival of patients with multiple tumor types. However, low effective rates and frequent atypical responses observed in clinical practice limit their clinical applications. Hyperprogressive disease (HPD) is an unexpected phenomenon observed in immune checkpoint-based immunotherapy and is a challenge facing clinicians and patients alike. Patients who experience HPD not only cannot benefit from immunotherapy, but also experience rapid tumor progression. However, the mechanisms of HPD remain unclear and controversial. This review summarized current findings from cell experiments, animal studies, retrospective studies, and case reports, focusing on the relationships between various immune cells and HPD and providing important insights for understanding the pathogenesis of HPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanqi Wei
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China;
- Hepatopancreatbiliary Center, Tsinghua University Affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Changping District, Beijing 102218, China
| | - Yuewei Zhang
- Hepatopancreatbiliary Center, Tsinghua University Affiliated Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Changping District, Beijing 102218, China
- Correspondence:
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17
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Lin T, Zhang Y, Lin Z, Peng L. ZWINT is a Promising Therapeutic Biomarker Associated with the Immune Microenvironment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Gen Med 2021; 14:7487-7501. [PMID: 34744456 PMCID: PMC8566006 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s340057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The prognosis of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still poor, effective therapeutic targets are needed. ZW10 interacting kinetochore protein (Zwint) is an essential component of the mitotic spindle checkpoint and is upregulated in cancers. Disappointing, the role of ZWINT in HCC has not been fully illuminated. Methods Multiple tools, including TIMER2.0, Oncomine, GEPIA2, UALCAN, LinkedOmics, Kaplan-Meier Plotter, cBioPortal, and MethSurv, etc. were applied to comprehensively analyze the expression, genetic alternations, clinicopathological relevance, prognostic value, and DNA methylation of ZWINT, along with its correlations with immune infiltration in HCC. Besides, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis were performed for the correlated genes of ZWINT, closely interconnected clusters and hub proteins in the PPI network were discovered to learn the underlying biological mechanisms. Results We found ZWINT was significantly upregulated in diverse cancers including HCC, compared with the corresponding normal controls. ZWINT upregulation was significantly associated with unfavorable clinicopathological features and survivals of HCC patients. Genetic alternations of ZWINT frequently occurred, which were linked to worse outcomes of HCC patients. The results of GSEA displayed ZWINT and its correlated genes might be components of condensed chromosomes and spindles, which participated in biological processes and signaling pathways involving DNA replication, cytokinesis, and cell cycle checkpoint, etc. Three highly interconnected clusters and 10 hub proteins were identified from the PPI network constructed with the correlated genes of ZWINT. Moreover, ZWINT expression was found positively correlated with infiltration levels of various immune cells, especially myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Conclusion This study demonstrated ZWINT might be a promising unfavorable prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target of HCC, which could regulate HCC progression through cell division and immunosuppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Lin
- The Fourth Clinical Medical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Yingzhao Zhang
- The Fourth Clinical Medical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhimei Lin
- The Fourth Clinical Medical School, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Lisheng Peng
- Department of Science and Education, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
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18
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Navasardyan I, Bonavida B. Regulation of T Cells in Cancer by Nitric Oxide. Cells 2021; 10:cells10102655. [PMID: 34685635 PMCID: PMC8534057 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The T cell-mediated immune response is primarily involved in the fight against infectious diseases and cancer and its underlying mechanisms are complex. The anti-tumor T cell response is regulated by various T cell subsets and other cells and tissues in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Various mechanisms are involved in the regulation of these various effector cells. One mechanism is the iNOS/.NO that has been reported to be intimately involved in the regulation and differentiation of the various cells that regulate the anti-tumor CD8 T cells. Both endogenous and exogenous .NO are implicated in this regulation. Importantly, the exposure of T cells to .NO had different effects on the immune response, depending on the .NO concentration and time of exposure. For instance, iNOS in T cells regulates activation-induced cell death and inhibits Treg induction. Effector CD8 T cells exposed to .NO result in the upregulation of death receptors and enhance their anti-tumor cytotoxic activity. .NO-Tregs suppress CD4 Th17 cells and their differentiation. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) expressing iNOS inhibit T cell functions via .NO and inhibit anti-tumor CD8 T cells. Therefore, both .NO donors and .NO inhibitors are potential therapeutics tailored to specific target cells that regulate the T cell effector anti-tumor response.
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19
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Irradiation Mediates IFNα and CXCL9 Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer to Stimulate CD8 + T Cells Activity and Migration toward Tumors. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9101349. [PMID: 34680466 PMCID: PMC8533192 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9101349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Irradiation-broken DNA fragments increase type I interferon and chemokines secretion in tumor cells. Since radiotherapy may augment tumor immunotherapy, we hypothesize that the chemokines increased by irradiation could recruit CD8+ T cells to suppress tumor proliferation. This study intended to unveil the secreted factors activating and recruiting CD8+ T cells in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR-positive A549 was selected and treated by X-irradiation (IR) to identify the overexpression of chemokines associated to CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity and recruitment. A transwell assay with Alexa 488-labeled CD8+ T cells was used to evaluate CD8+ T cell motility in vitro. A nuclear imaging platform by In111-labeled nivolumab was used to track CD8+ T cells homing to tumors in vivo. The activation markers GZMB, PRF-1, and IFNγ, migration marker CD183 (CXCR3), and inhibitory marker CD274 (PD-1), were measured and compared in CD8+ T cells with A549 co-cultured, chemokines treated, and patients with late-stage lung cancer. We found that IR not only suppressed A549 proliferation but also induced IFNα and CXCL9 expression (p < 0.05). IFNα majorly increased IFNγ levels in CD8+ T cells (p < 0.05) and synergistically with CXCL9 enhanced CD8+ T cell migration in vitro (p < 0.05). We found that CXCR3 and PD-1 were down-regulated and up-regulated, respectively, in the peripheral blood CD8+ T cells in patients with lung cancer (n = 4 vs. healthy n = 3, both p < 0.05), which exhibited reduction of cell motility (p < 0.05). The in vivo nuclear imaging data indicated highly CD8+ T cells migrated to A549-induced tumors. In addition, we demonstrated that healthy PBMCs significantly suppressed the parallel tumor growth (p < 0.05) and the radioresistant tumor growth in the tumor xenograft mice (p < 0.05), but PBMCs from patients with lung cancer had lost the anti-tumor capacity. We demonstrated that IR induced IFNα and CXCL9 expression in A549 cells, leading to CD8+ T cell migration. This study unveiled a potential mechanism for radiotherapy to activate and recruit CD8+ T cells to suppress lung tumors.
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20
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Hyperion Image Analysis Depicts a Preliminary Landscape of Tumor Immune Microenvironment in OSCC with Lymph Node Metastasis. J Immunol Res 2021; 2021:9975423. [PMID: 34239944 PMCID: PMC8238606 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9975423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) constitutes the most common types of oral cancer. Because its prognosis varies significantly, identification of a tumor immune microenvironment could be a critical tool for treatment planning and predicting a more accurate prognosis. This study is aimed at utilizing the Hyperion imaging system to depict a preliminary landscape of the tumor immune microenvironment in OSCC with lymph node metastasis. Methods We collected neoplasm samples from OSCC patients. Their formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections were obtained and stained utilizing a panel of 26 clinically relevant metal-conjugated antibodies. Detection and analysis were performed for these stained cells with the Hyperion imaging system. Results Four patients met our inclusion criteria. We depicted a preliminary landscape of their tumor immune microenvironment and identified 25 distinct immune cell subsets from these OSCC patients based on phenotypic similarity. All these patients had decreased expression of CD8+ T cells in tumor specimens. Variety in cell subsets was seen, and more immune activated cells were found in patient A and patient B than those in patient C and patient D. Such differences in tumor immune microenvironments can contribute to forecasting of individual prognoses. Conclusion The Hyperion imaging system helped to delineate a preliminary and multidimensional landscape of the tumor immune microenvironment in OSCC with lymph node metastasis and provided insights into the influence of the immune microenvironment in determination of prognoses. These results reveal possible contributory factors behind different prognoses of OSCC patients with lymph node metastasis and provide reference for individual treatment planning.
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21
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Wang G, Zhang M, Cheng M, Wang X, Li K, Chen J, Chen Z, Chen S, Chen J, Xiong G, Xu X, Wang C, Chen D. Tumor microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: Functions and regulatory mechanisms. Cancer Lett 2021; 507:55-69. [PMID: 33741424 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment has been recently reported to play a pivotal role in sustaining tumor cells survival and protecting them from immunotherapy and chemotherapy-induced death. It remains largely unknown how the specific signaling pathway exerts the tumor microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma though previous studies have elucidated the regulatory mechanisms involve in tumor immune microenvironment, stromal cells, tumor angiogenesis and cancer stem cell. These components are responsible for tumor progression as well as anti-cancer therapy resistance, leading to rapid tumor growth and treatment failure. In this review, we focus on discussing the interaction between tumor cells and the surrounding components for better understanding of anti-cancer treatment ineffectiveness and its underlying molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganping Wang
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510030, China
| | - Maosheng Cheng
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Xiaochen Wang
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Kang Li
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jianwen Chen
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Zhi Chen
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Shuang Chen
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Gan Xiong
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510030, China
| | - Xiuyun Xu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510030, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510030, China
| | - Demeng Chen
- Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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