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Mousavizadeh R, Waugh CM, McCormack RG, Cairns BE, Scott A. MRGPRX2-mediated mast cell activation by substance P from overloaded human tenocytes induces inflammatory and degenerative responses in tendons. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13540. [PMID: 38866832 PMCID: PMC11169467 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64222-1] [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: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Mast cells are immune cells minimally present in normal tendon tissue. The increased abundance of mast cells in tendinopathy biopsies and at the sites of tendon injury suggests an unexplored role of this cell population in overuse tendon injuries. Mast cells are particularly present in tendon biopsies from patients with more chronic symptom duration and a history of intensive mechanical loading. This study, therefore, examined the cross talk between mast cells and human tendon cells in either static or mechanically active conditions in order to explore the potential mechanistic roles of mast cells in overuse tendon injuries. A coculture of isolated human tenocytes and mast cells (HMC-1) combined with Flexcell Tension System for cyclic stretching of tenocytes was used. Additionally, human tenocytes were exposed to agonists and antagonists of substance P (SP) receptors. Mast cell degranulation was assessed by measuring β-hexosaminidase activity. Transwell and cell adhesion assays were used to evaluate mast cell migration and binding to tendon extracellular matrix components (collagen and fibronectin), respectively. Gene expressions were analyzed using real time qRT-PCR. Our results indicate that mechanical stimulation of human tenocytes leads to release of SP which, in turn, activates mast cells through the Mas-related G-protein-coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2). The degranulation and migration of mast cells in response to MRGPRX2 activation subsequently cause human tenocytes to increase their expression of inflammatory factors, matrix proteins and matrix metalloproteinase enzymes. These observations may be important in understanding the mechanisms by which tendons become tendinopathic in response to repetitive mechanical stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rouhollah Mousavizadeh
- Department of Physical Therapy, Centre for Aging SMART, Centre for Aging SMART, University of British Columbia, 2635 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Charlie M Waugh
- Department of Physical Therapy, Centre for Aging SMART, Centre for Aging SMART, University of British Columbia, 2635 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Robert G McCormack
- Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Brian E Cairns
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Alex Scott
- Department of Physical Therapy, Centre for Aging SMART, Centre for Aging SMART, University of British Columbia, 2635 Laurel Street, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada.
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2
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Guo X, Sun M, Yang P, Meng X, Liu R. Role of mast cells activation in the tumor immune microenvironment and immunotherapy of cancers. Eur J Pharmacol 2023; 960:176103. [PMID: 37852570 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2023.176103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
The mast cell is an important cellular component that plays a crucial role in the crosstalk between innate and adaptive immune responses within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Recently, numerous studies have indicated that mast cells related to tumors play a dual role in regulating cancers, with conflicting results seemingly determined by the degranulation medium. As such, mast cells are an ignored but very promising potential target for cancer immunotherapy based on their immunomodulatory function. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the roles and mechanisms of mast cells in diverse cancer types. Firstly, we evaluated the infiltration density and location of mast cells on tumor progression. Secondly, mast cells are activated by the TME and subsequently release a range of inflammatory mediators, cytokines, chemokines, and lipid products that modulate their pro-or anti-tumor functions. Thirdly, activated mast cells engage in intercellular communication with other immune or stromal cells to modulate the immune status or promote tumor development. Finally, we deliberated on the clinical significance of targeting mast cells as a therapeutic approach to restrict tumor initiation and progression. Overall, our review aims to provide insights for future research on the role of mast cells in tumors and their potential as therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Guo
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China; Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, China
| | - Mingjun Sun
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Peiyan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xingchen Meng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Ran Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
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Tung CC, Rathore APS, St. John AL. Conventional and non-conventional antigen presentation by mast cells. DISCOVERY IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 2:kyad016. [PMID: 38567067 PMCID: PMC10917180 DOI: 10.1093/discim/kyad016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Mast cells (MCs) are multifunctional immune cells that express a diverse repertoire of surface receptors and pre-stored bioactive mediators. They are traditionally recognized for their involvement in allergic and inflammatory responses, yet there is a growing body of literature highlighting their contributions to mounting adaptive immune responses. In particular, there is growing evidence that MCs can serve as antigen-presenting cells, owing to their often close proximity to T cells in both lymphoid organs and peripheral tissues. Recent studies have provided compelling support for this concept, by demonstrating the presence of antigen processing and presentation machinery in MCs and their ability to engage in classical and non-classical pathways of antigen presentation. However, there remain discrepancies and unresolved questions regarding the extent of the MC's capabilities with respect to antigen presentation. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of the antigen presentation by MCs and its influence on adaptive immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Ching Tung
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Abhay P S Rathore
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ashley L St. John
- Program in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Singapore, Singapore
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Overexpression of KITLG predicts unfavorable clinical outcomes and promotes lymph node metastasis via the JAK/STAT pathway in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. J Transl Med 2022; 102:1257-1267. [PMID: 36775451 DOI: 10.1038/s41374-022-00817-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is an early clinical sign and a contributor to the treatment failure in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The molecular mechanisms of LNM in NPC remain unclear. We aimed to identify and validate the possible key genes that play a crucial role in the LNM of NPC. The study included a discovery and validation phase. In the discovery phase, the key gene was identified by bioinformatics analysis. In the validation phase, the mRNA and protein expression of the key gene was detected by RT-PCR in NPC cells and by immunohistochemistry in a tissue microarray. Then, the effect of the key gene expression on cell invasion and migration was explored in vitro and in vivo. As a result, KITLG was identified as the key gene. The overexpression of KITLG was detected in NPC cells, which was correlated with neck lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with NPC. The suppression of KITLG inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of NPC cells in vitro and in vivo. JAK/STAT signaling pathway might mediate the enhancement of cell invasion and metastasis caused by KITLG. In summary, the overexpression of KITLG in NPC cells might play a crucial role in the LNM of NPC, raising the possibility of KITLG as a prognostic factor and a potential target for NPC treatment.
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Majorini MT, Colombo MP, Lecis D. Few, but Efficient: The Role of Mast Cells in Breast Cancer and Other Solid Tumors. Cancer Res 2022; 82:1439-1447. [PMID: 35045983 PMCID: PMC9306341 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-21-3424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Tumor outcome is determined not only by cancer cell-intrinsic features but also by the interaction between cancer cells and their microenvironment. There is great interest in tumor-infiltrating immune cells, yet mast cells have been less studied. Recent work has highlighted the impact of mast cells on the features and aggressiveness of cancer cells, but the eventual effect of mast cell infiltration is still controversial. Here, we review multifaceted findings regarding the role of mast cells in cancer, with a particular focus on breast cancer, which is further complicated because of its classification into subtypes characterized by different biological features, outcome, and therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mario Paolo Colombo
- Corresponding Authors: Daniele Lecis, Department of Research, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Amadeo 42, Milano 20133, Italy. Phone: 022-390-2212; E-mail: ; and Mario Paolo Colombo,
| | - Daniele Lecis
- Department of Research, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy.,Corresponding Authors: Daniele Lecis, Department of Research, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Amadeo 42, Milano 20133, Italy. Phone: 022-390-2212; E-mail: ; and Mario Paolo Colombo,
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Floroni E, Ceauşu AR, Cosoroabă RM, Niculescu Talpoş IC, Popovici RA, Gaje NP, Raica M. Mast cell density in the primary tumor predicts lymph node metastases in patients with breast cancer. ROMANIAN JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY AND EMBRYOLOGY = REVUE ROUMAINE DE MORPHOLOGIE ET EMBRYOLOGIE 2022; 63:129-135. [PMID: 36074676 PMCID: PMC9593109 DOI: 10.47162/rjme.63.1.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer (BrCa) is the most frequent neoplastic disease in female, with high morbidity and mortality. Most of the researches were focused on tumor cells concerning their natural evolution, molecular profile, and potential response to therapy. Few and uncertain data are available about the tumor microenvironment and its impact on the progression of the disease. Mast cells (MCs) associated to BrCa have been reported many years ago, but their real and specific role in the biology of this disease remained elusive. In the current study, we have investigated the predictive role of MCs from the primary tumor on lymph node metastasis on patients stratified based on the molecular classification. We investigated 156 patients with BrCa, stratified as luminal A, luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) type, basal-like, and unclassified. MCs were identified with anti-MC tryptase antibody in a double immunohistochemical reaction combined with anti-cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34) antibody. Mast cell density (MCD) was calculated based on the hot-spot method, on three fields with maximum density of MCs in each case. The final result was the arithmetic media that was compared with the molecular profile and lymph node metastases. We found no significant correlation between MCD and the molecular profile of the primary tumor, but we noticed a strong correlation between intratumor MCD and lymph node metastases, regardless of the molecular type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erwin Floroni
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Amalia Raluca Ceauşu
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Raluca Mioara Cosoroabă
- Discipline of Management, Legislation and Communication in Dental Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Ioana Cristina Niculescu Talpoş
- Discipline of Ergonomics and Oral Diagnosis, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Ramona Amina Popovici
- Discipline of Management, Legislation and Communication in Dental Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Nela Puşa Gaje
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
| | - Marius Raica
- Department of Microscopic Morphology/Histology, Angiogenesis Research Center Timişoara, Victor Babeş University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timişoara, Romania
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García-Cortés D, Hernández-Lemus E, Espinal-Enríquez J. Luminal A Breast Cancer Co-expression Network: Structural and Functional Alterations. Front Genet 2021; 12:629475. [PMID: 33959148 PMCID: PMC8096206 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.629475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Luminal A is the most common breast cancer molecular subtype in women worldwide. These tumors have characteristic yet heterogeneous alterations at the genomic and transcriptomic level. Gene co-expression networks (GCNs) have contributed to better characterize the cancerous phenotype. We have previously shown an imbalance in the proportion of intra-chromosomal (cis-) over inter-chromosomal (trans-) interactions when comparing cancer and healthy tissue GCNs. In particular, for breast cancer molecular subtypes (Luminal A included), the majority of high co-expression interactions connect gene-pairs in the same chromosome, a phenomenon that we have called loss of trans- co-expression. Despite this phenomenon has been described, the functional implication of this specific network topology has not been studied yet. To understand the biological role that communities of co-expressed genes may have, we constructed GCNs for healthy and Luminal A phenotypes. Network modules were obtained based on their connectivity patterns and they were classified according to their chromosomal homophily (proportion of cis-/trans- interactions). A functional overrepresentation analysis was performed on communities in both networks to observe the significantly enriched processes for each community. We also investigated possible mechanisms for which the loss of trans- co-expression emerges in cancer GCN. To this end we evaluated transcription factor binding sites, CTCF binding sites, differential gene expression and copy number alterations (CNAs) in the cancer GCN. We found that trans- communities in Luminal A present more significantly enriched categories than cis- ones. Processes, such as angiogenesis, cell proliferation, or cell adhesion were found in trans- modules. The differential expression analysis showed that FOXM1, CENPA, and CIITA transcription factors, exert a major regulatory role on their communities by regulating expression of their target genes in other chromosomes. Finally, identification of CNAs, displayed a high enrichment of deletion peaks in cis- communities. With this approach, we demonstrate that network topology determine, to at certain extent, the function in Luminal A breast cancer network. Furthermore, several mechanisms seem to be acting together to avoid trans- co-expression. Since this phenomenon has been observed in other cancer tissues, a remaining question is whether the loss of long distance co-expression is a novel hallmark of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana García-Cortés
- Computational Genomics Division, National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico.,Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Enrique Hernández-Lemus
- Computational Genomics Division, National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico.,Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jesús Espinal-Enríquez
- Computational Genomics Division, National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico.,Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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