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Qin T, Hu S, Kong D, Lakey JR, de Vos P. Pancreatic stellate cells support human pancreatic β-cell viability in vitro and enhance survival of immunoisolated human islets exposed to cytokines. Mater Today Bio 2024; 27:101129. [PMID: 39022526 PMCID: PMC11253154 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.101129] [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: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic islet transplantation is proposed as a cure for type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Despite its success in optimal regulation of glucose levels, limitations in longevity of islet grafts still require innovative solutions. Inflammatory stress post-transplantation and loss of extracellular matrix attribute to the limited β-cell survival. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), identified as pancreatic-specific stromal cells, have the potential to play a crucial role in preserving islet survival. Our study aimed to determine the effects of PSCs co-cultured with human CM β-cells and human islets under inflammatory stress induced by a cytokine cocktail of IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-1β. Transwell culture inserts were utilized to assess the paracrine impact of PSCs on β-cells, alongside co-cultures enabling direct interaction between PSCs and human islets. We found that co-culturing PSCs with human CM β-cells and human cadaveric islets had rescuing effects on cytokine-induced stress. Effects were different under normoglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions. PSCs were associated with upregulation of β-cell mitochondrial activity and suppression of inflammatory gene expression. The rescuing effects exist both in indirect and direct co-culture methods. Furthermore, we tested whether PSCs have rescuing effects on human islets in conventional alginate-based microcapsules and in composite microcapsules composed of alginate-pectin collagen type IV, laminin sequence RGD, Nec-1, and amino acid. PSCs partially prevented cytokine-induced stress in both systems, but beneficial effects were stronger in composite capsules. Our findings show novel effects of PSCs on islet health. Islets and PSCs coculturing or co-transplantation might mitigate the inflammation stress and improve islet transplantation outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Qin
- Immunoendocrinology, Division of Medical Biology, Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, EA 11, 9713 GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Shuxian Hu
- Immunoendocrinology, Division of Medical Biology, Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, EA 11, 9713 GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Defu Kong
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200127, China
| | - Jonathan R.T. Lakey
- Department of Surgery, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92868, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Paul de Vos
- Immunoendocrinology, Division of Medical Biology, Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, EA 11, 9713 GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Oñate MK, Oon C, Bhattacharyya S, Low V, Chen C, Zhao X, Yan Z, Hang Y, Kim SK, Xia Z, Sherman MH. Stromal KITL/SCF promotes pancreas tissue homeostasis and restrains tumor progression. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.29.605485. [PMID: 39131374 PMCID: PMC11312444 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.29.605485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/13/2024]
Abstract
Components of normal tissue architecture serve as barriers to tumor progression. Inflammatory and wound-healing programs are requisite features of solid tumorigenesis, wherein alterations to immune and non-immune stromal elements enable loss of homeostasis during tumor evolution. The precise mechanisms by which normal stromal cell states limit tissue plasticity and tumorigenesis, and which are lost during tumor progression, remain largely unknown. Here we show that healthy pancreatic mesenchyme expresses the paracrine signaling molecule KITL, also known as stem cell factor, and identify loss of stromal KITL during tumorigenesis as tumor-promoting. Genetic inhibition of mesenchymal KITL in the contexts of homeostasis, injury, and cancer together indicate a role for KITL signaling in maintenance of pancreas tissue architecture, such that loss of the stromal KITL pool increased tumor growth and reduced survival of tumor-bearing mice. Together, these findings implicate loss of mesenchymal KITL as a mechanism for establishing a tumor-permissive microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Kathrina Oñate
- Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Chet Oon
- Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Sohinee Bhattacharyya
- Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Vivien Low
- Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Canping Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Xiaofan Zhao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Ziqiao Yan
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Yan Hang
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
- Stanford Diabetes Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Seung K. Kim
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
- Stanford Diabetes Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Zheng Xia
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Mara H. Sherman
- Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Department of Cell, Developmental & Cancer Biology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
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Wang Y, Chen K, Liu G, Du C, Cheng Z, Wei D, Li F, Li C, Yang Y, Zhao Y, Nie G. Disruption of Super-Enhancers in Activated Pancreatic Stellate Cells Facilitates Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2308637. [PMID: 38417121 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202308637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
One major obstacle in the drug treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is its highly fibrotic tumor microenvironment, which is replete with activated pancreatic stellate cells (a-PSCs). These a-PSCs generate abundant extracellular matrix and secrete various cytokines to form biophysical and biochemical barriers, impeding drug access to tumor tissues. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a strategy for reversing PSC activation and thereby removing the barriers to facilitate PDAC drug treatment. Herein, by integrating chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq, Assays for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (ATAC)-seq, and RNA-seq techniques, this work reveals that super-enhancers (SEs) promote the expression of various genes involved in PSC activation. Disruption of SE-associated transcription with JQ1 reverses the activated phenotype of a-PSCs and decreases stromal fibrosis in both orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. More importantly, disruption of SEs by JQ1 treatments promotes vascularization, facilitates drug delivery, and alters the immune landscape in PDAC, thereby improving the efficacies of both chemotherapy (with gemcitabine) and immunotherapy (with IL-12). In summary, this study not only elucidates the contribution of SEs of a-PSCs in shaping the PDAC tumor microenvironment but also highlights that targeting SEs in a-PSCs may become a gate-opening strategy that benefits PDAC drug therapy by removing stromal barriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazhou Wang
- Pancreas Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210000, China
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, CAS Center of Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Kai Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Gang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, China
| | - Chong Du
- Department of Oncology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, China
| | - Zhaoxia Cheng
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, CAS Center of Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Dan Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, CAS Center of Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Fenfen Li
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, CAS Center of Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Chen Li
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, CAS Center of Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Yinmo Yang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, China
| | - Ying Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, CAS Center of Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Guangjun Nie
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials & Nanosafety, CAS Center of Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing, 100190, China
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Ma Y, Zhu J, Chen S, Li T, Ma J, Guo S, Hu J, Yue T, Zhang J, Wang P, Wang X, Chen G, Liu Y. Activated gastric cancer-associated fibroblasts contribute to the malignant phenotype and 5-FU resistance via paracrine action in gastric cancer. Cancer Cell Int 2018; 18:104. [PMID: 30038550 PMCID: PMC6053778 DOI: 10.1186/s12935-018-0599-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play important roles in tumor progression. However, the behaviors of activated CAFs in gastric cancer remain to be determined. The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlations between activated gastric CAFs and the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer, and to determine the effects of activated CAFs on the malignant phenotype and 5-fluorouracil resistance in this cancer. Methods Ninety-five patients with primary gastric cancer were enrolled in this study. Activation states of gastric CAFs were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. A modified method for the primary culture of gastric CAFs was employed. Types of CAFs and activation states were identified by immunocytochemical and immunofluorescent staining. Cell co-culture and gastric CAF conditioned medium transfer models were established to investigate the paracrine effects of activated CAFs on the migration and invasion of gastric cell lines. The half maximal inhibitory concentration of 5-fluorouracil and levels of cell apoptosis were examined using cell viability assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Protein expression levels of associated molecules were measured by Western blotting. Results Kaplan–Meier survival curves showed that activated gastric CAFs identified via fibroblast activation protein were significantly related to poorer cumulative survival in gastric cancer patients. Five strains of CAFs were successfully cultured via the modified culture method, and three gastric CAFs strains were identified as activated gastric CAFs. The migration and invasion abilities of gastric cells were significantly enhanced in both the co-culture group and the conditioned medium group. The half maximal inhibitory concentration for 5-fluorouracil in BGC-823 cells was elevated after treatment with conditioned medium, and early apoptosis was inhibited. Additionally, an obvious elevation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition level was observed in the conditioned medium group. Conclusions Activated gastric CAFs correlate with a poor prognosis of cancer patients and may contribute to the malignant phenotype and the development of resistance to 5-fluorouracil via paracrine action in gastric cancer. Gastric CAFs with a specific activation state might be used as a tumor biomarker within the microenvironment for prognosis and as a new therapeutic target for chemoresistant gastric cancer. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12935-018-0599-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongchen Ma
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Zhu
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Shanwen Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Tengyu Li
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Ju Ma
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Shihao Guo
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Jianwen Hu
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Taohua Yue
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Junling Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Pengyuan Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Guowei Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
| | - Yucun Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034 People's Republic of China
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