IL-1RAP, a Key Therapeutic Target in Cancer

Identification of LINC02454-related key pathways and genes in papillary thyroid cancer by weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA)

BACKGROUND

Our previous study demonstrated that long intergenic noncoding RNA 02454 (LINC02454) may act as an oncogene to promote the proliferation and inhibit the apoptosis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) cells. This study was designed to investigate the mechanisms whereby LINC02454 is related to PTC tumorigenesis.

METHODS

Thyroid cancer RNA sequence data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was applied to identify modules closely associated with PTC. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was used to identify the key pathways, and the maximal clique centrality (MCC) topological method was used to identify the hub genes. The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database was used to compare expression levels of key genes between PTC samples and normal samples and explore the prognostic value of key genes. The key genes were further validated with GEO dataset.

RESULTS

The top 5000 variable genes were investigated, followed by an analysis of 8 modules, and the turquoise module was the most positively correlated with the clinical stage of PTC. KEGG pathway analysis found the top two pathways of the ECM - receptor interaction and MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, five key genes (FN1, LAMB3, ITGA3, SDC4, and IL1RAP) were identified through the MCC algorithm and KEGG analysis. The expression levels of the five key genes were significantly upregulated in thyroid cancer in both TCGA and GEO datasets, and of these five genes, FN1 and ITGA3 were associated with poor disease-free prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study identified five key genes and two key pathways associated with LINC02454, which might shed light on the underlying mechanism of LINC02454 action in PTC.

IL1RAP-specific T cell engager depletes acute myeloid leukemia stem cells

BACKGROUND

The interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP) is highly expressed on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) bulk blasts and leukemic stem cells (LSCs), but not on normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), providing an opportunity to target and eliminate the disease, while sparing normal hematopoiesis. Herein, we report the activity of BIF002, a novel anti-IL1RAP/CD3 T cell engager (TCE) in AML.

METHODS

Antibodies to IL1RAP were isolated from CD138+ B cells collected from the immunized mice by optoelectric positioning and single cell sequencing. Individual mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced and characterized, from which we generated BIF002, an anti-human IL1RAP/CD3 TCE using Fab arm exchange. Mutations in human IgG1 Fc were introduced to reduce FcγR binding. The antileukemic activity of BIF002 was characterized in vitro and in vivo using multiple cell lines and patient derived AML samples.

RESULTS

IL1RAP was found to be highly expressed on most human AML cell lines and primary blasts, including CD34+ LSC-enriched subpopulation from patients with both de novo and relapsed/refractory (R/R) leukemia, but not on normal HSCs. In co-culture of T cells from healthy donors and IL1RAPhigh AML cell lines and primary blasts, BIF002 induced dose- and effector-to-target (E:T) ratio-dependent T cell activation and leukemic cell lysis at subnanomolar concentrations. BIF002 administered intravenously along with human T cells led to depletion of leukemic cells, and significantly prolonged survival of IL1RAPhigh MOLM13 or AML patient-derived xenografts with no off-target side effects, compared to controls. Of note, BiF002 effectively redirects T cells to eliminate LSCs, as evidenced by the absence of disease initiation in secondary recipients of bone marrow (BM) from BIF002+T cells-treated donors (median survival not reached; all survived > 200 days) compared with recipients of BM from vehicle- (median survival: 26 days; p = 0.0004) or isotype control antibody+T cells-treated donors (26 days; p = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

The novel anti-IL1RAP/CD3 TCE, BIF002, eradicates LSCs and significantly prolongs survival of AML xenografts, representing a promising, novel treatment for AML.

Negative regulator IL-1 receptor 2 (IL-1R2) and its roles in immune regulation of autoimmune diseases

The decoy receptor interleukin 1 receptor 2 (IL-1R2), also known as CD121b, has different forms: membrane-bound (mIL-1R2), soluble secreted (ssIL-1R2), shedded (shIL-1R2), intracellular domain (IL-1R2ICD). The different forms of IL-1R2 exert not exactly similar functions. IL-1R2 can not only participate in the regulation of inflammatory response by competing with IL-1R1 to bind IL-1 and IL-1RAP, but also regulate IL-1 maturation and cell activation, promote cell survival, participate in IL-1-dependent internalization, and even have biological activity as a transcriptional cofactor. In this review, we provide a detailed description of the biological characteristics of IL-1R2 and discuss the expression and unique role of IL-1R2 in different immune cells. Importantly, we summarize the role of IL-1R2 in immune regulation from different autoimmune diseases, hoping to provide a new direction for in-depth studies of pathogenesis and therapeutic targets in autoimmune diseases.

Therapeutic potential of CRISPR/CAS9 genome modification in T cell-based immunotherapy of cancer

Today, genome editing technologies like zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are being used in clinical trials and the treatment of diseases like acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cancer. CRISPR stands out as one of the most advanced tools for genome editing due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. It can selectively modify specific locations in the genome, offering new possibilities for treating human diseases. The CRISPR system uses ribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid (RNA-DNA) recognition to combat infections, regulate gene expression, and treat cancer. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which uses T lymphocytes to eliminate cancer cells, can be improved by combining it with CRISPR technology. However, there are challenges in using CAR-T cells, including a lack of quantity and quality, exhaustion, neurotoxicity, cytokine release syndrome (CRS), B cell aplasia, tumor lysis syndrome, and anaphylaxis. Preclinical studies on CRISPR-edited CAR-T cells show promising results and targeting detrimental regulatory genes can enhance cancer treatment in the future.

IL1RAP Exacerbates Sepsis-Induced Pulmonary and Spleen Injury Through Regulating CD4+ T Lymphocyte Differentiation

BACKGROUND

Complex pathophysiological the specific mechanism of sepsis on CD4+ T-cell responses is less well understood. IL1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP) was found to be involved in activating host immune responses.

METHOD

Cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) was utilized to build a mouse sepsis model. The experiment was randomly divided into four groups: Sham, CLP, CLP + shNC, and CLP + shIL1RAP group.

RESULTS

qRT-PCR suggested mRNA levels of IL1RAP were decreased when IL1RAP was knocked down with the mRNA levels of IL-1β, NF-κB, and p38 decreased. Histopathology showed severe pathological damage with alveolar integrity lost, red blood cells in the alveoli, massive inflammatory cell infiltration, and the alveolar wall was thickening in the CLP group. The inflammatory cytokine levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ were elevated in CLP mice by ELISA. The counts of CD4+ T cells were decreased in sepsis mice in peripheral blood, spleen, and BALF by flow cytometry. However, the above was blocked down when using shIL1RAP. Western blot suggested sh IL1RAP inhibited IL-1β, NF-κB, and p38 protein expressions.

CONCLUSIONS

We defined IL1RAP as a new target gene through NF-κB/MAPK pathways regulating CD4+ T lymphocyte differentiation mediated the progression of sepsis, which is potentially exploitable for immunotherapy.

Broadening the horizon: potential applications of CAR-T cells beyond current indications

Engineering immune cells to treat hematological malignancies has been a major focus of research since the first resounding successes of CAR-T-cell therapies in B-ALL. Several diseases can now be treated in highly therapy-refractory or relapsed conditions. Currently, a number of CD19- or BCMA-specific CAR-T-cell therapies are approved for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), multiple myeloma (MM), and follicular lymphoma (FL). The implementation of these therapies has significantly improved patient outcome and survival even in cases with previously very poor prognosis. In this comprehensive review, we present the current state of research, recent innovations, and the applications of CAR-T-cell therapy in a selected group of hematologic malignancies. We focus on B- and T-cell malignancies, including the entities of cutaneous and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (T-ALL, PTCL, CTCL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), classical Hodgkin-Lymphoma (HL), Burkitt-Lymphoma (BL), hairy cell leukemia (HCL), and Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM). While these diseases are highly heterogenous, we highlight several similarly used approaches (combination with established therapeutics, target depletion on healthy cells), targets used in multiple diseases (CD30, CD38, TRBC1/2), and unique features that require individualized approaches. Furthermore, we focus on current limitations of CAR-T-cell therapy in individual diseases and entities such as immunocompromising tumor microenvironment (TME), risk of on-target-off-tumor effects, and differences in the occurrence of adverse events. Finally, we present an outlook into novel innovations in CAR-T-cell engineering like the use of artificial intelligence and the future role of CAR-T cells in therapy regimens in everyday clinical practice.

The central inflammatory regulator IκBζ: induction, regulation and physiological functions

IκBζ (encoded by NFKBIZ) is the most recently identified IkappaB family protein. As an atypical member of the IkappaB protein family, NFKBIZ has been the focus of recent studies because of its role in inflammation. Specifically, it is a key gene in the regulation of a variety of inflammatory factors in the NF-KB pathway, thereby affecting the progression of related diseases. In recent years, investigations into NFKBIZ have led to greater understanding of this gene. In this review, we summarize the induction of NFKBIZ and then elucidate its transcription, translation, molecular mechanism and physiological function. Finally, the roles played by NFKBIZ in psoriasis, cancer, kidney injury, autoimmune diseases and other diseases are described. NFKBIZ functions are universal and bidirectional, and therefore, this gene may exert a great influence on the regulation of inflammation and inflammation-related diseases.