The effects of BAFF and APRIL signaling on non-small cell lung cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness

Expression of Immune-Related and Inflammatory Markers and Their Prognostic Impact in Colorectal Cancer Patients

The tumor microenvironment of colorectal cancer (CRC) is heterogenous; thus, it is likely that multiple immune-related and inflammatory markers are simultaneously expressed in the tumor. The aim of this study was to identify immune-related and inflammatory markers expressed in freshly frozen CRC tissues and to investigate whether they are related to the clinicopathological features and prognosis of CRC. Seventy patients with CRC who underwent curative surgical resection between December 2014 and January 2017 were included in this study. Tissue samples were obtained from tumor and non-tumor areas in the patients' colons. The concentrations of immune-related markers (APRIL/TNFSF13, BAFF, LAG-3, PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4) and inflammatory markers (CHIT, MMP-3, osteocalcin, pentraxin-3, sTNF-R1, and sTNF-R2) in the samples were measured using the Bio-plex Multiplex Immunoassay system. The concentrations of APRIL/TNFSF13, BAFF, and MMP-3 in the samples were significantly high; thus, we conducted analyses based on the cut-off values for these three markers. The high-APRIL/TNFSH13-expression group showed a significantly higher rate of metastatic lesions than the low-expression group, whereas the high-MMP-3-expression group had higher CEA levels, more lymph node metastases, and more advanced disease stages than the low-expression group. The five-year disease-free survival of the high-MMP-3-expression group was significantly shorter than that of the low-expression group (65.1% vs. 90.2%, p = 0.033). This study provides evidence that the APRIL/TNFSF13, BAFF, and MMP-3 pathway is overexpressed in CRC tissues and is associated with unfavorable clinicopathological features and poor prognosis in CRC patients. These markers could serve as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers for CRC.

The BAFF-APRIL System in Cancer

B cell-activating factor (BAFF; also known as CD257, TNFSF13B, BLyS) and a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL; also known as CD256, TNFSF13) belong to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family. BAFF was initially discovered as a B-cell survival factor, whereas APRIL was first identified as a protein highly expressed in various cancers. These discoveries were followed by over two decades of extensive research effort, which identified overlapping signaling cascades between BAFF and APRIL, controlling immune homeostasis in health and driving pathogenesis in autoimmunity and cancer, the latter being the focus of this review. High levels of BAFF, APRIL, and their receptors have been detected in different cancers and found to be associated with disease severity and treatment response. Here, we have summarized the role of the BAFF-APRIL system in immune cell differentiation and immune tolerance and detailed its pathogenic functions in hematological and solid cancers. We also highlight the emerging therapeutics targeting the BAFF-APRIL system in different cancer types.

A Proliferation-Inducing Ligand and B-Cell Activating Factor Are Upregulated in Patients with Essential Thrombocythemia

A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) and B-cell activating factor (BAFF) are cytokines belonging to the tumor necrosis factor family which play an essential role in B-cell maturation, differentiation, and survival. Recent evidence indicates their importance in hematological disorders; however, their function in essential thrombocytosis (ET) pathogenesis remains elusive. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the role of APRIL and BAFF in megakaryocytopoiesis in ET patients. We observed elevated levels of APRIL and BAFF in the plasma of ET patients compared with healthy controls, while no differences were found among patients with different JAK2(V617F) statuses. In addition, APRIL levels were positively associated with the number of platelets and WBC count. In the bone marrow, APRIL but not BAFF levels were higher in ET patients with the JAK2(V617F) mutation; however, JAK2(V617F)-negative patients showed slightly reduced levels of BAFF. In ET patients, we showed that the differentiation of CD34+ progenitor cells towards megakaryocytes induces the expression of both APRIL and BAFF. More importantly, APRIL neutralization significantly reduced platelet production. In conclusion, our data provide evidence that blocking APRIL signaling, which acts as an autocrine growth factor for terminal megakaryocytopoiesis, inhibits platelet production in ET patients, regardless of the status of JAK2(V617F) mutation.

Binary MoS2 nanostructures as nanocarriers for amplification in multiplexed electrochemical immunosensing: simultaneous determination of B cell activation factor and proliferation-induced signal immunity-related cytokines

A dual immunosensor is reported for the simultaneous determination of two important immunity-related cytokines: BAFF (B cell activation factor) and APRIL (a proliferation-induced signal). Sandwich-type immunoassays with specific antibodies (cAbs) and a strategy for signal amplification based on labelling the detection antibodies (dAbs) with binary MoS₂/MWCNTs nanostructures and using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were implemented. Amperometric detection was carried out at screen-printed dual carbon electrodes (SPdCEs) through the hydroquinone HQ/H₂O₂ system. The developed dual immunosensor provided limit of detection (LOD) of 0.08 and 0.06 ng mL⁻¹ for BAFF and APRIL, respectively, and proved to be useful for the determination of both cytokines in cancer cell lysates and serum samples from patients diagnosed with autoimmune diseases and cancer. The obtained results agreed with those found using ELISA methodologies.