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Neuroblastoma Tumor-Associated Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Regulate the Cytolytic Functions of NK Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010019. [PMID: 36612020 PMCID: PMC9818020 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma tumor-associated mesenchymal stromal cells (NB-TA-MSC) have been extensively characterized for their pro-tumorigenic properties, while their immunosuppressive potential, especially against NK cells, has not been thoroughly investigated. Herein, we study the immune-regulatory potential of six primary young and senescent NB-TA-MSC on NK cell function. Young cells display a phenotype (CD105+/CD90+/CD73+/CD29+/CD146+) typical of MSC cells and, in addition, express high levels of immunomodulatory molecules (MHC-I, PDL-1 and PDL-2 and transcriptional-co-activator WWTR1), able to hinder NK cell activity. Notably, four of them express the neuroblastoma marker GD2, the most common target for NB immunotherapy. From a functional point of view, young NB-TA-MSC, contrary to the senescent ones, are resistant to activated NK cell-mediated lysis, but this behavior is overcome using anti-CD105 antibody TRC105 that activates antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In addition, proliferating NB-TA-MSC, but not the senescent ones, after six days of co-culture, inhibit proliferation, expression of activating receptors and cytolytic activity of freshly isolated NK. Inhibitors of the soluble immunosuppressive factors L-kynurenine and prostaglandin E2 efficiently counteract this latter effect. Our data highlight the presence of phenotypically heterogeneous NB-TA-MSC displaying potent immunoregulatory properties towards NK cells, whose inhibition could be mandatory to improve the antitumor efficacy of targeted immunotherapy.
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Hochheuser C, Windt LJ, Kunze NY, de Vos DL, Tytgat GA, Voermans C, Timmerman I. Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Neuroblastoma: Exploring Crosstalk and Therapeutic Implications. Stem Cells Dev 2021; 30:59-78. [PMID: 33287630 PMCID: PMC7826431 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2020.0142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is the second most common solid cancer in childhood, accounting for 15% of cancer-related deaths in children. In high-risk NB patients, the majority suffers from metastasis. Despite intensive multimodal treatment, long-term survival remains <40%. The bone marrow (BM) is among the most common sites of distant metastasis in patients with high-risk NB. In this environment, small populations of tumor cells can persist after treatment (minimal residual disease) and induce relapse. Therapy resistance of these residual tumor cells in BM remains a major obstacle for the cure of NB. A detailed understanding of the microenvironment and its role in tumor progression is of utmost importance for improving the treatment efficiency of NB. In BM, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) constitute an important part of the microenvironment, where they support hematopoiesis and modulate immune responses. Their role in tumor progression is not completely understood, especially for NB. Although MSCs have been found to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition, tumor growth, and metastasis and to induce chemoresistance, some reports point toward a tumor-suppressive effect of MSCs. In this review, we aim to compile current knowledge about the role of MSCs in NB development and progression. We evaluate arguments that depict tumor-supportive versus -suppressive properties of MSCs in the context of NB and give an overview of factors involved in MSC-NB crosstalk. A focus lies on the BM as a metastatic niche, since that is the predominant site for NB metastasis and relapse. Finally, we will present opportunities and challenges for therapeutic targeting of MSCs in the BM microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Hochheuser
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of Hematopoiesis, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Laurens J. Windt
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of Hematopoiesis, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nina Y. Kunze
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of Hematopoiesis, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Dieuwke L. de Vos
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of Hematopoiesis, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Carlijn Voermans
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of Hematopoiesis, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Ilse Timmerman
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of Hematopoiesis, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Pelizzo G, Veschi V, Mantelli M, Croce S, Di Benedetto V, D'Angelo P, Maltese A, Catenacci L, Apuzzo T, Scavo E, Moretta A, Todaro M, Stassi G, Avanzini MA, Calcaterra V. Microenvironment in neuroblastoma: isolation and characterization of tumor-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. BMC Cancer 2018; 18:1176. [PMID: 30482160 PMCID: PMC6260687 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-018-5082-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background It has been proposed that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) promote tumor progression by interacting with tumor cells and other stroma cells in the complex network of the tumor microenvironment. We characterized MSCs isolated and expanded from tumor tissues of pediatric patients diagnosed with neuroblastomas (NB-MSCs) to define interactions with the tumor microenvironment. Methods Specimens were obtained from 7 pediatric patients diagnosed with neuroblastoma (NB). Morphology, immunophenotype, differentiation capacity, proliferative growth, expression of stemness and neural differentiation markers were evaluated. Moreover, the ability of cells to modulate the immune response, i.e. inhibition of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and natural killer (NK) cytotoxic function, was examined. Gene expression profiles, known to be related to tumor cell stemness, Wnt pathway activation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor metastasis were also evaluated. Healthy donor bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSC) were employed as controls. Results NB-MSCs presented the typical MSC morphology and phenotype. They showed a proliferative capacity superimposable to BM-MSCs. Stemness marker expression (Sox2, Nanog, Oct3/4) was comparable to BM-MSCs. NB-MSC in vitro osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation was similar to BM-MSCs, but NB-MSCs lacked adipogenic differentiation capacity. NB-MSCs reached senescence phases at a median passage of P7 (range, P5-P13). NB-MSCs exhibited greater immunosuppressive capacity on activated T lymphocytes at a 1:2 (MSC: PBMC) ratio compared with BM-MSCs (p = 0.018). NK cytotoxic activity was not influenced by co-culture, either with BM-MSCs or NB-MSCs. Flow-cytometry cell cycle analysis showed that NB-MSCs had an increased number of cells in the G0-G1 phase compared to BM-MSCs. Transcriptomic profiling results indicated that NB-MSCs were enriched with EMT genes compared to BM-MSCs. Conclusions We characterized the biological features, the immunomodulatory capacity and the gene expression profile of NB-MSCs. The NB-MSC gene expression profile and their functional properties suggest a potential role in promoting tumor escape, invasiveness and metastatic traits of NB cancer cells. A better understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying the interactions between NB cells and NB-derived MSCs should shed new light on potential novel therapeutic approaches. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12885-018-5082-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloria Pelizzo
- Pediatric Surgery Department, Children's Hospital G. Di Cristina, ARNAS Civico-Di Cristina-Benfratelli, Via dei Benedettini n.1, 90134, Palermo, Italy.
| | - Veronica Veschi
- Cellular and Molecular Pathophysiology Laboratory, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Melissa Mantelli
- Immunology and Transplantation Laboratory, Cell Factory, Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit, Department of Maternal and Children's Health, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefania Croce
- Immunology and Transplantation Laboratory, Cell Factory, Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit, Department of Maternal and Children's Health, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Di Benedetto
- Pediatric Surgery Unit and NICU Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele Hospital, Catania, Italy
| | - Paolo D'Angelo
- Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit, Children's Hospital G. Di Cristina, ARNAS Civico-Di Cristina-Benfratelli, Palermo, Italy
| | - Alice Maltese
- Immunology and Transplantation Laboratory, Cell Factory, Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit, Department of Maternal and Children's Health, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Laura Catenacci
- Immunology and Transplantation Laboratory, Cell Factory, Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit, Department of Maternal and Children's Health, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Tiziana Apuzzo
- Cellular and Molecular Pathophysiology Laboratory, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Emanuela Scavo
- Cellular and Molecular Pathophysiology Laboratory, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonia Moretta
- Immunology and Transplantation Laboratory, Cell Factory, Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit, Department of Maternal and Children's Health, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Matilde Todaro
- Department of DIBIMIS, University of Palermo, 90127, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giorgio Stassi
- Cellular and Molecular Pathophysiology Laboratory, Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta Avanzini
- Immunology and Transplantation Laboratory, Cell Factory, Pediatric Hematology Oncology Unit, Department of Maternal and Children's Health, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy
| | - Valeria Calcaterra
- Pediatrics and Adolescentology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pavia, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
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