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Wu Y, Chen S, Yang X, Sato K, Lal P, Wang Y, Shinkle AT, Wendl MC, Primeau TM, Zhao Y, Gould A, Sun H, Mudd JL, Hoog J, Mashl RJ, Wyczalkowski MA, Mo CK, Liu R, Herndon JM, Davies SR, Liu D, Ding X, Evrard YA, Welm BE, Lum D, Koh MY, Welm AL, Chuang JH, Moscow JA, Meric-Bernstam F, Govindan R, Li S, Hsieh J, Fields RC, Lim KH, Ma CX, Zhang H, Ding L, Chen F. Combining the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Cabozantinib and the mTORC1/2 Inhibitor Sapanisertib Blocks ERK Pathway Activity and Suppresses Tumor Growth in Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cancer Res 2023; 83:4161-4178. [PMID: 38098449 PMCID: PMC10722140 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Current treatment approaches for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) face challenges in achieving durable tumor responses due to tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. Combination therapies that leverage tumor molecular profiles could offer an avenue for enhancing treatment efficacy and addressing the limitations of current therapies. To identify effective strategies for treating RCC, we selected ten drugs guided by tumor biology to test in six RCC patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. The multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) cabozantinib and mTORC1/2 inhibitor sapanisertib emerged as the most effective drugs, particularly when combined. The combination demonstrated favorable tolerability and inhibited tumor growth or induced tumor regression in all models, including two from patients who experienced treatment failure with FDA-approved TKI and immunotherapy combinations. In cabozantinib-treated samples, imaging analysis revealed a significant reduction in vascular density, and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) analysis indicated a decreased proportion of endothelial cells in the tumors. SnRNA-seq data further identified a tumor subpopulation enriched with cell-cycle activity that exhibited heightened sensitivity to the cabozantinib and sapanisertib combination. Conversely, activation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway, detected at the protein level, was associated with drug resistance in residual tumors following combination treatment. The combination effectively restrained ERK phosphorylation and reduced expression of ERK downstream transcription factors and their target genes implicated in cell-cycle control and apoptosis. This study highlights the potential of the cabozantinib plus sapanisertib combination as a promising treatment approach for patients with RCC, particularly those whose tumors progressed on immune checkpoint inhibitors and other TKIs. SIGNIFICANCE The molecular-guided therapeutic strategy of combining cabozantinib and sapanisertib restrains ERK activity to effectively suppress growth of renal cell carcinomas, including those unresponsive to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yige Wu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Siqi Chen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Xiaolu Yang
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Kazuhito Sato
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Preet Lal
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Yuefan Wang
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Andrew T. Shinkle
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Michael C. Wendl
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Tina M. Primeau
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Yanyan Zhao
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Alanna Gould
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Hua Sun
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jacqueline L. Mudd
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jeremy Hoog
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - R. Jay Mashl
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Matthew A. Wyczalkowski
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Chia-Kuei Mo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ruiyang Liu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - John M. Herndon
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Sherri R. Davies
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Di Liu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Xi Ding
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Yvonne A. Evrard
- Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Bryan E. Welm
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - David Lum
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Mei Yee Koh
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Alana L. Welm
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Jeffrey H. Chuang
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Jeffrey A. Moscow
- Investigational Drug Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Ramaswamy Govindan
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Shunqiang Li
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - James Hsieh
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ryan C. Fields
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Kian-Huat Lim
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Cynthia X. Ma
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Li Ding
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
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Iglesia MD, Jayasinghe RG, Chen S, Terekhanova NV, Herndon JM, Storrs E, Karpova A, Zhou DC, Al Deen NN, Shinkle AT, Lu RJH, Caravan W, Houston A, Zhao Y, Sato K, Lal P, Street C, Rodrigues FM, Southard-Smith AN, Targino da Costa ALN, Zhu H, Mo CK, Crowson L, Fulton RS, Wyczalkowski MA, Fronick CC, Fulton LA, Sun H, Davies SR, Appelbaum EL, Chasnoff SE, Carmody M, Brooks C, Liu R, Wendl MC, Oh C, Bender D, Cruchaga C, Harari O, Bredemeyer A, Lavine K, Bose R, Margenthaler J, Held JM, Achilefu S, Ademuyiwa F, Aft R, Ma C, Colditz GA, Ju T, Oh ST, Fitzpatrick J, Hwang ES, Shoghi KI, Chheda MG, Veis DJ, Chen F, Fields RC, Gillanders WE, Ding L. Differential chromatin accessibility and transcriptional dynamics define breast cancer subtypes and their lineages. bioRxiv 2023:2023.10.31.565031. [PMID: 37961519 PMCID: PMC10634973 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.31.565031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease, and treatment is guided by biomarker profiles representing distinct molecular subtypes. Breast cancer arises from the breast ductal epithelium, and experimental data suggests breast cancer subtypes have different cells of origin within that lineage. The precise cells of origin for each subtype and the transcriptional networks that characterize these tumor-normal lineages are not established. In this work, we applied bulk, single-cell (sc), and single-nucleus (sn) multi-omic techniques as well as spatial transcriptomics and multiplex imaging on 61 samples from 37 breast cancer patients to show characteristic links in gene expression and chromatin accessibility between breast cancer subtypes and their putative cells of origin. We applied the PAM50 subtyping algorithm in tandem with bulk RNA-seq and snRNA-seq to reliably subtype even low-purity tumor samples and confirm promoter accessibility using snATAC. Trajectory analysis of chromatin accessibility and differentially accessible motifs clearly connected progenitor populations with breast cancer subtypes supporting the cell of origin for basal-like and luminal A and B tumors. Regulatory network analysis of transcription factors underscored the importance of BHLHE40 in luminal breast cancer and luminal mature cells, and KLF5 in basal-like tumors and luminal progenitor cells. Furthermore, we identify key genes defining the basal-like ( PRKCA , SOX6 , RGS6 , KCNQ3 ) and luminal A/B ( FAM155A , LRP1B ) lineages, with expression in both precursor and cancer cells and further upregulation in tumors. Exhausted CTLA4-expressing CD8+ T cells were enriched in basal-like breast cancer, suggesting altered means of immune dysfunction among breast cancer subtypes. We used spatial transcriptomics and multiplex imaging to provide spatial detail for key markers of benign and malignant cell types and immune cell colocation. These findings demonstrate analysis of paired transcription and chromatin accessibility at the single cell level is a powerful tool for investigating breast cancer lineage development and highlight transcriptional networks that define basal and luminal breast cancer lineages.
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Terekhanova NV, Karpova A, Liang WW, Strzalkowski A, Chen S, Li Y, Southard-Smith AN, Iglesia MD, Wendl MC, Jayasinghe RG, Liu J, Song Y, Cao S, Houston A, Liu X, Wyczalkowski MA, Lu RJH, Caravan W, Shinkle A, Naser Al Deen N, Herndon JM, Mudd J, Ma C, Sarkar H, Sato K, Ibrahim OM, Mo CK, Chasnoff SE, Porta-Pardo E, Held JM, Pachynski R, Schwarz JK, Gillanders WE, Kim AH, Vij R, DiPersio JF, Puram SV, Chheda MG, Fuh KC, DeNardo DG, Fields RC, Chen F, Raphael BJ, Ding L. Epigenetic regulation during cancer transitions across 11 tumour types. Nature 2023; 623:432-441. [PMID: 37914932 PMCID: PMC10632147 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06682-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin accessibility is essential in regulating gene expression and cellular identity, and alterations in accessibility have been implicated in driving cancer initiation, progression and metastasis1-4. Although the genetic contributions to oncogenic transitions have been investigated, epigenetic drivers remain less understood. Here we constructed a pan-cancer epigenetic and transcriptomic atlas using single-nucleus chromatin accessibility data (using single-nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin) from 225 samples and matched single-cell or single-nucleus RNA-sequencing expression data from 206 samples. With over 1 million cells from each platform analysed through the enrichment of accessible chromatin regions, transcription factor motifs and regulons, we identified epigenetic drivers associated with cancer transitions. Some epigenetic drivers appeared in multiple cancers (for example, regulatory regions of ABCC1 and VEGFA; GATA6 and FOX-family motifs), whereas others were cancer specific (for example, regulatory regions of FGF19, ASAP2 and EN1, and the PBX3 motif). Among epigenetically altered pathways, TP53, hypoxia and TNF signalling were linked to cancer initiation, whereas oestrogen response, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and apical junction were tied to metastatic transition. Furthermore, we revealed a marked correlation between enhancer accessibility and gene expression and uncovered cooperation between epigenetic and genetic drivers. This atlas provides a foundation for further investigation of epigenetic dynamics in cancer transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadezhda V Terekhanova
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alla Karpova
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Wen-Wei Liang
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Siqi Chen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yize Li
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Austin N Southard-Smith
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael D Iglesia
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael C Wendl
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Reyka G Jayasinghe
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jingxian Liu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yizhe Song
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Song Cao
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Andrew Houston
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Xiuting Liu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Matthew A Wyczalkowski
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rita Jui-Hsien Lu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Wagma Caravan
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Andrew Shinkle
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nataly Naser Al Deen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jacqueline Mudd
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Cong Ma
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Hirak Sarkar
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Kazuhito Sato
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Omar M Ibrahim
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chia-Kuei Mo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sara E Chasnoff
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Eduard Porta-Pardo
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jason M Held
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Russell Pachynski
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Julie K Schwarz
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - William E Gillanders
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Albert H Kim
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ravi Vij
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - John F DiPersio
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sidharth V Puram
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Milan G Chheda
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Katherine C Fuh
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - David G DeNardo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ryan C Fields
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Benjamin J Raphael
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Li Ding
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
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Ademuyiwa FO, Gao F, Street CR, Chen I, Northfelt DW, Wesolowski R, Arora M, Brufsky A, Dees EC, Santa-Maria CA, Connolly RM, Force J, Moreno-Aspitia A, Herndon JM, Carmody M, Davies SR, Larson S, Pfaff KL, Jones SM, Weirather JL, Giobbie-Hurder A, Rodig SJ, Liu Z, Hagemann IS, Sharon E, Gillanders WE. A randomized phase 2 study of neoadjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel with or without atezolizumab in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) - NCI 10013. NPJ Breast Cancer 2022; 8:134. [PMID: 36585404 PMCID: PMC9803651 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-022-00500-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Atezolizumab with chemotherapy has shown improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with metastatic PD-L1 positive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Atezolizumab with anthracycline- and taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy has also shown increased pathological complete response (pCR) rates in early TNBC. This trial evaluated neoadjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel with or without atezolizumab in patients with clinical stages II-III TNBC. The co-primary objectives were to evaluate if chemotherapy and atezolizumab increase pCR rate and tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) percentage compared to chemotherapy alone in the mITT population. Sixty-seven patients (ages 25-78 years; median, 52 years) were randomly assigned - 22 patients to Arm A, and 45 to Arm B. Median follow up was 6.6 months. In the modified intent to treat population (all patients evaluable for the primary endpoints who received at least one dose of combination therapy), the pCR rate was 18.8% (95% CI 4.0-45.6%) in Arm A, and 55.6% (95% CI 40.0-70.4%) in Arm B (estimated treatment difference: 36.8%, 95% CI 8.5-56.6%; p = 0.018). Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events occurred in 62.5% of patients in Arm A, and 57.8% of patients in Arm B. One patient in Arm B died from recurrent disease during the follow-up period. TIL percentage increased slightly from baseline to cycle 1 in both Arm A (mean ± SD: 0.6% ± 21.0%) and Arm B (5.7% ± 15.8%) (p = 0.36). Patients with pCR had higher median TIL percentages (24.8%) than those with non-pCR (14.2%) (p = 0.02). Although subgroup analyses were limited by the small sample size, PD-L1-positive patients treated with chemotherapy and atezolizumab had a pCR rate of 75% (12/16). The addition of atezolizumab to neoadjuvant carboplatin and paclitaxel resulted in a statistically significant and clinically relevant increased pCR rate in patients with clinical stages II and III TNBC. (Funded by National Cancer Institute).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Feng Gao
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | | | - Ina Chen
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | | | - Robert Wesolowski
- Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Mili Arora
- UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Adam Brufsky
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - E Claire Dees
- University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
| | - Cesar A Santa-Maria
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | | | - Jeremy Force
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | | | - John M Herndon
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Madelyn Carmody
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Sherri R Davies
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Sarah Larson
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Kathleen L Pfaff
- Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Stephanie M Jones
- Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Jason L Weirather
- Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Anita Giobbie-Hurder
- Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Scott J Rodig
- Cancer Immune Monitoring and Analysis Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Zheng Liu
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Ian S Hagemann
- Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Elad Sharon
- National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
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5
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Lander VE, Belle JI, Kingstonl NL, Herndon JM, Hogg GD, Liu X, Kang LI, Knolhoff BL, Bogner SJ, Baer JM, Zuo C, Borcherding NC, Lander DP, Mpoy C, Scott J, Zahner M, Rogers BE, Schwarz JK, Kim H, DeNardo DG. Stromal Reprogramming by FAK Inhibition Overcomes Radiation Resistance to Allow for Immune Priming and Response to Checkpoint Blockade. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:2774-2799. [PMID: 36165893 PMCID: PMC9722639 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-22-0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The effects of radiotherapy (RT) on tumor immunity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are not well understood. To better understand if RT can prime antigen-specific T-cell responses, we analyzed human PDAC tissues and mouse models. In both settings, there was little evidence of RT-induced T-cell priming. Using in vitro systems, we found that tumor-stromal components, including fibroblasts and collagen, cooperate to blunt RT efficacy and impair RT-induced interferon signaling. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition rescued RT efficacy in vitro and in vivo, leading to tumor regression, T-cell priming, and enhanced long-term survival in PDAC mouse models. Based on these data, we initiated a clinical trial of defactinib in combination with stereotactic body RT in patients with PDAC (NCT04331041). Analysis of PDAC tissues from these patients showed stromal reprogramming mirroring our findings in genetically engineered mouse models. Finally, the addition of checkpoint immunotherapy to RT and FAK inhibition in animal models led to complete tumor regression and long-term survival. SIGNIFICANCE Checkpoint immunotherapeutics have not been effective in PDAC, even when combined with RT. One possible explanation is that RT fails to prime T-cell responses in PDAC. Here, we show that FAK inhibition allows RT to prime tumor immunity and unlock responsiveness to checkpoint immunotherapy. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2711.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varintra E. Lander
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jad I. Belle
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Natalie L. Kingstonl
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - John M. Herndon
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Graham D. Hogg
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Xiuting Liu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Liang-I Kang
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Brett L. Knolhoff
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Savannah J. Bogner
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - John M. Baer
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chong Zuo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Nicholas C. Borcherding
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Daniel P. Lander
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Cedric Mpoy
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jalen Scott
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Michael Zahner
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Buck E. Rogers
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Julie K. Schwarz
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Cell Biology & Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Hyun Kim
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - David G. DeNardo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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6
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Cui Zhou D, Jayasinghe RG, Chen S, Herndon JM, Iglesia MD, Navale P, Wendl MC, Caravan W, Sato K, Storrs E, Mo CK, Liu J, Southard-Smith AN, Wu Y, Naser Al Deen N, Baer JM, Fulton RS, Wyczalkowski MA, Liu R, Fronick CC, Fulton LA, Shinkle A, Thammavong L, Zhu H, Sun H, Wang LB, Li Y, Zuo C, McMichael JF, Davies SR, Appelbaum EL, Robbins KJ, Chasnoff SE, Yang X, Reeb AN, Oh C, Serasanambati M, Lal P, Varghese R, Mashl JR, Ponce J, Terekhanova NV, Yao L, Wang F, Chen L, Schnaubelt M, Lu RJH, Schwarz JK, Puram SV, Kim AH, Song SK, Shoghi KI, Lau KS, Ju T, Chen K, Chatterjee D, Hawkins WG, Zhang H, Achilefu S, Chheda MG, Oh ST, Gillanders WE, Chen F, DeNardo DG, Fields RC, Ding L. Spatially restricted drivers and transitional cell populations cooperate with the microenvironment in untreated and chemo-resistant pancreatic cancer. Nat Genet 2022; 54:1390-1405. [PMID: 35995947 PMCID: PMC9470535 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01157-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a lethal disease with limited treatment options and poor survival. We studied 83 spatial samples from 31 patients (11 treatment-naïve and 20 treated) using single-cell/nucleus RNA sequencing, bulk-proteogenomics, spatial transcriptomics and cellular imaging. Subpopulations of tumor cells exhibited signatures of proliferation, KRAS signaling, cell stress and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Mapping mutations and copy number events distinguished tumor populations from normal and transitional cells, including acinar-to-ductal metaplasia and pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia. Pathology-assisted deconvolution of spatial transcriptomic data identified tumor and transitional subpopulations with distinct histological features. We showed coordinated expression of TIGIT in exhausted and regulatory T cells and Nectin in tumor cells. Chemo-resistant samples contain a threefold enrichment of inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts that upregulate metallothioneins. Our study reveals a deeper understanding of the intricate substructure of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumors that could help improve therapy for patients with this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Cui Zhou
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Reyka G Jayasinghe
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Siqi Chen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael D Iglesia
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Pooja Navale
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Michael C Wendl
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Mathematics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Wagma Caravan
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kazuhito Sato
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Erik Storrs
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chia-Kuei Mo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jingxian Liu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Austin N Southard-Smith
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yige Wu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nataly Naser Al Deen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - John M Baer
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Robert S Fulton
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Matthew A Wyczalkowski
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ruiyang Liu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Catrina C Fronick
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lucinda A Fulton
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Andrew Shinkle
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lisa Thammavong
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Houxiang Zhu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Hua Sun
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Liang-Bo Wang
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yize Li
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chong Zuo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joshua F McMichael
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sherri R Davies
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Keenan J Robbins
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sara E Chasnoff
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Xiaolu Yang
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ashley N Reeb
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Clara Oh
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Mamatha Serasanambati
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Preet Lal
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rajees Varghese
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jay R Mashl
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jennifer Ponce
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nadezhda V Terekhanova
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Lijun Yao
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Fang Wang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lijun Chen
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael Schnaubelt
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rita Jui-Hsien Lu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Julie K Schwarz
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sidharth V Puram
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Albert H Kim
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sheng-Kwei Song
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kooresh I Shoghi
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ken S Lau
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and Epithelial Biology Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt, TN, USA
| | - Tao Ju
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ken Chen
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Deyali Chatterjee
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - William G Hawkins
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Samuel Achilefu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Milan G Chheda
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stephen T Oh
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - William E Gillanders
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - David G DeNardo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Ryan C Fields
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Li Ding
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
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7
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Chen S, Shinkle A, Zhao Y, Mo CK, Houston A, Lal P, Herndon JM, Fields RC, Gillanders W, Chen F, Ding L. Abstract 1710: Spatial transcriptomics and multiplexed imaging to explore tumor heterogeneity and immune complexity. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-1710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Spatial transcriptomics (ST) and CO-Detection by indEXing (CODEX) are becoming the leading transformative approaches for studying spatially resolved tumor heterogeneity and immune complexity. To explore the application of these two cutting-edge technologies and to further investigate the complexities of tumor microenvironment, we applied 10x Visium Gene Expression platform and Akoya CODEX platform on surgical resections from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), breast cancer (BRCA), and clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) patients. A total of 30+ protein markers were screened, verified, and conjugated as CODEX antibodies for the 3 types of cancers. Tumor microenvironment was vividly revealed by a set of cancer markers, immune markers, and stroma cells markers on a single ST slide and a single CODEX image. Notably, the distinct immune microenvironment was observed between tumor nests in the neighborhood in terms of cell types, number of cells, and cell distribution patterns. This work highlights the importance of direct visualization for tumor heterogeneity. It also provides a significant insight for understanding tumor complexity and a promising opportunity to benefit personalized medicine.
Citation Format: Siqi Chen, Andrew Shinkle, Yanyan Zhao, Chia-Kuei Mo, Andrew Houston, Preet Lal, John M. Herndon, Ryan C. Fields, William Gillanders, Feng Chen, Li Ding. Spatial transcriptomics and multiplexed imaging to explore tumor heterogeneity and immune complexity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1710.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Chen
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | - Yanyan Zhao
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Chia-Kuei Mo
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | - Preet Lal
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | | | | | - Feng Chen
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Li Ding
- 1Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO
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8
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Storrs E, Zhou DC, Wendl MC, Wyczalkowski MA, Karpova A, Wang LB, Li Y, Southard-Smith A, Jayasinghe RG, Yao L, Liu R, Wu Y, Terekhanova NV, Zhu H, Herndon JM, Chen F, Gillanders WE, Fields RC, Ding L. Abstract 1932: Pollock: Fishing for cell states. Cancer Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2022-1932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The use of single-cell methods is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. While multiple algorithms address the task of cell classification, they are limited in terms of cross platform compatibility, reliance on the availability of a reference dataset, and classification interpretability. Here, we introduce Pollock, a suite of algorithms for cell type identification that is compatible with popular single cell methods and analysis platforms, provides a series of pretrained human cancer reference models, and reports interpretability scores that identify the genes that drive cell type classifications. Our model combines two important approaches, one each from machine learning and deep learning: a variational autoencoder (VAE) and random forest classifier, to make cell type predictions. Pollock is highly versatile, being available as a command line tool, Python library (with scanpy integration), or R library (with Seurat integration), and can be installed as a conda package, or in containerized form via Docker. To allow for easier pan-disease and pan-tissue analyses, Pollock also ships with a library of pretrained cancer type specific and agnostic modules that were trained on expertly-curated single cell data that are ready to “plug and play” with no additional annotation or training required. Conversely, Pollock also allows for the training of custom classification modules, if an annotated reference single cell dataset is available. These pretrained models were fitted on manually curated and annotated single cell data from eight different cancer types spanning three single cell technologies (scRNA-seq, snRNA-seq, and snATAC-seq). Pollock also provides feature importance scores that allow for cell type classifications to be traced back to the genes influencing a particular cell type classification, further promoting biological interpretability. These scores could allow for new, technology-specific biomarker discovery. We also demonstrate the utility of Pollock by applying it in a pan-cancer single cell immune analysis.
Citation Format: Erik Storrs, Daniel Cui Zhou, Michael C. Wendl, Matthew A. Wyczalkowski, Alla Karpova, Liang-Bo Wang, Yize Li, Austin Southard-Smith, Reyka G. Jayasinghe, Lijun Yao, Ruiyang Liu, Yige Wu, Nadezhda V. Terekhanova, Houxiang Zhu, John M. Herndon, Feng Chen, William E. Gillanders, Ryan C. Fields, Li Ding. Pollock: Fishing for cell states [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1932.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Yize Li
- 1Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | | | - Lijun Yao
- 1Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | - Yige Wu
- 1Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | | | | | - Feng Chen
- 1Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
| | | | | | - Li Ding
- 1Washington University, Saint Louis, MO
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9
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Storrs EP, Zhou DC, Wendl MC, Wyczalkowski MA, Karpova A, Wang LB, Li Y, Southard-Smith A, Jayasinghe RG, Yao L, Liu R, Wu Y, Terekhanova NV, Zhu H, Herndon JM, Puram S, Chen F, Gillanders WE, Fields RC, Ding L. Pollock: fishing for cell states. Bioinform Adv 2022; 2:vbac028. [PMID: 35603231 PMCID: PMC9115775 DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbac028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Motivation The use of single-cell methods is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. While there are established algorithms that address cell classification, they are limited in terms of cross platform compatibility, reliance on the availability of a reference dataset and classification interpretability. Here, we introduce Pollock, a suite of algorithms for cell type identification that is compatible with popular single-cell methods and analysis platforms, provides a set of pretrained human cancer reference models, and reports interpretability scores that identify the genes that drive cell type classifications. Results Pollock performs comparably to existing classification methods, while offering easily deployable pretrained classification models across a wide variety of tissue and data types. Additionally, it demonstrates utility in immune pan-cancer analysis. Availability and implementation Source code and documentation are available at https://github.com/ding-lab/pollock. Pretrained models and datasets are available for download at https://zenodo.org/record/5895221. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics Advances online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik P Storrs
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Daniel Cui Zhou
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Michael C Wendl
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Matthew A Wyczalkowski
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Alla Karpova
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Liang-Bo Wang
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Yize Li
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Austin Southard-Smith
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Reyka G Jayasinghe
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Lijun Yao
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Ruiyang Liu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Yige Wu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Nadezhda V Terekhanova
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Houxiang Zhu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Sid Puram
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Feng Chen
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - William E Gillanders
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ryan C Fields
- Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Li Ding
- Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA,To whom correspondence should be addressed.
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10
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Schapiro D, Yapp C, Sokolov A, Reynolds SM, Chen YA, Sudar D, Xie Y, Muhlich J, Arias-Camison R, Arena S, Taylor AJ, Nikolov M, Tyler M, Lin JR, Burlingame EA, Chang YH, Farhi SL, Thorsson V, Venkatamohan N, Drewes JL, Pe'er D, Gutman DA, Herrmann MD, Gehlenborg N, Bankhead P, Roland JT, Herndon JM, Snyder MP, Angelo M, Nolan G, Swedlow JR, Schultz N, Merrick DT, Mazzili SA, Cerami E, Rodig SJ, Santagata S, Sorger PK. MITI minimum information guidelines for highly multiplexed tissue images. Nat Methods 2022; 19:262-267. [PMID: 35277708 PMCID: PMC9009186 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01415-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The imminent release of tissue atlases combining multi-channel microscopy with single cell sequencing and other omics data from normal and diseased specimens creates an urgent need for data and metadata standards that guide data deposition, curation and release. We describe a Minimum Information about highly multiplexed Tissue Imaging (MITI) standard that applies best practices developed for genomics and other microscopy data to highly multiplexed tissue images and traditional histology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Schapiro
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital and Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Clarence Yapp
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Image and Data Analysis Core, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Artem Sokolov
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Yu-An Chen
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Damir Sudar
- Quantitative Imaging Systems LLC, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Yubin Xie
- Program in Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jeremy Muhlich
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Raquel Arias-Camison
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sarah Arena
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Madison Tyler
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jia-Ren Lin
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Erik A Burlingame
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Indica Labs, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Young H Chang
- Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Samouil L Farhi
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Julia L Drewes
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dana Pe'er
- Program in Computational and Systems Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Markus D Herrmann
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nils Gehlenborg
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter Bankhead
- Edinburgh Pathology, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Joseph T Roland
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Michael Angelo
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Garry Nolan
- School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jason R Swedlow
- Division of Computational Biology and Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Nikolaus Schultz
- Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Scott J Rodig
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sandro Santagata
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Peter K Sorger
- Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Ludwig Center for Cancer Research at Harvard, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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11
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Lander VE, Belle JI, Knolhoff BL, Herndon JM, Mpoy C, Rogers BE, Schwarz JK, DeNardo DG. Abstract PO-112: Stromal reprogramming by FAK inhibition overcomes radiation resistance to allow for immune priming and response to checkpoint blockade. Cancer Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.panca21-po-112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies. While checkpoint immunotherapies are effective therapies in many solid malignancies, these same regimens have not been effective in PDAC. Furthermore, clinical trials combining checkpoint immunotherapies with standard of care chemotherapy or radiation therapy (RT), which should be able to prime anti-tumor immunity and unlock immunotherapies, have not been successful. Thus, understanding why the combinations of RT and immunotherapy fail in PDAC is critical. To better understand why RT and checkpoint immunotherapies fail, we studied the impact of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), an RT regimen which delivers precise and intense doses of radiation into tumor cells, on antigen specific T cell responses in both human PDAC tissues and genetically engineered mouse models of PDAC. In human PDAC tumors, we found no increase in the number of CD8 tumor infiltrating T cells in the tumor stroma compared to a control group, which gives us no evidence of T cell priming following SBRT. Using the p48-Cre/LSL-KrasG12D/p53Flox/Flox/OVA-GFP+ (KPC-OG) mice, RT alone, despite inducing temporary tumor control did not prime new antigen specific T cell responses, similar to what we found in the human PDAC tissues. We postulated that the unique PDAC tumor microenvironment (TME), which is characterized by a fibrotic desmoplastic stroma, might play a role in limiting immune priming by SBRT. To study the role of PDAC’s TME to RT response, we developed a 3D organoid in vitro co-culture system. We found that fibroblasts and collagen work synergistically to cause RT resistance, which is mediated in part through the hyperactivation of Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK). In KPC mice, FAK inhibitor (FAKi) rescues RT resistance leading to significant tumor regression and enhances long-term survival. Associated with this regression, we found enhanced anti-tumor immunity in the form of increased conventional dendritic cells and tumor specific CD8 T cells. Single cell RNA sequencing data revealed that this treatment combination enhances antigen processing and presentation and T cell activation in the immune myeloid compartment and alters the composition of cancer associated fibroblasts in the PDAC stroma. Based on these data, we initiated a phase Ib study in which FAKi (VS-6063) will be given in combination with SBRT to patients with locally advanced PDAC (NCT04331041). This trial is currently underway. With this human trial underway, we next hypothesized the combination of RT and FAKi would render immunotherapy effective. Pre-clinical studies in mouse PDAC models showed that while RT and checkpoint blockade was ineffective at tumor control, the triple combination of FAKi, RT, and checkpoint blockade led to extended long-term survival. Overall, these data suggest that stromal modulation can be used to allow RT to prime anti-tumor immunity in PDAC and unlock checkpoint immunotherapy efficacy.
Citation Format: Varintra E. Lander, Jad I. Belle, Brett L. Knolhoff, John M. Herndon, Cedric Mpoy, Buck E. Rogers, Julie K. Schwarz, David G. DeNardo. Stromal reprogramming by FAK inhibition overcomes radiation resistance to allow for immune priming and response to checkpoint blockade [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer; 2021 Sep 29-30. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(22 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-112.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jad I. Belle
- Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
| | | | | | - Cedric Mpoy
- Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
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12
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Sankpal NV, Brown TC, Fleming TP, Herndon JM, Amaravati AA, Loynd AN, Gillanders WE. Cancer-associated mutations reveal a novel role for EpCAM as an inhibitor of cathepsin-L and tumor cell invasion. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:541. [PMID: 33980181 PMCID: PMC8114703 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08239-z] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background EpCAM (Epithelial cell adhesion molecule) is often dysregulated in epithelial cancers. Prior studies implicate EpCAM in the regulation of oncogenic signaling pathways and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. It was recently demonstrated that EpCAM contains a thyroglobulin type-1 (TY-1) domain. Multiple proteins with TY-1 domains are known to inhibit cathepsin-L (CTSL), a cysteine protease that promotes tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Analysis of human cancer sequencing studies reveals that somatic EpCAM mutations are present in up to 5.1% of tested tumors. Methods The Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC) database was queried to tabulate the position and amino acid changes of cancer associated EpCAM mutations. To determine how EpCAM mutations affect cancer biology we studied C66Y, a damaging TY-1 domain mutation identified in liver cancer, as well as 13 other cancer-associated EpCAM mutations. In vitro and in vivo models were used to determine the effect of wild type (WT) and mutant EpCAM on CTSL activity and invasion. Immunoprecipitation and localization studies tested EpCAM and CTSL protein binding and determined compartmental expression patterns of EpCAM mutants. Results We demonstrate that WT EpCAM, but not C66Y EpCAM, inhibits CTSL activity in vitro, and the TY-1 domain of EpCAM is responsible for this inhibition. WT EpCAM, but not C66Y EpCAM, inhibits tumor cell invasion in vitro and lung metastases in vivo. In an extended panel of human cancer cell lines, EpCAM expression is inversely correlated with CTSL activity. Previous studies have demonstrated that EpCAM germline mutations can prevent EpCAM from being expressed at the cell surface. We demonstrate that C66Y and multiple other EpCAM cancer-associated mutations prevent surface expression of EpCAM. Cancer-associated mutations that prevent EpCAM cell surface expression abrogate the ability of EpCAM to inhibit CTSL activity and tumor cell invasion. Conclusions These studies reveal a novel role for EpCAM as a CTSL inhibitor, confirm the functional relevance of multiple cancer-associated EpCAM mutations, and suggest a therapeutic vulnerability in cancers harboring EpCAM mutations. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08239-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narendra V Sankpal
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8109, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Taylor C Brown
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8109, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Timothy P Fleming
- Norton Thoracic Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, 124 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, 85013, AZ, USA
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8109, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Anusha A Amaravati
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8109, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Allison N Loynd
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8109, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - William E Gillanders
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8109, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, USA. .,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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13
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Li L, Zhang X, Wang X, Kim SW, Herndon JM, Becker-Hapak MK, Carreno BM, Myers NB, Sturmoski MA, McLellan MD, Miller CA, Johanns TM, Tan BR, Dunn GP, Fleming TP, Hansen TH, Goedegebuure SP, Gillanders WE. Optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines elicit neoantigen-specific immune responses in preclinical models and in clinical translation. Genome Med 2021; 13:56. [PMID: 33879241 PMCID: PMC8059244 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-021-00872-4] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Preclinical studies and early clinical trials have shown that targeting cancer neoantigens is a promising approach towards the development of personalized cancer immunotherapies. DNA vaccines can be rapidly and efficiently manufactured and can integrate multiple neoantigens simultaneously. We therefore sought to optimize the design of polyepitope DNA vaccines and test optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines in preclinical models and in clinical translation. METHODS We developed and optimized a DNA vaccine platform to target multiple neoantigens. The polyepitope DNA vaccine platform was first optimized using model antigens in vitro and in vivo. We then identified neoantigens in preclinical breast cancer models through genome sequencing and in silico neoantigen prediction pipelines. Optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines specific for the murine breast tumor E0771 and 4T1 were designed and their immunogenicity was tested in vivo. We also tested an optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccine in a patient with metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. RESULTS Our data support an optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccine design encoding long (≥20-mer) epitopes with a mutant form of ubiquitin (Ubmut) fused to the N-terminus for antigen processing and presentation. Optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines were immunogenic and generated robust neoantigen-specific immune responses in mice. The magnitude of immune responses generated by optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines was similar to that of synthetic long peptide vaccines specific for the same neoantigens. When combined with immune checkpoint blockade therapy, optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines were capable of inducing antitumor immunity in preclinical models. Immune monitoring data suggest that optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines are capable of inducing neoantigen-specific T cell responses in a patient with metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. CONCLUSIONS We have developed and optimized a novel polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccine platform that can target multiple neoantigens and induce antitumor immune responses in preclinical models and neoantigen-specific responses in clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijin Li
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Xiuli Zhang
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Samuel W Kim
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | | | - Beatriz M Carreno
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
- Present Address: Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nancy B Myers
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Mark A Sturmoski
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Michael D McLellan
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Christopher A Miller
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
- The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tanner M Johanns
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Benjamin R Tan
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gavin P Dunn
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Timothy P Fleming
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
- Present Address: Norton Thoracic Institute, St. Joseph Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Ted H Hansen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - S Peter Goedegebuure
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - William E Gillanders
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
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14
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Panni RZ, Herndon JM, Zuo C, Hegde S, Hogg GD, Knolhoff BL, Breden MA, Li X, Krisnawan VE, Khan SQ, Schwarz JK, Rogers BE, Fields RC, Hawkins WG, Gupta V, DeNardo DG. Agonism of CD11b reprograms innate immunity to sensitize pancreatic cancer to immunotherapies. Sci Transl Med 2020; 11:11/499/eaau9240. [PMID: 31270275 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aau9240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although checkpoint immunotherapies have revolutionized the treatment of cancer, not all tumor types have seen substantial benefit. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignancy in which very limited responses to immunotherapy have been observed. Extensive immunosuppressive myeloid cell infiltration in PDAC tissues has been postulated as a major mechanism of resistance to immunotherapy. Strategies concomitantly targeting monocyte or granulocyte trafficking or macrophage survival, in combination with checkpoint immunotherapies, have shown promise in preclinical studies, and these studies have transitioned into ongoing clinical trials for the treatment of pancreatic and other cancer types. However, compensatory actions by untargeted monocytes, granulocytes, and/or tissue resident macrophages may limit the therapeutic efficacy of such strategies. CD11b/CD18 is an integrin molecule that is highly expressed on the cell surface of these myeloid cell subsets and plays an important role in their trafficking and cellular functions in inflamed tissues. Here, we demonstrate that the partial activation of CD11b by a small-molecule agonist (ADH-503) leads to the repolarization of tumor-associated macrophages, reduction in the number of tumor-infiltrating immunosuppressive myeloid cells, and enhanced dendritic cell responses. These actions, in turn, improve antitumor T cell immunity and render checkpoint inhibitors effective in previously unresponsive PDAC models. These data demonstrate that molecular agonism of CD11b reprograms immunosuppressive myeloid cell responses and potentially bypasses the limitations of current clinical strategies to overcome resistance to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roheena Z Panni
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chong Zuo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Samarth Hegde
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Graham D Hogg
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Brett L Knolhoff
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Marcus A Breden
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Xiaobo Li
- Drug Discovery Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Varintra E Krisnawan
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Samia Q Khan
- Drug Discovery Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Julie K Schwarz
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Buck E Rogers
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ryan C Fields
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - William G Hawkins
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Vineet Gupta
- Drug Discovery Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - David G DeNardo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. .,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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15
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Zhu Y, Herndon JM, Sojka DK, Kim KW, Knolhoff BL, Zuo C, Cullinan DR, Luo J, Bearden AR, Lavine KJ, Yokoyama WM, Hawkins WG, Fields RC, Randolph GJ, DeNardo DG. Tissue-Resident Macrophages in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Originate from Embryonic Hematopoiesis and Promote Tumor Progression. Immunity 2017; 47:597. [PMID: 28930665 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2017.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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16
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Zhang X, Kim S, Hundal J, Herndon JM, Li S, Petti AA, Soysal SD, Li L, McLellan MD, Hoog J, Primeau T, Myers N, Vickery TL, Sturmoski M, Hagemann IS, Miller CA, Ellis MJ, Mardis ER, Hansen T, Fleming TP, Goedegebuure SP, Gillanders WE. Breast Cancer Neoantigens Can Induce CD8 + T-Cell Responses and Antitumor Immunity. Cancer Immunol Res 2017; 5:516-523. [PMID: 28619968 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-16-0264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2016] [Revised: 04/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing technologies have provided insights into the biology and mutational landscape of cancer. Here, we evaluate the relevance of cancer neoantigens in human breast cancers. Using patient-derived xenografts from three patients with advanced breast cancer (xenografts were designated as WHIM30, WHIM35, and WHIM37), we sequenced exomes of tumor and patient-matched normal cells. We identified 2,091 (WHIM30), 354 (WHIM35), and 235 (WHIM37) nonsynonymous somatic mutations. A computational analysis identified and prioritized HLA class I-restricted candidate neoantigens expressed in the dominant tumor clone. Each candidate neoantigen was evaluated using peptide-binding assays, T-cell cultures that measure the ability of CD8+ T cells to recognize candidate neoantigens, and preclinical models in which we measured antitumor immunity. Our results demonstrate that breast cancer neoantigens can be recognized by the immune system, and that human CD8+ T cells enriched for prioritized breast cancer neoantigens were able to protect mice from tumor challenge with autologous patient-derived xenografts. We conclude that next-generation sequencing and epitope-prediction strategies can identify and prioritize candidate neoantigens for immune targeting in breast cancer. Cancer Immunol Res; 5(7); 516-23. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuli Zhang
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Samuel Kim
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jasreet Hundal
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Shunqiang Li
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Allegra A Petti
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Savas D Soysal
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Department of Surgery, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lijin Li
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Mike D McLellan
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jeremy Hoog
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Tina Primeau
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Nancy Myers
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Tammi L Vickery
- Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Mark Sturmoski
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ian S Hagemann
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Chris A Miller
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Matthew J Ellis
- Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Lester and Sue Smith Breast Care Center, Oncology/Medicine and MCB, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
| | - Elaine R Mardis
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.,Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ted Hansen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Timothy P Fleming
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - S Peter Goedegebuure
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - William E Gillanders
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri. .,The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
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17
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Jiang H, Hegde S, Knolhoff BL, Zhu Y, Herndon JM, Meyer MA, Nywening TM, Hawkins WG, Shapiro IM, Weaver DT, Pachter JA, Wang-Gillam A, DeNardo DG. Targeting focal adhesion kinase renders pancreatic cancers responsive to checkpoint immunotherapy. Nat Med 2016; 22:851-60. [PMID: 27376576 PMCID: PMC4935930 DOI: 10.1038/nm.4123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 668] [Impact Index Per Article: 83.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Single-agent immunotherapy has achieved limited clinical benefit to date in patients suffering from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This may be due to the presence of a uniquely immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Critical obstacles to immunotherapy in PDAC tumors include a high number of tumor-associated immunosuppressive cells and a uniquely desmoplastic stroma that acts as a barrier to T-cell infiltration. We have identified hyperactivated focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activity in neoplastic PDAC cells as a significant regulator of the fibrotic and immunosuppressive TME. We found that FAK activity was elevated in human PDAC tissues and correlates with high levels of fibrosis and poor CD8+ cytotoxic T-cell infiltration. Single-agent FAK inhibition using the selective FAK inhibitor VS-4718 significantly limited tumor progression, resulting in a doubling of survival in the p48-Cre/LSL-KrasG12D/p53Flox/+ (KPC) mouse model of human PDAC. This delay in tumor progression was associated with dramatically reduced tumor fibrosis, and decreased numbers of tumor-infiltrating immunosuppressive cells. We also found that FAK inhibition rendered the previously unresponsive KPC mouse model responsive to T cell immunotherapy and PD-1 antagonists. These data suggest that FAK inhibition increases immune surveillance by overcoming the fibrotic and immunosuppressive PDAC TME and renders tumors responsive to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Jiang
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Integrating Communications within the Cancer Environment (ICCE) Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Samarth Hegde
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Integrating Communications within the Cancer Environment (ICCE) Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Brett L Knolhoff
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Integrating Communications within the Cancer Environment (ICCE) Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Yu Zhu
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Integrating Communications within the Cancer Environment (ICCE) Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - John M Herndon
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Integrating Communications within the Cancer Environment (ICCE) Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Melissa A Meyer
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Integrating Communications within the Cancer Environment (ICCE) Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Timothy M Nywening
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - William G Hawkins
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrea Wang-Gillam
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - David G DeNardo
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Integrating Communications within the Cancer Environment (ICCE) Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Gnerlich JL, Mitchem JB, Weir JS, Sankpal NV, Kashiwagi H, Belt BA, Porembka MR, Herndon JM, Eberlein TJ, Goedegebuure P, Linehan DC. Induction of Th17 cells in the tumor microenvironment improves survival in a murine model of pancreatic cancer. J Immunol 2010; 185:4063-71. [PMID: 20805420 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0902609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
An important mechanism by which pancreatic cancer avoids antitumor immunity is by recruiting regulatory T cells (Tregs) to the tumor microenvironment. Recent studies suggest that suppressor Tregs and effector Th17 cells share a common lineage and differentiate based on the presence of certain cytokines in the microenvironment. Because IL-6 in the presence of TGF-β has been shown to inhibit Treg development and induce Th17 cells, we hypothesized that altering the tumor cytokine environment could induce Th17 and reverse tumor-associated immune suppression. Pan02 murine pancreatic tumor cells that secrete TGF-β were transduced with the gene encoding IL-6. C57BL/6 mice were injected s.c. with wild-type (WT), empty vector (EV), or IL-6-transduced Pan02 cells (IL-6 Pan02) to investigate the impact of IL-6 secretion in the tumor microenvironment. Mice bearing IL-6 Pan02 tumors demonstrated significant delay in tumor growth and better overall median survival compared with mice bearing WT or EV Pan02 tumors. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated an increase in Th17 cells (CD4(+)IL-23R(+) cells and CD4(+)IL-17(+) cells) in tumors of the IL-6 Pan02 group compared with WT or EV Pan02 tumors. The upregulation of IL-17-secreting CD4(+) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes was substantiated at the cellular level by flow cytometry and ELISPOT assay and mRNA level for retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γt and IL-23R by RT-PCR. Thus, the addition of IL-6 to the tumor microenvironment skews the balance toward Th17 cells in a murine model of pancreatic cancer. The delayed tumor growth and improved survival suggests that induction of Th17 in the tumor microenvironment produces an antitumor effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Gnerlich
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Li L, Herndon JM, Truscott SM, Hansen TH, Fleming TP, Goedegebuure P, Gillanders WE. Engineering superior DNA vaccines: MHC class I single chain trimers bypass antigen processing and enhance the immune response to low affinity antigens. Vaccine 2010; 28:1911-8. [PMID: 20188246 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.10.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
It is commonly believed that delivery of antigen into the class I antigen presentation pathway is a limiting factor in the clinical translation of DNA vaccines. This is of particular concern in the context of cancer vaccine development as many immunodominant peptides derived from self tumor antigens are not processed and presented efficiently. To address this limitation, we have engineered completely assembled peptide/MHC class I complexes whereby all three components (class I heavy chain, beta(2)m, and peptide) are attached by flexible linkers and expressed as a single polypeptide (single chain trimers or SCT). In this study, we tested the efficacy of progressive generations of SCT DNA vaccines engineered to (1) enhance peptide binding, (2) enhance interaction with the CD8 coreceptor, and/or (3) activate CD4(+) helper T cells. Disulfide trap SCT (dtSCT) have been engineered to improve peptide binding, with mutations designed to create a disulfide bond between the class I heavy chain and the peptide linker. dtSCT DNA vaccines dramatically enhance the immune response to model low affinity antigens as measured by ELISPOT analysis and tumor challenge. SCT engineered to enhance interaction with the CD8 coreceptor have a higher affinity for the TCR/CD8 complex, and are associated with more robust CD8(+) T cell responses following vaccination. Finally, SCT constructs that coexpress a universal helper epitope PADRE, dramatically enhance CD8(+) T cell responses. Taken together, our data demonstrate that dtSCT DNA vaccines coexpressing a universal CD4 epitope are highly effective in generating immune responses to poorly processed and presented cancer antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijin Li
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States
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Roychoudhury J, Herndon JM, Yin J, Apte RS, Ferguson TA. Targeting immune privilege to prevent pathogenic neovascularization. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010; 51:3560-6. [PMID: 20164456 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.09-3890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE. Current studies suggest that the immune system plays a critical role in blinding eye disorders. The eye is an immune-privileged site, and FasL expression is a major part of that mechanism because Fas/FasL interactions regulate inflammation and neovascularization, preventing damage to delicate ocular structures. These studies were undertaken to test the idea that modulating immune privilege might be an effective therapeutic approach to pathogenic angiogenesis in the eye. METHODS. C57BL/6 mice or FasL-defective B6-gld mice were laser treated to induce choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Mice were injected with cytotoxic FasL in the vitreous cavity or were treated with oral doxycycline in the drinking water. They were evaluated for CNV 7 days later. In some experiments eye tissue was harvested and evaluated for FasL expression, macrophage influx by immunohistochemistry, and release of sFasL. RESULTS. Injection of cytotoxic FasL successfully prevented neovascularization in a mouse model of CNV. Oral doxycycline increased functional FasL in the eye and substantially inhibited neovascularization. Doxycycline treatment increased FasL expression on the RPE cells and reduced circulating and tissue-associated sFasL. Treatment was ineffective in B6-gld mice, demonstrating that CNV inhibition was mediated by FasL. CONCLUSIONS. Targeting immune privilege using cytotoxic molecules or by increasing expression of the proapoptotic protein FasL may be a viable approach to treating neovascular eye disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayeeta Roychoudhury
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Kazama H, Ricci JE, Herndon JM, Hoppe G, Green DR, Ferguson TA. Induction of immunological tolerance by apoptotic cells requires caspase-dependent oxidation of high-mobility group box-1 protein. Immunity 2008; 29:21-32. [PMID: 18631454 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2008.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 561] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2008] [Revised: 04/23/2008] [Accepted: 05/05/2008] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The mammalian immune system discriminates between modes of cell death; necrosis often results in inflammation and adaptive immunity, whereas apoptosis tends to be anti-inflammatory and promote immune tolerance. We have examined apoptosis for the features responsible for tolerance; specifically, we looked at the roles of caspases and mitochondria. Our results show that caspase activation targeted the mitochondria to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which were critical to tolerance induction by apoptotic cells. ROS oxidized the potential danger signal high-mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) released from dying cells and thereby neutralized its stimulatory activity. Apoptotic cells failed to induce tolerance and instead stimulated immune responses by scavenging or by mutating a mitochondrial caspase target protein when ROS activity was prohibited. Similarly, blocking sites of oxidation in HMGB1 prevented tolerance induction by apoptotic cells. These results suggest that caspase-orchestrated mitochondrial events determine the impact of apoptotic cells on the immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirotaka Kazama
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 631101, USA
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22
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Griffith TS, Kazama H, VanOosten RL, Earle JK, Herndon JM, Green DR, Ferguson TA. Apoptotic Cells Induce Tolerance by Generating Helpless CD8+ T Cells That Produce TRAIL. J Immunol 2007; 178:2679-87. [PMID: 17312109 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.178.5.2679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The decision to generate a productive immune response or immune tolerance following pathogenic insult often depends on the context in which T cells first encounter Ag. The presence of apoptotic cells favors the induction of tolerance, whereas immune responses generated with necrotic cells promote immunity. We have examined the tolerance induced by injection of apoptotic cells, a system in which cross-presentation of Ag associated with the dead cells induces CD8+ regulatory (or suppressor) T cells. We observed that haptenated apoptotic cells induced CD8+ suppressor T cells without priming CD4+ T cells for immunity. These CD8+ T cells transferred unresponsiveness to naive recipients. In contrast, haptenated necrotic cells stimulated immunity, but induced CD8+ suppressor T cells when CD4+ T cells were absent. We further found that CD8+ T cells induced by these treatments displayed a "helpless CTL" phenotype and suppress the immune response by producing TRAIL. Animals deficient in TRAIL were resistant to tolerance induction by apoptotic cells. Thus, the outcome of an immune response taking place in the presence of cell death can be determined by the presence of CD4+-mediated Th cell function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Griffith
- Department of Urology and Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Immunology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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Unsinger J, Herndon JM, Davis CG, Muenzer JT, Hotchkiss RS, Ferguson TA. The role of TCR engagement and activation-induced cell death in sepsis-induced T cell apoptosis. J Immunol 2007; 177:7968-73. [PMID: 17114469 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.177.11.7968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Sepsis induces extensive apoptosis in T and B cells suggesting that the loss of immune effector cells could be one explanation for the profound immunosuppression observed in this disorder. Unfortunately, the mechanisms responsible for lymphocyte apoptosis in sepsis remain unknown. In T cells, apoptosis can occur through activation-induced cell death (AICD) in which engagement of the Ag receptors by cognate Ag or polyclonal activators such as bacteria-derived superantigens induces activation, proliferation, and apoptosis. We examined whether proliferation and AICD are necessary for apoptotic cell death in sepsis using normal and TCR transgenic mice. Results show that although sepsis resulted in activation of a small percentage of T cells, no proliferation was detected during the first 48 h following onset, a time when extensive apoptosis is observed. We also observed that T cells do not enter the cell cycle, and stimulation via the TCR in TCR transgenic animals does not enhance or decrease cell death in sepsis. Interestingly, T cells recovered from septic mice retained their ability to proliferate and synthesize cytokines albeit at reduced levels. With the exception of IL-10, which was increased in lymphocytes from mice with sepsis, sepsis caused a decrease in the production of both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. We conclude that lymphocyte apoptosis in sepsis does not require proliferation, TCR engagement, or AICD. Thus the immunosuppression observed in sepsis cannot be the result of T cell deletion via the TCR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Unsinger
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Herndon JM, Stuart PM, Ferguson TA. Peripheral deletion of antigen-specific T cells leads to long-term tolerance mediated by CD8+ cytotoxic cells. J Immunol 2005; 174:4098-104. [PMID: 15778368 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.174.7.4098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral deletion is one mechanism by which potentially self-reactive clones are removed whether they escape thymic deletion. We have examined the consequences of deleting Ag-specific T cells by i.v. injection of soluble Ag. Deletion of DO11.10 T cells by peptide was mediated predominately via a Fas/FasL mechanism. Animals that underwent deletion were tolerant to subsequent immunization with Ag, even when tolerant mice were given fresh Ag-specific DO11.10 T cells before immunization. Tolerance was mediated by CD8(+) T cells that killed the DO11.10-transgenic T cells in vivo. These data demonstrate that the programmed cell death of large numbers of T cells leads to peripheral tolerance mediated by CD8(+) CTLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Herndon
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Abstract
Antigen-specific unresponsiveness (or tolerance) has always been an important area of research. Interest in the fate of apoptotic cells and their ability to tolerize has revived interest in some of the older models involving hapten-modified self. Recently, we have examined the mechanisms by which intravenous injection of trinitrophenol-coupled spleen cells leads to systemic tolerance. These studies have revealed an important role for Fas/Fas ligand interactions, caspases, CD40/CD40L, and regulatory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Extension of these studies to peripheral deletion of T-cell antigen receptor transgenic T cells has shown that deletion and active regulation of immune responses may be important mechanisms for the control of potentially damaging autoimmune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Ferguson
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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26
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Abstract
TRAIL is a recently described member of the TNF superfamily. The ability of TRAIL to induce apoptosis in a large number of tumors has stimulated interest in TRAIL as a tumor therapeutic agent. Although TRAIL mRNA is expressed in a number of tissues, its functional significance to various organs is unknown. Because tumors rarely develop in the eye, we have examined this organ for functional TRAIL expression. Our analysis revealed that TRAIL mRNA and protein are constitutively expressed on numerous ocular structures, including the cornea and retina. More importantly, ocular tissue displays functional TRAIL as determined by in vitro killing of TRAIL-sensitive tumor cell lines. Previous studies have shown that ocular tissue also expresses functional Fas ligand (FasL). To assess the contribution of TRAIL and FasL for tumor cell killing in the eye, cell lines susceptible to both TRAIL and FasL were examined. The results show that ocular tissue kills via either ligand, suggesting a compensatory mechanism between TRAIL and FasL. Collectively, these results provide physiological evidence for ocular TRAIL expression, and suggest a role for this molecule in tumor surveillance in an immune privileged site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hae-Ock Lee
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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27
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28
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29
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Abstract
Geomagnetic field reversals and changes in intensity are understandable from an energy standpoint as natural consequences of intermittent and/or variable nuclear fission chain reactions deep within the Earth. Moreover, deep-Earth production of helium, having (3)He/(4)He ratios within the range observed from deep-mantle sources, is demonstrated to be a consequence of nuclear fission. Numerical simulations of a planetary-scale geo-reactor were made by using the SCALE sequence of codes. The results clearly demonstrate that such a geo-reactor (i) would function as a fast-neutron fuel breeder reactor; (ii) could, under appropriate conditions, operate over the entire period of geologic time; and (iii) would function in such a manner as to yield variable and/or intermittent output power.
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Affiliation(s)
- D F Hollenbach
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6370, USA.
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30
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Abstract
Fas ligand (FasL, CD95L) expression helps control inflammatory reactions in immune privileged sites such as the eye. Cellular activation is normally required to render lymphoid cells sensitive to FasL-induced death; however, both activated and freshly isolated Fas(+) lymphoid cells are efficiently killed in the eye. Thus, we examined factors that might regulate cell death in the eye. TNF levels rapidly increased in the eye after the injection of lymphoid cells, and these cells underwent apoptosis within 24 h. Coinjection of anti-TNF Ab with the lymphoid cells blocked this cell death. Furthermore, TNFR2(-/-) T cells did not undergo apoptosis in the eyes of normal mice, while normal and TNFR1(-/-) T cells were killed by apoptosis. In vitro, TNF enhanced the Fas-mediated apoptosis of unactivated T cells through decreased intracellular levels of FLIP and increased production of the pro-apoptotic molecule Bax. This effect was mediated through the TNFR2 receptor. In vivo, intracameral injection of normal or TNFR1(-/-) 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-coupled T cells into normal mice induced immune deviation, but TNFR2(-/-) 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-coupled T cells were ineffective. Collectively, our results provide evidence of a role for the p75 TNFR in cell death in that TNF signaling through TNFR2 sensitizes lymphoid cells for Fas-mediated apoptosis. We conclude that there is complicity between apoptosis and elements of the inflammatory response in controlling lymphocyte function in immune privileged sites.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Anterior Chamber/immunology
- Antigens, CD/genetics
- Antigens, CD/physiology
- Apoptosis/drug effects
- Apoptosis/physiology
- Blood-Retinal Barrier
- CASP8 and FADD-Like Apoptosis Regulating Protein
- Carrier Proteins/biosynthesis
- Carrier Proteins/genetics
- Carrier Proteins/physiology
- Eye Proteins/pharmacology
- Eye Proteins/physiology
- Fas Ligand Protein
- Graft Rejection/immunology
- Haptens
- Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
- Lymphocytes/cytology
- Membrane Glycoproteins/physiology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Picryl Chloride
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins/biosynthesis
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/deficiency
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/genetics
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/physiology
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/cytology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/transplantation
- Th2 Cells/immunology
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/pharmacology
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/physiology
- bcl-2-Associated X Protein
- fas Receptor/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- B D Elzey
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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31
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Abstract
Apoptosis is critical to homeostasis of multicellular organisms. In immune privileged sites such as the eye, CD95 ligand (FasL)-induced apoptosis controls dangerous inflammatory reactions that can cause blindness. Recently, we demonstrated that apoptotic cell death of inflammatory cells was a prerequisite for the induction of immune deviation after antigen presentation in the eye. In this report, we examine the mechanism by which this takes place. Our results show that Fas- mediated apoptosis of lymphoid cells leads to rapid production of interleukin (IL)-10 in these cells. The apoptotic cells containing IL-10 are responsible for the activation of immune deviation through interaction with antigen-presenting cells (APC). In support of this, we found that apoptotic cells from IL-10(+/+) animals fed to APC in vitro promote Th2 cell differentiation, whereas apoptotic IL-10(-/-) cells, as well as nonapoptotic cells, favor Th1 induction. Thus, apoptotic cell death and tolerance are linked through the production of an antiinflammatory cytokine to prevent dangerous and unwanted immune responses that might compromise organ integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Gao
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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Wetterhall SF, Coulombier DM, Herndon JM, Zaza S, Cantwell JD. Medical care delivery at the 1996 Olympic Games. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Olympics Surveillance Unit. JAMA 1998; 279:1463-8. [PMID: 9600481 DOI: 10.1001/jama.279.18.1463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Mass gatherings like the 1996 Olympic Games require medical services for large populations assembled under unusual circumstances. OBJECTIVE To examine delivery of medical services and to provide data for planning future events. DESIGN Observational cohort study, with review of medical records at Olympics medical facilities. SETTING One large multipurpose clinic and 128 medical aid stations operating at Olympics-sponsored sites in the vicinity of Atlanta, Ga. PARTICIPANTS A total of 10715 patients, including 1804 athletes, 890 officials, 480 Olympic dignitaries, 3280 volunteers, 3482 spectators, and 779 others who received medical care from a physician at an Olympic medical station. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Number of injuries and cases of heat-related illness among participant categories, medical use rates among participants with official Games credentials, and use rates per 10000 persons attending athletic competitions. RESULTS Injuries, accounting for 35% of all medical visits, were more common among athletes (51.9% of their visits, P < .001) than among other groups. Injuries accounted for 31.4% of all other groups combined. Spectators and volunteers accounted for most (88.9%, P < .001) of the 1059 visits for heat-related illness. The rates for number of medical encounters treated by a physician were highest for athletes (16.2 per 100 persons, P < .001) and lowest for volunteers (2.0 per 100). Overall physician treatment rate was 4.2 per 10000 in attendance (range, 1.6-30.1 per 10000). A total of 432 patients were transferred to hospitals. CONCLUSIONS Organizers used these data during the Games to monitor the health of participants and to redirect medical and other resources to areas of increased need. These data should be useful for planning medical services for future mass gatherings.
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Affiliation(s)
- S F Wetterhall
- Office of Program Planning and Evaluation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
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Abstract
We examined the relationship between cell death and tolerance induction following antigen injection into the anterior chamber of the eye. Our data show that when inflammatory cells undergo apoptosis following infection with HSV-1, tolerance to the virus was observed. In contrast, when cell death was absent due to defects in Fas or FasL, immune tolerance was not observed. Further studies revealed that cell death and tolerance required that the lymphoid cells be Fas+ and the eye be FasL+. Additionally, we show that while Fas/FasL-mediated apoptosis occurred in the eye, it was apoptotic cell death that was critical for tolerance induction. Our results further demonstrate immune privilege is not a passive process involving physical barriers, but is an active process that employs an important natural mechanism to induce cell death and immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Griffith
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
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Abstract
The rationale is disclosed for a substructure within the Earth's inner core, consisting of an actinide subcore at the center of the Earth, surrounded by a subshell composed of the products of nuclear fission and radioactive decay. Estimates are made as to possible densities, physical dimensions, and chemical compositions. The feasibility for self-sustaining nuclear fission within the subcore is demonstrated, and implications bearing on the structure and geodynamic activity of the inner core are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Herndon
- Herndon Science and Software, Inc., San Diego, CA 92131, USA
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Griffith TS, Herndon JM, Lima J, Kahn M, Ferguson TA. The immune response and the eye. TCR alpha-chain related molecules regulate the systemic immunity to antigen presented in the eye. Int Immunol 1995; 7:1617-25. [PMID: 8562507 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/7.10.1617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Injection of antigen into the anterior chamber (AC) of the eye results in the induction of immune deviation in which antibody production is activated and delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) is inhibited. This system is termed anterior chamber associated immune deviation (ACAID) and the model is used to examine certain aspects of the immunologic privilege of the eye. Recent studies have established that following antigen presentation in the eye, an 'ACAID-inducing' signal is produced that directly enters the blood. This signal then homes to the spleen where T cells that down-regulate DTH are activated. For many antigens this 'ACAID signal' is a soluble protein released within 2 days of AC injection. Although the presence of this molecule (or molecules) has been described using several antigens, the exact nature of the soluble mediator has escaped characterization. We have further explored the nature of this signal using HSV-1-induced immune deviation. Our results show the soluble 'signal' was released by T cells that encounter antigen in the ocular microenvironment. This mediator was antigen specific, contained TCR alpha-chain (but not the TCR beta-chain) determinants and had an apparent molecular weight of 46 kDa. These results show that the release of soluble TCR alpha-chain from sites of T cell interaction within the microenvironment of the eye can regulate systemic immune responses. These results have implications for the control of immune response that might be damaging to organs such as the eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Griffith
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Ferguson TA, Herndon JM. The immune response and the eye: the ACAID inducing signal is dependent on the nature of the antigen. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1994; 35:3085-93. [PMID: 8206727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine conditions that determine the nature of the blood-borne, ACAID-inducing signal produced after intracameral injection of antigen. METHODS Balb/c mice were splenectomized, rested, and injected in the anterior chamber with various antigens. Two days later the animals were bled, the plasma and white cells were isolated, and these fractions were transferred to naive mice (with spleens). Recipients were immunized subcutaneously within 2 to 7 days and delayed type hypersensitivity was assessed 10 to 14 days after immunization by challenge with the appropriate antigen. RESULTS The antigens HSV-1, TNP-coupled cells, and P815 tumors cells induced a soluble ACAID-inducing signal found in the plasma portion of blood. The soluble protein antigens bovine serum albumin (BSA) and conalbumin induced a cell-associated signal. When T-cells were included with protein antigens, a soluble (not cellular) ACAID-inducing signal was induced. CONCLUSIONS Particulate antigens, such as HSV-1 and P815, that elicit intraocular T-cell responses or antigens that contain T-cells (e.g., TNP cells) induce a soluble, ACAID-inducing signal. Soluble antigens (e.g., BSA and conalbumin) induce a cell-associated ACAID signal. Additionally, T-cells are capable of modulating the type of ACAID signal produced. These results show that two methods of delivering the ACAID signal exist that are dependent on the nature of the antigen and the presence of T-cells. The authors conclude that the eye shows great versatility in regulating potentially damaging immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- T A Ferguson
- Department of Ophthalmology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
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37
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Ferguson TA, Herndon JM, Dube P. The immune response and the eye: a role for TNF alpha in anterior chamber-associated immune deviation. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1994; 35:2643-51. [PMID: 8163352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha are proinflammatory cytokines and crucial mediators in many aspects of immunity. In this study, their role in anterior chamber-associated immune deviation (ACAID) was investigated. METHODS The role of these cytokines was examined by the use of neutralizing antibodies to TNF and interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-1 receptor. These reagents were co-injected with antigen into the anterior chamber and the effect on ACAID assessed. In addition, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed on eyes injected with TNP-spleen or bovine serum albumin to determine the levels of TNF alpha mRNA induced. RESULTS Neutralizing antibody to TNF, when injected with TNP-spleen cells into the anterior chamber, blocked ACAID to the TNP hapten. Antibodies to IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and IL-1 receptors either alone or in combination did not block the establishment of ACAID: Studies with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (Rt-PCR) confirmed that early (within 2 hours) after anterior chamber injection of TNP-cells, messenger RNA levels for TNF alpha were dramatically increased. The induction of ACAID to bovine serum albumin also required the production of TNF alpha. Further studies showed that the production of blood borne "ACAID-inducing" signals after anterior chamber injection of bovine serum albumin or TNP-spleen were dependent on TNF. CONCLUSIONS TNF alpha plays a crucial role in ACAID: Induction of TNF alpha within the eye may be an important event in the complex series of events that induce ACAID and possibly maintain immunologic privilege.
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Affiliation(s)
- T A Ferguson
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
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