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Steinkamp MP, Lagutina I, Brayer KJ, Schultz F, Burke D, Pankratz VS, Adams SF, Hudson LG, Ness SA, Wandinger-Ness A. Humanized Patient-derived Xenograft Models of Disseminated Ovarian Cancer Recapitulate Key Aspects of the Tumor Immune Environment within the Peritoneal Cavity. CANCER RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:309-324. [PMID: 36860657 PMCID: PMC9973420 DOI: 10.1158/2767-9764.crc-22-0300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The importance of the immune microenvironment in ovarian cancer progression, metastasis, and response to therapies has become increasingly clear, especially with the new emphasis on immunotherapies. To leverage the power of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models within a humanized immune microenvironment, three ovarian cancer PDXs were grown in humanized NBSGW (huNBSGW) mice engrafted with human CD34+ cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem cells. Analysis of cytokine levels in the ascites fluid and identification of infiltrating immune cells in the tumors demonstrated that these humanized PDX (huPDX) established an immune tumor microenvironment similar to what has been reported for patients with ovarian cancer. The lack of human myeloid cell differentiation has been a major setback for humanized mouse models, but our analysis shows that PDX engraftment increases the human myeloid population in the peripheral blood. Analysis of cytokines within the ascites fluid of huPDX revealed high levels of human M-CSF, a key myeloid differentiation factor as well as other elevated cytokines that have previously been identified in ovarian cancer patient ascites fluid including those involved in immune cell differentiation and recruitment. Human tumor-associated macrophages and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes were detected within the tumors of humanized mice, demonstrating immune cell recruitment to tumors. Comparison of the three huPDX revealed certain differences in cytokine signatures and in the extent of immune cell recruitment. Our studies show that huNBSGW PDX models reconstitute important aspects of the ovarian cancer immune tumor microenvironment, which may recommend these models for preclinical therapeutic trials. Significance huPDX models are ideal preclinical models for testing novel therapies. They reflect the genetic heterogeneity of the patient population, enhance human myeloid differentiation, and recruit immune cells to the tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara P. Steinkamp
- Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Irina Lagutina
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Kathryn J. Brayer
- Analytical and Translational Genomics Shared Resource, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Fred Schultz
- Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Danielle Burke
- Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Vernon S. Pankratz
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Biostatistics Shared Resource, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Sarah F. Adams
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Laurie G. Hudson
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Scott A. Ness
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Angela Wandinger-Ness
- Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Wu Y, Guo S, Chen F, Li Y, Huang Y, Liu W, Zhang G. Fn-Dps, a novel virulence factor of Fusobacterium nucleatum, disrupts erythrocytes and promotes metastasis in colorectal cancer. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011096. [PMID: 36693067 PMCID: PMC9873182 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is a critical colorectal cancer (CRC)-associated bacterium. DNA hunger/stationary phase protective proteins (Dps) are bacterial ferritins that protect DNA from oxidative stress. However, little is known about the regulatory roles of Fn-Dps towards host cellular functions. Here, we identified Fn-Dps from the culture supernatant of Fn by mass spectrometry, and prepared the recombinant of Fn-Dps protein. We show a novel virulence protein of Fn, Fn-Dps, which lyses and disrupts erythrocytes by the competition for iron acquisition. Also, Fn-Dps facilitates intracellular survival of Fn in macrophages by upregulating the expression of the chemokine CCL2/CCL7. In addition, Fn-Dps can elicit a strong humoral immune response, and mucosal immunization with Fn-Dps conferred protection against Fn in the intestinal tract. Moreover, a high level of anti-Fn-Dps antibody was prevalent in populations, and elevated anti-Fn-Dps antibody levels were observed in CRC patients. Furthermore, Fn-Dps promotes the migration of CRC cells via the CCL2/CCL7-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promotes CRC metastasis in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixian Wu
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Songhe Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fangfang Chen
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiqiu Li
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuying Huang
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wanli Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (WL); (GZ)
| | - Ge Zhang
- Department of Microbial and Biochemical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (WL); (GZ)
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Cho SK, Lee K, Woo JH, Choi JH. Macrophages Promote Ovarian Cancer-Mesothelial Cell Adhesion by Upregulation of ITGA2 and VEGFC in Mesothelial Cells. Cells 2023; 12:384. [PMID: 36766725 PMCID: PMC9913165 DOI: 10.3390/cells12030384] [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: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer is a metastatic disease that frequently exhibits extensive peritoneal dissemination. Recent studies have revealed that noncancerous cells inside the tumor microenvironment, such as macrophages and mesothelial cells, may play a role in ovarian cancer metastasis. In this study, we found that human ovarian cancer cells (A2780 and SKOV3) adhered more to human mesothelial Met5A cells stimulated by macrophages (M-Met5A) in comparison to unstimulated control Met5A cells. The mRNA sequencing revealed that 94 adhesion-related genes, including FMN1, ITGA2, COL13A1, VEGFC, and NRG1, were markedly upregulated in M-Met5A cells. Knockdown of ITGA2 and VEGFC in M-Met5A cells significantly inhibited the adhesion of ovarian cancer cells. Inhibition of the JNK and Akt signaling pathways suppressed ITGA2 and VEGFC expression in M-Met5A cells as well as ovarian cancer-mesothelial cell adhesion. Furthermore, increased production of CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) and CCL5 by macrophages elevated ovarian cancer-mesothelial cell adhesion. These findings imply that macrophages may play a significant role in ovarian cancer-mesothelial cell adhesion by inducing the mesothelial expression of adhesion-related genes via the JNK and Akt pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Kye Cho
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Kijun Lee
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
- Division of Molecular Biology, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Hwa Woo
- Division of Molecular Biology, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung-Hye Choi
- Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
- Division of Molecular Biology, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
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Macrophages Are a Double-Edged Sword: Molecular Crosstalk between Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Cancer Stem Cells. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12060850. [PMID: 35740975 PMCID: PMC9221070 DOI: 10.3390/biom12060850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subset of highly tumorigenic cells in tumors. They have enhanced self-renewal properties, are usually chemo-radioresistant, and can promote tumor recurrence and metastasis. They can recruit macrophages into the tumor microenvironment and differentiate them into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). TAMs maintain CSC stemness and construct niches that are favorable for CSC survival. However, how CSCs and TAMs interact is not completely understood. An understanding on these mechanisms can provide additional targeting strategies for eliminating CSCs. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the reported mechanisms of crosstalk between CSCs and TAMs and update the related signaling pathways involved in tumor progression. In addition, we discuss potential therapies targeting CSC–TAM interaction, including targeting macrophage recruitment and polarization by CSCs and inhibiting the TAM-induced promotion of CSC stemness. This review also provides the perspective on the major challenge for developing potential therapeutic strategies to overcome CSC-TAM crosstalk.
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