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Carenza C, Franzese S, Castagna A, Terzoli S, Simonelli M, Persico P, Bello L, Nibali MC, Pessina F, Kunderfranco P, Peano C, Balin S, Mikulak J, Calcaterra F, Bonecchi R, Savino B, Locati M, Della Bella S, Mavilio D. Perioperative corticosteroid treatment impairs tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells in patients with newly diagnosed adult-type diffuse gliomas. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1074762. [PMID: 36703985 PMCID: PMC9872516 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1074762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Adult-type diffuse gliomas are malignant primary brain tumors characterized by very poor prognosis. Dendritic cells (DCs) are key in priming antitumor effector functions in cancer, but their role in gliomas remains poorly understood. Methods In this study, we characterized tumor-infiltrating DCs (TIDCs) in adult patients with newly diagnosed diffuse gliomas by using multi-parametric flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing. Results We demonstrated that different subsets of DCs are present in the glioma microenvironment, whereas they are absent in cancer-free brain parenchyma. The largest cluster of TIDCs was characterized by a transcriptomic profile suggestive of severe functional impairment. Patients undergoing perioperative corticosteroid treatment showed a significant reduction of conventional DC1s, the DC subset with key functions in antitumor immunity. They also showed phenotypic and transcriptional evidence of a more severe functional impairment of TIDCs. Discussion Overall, the results of this study indicate that functionally impaired DCs are recruited in the glioma microenvironment. They are severely affected by dexamethasone administration, suggesting that the detrimental effects of corticosteroids on DCs may represent one of the mechanisms contributing to the already reported negative prognostic impact of steroids on glioma patient survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Carenza
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Franzese
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Castagna
- Laboratory of Leukocyte Biology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Terzoli
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Simonelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy,Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Pasquale Persico
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy,Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Bello
- Unit of Oncological Neurosurgery, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy,Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Conti Nibali
- Unit of Oncological Neurosurgery, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Pessina
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy,Department of Neurosurgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Kunderfranco
- Bioinformatics Unit, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Clelia Peano
- Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, UoS Milan, National Research Council, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Simone Balin
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Joanna Mikulak
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Calcaterra
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaella Bonecchi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Chemokine Biology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Benedetta Savino
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Leukocyte Biology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Locati
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Leukocyte Biology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Della Bella
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy,*Correspondence: Silvia Della Bella, ; Domenico Mavilio,
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy,*Correspondence: Silvia Della Bella, ; Domenico Mavilio,
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2
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Simonelli M, Persico P, Capucetti A, Carenza C, Franzese S, Lorenzi E, Dipasquale A, Losurdo A, Giordano L, Pessina F, Navarria P, Politi LS, Mavilio D, Locati M, Della Bella S, Santoro A, Bonecchi R. Immunotherapeutic early-phase clinical trials and malignant gliomas: A single-center experience and comprehensive immunophenotyping of circulating leukocytes. Neurooncol Adv 2021; 3:vdab160. [PMID: 34901858 PMCID: PMC8661084 DOI: 10.1093/noajnl/vdab160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Immunotherapeutic early-phase clinical trials (ieCTs) increasingly adopt large expansion cohorts exploring novel agents across different tumor types. High-grade glioma (HGG) patients are usually excluded from these trials. Methods Data of patients with recurrent HGGs treated within multicohort ieCTs between February 2014 and August 2019 (experimental group, EG) at our Phase I Unit were retrospectively reviewed and compared to a matched control group (CG) of patients treated with standard therapies. We retrospectively evaluated clinical, laboratory, and molecular parameters through univariate and multivariate analysis. A prospective characterization of circulating leukocyte subpopulations was performed in the latest twenty patients enrolled in the EG, with a statistical significance cutoff of P < .1. Results Thirty HGG patients were treated into six ieCTs. Fifteen patients received monotherapies (anti-PD-1, anti-CSF-1R, anti-TGFβ, anti-cereblon), fifteen patients combination regimens (anti-PD-L1 + anti-CD38, anti-PD-1 + anti-CSF-1R). In the EG, median progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) from treatment initiation were 1.8 and 8.6 months; twelve patients survived more than 12 months, and two of them more than 6 years. Univariate analysis identified O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation and total protein value at six weeks as significantly correlated with a better outcome. Decreased circulating neutrophils and increased conventional dendritic cells levels lead to significantly better OS. Conclusions A subgroup of EG patients achieved remarkably durable disease control. MGMT promoter methylation identifies patients who benefit more from immunotherapy. Monitoring dynamic changes of innate immune cell populations may help to predict clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Simonelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Pasquale Persico
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Arianna Capucetti
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Carenza
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Franzese
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Lorenzi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Angelo Dipasquale
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Agnese Losurdo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Giordano
- IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Pessina
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Letterio S Politi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Massimo Locati
- Unit of Leukocyte Biology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Della Bella
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Armando Santoro
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Raffaella Bonecchi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
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Cazzetta V, Bruni E, Terzoli S, Carenza C, Franzese S, Piazza R, Marzano P, Donadon M, Torzilli G, Cimino M, Simonelli M, Bello L, Villa A, Tan L, Ravens S, Prinz I, Supino D, Colombo FS, Lugli E, Marcenaro E, Vivier E, Della Bella S, Mikulak J, Mavilio D. NKG2A expression identifies a subset of human Vδ2 T cells exerting the highest antitumor effector functions. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109871. [PMID: 34686325 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Human Vδ2 cells are innate-like γδ T effectors performing potent immune surveillance against tumors. The constitutive expression of NKG2A identifies a subset of Vδ2 T cells licensed with an intrinsic hyper-responsiveness against cancer. Indeed, the transcriptomic profiles of NKG2A+ and NKG2A- cells characterize two distinct "intralineages" of Vδ2 T lymphocytes that appear early during development, keep their phenotypes, and show self-renewal capabilities in adult life. The hyper-responsiveness of NKG2A+ Vδ2 T cells is counterbalanced by the inhibitory signaling delivered by human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E) expressed on malignant cells as a tumor-escape mechanism. However, either masking or knocking out NKG2A restores the capacity of Vδ2 T cells to exert the highest effector functions even against HLA-E+ tumors. This is highly relevant in the clinic, as the different degrees of engagement of the NKG2A-HLA-E checkpoint in hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma, and non-small cell lung cancer directly impact patients' overall survival. These findings open avenues for developing combined cellular and immunologic anticancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Cazzetta
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Bruni
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Terzoli
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Carenza
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Franzese
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Rocco Piazza
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Paolo Marzano
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Donadon
- Department of Biomedical Science, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy; Department of Hepatobiliary and General Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Guido Torzilli
- Department of Biomedical Science, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy; Department of Hepatobiliary and General Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Cimino
- Department of Hepatobiliary and General Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Simonelli
- Department of Biomedical Science, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Bello
- U.O. Neurochirurgia Oncologica, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy; Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Villa
- Division of Regenerative, Medicine, Stem Cells and Gene Therapy, San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, UOS Milan, National Research Council, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Likai Tan
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sarina Ravens
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Immo Prinz
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Domenico Supino
- Department of Biomedical Science of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico S Colombo
- Humanitas Flow Cytometry Core, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Enrico Lugli
- Humanitas Flow Cytometry Core, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Laboratory of Translational Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuela Marcenaro
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Eric Vivier
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, INSERM, CIML, Marseille, France; Research Laboratories, Innate Pharma, Marseille, France; Service d'Immunologie, Hôpital de la Timone, APHM, Marseille-Immunopôle, Marseille, France
| | - Silvia Della Bella
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Joanna Mikulak
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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4
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Carenza C, Franzese S, Calcaterra F, Mavilio D, Della Bella S. Comprehensive Phenotyping of Dendritic Cells in Cancer Patients by Flow Cytometry. Cytometry A 2020; 99:218-230. [PMID: 33098618 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in the complex interplay between tumor cells and the immune system. During the elimination phase of cancer immunoediting, immunostimulatory DCs are critical for the control of tumor growth. During the escape phase, regulatory DCs sustain tumor tolerance and contribute to the development of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that characterizes this phase. Moreover, increasing evidence indicates that DCs are also critical for the success of cancer immunotherapy. Hence, there is increasing need to fully characterize DC subsets and their activatory/inhibitory profile in cancer patients. In this review, we describe the role played by different DC subsets in the different phases of cancer immunoediting, the function exerted by different activatory and inhibitory molecules expressed on DC surface, and the cytokines produced by distinct DC subsets, in order to provide an overview on the DC features that may be useful to be assessed when dealing with the flow cytometric characterization of DCs in cancer patients. © 2020 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Carenza
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Franzese
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Calcaterra
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Della Bella
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center-IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
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5
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Carenza C, Calcaterra F, Oriolo F, Di Vito C, Ubezio M, Della Porta MG, Mavilio D, Della Bella S. Costimulatory Molecules and Immune Checkpoints Are Differentially Expressed on Different Subsets of Dendritic Cells. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1325. [PMID: 31244860 PMCID: PMC6579930 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) play a crucial role in initiating and shaping immune responses. The effects of DCs on adaptive immune responses depend partly on functional specialization of distinct DC subsets, and partly on the activation state of DCs, which is largely dictated by environmental signals. Fully activated immunostimulatory DCs express high levels of costimulatory molecules, produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, and stimulate T cell proliferation, whereas tolerogenic DCs express low levels of costimulatory molecules, produce immunomodulatory cytokines and impair T cell proliferation. Relevant to the increasing use of immune checkpoint blockade in cancer treatment, signals generated from inhibitory checkpoint molecules on DC surface may also contribute to the inhibitory properties of tolerogenic DCs. Yet, our knowledge on the expression of inhibitory molecules on human DC subsets is fragmentary. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the expression of three immune checkpoints on peripheral blood DC subsets, in basal conditions and upon exposure to pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory stimuli, by using a flow cytometric panel that allows a direct comparison of the activatory/inhibitory phenotype of DC-lineage and inflammatory DC subsets. We demonstrated that functionally distinct DC subsets are characterized by differential expression of activatory and inhibitory molecules, and that cDC1s in particular are endowed with a unique immune checkpoint repertoire characterized by high TIM-3 expression, scarce PD-L1 expression and lack of ILT2. Notably, this unique cDC1 repertoire was subverted in a group of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes included in the study. Applied to the characterization of DCs in the tumor microenvironment, this panel has the potential to provide valuable information to be used for investigating the role of DC subsets in cancer, guiding DC-targeting treatments, and possibly identifying predictive biomarkers for clinical response to cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Carenza
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Lab of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Francesca Calcaterra
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Lab of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Ferdinando Oriolo
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Lab of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Clara Di Vito
- Lab of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Marta Ubezio
- Cancer Center, Humanitas Reserach Hospital, Rozzano, Italy
| | | | - Domenico Mavilio
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Lab of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Silvia Della Bella
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Lab of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Italy
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Della Bella S, Calcaterra F, Bacci M, Carenza C, Pandolfo C, Ferrazzi P, Uva P, Pagani M, Lodigiani C, Mavilio D. Pathologic up-regulation of TNFSF15–TNFRSF25 axis sustains endothelial dysfunction in unprovoked venous thromboembolism. Cardiovasc Res 2019; 116:698-707. [DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvz131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Aims
The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying unprovoked venous thromboembolism (uVTE) are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms involved in uVTE pathogenesis by using ex vivo expanded endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs), which represent a valuable non-invasive tool for the assessment of endothelial function.
Methods and results
We isolated and expanded ECFCs from the peripheral blood of uVTE patients and observed that these cells underwent earlier senescence and showed lower growth rate compared with ECFCs obtained from healthy donors. Through microarray expression profiling, we demonstrated that 2905 genes were differentially expressed between patients and controls. Among them, the anti-angiogenic cytokine TNF superfamily member 15 (TNFSF15) and its death-receptor TNFRSF25 were up-regulated in uVTE ECFCs, and this finding was validated by RT-qPCR. TNFSF15 up-regulation was confirmed at the protein level in ECFC supernatants, and the in vivo relevance of these findings was further corroborated by demonstrating that also the plasmatic levels of TNFSF15 are increased in uVTE patients. After proving that exogenous TNFSF15 exerts pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative activity on control ECFCs, we demonstrated through blocking experiments that TNFSF15 up-regulation contributes to impaired survival and proliferation of uVTE ECFCs.
Conclusion
By providing evidence that TNFSF15 impairs ECFC functions crucial to endothelial repair, and that uVTE patients have increased TNFSF15 levels both ex vivo and in vivo, the results of this study suggest that pathologic up-regulation of TNFSF15–TNFRSF25 axis may contribute to uVTE pathogenesis, and may represent the target for novel therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing recurrences in uVTE patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Della Bella
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center—IRCCS, via Manzoni 113, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Calcaterra
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center—IRCCS, via Manzoni 113, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Bacci
- Thrombosis and Haemorragic Diseases Center, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Carenza
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center—IRCCS, via Manzoni 113, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Pandolfo
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center—IRCCS, via Manzoni 113, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Ferrazzi
- Thrombosis and Haemorragic Diseases Center, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Uva
- Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia (CRS4), Science and Technology Park Polaris, Pula, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Pagani
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- INGM-National Institute of Molecular Genetics “Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi” Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Corrado Lodigiani
- Thrombosis and Haemorragic Diseases Center, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center—IRCCS, via Manzoni 113, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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7
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Abdel Hadi L, Calcaterra F, Brambilla L, Carenza C, Marfia G, Della Bella S, Riboni L. Enhanced phosphorylation of sphingosine and ceramide sustains the exuberant proliferation of endothelial progenitors in Kaposi sarcoma. J Leukoc Biol 2017; 103:525-533. [PMID: 29345349 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.2ma0817-312r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs), a unique endothelial stem cell population, are highly increased in the blood of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) patients. KS-derived ECFCs (KS-ECFCs) are also endowed with increased proliferative and vasculogenic potential, thus suggesting that they may be precursors of KS spindle cells. However, the mechanisms underlying the increased proliferative activity of KS-ECFCs remain poorly understood. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) are metabolically interconnected sphingoid mediators crucial to cell proliferation. Here, we investigated the metabolism, release, and proliferative effects of S1P and C1P in KS-ECFCs compared with control ECFCs (Ct-ECFCs). Metabolic studies by cell labeling, chromatographic analyses, and digital autoradiography revealed that S1P and C1P biosynthesis and S1P secretion are all efficient processes in KS-ECFCs, more efficient in KS-ECFCs than Ct-ECFCs. Quantitative PCR analyses demonstrated a significantly higher ceramide kinase and sphingosine kinase-2 expression in KS-ECFCs. Notably, also the expression of S1P1 and S1P3 receptors was augmented in KS-ECFCs. Accordingly, treatment with exogenous C1P or S1P induced a significant, concentration-dependent stimulation of KS-ECFC proliferation, but was almost completely ineffective in Ct-ECFCs. Hence, we identified C1P and S1P as autocrine/paracrine proliferative signals in KS-ECFCs. A better understanding of the mechanisms that enhance S1P/C1P formation in KS-ECFCs may yield effective therapeutic modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loubna Abdel Hadi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, LITA-Segrate, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Calcaterra
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, LITA-Segrate, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Brambilla
- Unit of Dermatology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda-Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Carenza
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, LITA-Segrate, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Marfia
- Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Milan, Laboratory of Experimental Neurosurgery and Cell Therapy, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Della Bella
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, LITA-Segrate, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Riboni
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, LITA-Segrate, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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