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Borlongan MC, Saha D, Wang H. Tumor Microenvironment: A Niche for Cancer Stem Cell Immunotherapy. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2024; 20:3-24. [PMID: 37861969 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-023-10639-6] [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] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Tumorigenic Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs), often called tumor-initiating cells (TICs), represent a unique subset of cells within the tumor milieu. They stand apart from the bulk of tumor cells due to their exceptional self-renewal, metastatic, and differentiation capabilities. Despite significant progress in classifying CSCs, these cells remain notably resilient to conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy, contributing to cancer recurrence. In this review, our objective is to explore novel avenues of research that delve into the distinctive characteristics of CSCs within their surrounding tumor microenvironment (TME). We will start with an overview of the defining features of CSCs and then delve into their intricate interactions with cells from the lymphoid lineage, namely T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. Furthermore, we will discuss their dynamic interplay with myeloid lineage cells, including macrophages, neutrophils, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Moreover, we will illuminate the crosstalk between CSCs and cells of mesenchymal origin, specifically fibroblasts, adipocytes, and endothelial cells. Subsequently, we will underscore the pivotal role of CSCs within the context of the tumor-associated extracellular matrix (ECM). Finally, we will highlight pre-clinical and clinical studies that target CSCs within the intricate landscape of the TME, including CAR-T therapy, oncolytic viruses, and CSC-vaccines, with the ultimate goal of uncovering novel avenues for CSC-based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia C Borlongan
- College of Medicine, California Northstate University, 9700 West Taron Drive, Elk Grove, CA, 95757, USA
| | - Dipongkor Saha
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences College of Pharmacy, California Northstate University, 9700 West Taron Drive, Elk Grove, CA, 95757, USA.
| | - Hongbin Wang
- College of Medicine, California Northstate University, 9700 West Taron Drive, Elk Grove, CA, 95757, USA.
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences College of Pharmacy, California Northstate University, 9700 West Taron Drive, Elk Grove, CA, 95757, USA.
- Master Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences College of Graduate Studies, Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences College of Pharmacy, Department of Basic Science College of Medicine, California Northstate University, 9700 West Taron Drive, Elk Grove, CA, 95757, USA.
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Liu L, Liu Y, Xia Y, Wang G, Zhang X, Zhang H, Xu Y, Yuan Y, Liu S, Wang Y. Synergistic killing effects of PD-L1-CAR T cells and colorectal cancer stem cell-dendritic cell vaccine-sensitized T cells in ALDH1-positive colorectal cancer stem cells. J Cancer 2021; 12:6629-6639. [PMID: 34659553 PMCID: PMC8517999 DOI: 10.7150/jca.62123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are characterized by self-renewal and unlimited proliferation, providing a basis for tumor occurrence, metastasis, and recurrence. Because CSCs are highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, various immunotherapies, particularly chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy and dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccine therapy, are currently being developed. Accordingly, in this study, we evaluated programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression in colorectal CSCs (CCSCs) and non-CCSCs and designed a combination immunotherapy synchronously utilizing PD-L1-CAR-T cells together with CCSC-DC vaccine-sensitized T cells for the treatment of colorectal cancer. PD-L1-CAR-T cells specifically recognized the PD-L1 molecule on CCSCs by binding to the extracellular domain of programmed cell death-1. The CCSC-DC vaccine was prepared using CCSC lysates. We found that aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1)-positive CCSCs were abundant in samples from patient tumor tissues and cancer cell lines. Moreover, PD-L1 was highly expressed in ALDH1-positive CCSCs compared with that in non-CCSCs. Monotherapy with PD-L1-CAR-T cells or CCSC-DC vaccine only elicited moderate tumor remission both in vitro and in vivo. However, combination therapy markedly killed cancer cells and relieved the tumor burden in mice. Our findings may provide a novel strategy for the clinical treatment of colorectal malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liu Liu
- The First People's Hospital of Hefei/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, P.R. China
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- The First People's Hospital of Hefei/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, P.R. China
| | - Yang Xia
- Taizhou People's Hospital/The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Taizhou 225300, P.R. China
| | - Guanlong Wang
- The First People's Hospital of Hefei/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, P.R. China
| | - Xiushan Zhang
- The First People's Hospital of Hefei/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, P.R. China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Linquan County People's Hospital, Linquan 236400, P.R. China
| | - Yang Xu
- The First People's Hospital of Hefei/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- The First People's Hospital of Hefei/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, P.R. China
| | - Shangquan Liu
- The First People's Hospital of Hefei/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, P.R. China
| | - Yi Wang
- The First People's Hospital of Hefei/The Third Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230061, P.R. China
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Hayat H, Hayat H, Dwan BF, Gudi M, Bishop JO, Wang P. A Concise Review: The Role of Stem Cells in Cancer Progression and Therapy. Onco Targets Ther 2021; 14:2761-2772. [PMID: 33907419 PMCID: PMC8068480 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s260391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The properties of cancer stem cells (CSCs) have recently gained attention as an avenue of intervention for cancer therapy. In this review, we highlight some of the key roles of CSCs in altering the cellular microenvironment in favor of cancer progression. We also report on various studies in this field which focus on transformative properties of CSCs and their influence on surrounding cells or targets through the release of cellular cargo in the form of extracellular vesicles. The findings from these studies encourage the development of novel interventional therapies that can target and prevent cancer through efficient, more effective methods. These methods include targeting immunosuppressive proteins and biomarkers, promoting immunization against tumors, exosome-mediated CSC conversion, and a focus on the quiescent properties of CSCs and their role in cancer progression. The resulting therapeutic benefit and transformative potential of these novel approaches to stem cell-based cancer therapy provide a new direction in cancer treatment, which can focus on nanoscale, molecular properties of the cellular microenvironment and establish a more precision medicine-oriented paradigm of treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasaan Hayat
- Precision Health Program, Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Hanaan Hayat
- Precision Health Program, Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Bennett Francis Dwan
- Precision Health Program, Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,College of Natural Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Mithil Gudi
- Precision Health Program, Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,College of Natural Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Jack Owen Bishop
- Precision Health Program, Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,College of Natural Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Ping Wang
- Precision Health Program, Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.,Department of Radiology, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Kharkar PS. Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) Inhibitors in Oncology-A Promise for a Better Therapeutic Outcome: State of the Art and Future Perspectives. J Med Chem 2020; 63:15279-15307. [PMID: 33325699 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a subpopulation of cancer cells endowed with self-renewal, tumorigenicity, pluripotency, chemoresistance, differentiation, invasive ability, and plasticity, reside in specialized tumor niches and are responsible for tumor maintenance, metastasis, therapy resistance, and tumor relapse. The new-age "hierarchical or CSC" model of tumor heterogeneity is based on the concept of eradicating CSCs to prevent tumor relapse and therapy resistance. Small-molecular entities and biologics acting on various stemness signaling pathways, surface markers, efflux transporters, or components of complex tumor microenvironment are under intense investigation as potential anti-CSC agents. In addition, smart nanotherapeutic tools have proved their utility in achieving CSC targeting. Several CSC inhibitors in clinical development have shown promise, either as mono- or combination therapy, in refractory and difficult-to-treat cancers. Clinical investigations with CSC marker follow-up as a measure of clinical efficacy are needed to turn the "hype" into the "hope" these new-age oncology therapeutics have to offer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prashant S Kharkar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400 019, India
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Zhang H, Wan C, Huang J, Yang C, Qin Y, Lu Y, Ma J, Wu B, Xu S, Wu G, Yang K. In Vitro Radiobiological Advantages of Hypofractionation Compared with Conventional Fractionation: Early-Passage NSCLC Cells are Less Aggressive after Hypofractionation. Radiat Res 2018; 190:584-595. [PMID: 30234458 DOI: 10.1667/rr14951.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haibo Zhang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Chao Wan
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Jing Huang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Chensu Yang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - You Qin
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Yanwei Lu
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Jia Ma
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Bian Wu
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Shuangbing Xu
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Gang Wu
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
| | - Kunyu Yang
- Cancer Center, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China
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