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Okita R, Wolf D, Yasuda K, Maeda A, Yukawa T, Saisho S, Shimizu K, Yamaguchi Y, Oka M, Nakayama E, Lundqvist A, Kiessling R, Seliger B, Nakata M. Contrasting Effects of the Cytotoxic Anticancer Drug Gemcitabine and the EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Gefitinib on NK Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity via Regulation of NKG2D Ligand in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139809. [PMID: 26439264 PMCID: PMC4595469 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Several cytotoxic anticancer drugs inhibit DNA replication and/or mitosis, while EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors inactivate EGFR signalling in cancer cell. Both types of anticancer drugs improve the overall survival of the patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), although tumors often become refractory to this treatment. Despite several mechanisms by which the tumors become resistant having been described the effect of these compounds on anti-tumor immunity remains largely unknown. METHODS This study examines the effect of the cytotoxic drug Gemcitabine and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor Gefitinib on the expression of NK group 2 member D (NKG2D) ligands as well as the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to the NK-mediated lysis. RESULTS We demonstrate that Gemcitabine treatment leads to an enhanced expression, while Gefitinib downregulated the expression of molecules that act as key ligands for the activating receptor NKG2D and promote NK cell-mediated recognition and cytolysis. Gemcitabine activated ATM and ATM- and Rad-3-related protein kinase (ATR) pathways. The Gemcitabine-induced phosphorylation of ATM as well as the upregulation of the NKG2D ligand expression could be blocked by an ATM-ATR inhibitor. In contrast, Gefitinib attenuated NKG2D ligand expression. Silencing EGFR using siRNA or addition of the PI3K inhibitor resulted in downregulation of NKG2D ligands. The observations suggest that the EGFR/PI3K pathway also regulates the expression of NKG2D ligands. Additionally, we showed that both ATM-ATR and EGFR regulate MICA/B via miR20a. CONCLUSION In keeping with the effect on NKG2D expression, Gemcitabine enhanced NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity while Gefitinib attenuated NK cell killing in NSCLC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riki Okita
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Diana Wolf
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Koichiro Yasuda
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Ai Maeda
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Takuro Yukawa
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Saisho
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Shimizu
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | | | - Mikio Oka
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Eiichi Nakayama
- Faculty of Health and Welfare, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rolf Kiessling
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Immune and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Cancer Center Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Masao Nakata
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
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Abstract
For decades the primary available cancer therapies were relatively nonspecific cytotoxic agents which, while effective in some patients, were limited by narrow therapeutic indices, extensive toxicity and development of resistance, likely due to tumor heterogeneity. Although these chemotherapies remain common tools of conventional treatment, the approval of a growing number of tumor antigen (TA)-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) by the US Food and Drug Administration has driven a shift in the paradigm of cancer therapy. For a subset of patients with lymphoma, colorectal, head and neck, and breast cancers, the inclusion of rituximab (anti-CD20), cetuximab (anti-human epidermal growth factor 1), and trastuzumab (anti-human epidermal growth factor 2) has resulted in overall improved clinical response rates and survival advantages. The mechanisms that contribute to these effects are limited not only to inhibition of signaling pathways but also include cell-mediated cytotoxicity by innate immune cells and priming of effector cells of adoptive immunity triggered by the TA-specific mAb. However, as the use of these therapeutic mAbs has become more widespread, it has been observed that there is significant variability of response in patients treated with these agents. Thus, the factors that mediate this variability in clinical responses must be elucidated to optimize the use of TA-specific mAbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumita Trivedi
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Hyun-Bae Jie
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Robert L Ferris
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA; Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA; Cancer Immunology Program, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA.
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