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Douka S, Papamoschou V, Raimo M, Mastrobattista E, Caiazzo M. Harnessing the Power of NK Cell Receptor Engineering as a New Prospect in Cancer Immunotherapy. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:1143. [PMID: 39339180 PMCID: PMC11434712 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16091143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2024] [Revised: 08/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have recently gained popularity as an alternative for cancer immunotherapy. Adoptive cell transfer employing NK cells offers a safer therapeutic option compared to T-cell-based therapies, due to their significantly lower toxicity and the availability of diverse autologous and allogeneic NK cell sources. However, several challenges are associated with NK cell therapies, including limited in vivo persistence, the immunosuppressive and hostile tumor microenvironment (TME), and the lack of effective treatments for solid tumors. To address these limitations, the modification of NK cells to stably produce cytokines has been proposed as a strategy to enhance their persistence and proliferation. Additionally, the overexpression of activating receptors and the blockade of inhibitory receptors can restore the NK cell functions hindered by the TME. To further improve tumor infiltration and the elimination of solid tumors, innovative approaches focusing on the enhancement of NK cell chemotaxis through the overexpression of chemotactic receptors have been introduced. This review highlights the latest advancements in preclinical and clinical studies investigating the engineering of activating, inhibitory, and chemotactic NK cell receptors; discusses recent progress in cytokine manipulation; and explores the potential of combining the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology with NK cell receptors engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Douka
- Pharmaceutics Division, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Vasilis Papamoschou
- Pharmaceutics Division, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Monica Raimo
- Glycostem Therapeutics B.V., Kloosterstraat 9, 5349 AB Oss, The Netherlands;
| | - Enrico Mastrobattista
- Pharmaceutics Division, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Massimiliano Caiazzo
- Pharmaceutics Division, Faculty of Science, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
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2
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Davern M, O’ Donovan C, Donlon NE, Mylod E, Gaughan C, Bhardwaj A, Sheppard AD, Bracken-Clarke D, Butler C, Ravi N, Donohoe CL, Reynolds JV, Lysaght J, Conroy MJ. Analysing the Combined Effects of Radiotherapy and Chemokine Receptor 5 Antagonism: Complementary Approaches to Promote T Cell Function and Migration in Oesophageal Adenocarcinoma. Biomedicines 2024; 12:819. [PMID: 38672174 PMCID: PMC11048527 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12040819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The presence of an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment in oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) is a major contributor to poor responses. Novel treatment strategies are required to supplement current regimens and improve patient survival. This study examined the immunomodulatory effects that radiation therapy and chemokine receptor antagonism impose on T cell phenotypes in OAC with a primary goal of identifying potential therapeutic targets to combine with radiation to improve anti-tumour responses. Compared with healthy controls, anti-tumour T cell function was impaired in OAC patients, demonstrated by lower IFN-γ production by CD4+ T helper cells and lower CD8+ T cell cytotoxic potential. Such diminished T cell effector functions were enhanced following treatment with clinically relevant doses of irradiation. Interestingly, CCR5+ T cells were significantly more abundant in OAC patient blood compared with healthy controls, and CCR5 surface expression by T cells was further enhanced by clinically relevant doses of irradiation. Moreover, irradiation enhanced T cell migration towards OAC patient-derived tumour-conditioned media (TCM). In vitro treatment with the CCR5 antagonist Maraviroc enhanced IFN-γ production by CD4+ T cells and increased the migration of irradiated CD8+ T cells towards irradiated TCM, suggesting its synergistic therapeutic potential in combination with irradiation. Overall, this study highlights the immunostimulatory properties of radiation in promoting anti-tumour T cell responses in OAC and increasing T cell migration towards chemotactic cues in the tumour. Importantly, the CCR5 antagonist Maraviroc holds promise to be repurposed in combination with radiotherapy to promote anti-tumour T cell responses in OAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Davern
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Cillian O’ Donovan
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Noel E. Donlon
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Eimear Mylod
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
- Cancer Immunology Research Group, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute and Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland
| | - Caoimhe Gaughan
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Anshul Bhardwaj
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Andrew D. Sheppard
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Dara Bracken-Clarke
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Christine Butler
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Narayanasamy Ravi
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Claire L. Donohoe
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - John V. Reynolds
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Joanne Lysaght
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St. James’s Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland; (M.D.); (C.O.D.); (N.E.D.); (E.M.); (C.G.); (A.B.); (A.D.S.); (D.B.-C.); (C.B.); (N.R.); (C.L.D.); (J.V.R.); (J.L.)
| | - Melissa J. Conroy
- Cancer Immunology Research Group, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute and Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, D08W9RT Dublin, Ireland
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Mylod E, O'Connell F, Donlon NE, Davern M, Marion C, Butler C, Reynolds JV, Lysaght J, Conroy MJ. Real-time ex vivo monitoring of NK cell migration toward obesity-associated oesophageal adenocarcinoma following modulation of CX3CR1. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4017. [PMID: 38369570 PMCID: PMC10874956 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54390-5] [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: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Oesophagogastric adenocarcinomas (OAC) are poor prognosis, obesity-associated cancers which may benefit from natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapies. Cellular immunotherapies encounter two key challenges to their success in OAC, namely recruitment to extratumoural tissues such as the omentum at the expense of the tumour and an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment (TME) which can hamper NK cell function. Herein, we examined approaches to overcome the detrimental impact of obesity on NK cells and NK cell-based immunotherapies. We have demonstrated that NK cells migrate preferentially to the chemotactic signals of OAC patient-derived omentum over tumour in an ex vivo model of immune cell migration. We have identified CX3CR1 modulation and/or tumour chemokine profile remodelling as approaches to skew NK cell migration towards tumour. We also report targetable immunosuppressive facets of the obese OAC TME which dampen NK cell function, in particular cytotoxic capabilities. These data provide insights into approaches to therapeutically overcome key challenges presented by obesity and will inform superior design of NK cell-based immunotherapies for OAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eimear Mylod
- Cancer Immunology Research Group, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Fiona O'Connell
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Noel E Donlon
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Maria Davern
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Caroline Marion
- Cancer Immunology Research Group, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Christine Butler
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - John V Reynolds
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Joanne Lysaght
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Melissa J Conroy
- Cancer Immunology Research Group, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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Belle CJ, Lonie JM, Brosda S, Barbour AP. Tumour microenvironment influences response to treatment in oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1330635. [PMID: 38155973 PMCID: PMC10753779 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1330635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The poor treatment response of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) leads to low survival rates. Its increasing incidence makes finding more effective treatment a priority. Recent treatment improvements can be attributed to the inclusion of the tumour microenvironment (TME) and immune infiltrates in treatment decisions. OAC TME is largely immunosuppressed and reflects treatment resistance as patients with inflamed TME have better outcomes. Priming the tumour with the appropriate neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy treatment could lead to higher immune infiltrations and higher expression of immune checkpoints, such as PD-1/PDL-1, CTLA4 or emerging new targets: LAG-3, TIM-3, TIGIT or ICOS. Multiple trials support the addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to the current standard of care. However, results vary, supporting the need for better response biomarkers based on TME composition. This review explores what is known about OAC TME, the clinical significance of the various cell populations infiltrating it and the emerging therapeutical combination with a focus on immune checkpoints inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clemence J. Belle
- Surgical Oncology Group, Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - James M. Lonie
- Surgical Oncology Group, Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Sandra Brosda
- Surgical Oncology Group, Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Andrew P. Barbour
- Surgical Oncology Group, Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Department of Surgery, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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5
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Zhu L, Yu X, Cao T, Deng H, Tang X, Lin Q, Zhou Q. Immune cell membrane-based biomimetic nanomedicine for treating cancer metastasis. Acta Pharm Sin B 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2023.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
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Mylod E, Lysaght J, Conroy MJ. Measuring Immune Cell Movement Toward the Soluble Microenvironment of Human Tissues Using a Boyden Chamber-Based Migration Assay. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2645:231-240. [PMID: 37202623 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3056-3_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Migration assays are used to measure cell movement toward a variety of chemoattractants in a controlled environment. Here we describe a method for a Boyden chamber-based migration assay using conditioned media generated from the tumor, liver, and visceral adipose tissue of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eimear Mylod
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Joanne Lysaght
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Melissa J Conroy
- Cancer Immunology Research Group, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
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Mylod E, McKenna E, Davern M, Barr MP, Donlon NE, Bibby BAS, Bhardwaj A, Reynolds JV, Lysaght J, Maher SG, Conroy MJ. Investigating the susceptibility of treatment-resistant oesophageal tumours to natural killer cell-mediated responses. Clin Exp Med 2022; 23:411-425. [PMID: 35364779 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-022-00811-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The majority of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) patients do not respond to multimodal treatment regimens and face dismal survival rates. Natural killer (NK) cells are crucial anti-tumour immune cells, and this study investigated the susceptibility of treatment-resistant OAC cells to these potent tumour killers. Natural killer receptor (NKR) ligand expression by OE33CisP (cisplatin-sensitive) and OE33CisR (cisplatin-resistant) cells was investigated. The immunomodulatory effects of OE33CisP and OE33CisR cells on NK cell phenotype and function were assessed. Finally, the impact of chemotherapy regimens on NKR ligand shedding was examined. Our data revealed significantly less surface expression of activating ligands B7-H6, MICA/B, ULBP-3 and activating/inhibitory ligands PVRL-1 and PVRL-4 by OE33CisR cells, compared to OE33CisP cells. Co-culture with OE33CisR cells reduced the frequencies of NKp30+ and NKp46+ NK cells and increased frequencies of TIGIT+, FasL+ and TRAIL+ NK cells. Frequencies of IFN-γ-producing NK cells increased while frequencies of TIM-3+ NK cells decreased after culture with OE33CisP and OE33CisR cells. Frequencies of circulating NKp30+ NK cells were significantly lower in OAC patients with the poorest treatment response and in patients who received FLOT chemotherapy, while B7-H6 shedding by OAC tumour cells was induced by FLOT. Overall, OE33CisR cells express less activating NKR ligands than OE33CisP cells and have differential effects on NKR expression by NK cells. However, neither cell line significantly dampened NK cell cytokine production, death receptor expression or degranulation. In addition, our data indicate that FLOT chemotherapy may promote B7-H6 shedding and immune evasion with detrimental consequences in OAC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eimear Mylod
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Ellen McKenna
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Maria Davern
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Martin P Barr
- Thoracic Oncology Research Group, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Noel E Donlon
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Becky A S Bibby
- Translational Radiobiology Group, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Christie Hospital, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
| | - Anshul Bhardwaj
- Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - John V Reynolds
- Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
- National Oesophageal and Gastric Centre, St. James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Joanne Lysaght
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Stephen G Maher
- Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Melissa J Conroy
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland.
- Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 8, Ireland.
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Mylod E, Lysaght J, Conroy MJ. Natural killer cell therapy: A new frontier for obesity-associated cancer. Cancer Lett 2022; 535:215620. [PMID: 35283210 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cell infiltration of solid tumours is associated with better outcomes, placing augmentation of NK cell abundance in tumours as an attractive immunotherapeutic approach. The unique ability of NK cells to target cancer cells without antigen specificity increases their versatility and applicability as an immunotherapeutic tool. However, successful utilisation of NK cell-based therapies in solid tumours is still at an early stage. Obesity has become a global health epidemic, and the prevalence of obesity-associated cancers has significantly increased. Obesity-associated malignancies provide a unique challenge for the successful application of cell-based immunotherapies including NK cell-based therapies because significant numbers of NK and T cells are recruited to the visceral adipose tissue at the expense of successful tumour infiltration and eradication. As such, immunotherapy efficacy has been disappointing for obesity-associated malignancies such as oesophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma. Therefore, immunotherapies for obesity-associated cancers warrant our further attention. Indeed, it is becoming ever more obvious that more innovative approaches are needed to re-invigorate anti-tumour immunity and overcome immune exclusion in such tumours. In this review, we briefly summarise the dysfunctionality of NK cells in obesity-associated cancer. We outline the NK cell-based immunotherapeutic approaches which hold promise as effective treatments in this disease space, including CAR-NK cells. Furthermore, we suggest future avenues which possess the potential to transform immunotherapy and specifically NK cell therapy efficacy for obesity-associated cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eimear Mylod
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, 8, Ireland
| | - Joanne Lysaght
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, 8, Ireland
| | - Melissa J Conroy
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and Trinity St. James's Cancer Institute, St. James's Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, 8, Ireland; Cancer Immunology Research Group, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, 2, Ireland.
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9
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Mylod E, O’Connell F, Donlon NE, Butler C, Reynolds JV, Lysaght J, Conroy MJ. The Omentum in Obesity-Associated Cancer: A Hindrance to Effective Natural Killer Cell Migration towards Tumour Which Can Be Overcome by CX3CR1 Antagonism. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 14:cancers14010064. [PMID: 35008227 PMCID: PMC8750072 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14010064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Oesophagogastric adenocarcinomas (OAC) are cancers of the food pipe and stomach which have a strong link with obesity. Natural killer (NK) cells are assassins of the immune system and are crucial for eliminating cancer. We have shown previously that NK cells are pulled into fat in OAC patients by a signalling protein called fractalkine (CX3CL1). Once in fat, NK cells die or are profoundly altered. This diminishes their ability to kill the tumour. We report that exposure to fat can reduce movement of NK cells towards the tumour. However, if a drug called a CX3CR1 antagonist is used to antagonise the receptor for fractalkine, we can restore NK cell movement towards the tumour. When we activate NK cells with a protein called IL-15, fractalkine can reduce its effect on NK cells. This provides further evidence for using CX3CR1 antagonists to reduce NK cell migration to fat and boost NK cell movement to the tumour. Abstract Oesophagogastric adenocarcinomas (OAC) are obesity-associated malignancies, underpinned by severe immune dysregulation. We have previously shown that natural killer (NK) cells preferentially migrate to OAC omentum, where they undergo phenotypic and functional alterations and apoptosis. Furthermore, we have identified the CX3CR1:fractalkine (CX3CL1) pathway as pivotal in their recruitment to omentum. Here, we elucidate whether exposure to the soluble microenvironment of OAC omentum, and in particular fractalkine and IL-15 affects NK cell homing capacity towards oesophageal tumour. Our data uncover diminished NK cell migration towards OAC tumour tissue conditioned media (TCM) following exposure to omental adipose tissue conditioned media (ACM) and reveal that this migration can be rescued with CX3CR1 antagonist E6130. Furthermore, we show that fractalkine has opposing effects on NK cell migration towards TCM, when used alone or in combination with IL-15 and uncover its inhibitory effects on IL-15-mediated stimulation of death receptor ligand expression. Interestingly, treatment with fractalkine and/or IL-15 do not significantly affect NK cell adhesion to MAdCAM-1, despite changes they elicit to the expression of integrin α4β7. This study provides further evidence that CX3CR1 antagonism has therapeutic utility in rescuing NK cells from the deleterious effects of the omentum and fractalkine in OAC, thus limiting their dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eimear Mylod
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity College Dublin, St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland; (E.M.); (N.E.D.); (J.L.)
| | - Fiona O’Connell
- Department of Surgery, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland; (F.O.); (C.B.)
| | - Noel E. Donlon
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity College Dublin, St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland; (E.M.); (N.E.D.); (J.L.)
| | - Christine Butler
- Department of Surgery, Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Trinity College Dublin, St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland; (F.O.); (C.B.)
| | - John V. Reynolds
- Gastro-Intestinal Medicine and Surgery, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland;
| | - Joanne Lysaght
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity College Dublin, St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland; (E.M.); (N.E.D.); (J.L.)
| | - Melissa J. Conroy
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Group, Department of Surgery, Trinity Translational Medicine Institute, Trinity College Dublin, St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland; (E.M.); (N.E.D.); (J.L.)
- Cancer Immunology Research Group, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Correspondence:
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