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Wang S, Wang J, Xia Y, Zhang L, Jiang Y, Liu M, Gao Q, Zhang C. Harnessing the potential of HLA-G in cancer therapy: advances, challenges, and prospects. J Transl Med 2024; 22:130. [PMID: 38310272 PMCID: PMC10838004 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-04938-w] [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: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockades have been prized in circumventing and ablating the impediments posed by immunosuppressive receptors, reaching an exciting juncture to be an innovator in anticancer therapy beyond traditional therapeutics. Thus far, approved immune checkpoint blockades have principally targeted PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 with exciting success in a plethora of tumors and yet are still trapped in dilemmas of limited response rates and adverse effects. Hence, unveiling new immunotherapeutic targets has aroused immense scientific interest in the hope of expanding the clinical application of immune checkpoint blockades to scale new heights. Human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G), a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule, is enriched on various malignant cells and is involved in the hindrance of immune effector cells and the facilitation of immunosuppressive cells. HLA-G stands out as a crucial next-generation immune checkpoint showing great promise for the benefit of cancer patients. Here, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the expression pattern and immunological functions of HLA-G, as well as its interaction with well-characterized immune checkpoints. Since HLA-G can be shed from the cell surface or released by various cells as free soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) or as part of extracellular vesicles (EVs), namely HLA-G-bearing EVs (HLA-GEV), we discuss the potential of sHLA-G and HLA-GEV as predictive biomarkers. This review also addresses the advancement of HLA-G-based therapies in preclinical and clinical settings, with a focus on their clinical application in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyuan Wang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yu Xia
- Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Le Zhang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yueqiang Jiang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Man Liu
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Qinglei Gao
- Cancer Biology Research Center (Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Education), Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
| | - Cuntai Zhang
- Department of Geriatrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- Key Laboratory of Vascular Aging, Ministry of Education, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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Bertol BC, Debortoli G, Dias FC, de Araújo JNG, Maia LSM, de Almeida BS, de Figueiredo-Feitosa NL, de Freitas LCC, Castelli EC, Mendes-Junior CT, Silbiger VN, Maciel LMZ, Donadi EA. HLA-G Gene Variability Is Associated with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Morbidity and the HLA-G Protein Profile. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12858. [PMID: 37629044 PMCID: PMC10454351 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612858] [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: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G is an immune checkpoint molecule that is highly expressed in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The HLA-G gene presents several functional polymorphisms distributed across the coding and regulatory regions (5'URR: 5' upstream regulatory region and 3'UTR: 3' untranslated region) and some of them may impact HLA-G expression and human malignancy. To understand the contribution of the HLA-G genetic background in PTC, we studied the HLA-G gene variability in PTC patients in association with tumor morbidity, HLA-G tissue expression, and plasma soluble (sHLA-G) levels. We evaluated 185 PTC patients and 154 healthy controls. Polymorphic sites defining coding, regulatory and extended haplotypes were characterized by sequencing analyses. HLA-G tissue expression and plasma soluble HLA-G levels were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and ELISA, respectively. Compared to the controls, the G0104a(5'URR)G*01:04:04(coding)UTR-03(3'UTR) extended haplotype was underrepresented in the PTC patients, while G0104a(5'URR)G*01:04:01(coding)UTR-03(3'UTR) was less frequent in patients with metastatic and multifocal tumors. Decreased HLA-G tissue expression and undetectable plasma sHLA-G were associated with the G010102a(5'URR)G*01:01:02:01(coding)UTR-02(3'UTR) extended haplotype. We concluded that the HLA-G variability was associated with PTC development and morbidity, as well as the magnitude of the encoded protein expression at local and systemic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna C. Bertol
- Postgraduate Program of Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Guilherme Debortoli
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada;
| | - Fabrício C. Dias
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (F.C.D.); (L.S.M.M.); (B.S.d.A.)
| | - Jéssica N. G. de Araújo
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Toxicology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59012-570, Brazil; (J.N.G.d.A.); (V.N.S.)
| | - Luana S. M. Maia
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (F.C.D.); (L.S.M.M.); (B.S.d.A.)
| | - Bibiana S. de Almeida
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (F.C.D.); (L.S.M.M.); (B.S.d.A.)
| | - Nathalie L. de Figueiredo-Feitosa
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (N.L.d.F.-F.); (L.M.Z.M.)
| | - Luiz Carlos C. de Freitas
- Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil;
| | - Erick C. Castelli
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-687, Brazil;
| | - Celso T. Mendes-Junior
- Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil;
| | - Vivian N. Silbiger
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Toxicology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59012-570, Brazil; (J.N.G.d.A.); (V.N.S.)
| | - Léa M. Z. Maciel
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (N.L.d.F.-F.); (L.M.Z.M.)
| | - Eduardo A. Donadi
- Postgraduate Program of Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (F.C.D.); (L.S.M.M.); (B.S.d.A.)
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