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Jain SM, Nagainallur Ravichandran S, Murali Kumar M, Banerjee A, Sun-Zhang A, Zhang H, Pathak R, Sun XF, Pathak S. Understanding the molecular mechanism responsible for developing therapeutic radiation-induced radioresistance of rectal cancer and improving the clinical outcomes of radiotherapy - A review. Cancer Biol Ther 2024; 25:2317999. [PMID: 38445632 PMCID: PMC10936619 DOI: 10.1080/15384047.2024.2317999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Rectal cancer accounts for the second highest cancer-related mortality, which is predominant in Western civilizations. The treatment for rectal cancers includes surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Radiotherapy, specifically external beam radiation therapy, is the most common way to treat rectal cancer because radiation not only limits cancer progression but also significantly reduces the risk of local recurrence. However, therapeutic radiation-induced radioresistance to rectal cancer cells and toxicity to normal tissues are major drawbacks. Therefore, understanding the mechanistic basis of developing radioresistance during and after radiation therapy would provide crucial insight to improve clinical outcomes of radiation therapy for rectal cancer patients. Studies by various groups have shown that radiotherapy-mediated changes in the tumor microenvironment play a crucial role in developing radioresistance. Therapeutic radiation-induced hypoxia and functional alterations in the stromal cells, specifically tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), play a crucial role in developing radioresistance. In addition, signaling pathways, such as - the PI3K/AKT pathway, Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and the hippo pathway, modulate the radiation responsiveness of cancer cells. Different radiosensitizers, such as small molecules, microRNA, nanomaterials, and natural and chemical sensitizers, are being used to increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy. This review highlights the mechanism responsible for developing radioresistance of rectal cancer following radiotherapy and potential strategies to enhance the effectiveness of radiotherapy for better management of rectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samatha M Jain
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Kelambakkam, Chennai, India
| | - Shruthi Nagainallur Ravichandran
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Kelambakkam, Chennai, India
| | - Makalakshmi Murali Kumar
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Kelambakkam, Chennai, India
| | - Antara Banerjee
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Kelambakkam, Chennai, India
| | - Alexander Sun-Zhang
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, BioClinicum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hong Zhang
- School of Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, Orebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Rupak Pathak
- Division of Radiation Health, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Xiao-Feng Sun
- Department of Oncology and Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Surajit Pathak
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Kelambakkam, Chennai, India
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Liu Y, Han X, Han Y, Bi J, Wu Y, Xiang D, Zhang Y, Bi W, Xu M, Li J. Integrated transcriptomic analysis systematically reveals the heterogeneity and molecular characterization of cancer-associated fibroblasts in osteosarcoma. Gene 2024; 907:148286. [PMID: 38367852 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Osteosarcoma (OS), with a peak incidence during the adolescent growth spurt, is correlated with poor prognosis for its high malignancy. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is highly complicated, with frequent interactions between tumor and stromal cells. The cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the TME have been considered to actively involve in the progression, metastasis, and drug resistance of OS. This study aimed to characterize cellular heterogeneity and molecular characterization in CAFs subtypes and explore the potential targeting therapeutic strategies to improve the prognosis of OS patients. METHODS The single-cell atlas of human OS tumor lesions were constructed from the GEO database. Then significant marker genes and potential biological functions for each CAFs subtype were identified and explored using the Seurat R package. Next, by performing the survival analyses and constructing the risk scores for CAFs subtypes, we aimed to identify and characterize the prognostic values of specific marker genes and different CAFs subtypes. Furthermore, we explored the therapeutic targets and innovative drugs targeting different CAFs subtypes based on the GDSC database. Finally, prognoses related CAFs subtypes were further validated through immunohistochemistry (IHC) on clinical OS specimens. RESULTS Overall, nine main cell clusters and five subtypes of CAFs were identified. The differentially expressed marker genes for each CAFs clusters were then identified. Moreover, through Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, we defined the CAFs_2 (upregulated CXCL14 and C3), which was closely related to leukocyte migration and chemotaxis, as inflammatory CAFs (iCAFs). Likewise, we defined the CAFs_4 (upregulated CD74, HLA-DRA and HLA-DRB1), which was closely related to antigen process and presentation, as antigen-presenting CAFs (apCAFs). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that CAFs_2 and CAFs_4 were correlated with poor clinical prognosis of OS patients. Meanwhile, therapeutic drugs targeting CAFs_2 and CAFs_4, such as 17-AAG/Docetaxel/Bleomycin and PHA-793887/NG-25/KIN001-102, were also explored, respectively. Finally, IHC assay confirmed the abundant CAFs_2 and CAFs_4 subtypes infiltration in the OS microenvironment compared with adjacent tissues. CONCLUSION Our study revealed the diversity, complexity, and heterogeneity of CAFs in OS, and complemented the single-cell atlas in OS TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, 920th Hospital of Joint Logistics Support Force, Kunming 650032, Yunnan, China; Chinese PLA Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Center, Kunming, Yunnan 650032, China
| | - Xinli Han
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300074, China
| | - Yuchen Han
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Jingyou Bi
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yanan Wu
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Dongquan Xiang
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Yinglong Zhang
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Wenzhi Bi
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300074, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China
| | - Meng Xu
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China; Medical School of Chinese PLA, Beijing 100853, China.
| | - Jianxiong Li
- Senior Department of Orthopedics, the Fourth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100048, China.
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Lai C, Wu Z, Li Z, Huang X, Hu Z, Yu H, Yuan Z, Shi J, Hu J, Mulati Y, Liu C, Xu K. Single-cell analysis extracted CAFs-related genes to established online app to predict clinical outcome and radiotherapy prognosis of prostate cancer. Clin Transl Oncol 2024; 26:1240-1255. [PMID: 38070051 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-023-03348-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a significant role in regulating the clinical outcome and radiotherapy prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of this study is to identify CAFs-related genes (CAFsRGs) using single-cell analysis and evaluate their potential for predicting the prognosis and radiotherapy prognosis in PCa. METHODS We acquire transcriptome and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) results of PCa and normal adjacent tissues from The GEO and TCGA databases. The "MCPcounter" and "EPIC" R packages were used to assess the infiltration level of CAFs and examine their correlation with PCa prognosis. ScRNA-seq and differential gene expression analyses were used to extract CAFsRGs. We also applied COX and LASSO analysis to further construct a risk score (CAFsRS) to assess biochemical recurrence-free survival (BRFS) and radiotherapy prognosis of PCa. The predictive efficacy of CAFsRS was evaluated by ROC curves and subgroup analysis. Finally, we integrated the CAFsRS gene signature with relevant clinical features to develop a nomogram, enhancing the predictive accuracy. RESULTS The abundance of CAFs is associated with a poor prognosis of PCa patients. ScRNA-seq and differential gene expression analysis revealed 323 CAFsRGs. After COX and LASSO analysis, we obtained seven CAFsRGs with prognostic significance (PTGS2, FKBP10, ENG, CDH11, COL5A1, COL5A2, and SRD5A2). Additionally, we established a risk score model based on the training set (n = 257). The ROC curve was used to confirm the performance of CAFsRS (The AUC values for 1, 3 and 5-year survival were determined to be 0.732, 0.773, and 0.775, respectively.). The testing set (n = 129), GSE70770 set (n = 199) and GSE116918 set (n = 248) revealed that the model exhibited exceptional predictive performance. This was also confirmed by clinical subgroup analysis. The violin plot demonstrated a statistically significant disparity in the CAFs infiltrations between the high-risk and low-risk groups of CAFsRS. Further analysis confirmed that both CAFsRS and T stage were independent prognostic factors for PCa. The nomogram was then established and its excellent predictive performance was demonstrated through calibration and ROC curves. Finally, we developed an online prognostic prediction app ( https://sysu-symh-cafsnomogram.streamlit.app/ ) to facilitate the practical application of the nomogram. CONCLUSIONS The prognostic prediction risk score model we constructed could accurately predict BRFS and radiotherapy prognosis PCa, which can provide new ideas for clinicians to develop personalized PCa treatment and follow-up programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Lai
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhikai Wu
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhuohang Li
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Urological Diseases, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhensheng Hu
- Department of Medical Informatics, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Hao Yu
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Urological Diseases, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhihan Yuan
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Juanyi Shi
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Urological Diseases, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Jintao Hu
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Yelisudan Mulati
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Urological Diseases, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China.
| | - Kewei Xu
- Department of Urology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Urological Diseases, Guangzhou, 510000, Guangdong, China.
- Sun Yat-Sen College of Medical Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, 518000, Guangdong, China.
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Xu S, Zheng S, Ma N, Zhang H, Shi J, Huang J, Luo N, Wang M, Xiong Y. Rhein potentiates doxorubicin in treating triple negative breast cancer by inhibiting cancer-associated fibroblasts. Biochem Pharmacol 2024; 223:116139. [PMID: 38499109 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), one of the most abundant stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment, mediate desmoplastic responses. CAFs are major drivers for the failure of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) chemotherapy. It is well-documented that many traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) exhibit potent anti-fibrotic effects based on their capacity to suppress the production of ECM proteins. Therefore, the combination of TCMs exhausting CAFs with chemotherapy is a potential regimen for treating TNBC. Here, TGF-β was used to induce the transformation of NIH/3T3 cells into CAFs for screening TCMs to inhibit tumor fibrosis. After screening 11 candidate TCMs for inhibiting CAFs using the TMS method, rhein (Rhe) was found to strongly inhibit the proliferation of CAFs. Therefore, Rhe was chosen as a representative TCM to inhibit CAFs in TNBC. A 4T1Fluc/CAFs tumor sphere resembling the TME in vivo was constructed to explore the feasibility of inhibiting CAFs to sensitize DOX in treating TNBC. It was found that CAFs apparently hindered the penetration of DOX into 4T1Fluc/CAFs tumor spheres and decreased the the sensitivity of 4T1Fluc cells to DOX, while Rhe significantly restored the sensitivity of 4T1Fluc cells to DOX by inhibiting the proliferation of CAFs. Consistent with in vitro results, Rhe reversed the abnormal activation of CAFs and diminished the accumulation of collagen in 4T1Fluc mouse xenograft models. This removal of stromal barrier facilitated the antitumor efficacy of DOX. Altogether, this study demonstrated for the first time that Rhe could inhibit tumor tissue fibrosis and synergize DOX to treat TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shujun Xu
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China; Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shuang Zheng
- Taizhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Taizhou, China
| | - Ninghui Ma
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China; Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongyan Zhang
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China; Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingbin Shi
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China; Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jingyi Huang
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China; Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ninghchao Luo
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China; Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Menglin Wang
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Yang Xiong
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China; Academy of Chinese Medical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
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Fu W, Feng Q, Tao R. Machine learning developed a fibroblast-related signature for predicting clinical outcome and drug sensitivity in ovarian cancer. Medicine (Baltimore) 2024; 103:e37783. [PMID: 38640321 PMCID: PMC11030012 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000037783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer (OC) is the leading cause of gynecological cancer death. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) is involved in wound healing and inflammatory processes, tumor occurrence and progression, and chemotherapy resistance in OC. GSE184880 dataset was used to identify CAF-related genes in OC. CAF-related signature (CRS) was constructed using integrative 10 machine learning methods with the datasets from the Cancer Genome Atlas, GSE14764, GSE26193, GSE26712, GSE63885, and GSE140082. The performance of CRS in predicting immunotherapy benefits was verified using 3 immunotherapy datasets (GSE91061, GSE78220, and IMvigor210) and several immune calculating scores. The Lasso + StepCox[forward] method-based predicting model having a highest average C index of 0.69 was referred as the optimal CRS and it had a stable and powerful performance in predicting clinical outcome of OC patients, with the 1-, 3-, and 5-year area under curves were 0.699, 0.708, and 0.767 in the Cancer Genome Atlas cohort. The C index of CRS was higher than that of tumor grade, clinical stage, and many developed signatures. Low CRS score demonstrated lower tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion score, lower immune escape score, higher PD1&CTLA4 immunophenoscore, higher tumor mutation burden score, higher response rate and better prognosis in OC, suggesting a better immunotherapy response. OC patients with low CRS score had a lower half maximal inhibitory concentration value of some drugs (Gemcitabine, Tamoxifen, and Nilotinib, etc) and lower score of some cancer-related hallmarks (Notch signaling, hypoxia, and glycolysis, etc). The current study developed an optimal CRS in OC, which acted as an indicator for the prognosis, stratifying risk and guiding treatment for OC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Fu
- Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Qian Feng
- Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Ran Tao
- Department of Emergency, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
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Theivendran S, Xian H, Qu J, Song Y, Sun B, Song H, Yu C. A Pioglitazone Nanoformulation Designed for Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Reprogramming and Cancer Treatment. Nano Lett 2024; 24:4354-4361. [PMID: 38563599 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c04706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The recent focus of cancer therapeutics research revolves around modulating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) to enhance efficacy. The tumor stroma, primarily composed of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), poses significant obstacles to therapeutic penetration, influencing resistance and tumor progression. Reprogramming CAFs into an inactivated state has emerged as a promising strategy, necessitating innovative approaches. This study pioneers the design of a nanoformulation using pioglitazone, a Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-diabetic drug, to reprogram CAFs in the breast cancer TME. Glutathione (GSH)-responsive dendritic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles loaded with pioglitazone (DMON-P) are designed for the delivery of cargo to the GSH-rich cytosol of CAFs. DMON-P facilitates pioglitazone-mediated CAF reprogramming, enhancing the penetration of doxorubicin (Dox), a therapeutic drug. Treatment with DMON-P results in the downregulation of CAF biomarkers and inhibits tumor growth through the effective delivery of Dox. This innovative approach holds promise as an alternative strategy for enhancing therapeutic outcomes in CAF-abundant tumors, particularly in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shevanuja Theivendran
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - He Xian
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Jingjing Qu
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Yaping Song
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Bing Sun
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Hao Song
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
| | - Chengzhong Yu
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
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Shen L, Li A, Cui J, Liu H, Zhang S. Integration of single-cell RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq data to construct and validate a cancer-associated fibroblast-related prognostic signature for patients with ovarian cancer. J Ovarian Res 2024; 17:82. [PMID: 38627854 PMCID: PMC11020192 DOI: 10.1186/s13048-024-01399-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To establish a prognostic risk profile for ovarian cancer (OC) patients based on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and gain a comprehensive understanding of their role in OC progression, prognosis, and therapeutic efficacy. METHODS Data on OC single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and total RNA-seq were collected from the GEO and TCGA databases. Seurat R program was used to analyze scRNA-seq data and identify CAFs clusters corresponding to CAFs markers. Differential expression analysis was performed on the TCGA dataset to identify prognostic genes. A CAF-associated risk signature was designed using Lasso regression and combined with clinicopathological variables to develop a nomogram. Functional enrichment and the immune landscape were also analyzed. RESULTS Five CAFs clusters were identified in OC using scRNA-seq data, and 2 were significantly associated with OC prognosis. Seven genes were selected to develop a CAF-based risk signature, primarily associated with 28 pathways. The signature was a key independent predictor of OC prognosis and relevant in predicting the results of immunotherapy interventions. A novel nomogram combining CAF-based risk and disease stage was developed to predict OC prognosis. CONCLUSION The study highlights the importance of CAFs in OC progression and suggests potential for innovative treatment strategies. A CAF-based risk signature provides a highly accurate prediction of the prognosis of OC patients, and the developed nomogram shows promising results in predicting the OC prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Shen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Liaocheng People's Hospital, 67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, P.R. China
- Shandong University, Jinan, P.R. China
- Department of Gynecology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 324 Jingwuweiqi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, P.R. China
| | - Aihua Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Liaocheng People's Hospital, 67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng, Shandong, 252000, P.R. China.
| | - Jing Cui
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Jinan Stomatology Hospital, 101 Jingliu Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250001, P.R. China
- Central Laboratory of Jinan Stamotological Hospital, Jinan Key Laboratory of Oral Tissue Regeneration, 101 Jingliu Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250001, P.R. China
| | - Haixia Liu
- Department of Obstetrics, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, 324 Jingwuweiqi Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, P.R. China
| | - Shiqian Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250012, P.R. China.
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Wedig J, Jasani S, Mukherjee D, Lathrop H, Matreja P, Pfau T, D'Alesio L, Guenther A, Fenn L, Kaiser M, Torok MA, McGue J, Sizemore GM, Noonan AM, Dillhoff ME, Blaser BW, Frankel TL, Culp S, Hart PA, Cruz-Monserrate Z, Mace TA. CD200 is overexpressed in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment and predictive of overall survival. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2024; 73:96. [PMID: 38619621 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-024-03678-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease with a 5 year survival rate of 13%. This poor survival is attributed, in part, to limited and ineffective treatments for patients with metastatic disease, highlighting a need to identify molecular drivers of pancreatic cancer to target for more effective treatment. CD200 is a glycoprotein that interacts with the receptor CD200R and elicits an immunosuppressive response. Overexpression of CD200 has been associated with differential outcomes, depending on the tumor type. In the context of pancreatic cancer, we have previously reported that CD200 is expressed in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment (TME), and that targeting CD200 in murine tumor models reduces tumor burden. We hypothesized that CD200 is overexpressed on tumor and stromal populations in the pancreatic TME and that circulating levels of soluble CD200 (sCD200) have prognostic value for overall survival. We discovered that CD200 was overexpressed on immune, stromal, and tumor populations in the pancreatic TME. Particularly, single-cell RNA-sequencing indicated that CD200 was upregulated on inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cytometry by time of flight analysis of PBMCs indicated that CD200 was overexpressed on innate immune populations, including monocytes, dendritic cells, and monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells. High sCD200 levels in plasma correlated with significantly worse overall and progression-free survival. Additionally, sCD200 correlated with the ratio of circulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 3: tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) 3 and MMP11/TIMP3. This study highlights the importance of CD200 expression in pancreatic cancer and provides the rationale for designing novel therapeutic strategies that target this protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Wedig
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
| | - Shrina Jasani
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Debasmita Mukherjee
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
| | - Hannah Lathrop
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Priya Matreja
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Timothy Pfau
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Liliana D'Alesio
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Abigail Guenther
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Lexie Fenn
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Morgan Kaiser
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Molly A Torok
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Jake McGue
- Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Gina M Sizemore
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
| | - Anne M Noonan
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Mary E Dillhoff
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Surgical Oncology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Bradley W Blaser
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
| | - Timothy L Frankel
- Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
| | - Stacey Culp
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA
| | - Phil A Hart
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 420 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 420 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Thomas A Mace
- The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, USA.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 420 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
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9
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Huang Q, Ge Y, He Y, Wu J, Tong Y, Shang H, Liu X, Ba X, Xia D, Peng E, Chen Z, Tang K. The Application of Nanoparticles Targeting Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts. Int J Nanomedicine 2024; 19:3333-3365. [PMID: 38617796 PMCID: PMC11012801 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s447350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) are the most abundant stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), especially in solid tumors. It has been confirmed that it can not only interact with tumor cells to promote cancer progression and metastasis, but also affect the infiltration and function of immune cells to induce chemotherapy and immunotherapy resistance. So, targeting CAF has been considered an important method in cancer treatment. The rapid development of nanotechnology provides a good perspective to improve the efficiency of targeting CAF. At present, more and more researches have focused on the application of nanoparticles (NPs) in targeting CAF. These studies explored the effects of different types of NPs on CAF and the multifunctional nanomedicines that can eliminate CAF are able to enhance the EPR effect which facilitate the anti-tumor effect of themselves. There also exist amounts of studies focusing on using NPs to inhibit the activation and function of CAF to improve the therapeutic efficacy. The application of NPs targeting CAF needs to be based on an understanding of CAF biology. Therefore, in this review, we first summarized the latest progress of CAF biology, then discussed the types of CAF-targeting NPs and the main strategies in the current. The aim is to elucidate the application of NPs in targeting CAF and provide new insights for engineering nanomedicine to enhance immune response in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiu Huang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yue Ge
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yu He
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jian Wu
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yonghua Tong
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Haojie Shang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiao Liu
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaozhuo Ba
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ding Xia
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ejun Peng
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhiqiang Chen
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
| | - Kun Tang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430030, People’s Republic of China
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10
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Bogdanova DA, Kolosova ED, Pukhalskaia TV, Levchuk KA, Demidov ON, Belotserkovskaya EV. The Differential Effect of Senolytics on SASP Cytokine Secretion and Regulation of EMT by CAFs. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4031. [PMID: 38612842 PMCID: PMC11012227 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25074031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an essential role in tumor progression and in modulating tumor response to anticancer therapy. Cellular senescence leads to a switch in the cell secretome, characterized by the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which may regulate tumorigenesis. Senolytic therapy is considered a novel anticancer strategy that eliminates the deleterious effects of senescent cells in the TME. Here, we show that two different types of senolytic drugs, despite efficiently depleting senescent cells, have opposite effects on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and their ability to regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We found that senolytic drugs, navitoclax and the combination of dasatinib/quercetin, reduced the number of spontaneously senescent and TNF-induced senescent CAFs. Despite the depletion of senescent cells, the combination of dasatinib/quercetin versus navitoclax increased the secretion of the SASP pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6. This differential effect correlated with the promotion of enhanced migration and EMT in MC38 colorectal cancer cells. Our results demonstrate that some senolytics may have side effects unrelated to their senolytic activity and may promote tumorigenesis. We argue for more careful and extensive studies of the effects of senolytics on various aspects of tumor progression and tumor resistance to therapy before the senolytic strategy is implemented in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria A. Bogdanova
- Division of Immunobiology and Biomedicine, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius, Krasndarsky Krai, 354340 Sochi, Russia
- Institute of Cytology RAS, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | | | - Tamara V. Pukhalskaia
- Division of Immunobiology and Biomedicine, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius, Krasndarsky Krai, 354340 Sochi, Russia
- Institute of Cytology RAS, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Ksenia A. Levchuk
- World-Class Research Centre for Personalized Medicine, Almazov National Medical Research Centre, 197341 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Oleg N. Demidov
- Division of Immunobiology and Biomedicine, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius, Krasndarsky Krai, 354340 Sochi, Russia
- Institute of Cytology RAS, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia
- INSERM UMR1231, University of Burgundy, 21078 Dijon, France
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11
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Zhang X, Xiao Q, Zhang C, Zhou Q, Xu T. Construction of a prognostic model with CAFs for predicting the prognosis and immunotherapeutic response of lung squamous cell carcinoma. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18262. [PMID: 38520221 PMCID: PMC10960179 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is one of the subtypes of lung cancer (LC) that contributes to approximately 25%-30% of its prevalence. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are key cellular components of the TME, and the large number of CAFs in tumour tissues creates a favourable environment for tumour development. However, the function of CAFs in the LUSC is complex and uncertain. First, we processed the scRNA-seq data and classified distinct types of CAFs. We also identified prognostic CAFRGs using univariate Cox analysis and conducted survival analysis. Additionally, we assessed immune cell infiltration in CAF clusters using ssGSEA. We developed a model with a significant prognostic correlation and verified the prognostic model. Furthermore, we explored the immune landscape of LUSC and further investigated the correlation between malignant features and LUSC. We identified CAFs and classified them into three categories: iCAFs, mCAFs and apCAFs. The survival analysis showed a significant correlation between apCAFs and iCAFs and LUSC patient prognosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients in CAF cluster C showed a better survival probability compared to clusters A and B. In addition, we identified nine significant prognostic CAFRGs (CLDN1, TMX4, ALPL, PTX3, BHLHE40, TNFRSF12A, VKORC1, CST3 and ADD3) and subsequently employed multivariate Cox analysis to develop a signature and validate the model. Lastly, the correlation between CAFRG and malignant features indicates the potential role of CAFRG in promoting tumour angiogenesis, EMT and cell cycle alterations. We constructed a CAF prognostic signature for identifying potential prognostic CAFRGs and predicting the prognosis and immunotherapeutic response for LUSC. Our study may provide a more accurate prognostic assessment and immunotherapy targeting strategies for LUSC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhang
- Lung cancer center, West China hospitalSichuan universityChengduChina
| | - Qingqing Xiao
- Division of Abdominal Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China HospitalSichuan UniversityChengduChina
| | - Cong Zhang
- Department of Thoracic surgeryChengdu Seventh People's Hospital (Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chengdu Medical College)ChengduChina
| | - Qinghua Zhou
- Lung cancer center, West China hospitalSichuan universityChengduChina
| | - Tao Xu
- Department of Thoracic SurgeryThe Affiliated Hospital, Southwest Medical UniversityLuzhouChina
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12
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Maker AV, Karakousis G. Educating Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs): Are They the Student or the Teacher? Ann Surg Oncol 2024; 31:2181-2182. [PMID: 38180705 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-023-14812-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Ajay V Maker
- Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Giorgos Karakousis
- Department of Surgery, Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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13
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Wang J, Xi M, Lu Q, Xia B, Liu Y, Yang J. Single-cell and bulk transcriptomics identifies a tumor-specific CD36 + cancer-associated fibroblast subpopulation in colorectal cancer. Cancer Commun (Lond) 2024; 44:495-498. [PMID: 37990474 PMCID: PMC11024678 DOI: 10.1002/cac2.12506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jin Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
- Sichuan University‐University of Oxford Huaxi Joint Center for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Frontiers Science Center for Disease‐Related Molecular NetworkWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
| | - Ming‐Jia Xi
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
- Sichuan University‐University of Oxford Huaxi Joint Center for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Frontiers Science Center for Disease‐Related Molecular NetworkWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
| | - Qing Lu
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
- Sichuan University‐University of Oxford Huaxi Joint Center for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Frontiers Science Center for Disease‐Related Molecular NetworkWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
| | - Bi‐Han Xia
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
- Sichuan University‐University of Oxford Huaxi Joint Center for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Frontiers Science Center for Disease‐Related Molecular NetworkWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
| | - Yu‐Zhi Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
- Sichuan University‐University of Oxford Huaxi Joint Center for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Frontiers Science Center for Disease‐Related Molecular NetworkWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
| | - Jin‐Lin Yang
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
- Sichuan University‐University of Oxford Huaxi Joint Center for Gastrointestinal Cancer, Frontiers Science Center for Disease‐Related Molecular NetworkWest China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityChengduSichuanP. R. China
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14
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Kim HS, Noh YK, Min KW, Kim DH, Kwon MJ, Pyo JS, Lee JY. ASO Visual Abstract: Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Together with a Decline in CD8+ T Cells Predict a Worse Prognosis for Breast Cancer Patients. Ann Surg Oncol 2024; 31:2334-2335. [PMID: 38231338 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-024-14889-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Hyung Suk Kim
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Guri, Republic of Korea
| | - Yung-Kyun Noh
- Department of Computer Science, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- School of Computational Sciences, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyueng-Whan Min
- Department of Pathology, Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Uijeongbu, Republic of Korea.
| | - Dong-Hoon Kim
- Department of Pathology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Mi Jung Kwon
- Department of Pathology, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Soo Pyo
- Department of Pathology, Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Uijeongbu, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong-Yeon Lee
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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15
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Takahashi K, Shoda K, Takiguchi K, Ichikawa D. ASO Author Reflections: Diversity of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Produced by Gastric Cancer Cells. Ann Surg Oncol 2024; 31:2328-2329. [PMID: 38006534 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-023-14621-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kazunori Takahashi
- First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Katsutoshi Shoda
- First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan.
| | - Koichi Takiguchi
- First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Daisuke Ichikawa
- First Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan
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16
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Cantallops Vilà P, Ravichandra A, Agirre Lizaso A, Perugorria MJ, Affò S. Heterogeneity, crosstalk, and targeting of cancer-associated fibroblasts in cholangiocarcinoma. Hepatology 2024; 79:941-958. [PMID: 37018128 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000206] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) comprises diverse tumors of the biliary tree and is characterized by late diagnosis, short-term survival, and chemoresistance. CCAs are mainly classified according to their anatomical location and include diverse molecular subclasses harboring inter-tumoral and intratumoral heterogeneity. Besides the tumor cell component, CCA is also characterized by a complex and dynamic tumor microenvironment where tumor cells and stromal cells crosstalk in an intricate network of interactions. Cancer-associated fibroblasts, one of the most abundant cell types in the tumor stroma of CCA, are actively involved in cholangiocarcinogenesis by participating in multiple aspects of the disease including extracellular matrix remodeling, immunomodulation, neo-angiogenesis, and metastasis. Despite their overall tumor-promoting role, recent evidence indicates the presence of transcriptional and functional heterogeneous CAF subtypes with tumor-promoting and tumor-restricting properties. To elucidate the complexity and potentials of cancer-associated fibroblasts as therapeutic targets in CCA, this review will discuss the origin of cancer-associated fibroblasts, their heterogeneity, crosstalk, and role during tumorigenesis, providing an overall picture of the present and future perspectives toward cancer-associated fibroblasts targeting CCA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aashreya Ravichandra
- Medical Clinic and Polyclinic II, Klinikum Rechts Der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Aloña Agirre Lizaso
- Department of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Biodonostia Research Institute, Donostia University Hospital, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Maria J Perugorria
- Department of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases, Biodonostia Research Institute, Donostia University Hospital, University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain
- CIBERehd, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain
| | - Silvia Affò
- August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
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17
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Jia X, Li Z, Zhou R, Feng W, Yi L, Zhang H, Chen B, Li Q, Huang S, Zhu X. Single cell and bulk RNA sequencing identifies tumor microenvironment subtypes and chemoresistance-related IGF1 + cancer-associated fibroblast in gastric cancer. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2024; 1870:167123. [PMID: 38484940 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2024.167123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The tumor microenvironment (TME) significantly influences prognosis and drug resistance in various tumors, yet its heterogeneity and the mechanisms affecting therapeutic response remain unclear in gastric cancer (GC). METHODS The heterogenous TME were explored with single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of 50 primary GC samples. We then identified four GC TME subtypes with nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) and constructed a pearson nearest-centroid classifier based on subtype-specific upregulated genes. Genomic features and clinical significance of four subtypes were comprehensively evaluated. We reclustered fibroblasts to identify cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subtype associated with poor clinical outcomes. RT-qPCR and double immunofluorescence staining were applied to validate the findings. Cellchat analysis elucidated potential molecular mechanisms of the CAF subtype in GC disease progression and chemotherapy resistance. FINDINGS The GC TME exhibited high heterogeneity, influencing chemo-sensitivity. Four TME-based subtypes predicting response to immunotherapy and chemotherapy were identified and validated in 1406 GC patients. Among which, ISG1 subtype displayed higher fibroblasts infiltration and heightened oncogenic pathways, and inferior response to chemotherapy with unfavorable prognosis. Microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) GCs within four TME subtypes showed immunological heterogeneity. We then reported an IGF1-overexpressing CAF was associated with chemo-resistance and GC recurrence. Cell communication analysis revealed IGF1+ CAF may induce drug-resistant phenotypes in tumor cells through IGF1-α6β4 integrin ligand-receptor binding and activation of EMT biological process. INTERPRETATION We identified four TME-based subtypes with different clinical outcomes and IGF1+ CAFs contributing to poor clinical outcomes in GC, which might provide guidance for individualized treatment and facilitate the development of novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiya Jia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ziteng Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Runye Zhou
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wanjing Feng
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Lixia Yi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Hena Zhang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Bing Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Qin Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Shenglin Huang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Xiaodong Zhu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
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18
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Song X, Nihashi Y, Imai Y, Mori N, Kagaya N, Suenaga H, Shin-ya K, Yamamoto M, Setoyama D, Kunisaki Y, Kida YS. Collagen Lattice Model, Populated with Heterogeneous Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts, Facilitates Advanced Reconstruction of Pancreatic Cancer Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3740. [PMID: 38612551 PMCID: PMC11011612 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a solid-tumor malignancy. To enhance the treatment landscape of PDAC, a 3D model optimized for rigorous drug screening is essential. Within the PDAC tumor microenvironment, a dense stroma comprising a large extracellular matrix and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) is well-known for its vital role in modulating tumor growth, cellular heterogeneity, bidirectional paracrine signaling, and chemoresistance. In this study, we employed a fibroblast-populated collagen lattice (FPCL) modeling approach that has the ability to replicate fibroblast contractility in the collagenous matrix to build dense stroma. This FPCL model allows CAF differentiation by facilitating multifaceted cell-cell interactions between cancer cells and CAFs, with the differentiation further influenced by mechanical forces and hypoxia carried within the 3D structure. Our FPCL models displayed hallmark features, including ductal gland structures and differentiated CAFs with spindle shapes. Through morphological explorations alongside in-depth transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling, we identified substantial molecular shifts from the nascent to mature model stages and potential metabolic biomarkers, such as proline. The initial pharmacological assays highlighted the effectiveness of our FPCL model in screening for improved therapeutic strategies. In conclusion, our PDAC modeling platform mirrors complex tumor microenvironmental dynamics and offers an unparalleled perspective for therapeutic exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Song
- Tsukuba Life Science Innovation Program (T-LSI), School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan;
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan; (Y.N.); (N.M.); (N.K.); (H.S.); (K.S.-y.)
| | - Yuma Nihashi
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan; (Y.N.); (N.M.); (N.K.); (H.S.); (K.S.-y.)
| | - Yukiko Imai
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan;
| | - Nobuhito Mori
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan; (Y.N.); (N.M.); (N.K.); (H.S.); (K.S.-y.)
| | - Noritaka Kagaya
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan; (Y.N.); (N.M.); (N.K.); (H.S.); (K.S.-y.)
| | - Hikaru Suenaga
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan; (Y.N.); (N.M.); (N.K.); (H.S.); (K.S.-y.)
| | - Kazuo Shin-ya
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan; (Y.N.); (N.M.); (N.K.); (H.S.); (K.S.-y.)
| | - Masamichi Yamamoto
- Department of Research Promotion and Management, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Ki-shibe-Shimmachi, Suita 564-8565, Japan;
| | - Daiki Setoyama
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan;
| | - Yuya Kunisaki
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan;
| | - Yasuyuki S. Kida
- Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba 305-8565, Japan; (Y.N.); (N.M.); (N.K.); (H.S.); (K.S.-y.)
- School of Integrative & Global Majors, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8572, Japan
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19
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Bai Y, Han T, Dong Y, Liang C, Gao L, Liu Y, Zhou J, Guo J, Ge D, Wu J, Hu D. GPX8 + cancer-associated fibroblast, as a cancer-promoting factor in lung adenocarcinoma, is related to the immunosuppressive microenvironment. BMC Med Genomics 2024; 17:77. [PMID: 38515109 PMCID: PMC10958965 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-024-01832-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and are often associated with poorer clinical outcomes. This study aimed to screen for CAF-specific genes that could serve as promising therapeutic targets for LUAD. METHODS We established a single-cell transcriptional profile of LUAD, focusing on genetic changes in fibroblasts. Next, we identified key genes associated with fibroblasts through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and univariate Cox analysis. Then, we evaluated the relationship between glutathione peroxidase 8 (GPX8) and clinical features in multiple independent LUAD cohorts. Furthermore, we analyzed immune infiltration to shed light on the relationship between GPX8 immune microenvironment remodeling. For clinical treatment, we used the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) algorithm to assess the immunotherapy prediction efficiency of GPX8. After that, we screened potential therapeutic drugs for LUAD by the connectivity map (cMAP). Finally, we conducted a cell trajectory analysis of GPX8+ CAFs to show their unique function. RESULTS Fibroblasts were found to be enriched in tumor tissues. Then we identified GPX8 as a key gene associated with CAFs through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. Further analysis across multiple LUAD cohorts demonstrated the relationship between GPX8 and poor prognosis. Additionally, we found that GPX8 played a role in inducing the formation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment. The TIDE method indicated that patients with low GPX8 expression were more likely to be responsive to immunotherapy. Using the cMAP, we identified beta-CCP as a potential drug-related to GPX8. Finally, cell trajectory analysis provided insights into the dynamic process of GPX8+ CAFs formation. CONCLUSIONS This study elucidates the association between GPX8+ CAFs and poor prognosis, as well as the induction of immunosuppressive formation in LUAD. These findings suggest that targeting GPX8+ CAFs could potentially serve as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of LUAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Bai
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Dust Prevention and Control & Occupational Safety and Health of the Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China
| | - Tao Han
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China
| | - Yunjia Dong
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China
| | - Chao Liang
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China
| | - Lu Gao
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China
| | - Yafeng Liu
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China
| | - Jiawei Zhou
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China
| | - Jianqiang Guo
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China
| | - Deyong Ge
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Dust Prevention and Control & Occupational Safety and Health of the Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China.
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China.
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China.
| | - Jing Wu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Dust Prevention and Control & Occupational Safety and Health of the Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China.
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China.
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China.
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Dust Deep Reduction and Occupational Health and Safety of Anhui Higher Education Institute, Huainan, Anhui, China.
| | - Dong Hu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Dust Prevention and Control & Occupational Safety and Health of the Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China.
- School of Medicine, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, Anhui, China.
- Anhui Occupational Health and Safety Engineering Laboratory, Huainan, Anhui, China.
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Dust Deep Reduction and Occupational Health and Safety of Anhui Higher Education Institute, Huainan, Anhui, China.
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20
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Broz MT, Ko EY, Ishaya K, Xiao J, De Simone M, Hoi XP, Piras R, Gala B, Tessaro FHG, Karlstaedt A, Orsulic S, Lund AW, Chan KS, Guarnerio J. Metabolic targeting of cancer associated fibroblasts overcomes T-cell exclusion and chemoresistance in soft-tissue sarcomas. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2498. [PMID: 38509063 PMCID: PMC10954767 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46504-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
T cell-based immunotherapies have exhibited promising outcomes in tumor control; however, their efficacy is limited in immune-excluded tumors. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a pivotal role in shaping the tumor microenvironment and modulating immune infiltration. Despite the identification of distinct CAF subtypes using single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), their functional impact on hindering T-cell infiltration remains unclear, particularly in soft-tissue sarcomas (STS) characterized by low response rates to T cell-based therapies. In this study, we characterize the STS microenvironment using murine models (in female mice) with distinct immune composition by scRNA-seq, and identify a subset of CAFs we termed glycolytic cancer-associated fibroblasts (glyCAF). GlyCAF rely on GLUT1-dependent expression of CXCL16 to impede cytotoxic T-cell infiltration into the tumor parenchyma. Targeting glycolysis decreases T-cell restrictive glyCAF accumulation at the tumor margin, thereby enhancing T-cell infiltration and augmenting the efficacy of chemotherapy. These findings highlight avenues for combinatorial therapeutic interventions in sarcomas and possibly other solid tumors. Further investigations and clinical trials are needed to validate these potential strategies and translate them into clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina T Broz
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emily Y Ko
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kristin Ishaya
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jinfen Xiao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marco De Simone
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Xen Ping Hoi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Roberta Piras
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Basia Gala
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Fernando H G Tessaro
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Anja Karlstaedt
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Cardiology, Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- David Geffen Medical School, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sandra Orsulic
- David Geffen Medical School, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amanda W Lund
- Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Keith Syson Chan
- Department of Urology, Neal Cancer Center, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jlenia Guarnerio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- David Geffen Medical School, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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21
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Zhou D, Zheng L. Recent advances in cancer-associated fibroblast: Biomarkers, signaling pathways, and therapeutic opportunities. Chin Med J (Engl) 2024; 137:638-650. [PMID: 38420743 PMCID: PMC10950138 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000003031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Anti-cancer therapies usually focus on tumor cells, but non-tumor stromal components in the tumor microenvironment also play vital roles in tumor initiation and progression, which may be the prognostic factors and potential therapeutic targets. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the essential component in the tumor environment, exhibiting high heterogeneity in their cell origin and phenotype with diverse functions that influence tumor angiogenesis, immune systems, and metabolism. Single-cell RNA sequencing and genetically engineered mouse models have increased our understanding of CAF diversity, and many subtypes have been defined. However, the precise functions of these subtypes need to be studied and validated. Studies of signaling pathways and epigenetic changes in CAFs facilitate understanding of the phenotypes of CAFs and the crosstalk between tumor cells and CAFs to provide potential therapeutic targets. Some clinical trials, including phase III trials targeting CAFs, have been performed recently. However, few of these trials have generated promising results, which indicates that the complexity of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment remains largely unknown, and in-depth investigations of CAFs should be performed. This review summarizes the research on CAFs, focusing on the heterogeneity of their phenotypes and functions, specific signaling pathways, and the therapeutic strategies involving CAFs. Additionally, we briefly discuss the current technologies commonly used in CAF studies and describe the challenges and future perspectives of CAF research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donger Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary-Pancreatic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310009, China
| | - Lei Zheng
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Skip Viragh Pancreatic Cancer Center for Clinical Research and Care, and The Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
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22
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Wang M, Xue W, Yuan H, Wang Z, Yu L. Nano-Drug Delivery Systems Targeting CAFs: A Promising Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer. Int J Nanomedicine 2024; 19:2823-2849. [PMID: 38525013 PMCID: PMC10959015 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s451151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Currently, pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal malignant tumors. PC is typically diagnosed at a late stage, exhibits a poor response to conventional treatment, and has a bleak prognosis. Unfortunately, PC's survival rate has not significantly improved since the 1960s. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a key component of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment (TME). They play a vital role in maintaining the extracellular matrix and facilitating the intricate communication between cancer cells and infiltrated immune cells. Exploring therapeutic approaches targeting CAFs may reverse the current landscape of PC therapy. In recent years, nano-drug delivery systems have evolved rapidly and have been able to accurately target and precisely release drugs with little or no toxicity to the whole body. In this review, we will comprehensively discuss the origin, heterogeneity, potential targets, and recent advances in the nano-drug delivery system of CAFs in PC. We will also propose a novel integrated treatment regimen that utilizes a nano-drug delivery system to target CAFs in PC, combined with radiotherapy and immunotherapy. Additionally, we will address the challenges that this regimen currently faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingjie Wang
- Department of Radiotherapy, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenxiang Xue
- NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hanghang Yuan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Zhicheng Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Radiobiology, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lei Yu
- Department of Radiotherapy, Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China
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23
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Chu K, Dow LE. Adding New Dimensions to 3D Cancer Models. Cancer Res 2024; 84:798-799. [PMID: 38335538 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-24-0490] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Understanding patient-specific responses to anticancer therapies and how individual tumors interact with their tumor microenvironment (TME) is a challenging task. To measure the impact of the TME on diverse and clinically relevant treatments, Ramos Zapatero and colleagues coupled patient-derived organoid (PDO) and cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) cocultures with high-throughput mass cytometry-based assessment of cell state. Using a newly developed "Trellis" algorithm enabled integration and analysis of highly complex, multidimensional treatment response data. This work showed that tumor cell response to chemotherapy was associated with both intrinsic and nonintrinsic signaling states, whereby proliferative rate, growth factor signaling, and CAFs interaction influenced chemoprotection. Furthermore, the work suggests a potential role for the TME in promoting lineage plasticity associated with drug resistance. In all, the pipeline described provides a blueprint for exploring the intricate interplay of factors influencing cancer treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevan Chu
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
- Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Lukas E Dow
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
- Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
- Department of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
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24
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Wang F, Li Z, Xu T, Zhang Q, Ma T, Li S, Wang X. A comprehensive multi-omics analysis identifies a robust scoring system for cancer-associated fibroblasts and intervention targets in colorectal cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2024; 150:124. [PMID: 38478111 PMCID: PMC10937804 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-023-05548-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) play a critical role in promoting tumor growth, metastasis, and immune evasion. While numerous studies have investigated CAF, there remains a paucity of research on their clinical application in colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS In this study, we collected differentially expressed genes between CAF and normal fibroblasts (NF) from previous CRC studies, and utilized machine learning analysis to differentiate two distinct subtypes of CAF in CRC. To enable practical application, a CAF-related genes (CAFGs) scoring system was developed based on multivariate Cox regression. We then conducted functional enrichment analysis, Kaplan-Meier plot, consensus molecular subtypes (CMS) classification, and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm to investigate the relationship between the CAFGs scoring system and various biological mechanisms, prognostic value, tumor microenvironment, and response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Moreover, single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics analyses have been employed to validate the significance of scoring system-related molecules in the identity and function of CAF. RESULTS We unveiled significant distinctions in tumor immune status and prognosis not only between the CAF clusters, but also across high and low CAFGs groups. Specifically, patients in CAF cluster 2 or with high CAFGs scores exhibited higher CAF markers and were enriched for CAF-related biological pathways such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and angiogenesis. In addition, CAFGs score was identified as a risk index and correlated with poor overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS). High CAFGs scores were observed in patients with advanced stages, CMS4, as well as lymphatic invasion. Furthermore, elevated CAFG scores in patients signified a suppressive tumor microenvironment characterized by the upregulation of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), T-cell dysfunction, exclusion, and TIDE score. And high CAFGs scores can differentiate patients with lower response rates and poor prognosis under ICB therapy. Notably, single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics analyses identified several molecules related to CAF identity and function, such as FSTL1, IGFBP7, and FBN1. CONCLUSION We constructed a robust CAFGs score system with clinical significance using multiple CRC cohorts. In addition, we identified several molecules related to CAF identity and function that could be potential intervention targets for CRC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Wang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhenlin Li
- Department of Surgical Clinical, School of Heze Medical College, Heze, China
| | - Tianlei Xu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Tianyi Ma
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Sijia Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaohui Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
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25
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Kolonin MG, Anastassiou D. Adipose Stromal Cell-Derived Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Suppress FGFR Inhibitor Efficacy. Cancer Res 2024; 84:648-649. [PMID: 38437636 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-3904] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Cancer aggressiveness has been linked with obesity, and studies have shown that adipose tissue can enhance cancer progression. In this issue of Cancer Research, Hosni and colleagues discover a paracrine mechanism mediated by adipocyte precursor cells through which urothelial carcinomas become resistant to erdafitinib, a recently approved therapy inhibiting fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR). They identified neuregulin 1 (NRG1) secreted by adipocyte precursor cells as an activator of HER3 signaling that enables resistance. The NRG1-mediated FGFR inhibitor resistance was amenable to intervention with pertuzumab, an antibody blocking the NRG1/HER3 axis. To investigate the nature of the resistance-associated NRG1-expressing cells in human patients, the authors analyzed published single-cell RNA sequencing data and observed that such cells appear in a cluster assigned as inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts (iCAF). Notably, the gene signature corresponding to these CAFs is highly similar to that shared by adipose stromal cells (ASC) in fat tissue and fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAP) in skeletal muscle of cancer-free individuals. Because fibroblasts with the ASC/FAP signature are enriched in various carcinomas, it is possible that the paracrine signaling conferred by NRG1 is a pan-cancer mechanism of FGFR inhibitor resistance and tumor aggressiveness. See related article by Hosni et al., p. 725.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail G Kolonin
- The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Dimitris Anastassiou
- Department of Systems Biology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Center for Cancer Systems Therapeutics, Columbia University, New York, New York
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26
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Lin D, Zhai X, Qi X, Zhou Q, Liu Y, Lin Y, Liu J. Senescent cancer-associated fibroblasts facilitate tumor associated neutrophil recruitment suppressing tumor immunity. J Transl Med 2024; 22:231. [PMID: 38433192 PMCID: PMC10909258 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05017-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Dongqi Lin
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaoqian Zhai
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xinxin Qi
- Out-Patient Department, The 964Th Hospital of the Joint Logistics Support Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Qinghua Zhou
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yanyang Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
- Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
| | - Yiyun Lin
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Jiewei Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
- Lung Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
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27
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Lou M, Iwatsuki M, Wu X, Zhang W, Matsumoto C, Baba H. ASO Author Reflections: The Significance of IL-8 Expression in Cancer-Associated Fibroblast of Gastric Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol 2024; 31:1787-1788. [PMID: 38082165 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-023-14660-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Meiyue Lou
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Masaaki Iwatsuki
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
| | - Xiyu Wu
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Weiliyun Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Chihiro Matsumoto
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Hideo Baba
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
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28
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Kim HS, Min KW. ASO Author Reflections: Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts with Decreased CD8+ T Cells are Associated with a Poor Prognosis in the Treatment of Breast Cancer Patients. Ann Surg Oncol 2024; 31:2127-2128. [PMID: 38142256 DOI: 10.1245/s10434-023-14817-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hyung Suk Kim
- Division of Breast Surgery, Department of Surgery, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Guri, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyueng-Whan Min
- Department of Pathology, Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Uijeongbu, Republic of Korea.
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29
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Yang N, Hellevik T, Berzaghi R, Martinez‐Zubiaurre I. Radiation-induced effects on TGF-β and PDGF receptor signaling in cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2024; 7:e2018. [PMID: 38488488 PMCID: PMC10941573 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) consist of heterogeneous connective tissue cells and are often constituting the most abundant cell type in the tumor stroma. Radiation effects on tumor stromal components like CAFs in the context of radiation treatment is not well-described. AIM This study explores potential changes induced by ionizing radiation (IR) on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)/PDGFRs and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)/TGFβRs signaling systems in CAFs. METHODS AND RESULTS Experiments were carried out by employing primary cultures of human CAFs isolated from freshly resected non-small cell lung carcinoma tumor tissues. CAF cultures from nine donors were treated with one high (1 × 18 Gy) or three fractionated (3 × 6 Gy) radiation doses. Alterations in expression levels of TGFβRII and PDGFRα/β induced by IR were analyzed by western blots and flow cytometry. In the presence or absence of cognate ligands, receptor activation was studied in nonirradiated and irradiated CAFs. Radiation exposure did not exert changes in expression of PDGF or TGF-β receptors in CAFs. Additionally, IR alone was unable to trigger activation of either receptor. The radiation regimens tested did not affect PDGFRβ signaling in the presence of PDGF-BB. In contrast, signaling via pSmad2/3 and pSmad1/5/8 appeared to be down-regulated in irradiated CAFs after stimulation with TGF-β, as compared with controls. CONCLUSION Our data demonstrate that IR by itself is insufficient to induce measurable changes in PDGF or TGF-β receptor expression levels or to induce receptor activation in CAFs. However, in the presence of their respective ligands, exposure to radiation at certain doses appear to interfere with TGF-β receptor signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nannan Yang
- Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health SciencesUiT The Arctic University of NorwayTromsøNorway
| | - Turid Hellevik
- Department of Radiation OncologyUniversity Hospital of North NorwayTromsøNorway
| | - Rodrigo Berzaghi
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health SciencesUiT The Arctic University of NorwayTromsøNorway
| | - Inigo Martinez‐Zubiaurre
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health SciencesUiT The Arctic University of NorwayTromsøNorway
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Li C, Wang Z, Zhang Y, Zhu Y, Xu M, Lei H, Zhang D. Efficient Sequential Co-Delivery Nanosystem for Inhibition of Tumor and Tumor-Associated Fibroblast-Induced Resistance and Metastasis. Int J Nanomedicine 2024; 19:1749-1766. [PMID: 38414527 PMCID: PMC10898601 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s427783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most lethal subtype of breast cancer. However, the effect of current treatment strategies by inducing tumor cell apoptosis alone is not satisfactory. The growth, metastasis and treatment sensitivity of tumors can be strongly influenced by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the microenvironment. Effective cancer therapies may need to target not only the tumor cells directly but also the CAFs that protect them. Methods Celastrol and small-sized micelles containing betulinic acid were co-encapsulated into liposomes using the thin-film hydration method (CL@BM). Folic acid was further introduced to modify liposomes as the targeting moiety (F/CL@BM). We established a novel NIH3T3+4T1 co-culture model to mimic the tumor microenvironment and assessed the nanocarrier's inhibitory effects on CAFs-induced drug resistance and migration in the co-culture model. The in vivo biological distribution, fluorescence imaging, biological safety evaluation, and combined therapeutic effect evaluation of the nanocarrier were carried out based on a triple-negative breast cancer model. Results In the present study, a novel multifunctional nano-formulation was designed by combining the advantages of sequential release, co-loading of tretinoin and betulinic acid, and folic acid-mediated active targeting. As expected, the nano-formulation exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity in different cellular models and effectively increased drug accumulation at the tumor site by disrupting the cellular barrier composed of CAFs by tretinoin. Notably, the co-loaded nano-formulations proved to be more potent in inhibiting tumor growth in mice and also showed better anti-metastatic effects in lung metastasis models compared to the formulations with either drug alone. This novel drug delivery system has the potential to be used to develop more effective cancer therapies. Conclusion Targeting CAFs with celastrol sensitizes tumor cells to chemotherapy, increasing the efficacy of betulinic acid. The combination of drugs targeting tumor cells and CAFs may lead to more effective therapies against various cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunhong Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhen Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yifeng Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuqing Zhu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Maochang Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Hui Lei
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China
- Green Pharmaceutical Technology Key Laboratory of Luzhou, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, People's Republic of China
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Zhang S, Wang Y, Zhang X, Wang M, Wu H, Tao Y, Fan W, Liu L, Wang B, Gao W. ATP6AP1 as a potential prognostic biomarker in CRC by comprehensive analysis and verification. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4018. [PMID: 38369634 PMCID: PMC10874971 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54437-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The role of ATP6AP1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains elusive despite its observed upregulation in pan-cancer. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the clinical significance of ATP6AP1 and its relationship with the immune infiltration in CRC. Transcriptome data of CRC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and analyzed using the combination of R packages and tumor-related databases, including TIMER2, TISIDB, cBioPortal, and MethSurv. The tissue arrays and immunohistochemical staining were performed to verify the expression and clinical characteristics of ATP6AP1. The results revealed that ATP6AP1 expression was significantly elevated in CRC and associated with poor clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. Furthermore, the analysis demonstrated ATP6AP1 expression was correlated with the infiltration of immune cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts in the microenvironment of CRC. Moreover, ATP6AP1 was found to be linked to various immune checkpoints and chemokines, with enrichment of cytoplasmic vesicle lumen, endopeptidase regulator activity, and endopeptidase inhibitor activity observed in the high ATP6AP1 expressional group. In conclusion, the findings of this study suggest that ATP6AP1 upregulation may serve as a biomarker for poor diagnosis in CRC and offer a potential target for immunotherapy in CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijie Zhang
- Digestive Endoscopy Department, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- The Friendship Hospital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Ili & Jiangsu Joint Institute of Health, Yining, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Digestive Endoscopy Department, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- The Friendship Hospital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Ili & Jiangsu Joint Institute of Health, Yining, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, No.1000, He Feng Road, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Min Wang
- Digestive Endoscopy Department, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Digestive Endoscopy Department, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuwen Tao
- Digestive Endoscopy Department, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wentao Fan
- Digestive Endoscopy Department, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Li Liu
- Digestive Endoscopy Department, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Bangting Wang
- Digestive Endoscopy Department, The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University and Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
- The Friendship Hospital of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Ili & Jiangsu Joint Institute of Health, Yining, China.
| | - Wenqing Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Industrial Microorganisms, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China.
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Lootens T, Roman BI, Stevens CV, De Wever O, Raedt R. Glioblastoma-Associated Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells and Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts: Partners in Crime? Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2285. [PMID: 38396962 PMCID: PMC10889514 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (TA-MSCs) have been recognized as attractive therapeutic targets in several cancer types, due to their ability to enhance tumor growth and angiogenesis and their contribution to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). In glioblastoma (GB), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) seem to be recruited to the tumor site, where they differentiate into glioblastoma-associated mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (GA-MSCs) under the influence of tumor cells and the TME. GA-MSCs are reported to exert important protumoral functions, such as promoting tumor growth and invasion, increasing angiogenesis, stimulating glioblastoma stem cell (GSC) proliferation and stemness, mediating resistance to therapy and contributing to an immunosuppressive TME. Moreover, they could act as precursor cells for cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which have recently been identified in GB. In this review, we provide an overview of the different functions exerted by GA-MSCs and CAFs and the current knowledge on the relationship between these cell types. Increasing our understanding of the interactions and signaling pathways in relevant models might contribute to future regimens targeting GA-MSCs and GB-associated CAFs to inhibit tumor growth and render the TME less immunosuppressive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibault Lootens
- 4Brain, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
- Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (B.I.R.); (C.V.S.)
| | - Bart I. Roman
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (B.I.R.); (C.V.S.)
- SynBioC, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christian V. Stevens
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (B.I.R.); (C.V.S.)
- SynBioC, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Olivier De Wever
- Laboratory of Experimental Cancer Research, Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (B.I.R.); (C.V.S.)
| | - Robrecht Raedt
- 4Brain, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (B.I.R.); (C.V.S.)
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Van den Eynde A, Gehrcken L, Verhezen T, Lau HW, Hermans C, Lambrechts H, Flieswasser T, Quatannens D, Roex G, Zwaenepoel K, Marcq E, Joye P, Cardenas De La Hoz E, Deben C, Gasparini A, Montay-Gruel P, Le Compte M, Lion E, Lardon F, Van Laere S, Siozopoulou V, Campillo-Davo D, De Waele J, Pauwels P, Jacobs J, Smits E, Van Audenaerde JRM. IL-15-secreting CAR natural killer cells directed toward the pan-cancer target CD70 eliminate both cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts. J Hematol Oncol 2024; 17:8. [PMID: 38331849 PMCID: PMC10854128 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-024-01525-w] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It remains challenging to obtain positive outcomes with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered cell therapies in solid malignancies, like colorectal cancer (CRC) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). A major obstacle is the lack of targetable surface antigens that are not shared by healthy tissues. CD70 emerges as interesting target, due to its stringent expression pattern in healthy tissue and its apparent role in tumor progression in a considerable amount of malignancies. Moreover, CD70 is also expressed on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), another roadblock for treatment efficacy in CRC and PDAC. We explored the therapeutic potential of CD70 as target for CAR natural killer (NK) cell therapy in CRC, PDAC, focusing on tumor cells and CAFs, and lymphoma. METHODS RNA-seq data and immunohistochemical analysis of patient samples were used to explore CD70 expression in CRC and PDAC patients. In addition, CD70-targeting CAR NK cells were developed to assess cytotoxic activity against CD70+ tumor cells and CAFs, and the effect of cytokine stimulation on their efficacy was evaluated. The in vitro functionality of CD70-CAR NK cells was investigated against a panel of tumor and CAF cell lines with varying CD70 expression. Lymphoma-bearing mice were used to validate in vivo potency of CD70-CAR NK cells. Lastly, to consider patient variability, CD70-CAR NK cells were tested on patient-derived organoids containing CAFs. RESULTS In this study, we identified CD70 as a target for tumor cells and CAFs in CRC and PDAC patients. Functional evaluation of CD70-directed CAR NK cells indicated that IL-15 stimulation is essential to obtain effective elimination of CD70+ tumor cells and CAFs, and to improve tumor burden and survival of mice bearing CD70+ tumors. Mechanistically, IL-15 stimulation resulted in improved potency of CD70-CAR NK cells by upregulating CAR expression and increasing secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, in a mainly autocrine or intracellular manner. CONCLUSIONS We disclose CD70 as an attractive target both in hematological and solid tumors. IL-15 armored CAR NK cells act as potent effectors to eliminate these CD70+ cells. They can target both tumor cells and CAFs in patients with CRC and PDAC, and potentially other desmoplastic solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Van den Eynde
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Laura Gehrcken
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Tias Verhezen
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Ho Wa Lau
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Christophe Hermans
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Hilde Lambrechts
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Tal Flieswasser
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Delphine Quatannens
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Gils Roex
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology (LEH), Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Karen Zwaenepoel
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Elly Marcq
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Lab of Dendritic Cell Biology and Cancer Immunotherapy, VIB Center for Inflammation Research, Brussels, Belgium
- Brussels Center for Immunology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Philippe Joye
- Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp (MICA), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | | | - Christophe Deben
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Alessia Gasparini
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Iridium Netwerk, Radiation Oncology, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pierre Montay-Gruel
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Iridium Netwerk, Radiation Oncology, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Maxim Le Compte
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Eva Lion
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology (LEH), Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
- Center for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine (CCRG), Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Filip Lardon
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Steven Van Laere
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Vasiliki Siozopoulou
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- University Hospital Saint-Luc, University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Diana Campillo-Davo
- Laboratory of Experimental Hematology (LEH), Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Jorrit De Waele
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Patrick Pauwels
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Pathology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Julie Jacobs
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Evelien Smits
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jonas R M Van Audenaerde
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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Zhang TL, Xia C, Zheng BW, Hu HH, Jiang LX, Escobar D, Zheng BY, Chen TD, Li J, Lv GH, Huang W, Yan YG, Zou MX. Integrating single-cell and spatial transcriptomics reveals endoplasmic reticulum stress-related CAF subpopulations associated with chordoma progression. Neuro Oncol 2024; 26:295-308. [PMID: 37772937 PMCID: PMC10836767 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noad173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as the main cell type, the rich myxoid stromal components in chordoma tissues may likely contribute to its development and progression. METHODS Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics, bulk RNA-seq, and multiplexed quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) were used to dissect the heterogeneity, spatial distribution, and clinical implication of CAFs in chordoma. RESULTS We sequenced here 72 097 single cells from 3 primary and 3 recurrent tumor samples, as well as 3 nucleus pulposus samples as controls using scRNA-seq. We identified a unique cluster of CAF in recurrent tumors that highly expressed hypoxic genes and was functionally enriched in endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS). Pseudotime trajectory and cell communication analyses showed that this ERS-CAF subpopulation originated from normal fibroblasts and widely interacted with tumoral and immune cells. Analyzing the bulk RNA-seq data from 126 patients, we found that the ERS-CAF signature score was associated with the invasion and poor prognosis of chordoma. By integrating the results of scRNA-seq with spatial transcriptomics, we demonstrated the existence of ERS-CAF in chordoma tissues and revealed that this CAF subtype displayed the most proximity to its surrounding tumor cells. In subsequent QIF validation involving 105 additional patients, we confirmed that ERS-CAF was abundant in the chordoma microenvironment and located close to tumor cells. Furthermore, both ERS-CAF density and its distance to tumor cells were correlated with tumor malignant phenotype and adverse patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS These findings depict the CAF landscape for chordoma and may provide insights into the development of novel treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao-Lan Zhang
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
- Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Chao Xia
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Bo-Wen Zheng
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
- Musculoskeletal Tumor Center, Peking University People’s Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Hai-Hong Hu
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Ling-Xiang Jiang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - David Escobar
- Department of Cancer Biology, University of Toledo, College of Medicine & Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio, USA
| | - Bo-Yv Zheng
- Department of Orthopedics Surgery, General Hospital of the Central Theater Command, Wuhan, China
| | - Tian-Dong Chen
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Henan Provincial Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Guo-Hua Lv
- Department of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wei Huang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, Health Management Center, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Yi-Guo Yan
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Ming-Xiang Zou
- Department of Spine Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, China
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Chen X, Liao C, Zou X, Zhang B, Mo Z. A gene signature of cancer-associated fibroblasts predicts prognosis and treatment response in bladder cancer. Clin Transl Oncol 2024; 26:477-495. [PMID: 37594617 DOI: 10.1007/s12094-023-03270-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Due to the pivotal role cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play in tumor progression, our study aimed to develop a signature of CAFs-related gene (CRG) to predict the survival outcomes and treatment response of bladder cancer (BLCA). METHODS The transcriptome data and relevant clinical information about BLCA were collected from publicly available databases, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was utilized to uncover CAFs-associated hub genes, and subsequently, a risk model for survival prognosis was constructed using LASSO-Cox regression. The immune microenvironment, immune infiltration, immunotherapy response, and drug sensitivity were explored using ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, TIDE, and oncoPredict algorithms. To verify the expression of the CRGs, additional analyses were performed using online databases (HPA, CCLE, TIMER, cBioPortal, and TISCH). RESULTS Our study developed a CRG signature and constructed a prognostic model. Significant differences in overall survival were observed between the two risk stratifications. The risk score increased with the infiltration of CAFs and tumor staging progression, while closely correlating with immune checkpoint expression and infiltration of CD8 T cells, follicular helper T cells, regulatory T cells, activated dendritic cells, M0 macrophages, M2 macrophages, and resting mast cells. Furthermore, a higher proportion of patients in the low-risk stratification exhibited responsiveness to immunotherapy, and significant variances in sensitivity to multiple chemotherapy medications were observed between the two risk stratifications. CONCLUSION The construction of the risk model based on the CRG signature offers new avenues for the prognosis evaluation and development of personalized treatment strategies for BLCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
- Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Key Laboratory for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
- Department of Urology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, China
| | - Chunyan Liao
- Department of Ultrasound Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550000, China
| | - Xiong Zou
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China
- Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Key Laboratory for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China
| | - Bei Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550000, China.
| | - Zengnan Mo
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, 530021, China.
- Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Key Laboratory for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Genomic and Personalized Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
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Wei R, Song J, Liu X, Huo S, Liu C, Liu X. Immunosuppressive MFAP2 + cancer associated fibroblasts conferred unfavorable prognosis and therapeutic resistance in gastric cancer. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2024; 47:55-68. [PMID: 37540308 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00849-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To explore the predictive merit of MFAP2+ cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) infiltration for clinical outcomes and adjuvant chemotherapy or immunotherapy responsiveness in gastric cancer (GC). METHODS In this study, several independent cohorts were included respectively to dissect the relationship of clinical outcomes, therapeutic responses and tumor microenvironment with different MFAP2+ CAFs infiltration. Drug sensitivity analysis was conducted to predict the relationship between MFAP2+ CAFs infiltration and targeted drug response. Kaplan-Meier curves and the log-rank test were used to compare clinical outcomes of patients with different MFAP2+ CAFs infiltration. RESULTS High MFAP2+ CAFs infiltration yielded inferior prognosis in terms of overall survival, progress free survival and recurrence free survival in GC. Patients with low MFAP2+ CAFs infiltration were more likely to gain benefit from adjuvant therapy. Moreover, low MFAP2+ CAFs infiltration could predict a promising response to immunotherapy in GC patients. MFAP2+ CAFs with immunosuppressive features were highly relevant to immune evasive contexture characterized by the dysfunction of CD8+ T cells. We found that MFAP2+ CAFs communicated with T cells, B cells and Macrophages through releasing macrophage migration inhibitor factor (MIF), which further suggested that MFAP2+ CAFs might promote therapeutic resistance through regulating T cells dysfunction and M2 macrophages polarization. CONCLUSION Immunosuppressive MFAP2+ CAFs constructed an immune evasive tumor microenvironment characterized by incapacitated immune effector cells, consequently predicting inferior clinical outcomes and response on adjuvant therapy and immunotherapy in patients with GC. The potential of immunosuppressive MFAP2+ CAFs as a therapeutic target for GC deserved thoroughly exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongyuan Wei
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Junquan Song
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuanjun Liu
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shiying Huo
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenchen Liu
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Xiaowen Liu
- Department of Gastric Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Tian G, Zhang J, Bao Y, Li Q, Hou J. A prognostic model based on Scissor + cancer associated fibroblasts identified from bulk and single cell RNA sequencing data in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Cell Signal 2024; 114:110984. [PMID: 38029947 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2023.110984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most lethal diseases in the world, which often recur after multimodality treatment approaches, leading to a poor prognosis. Fibroblasts, a heterogeneous component of the tumor microenvironment, can modulate numerous aspects of tumor biology and have been increasingly acknowledged in dictating the clinical outcome of patients with HNSCC. However, the subpopulation of fibroblasts that are related to the prognosis of HNSCC has not yet been fully explored. To do so, we combined a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset and bulk RNA-sequencing dataset with clinical information, identifying the fibroblast population that are related to poor prognosis of HNSCC. We found these specific population of fibroblasts are less differentiated. In addition, to identify the prognostic signatures of HNSCC, bioinformatics analysis included least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses and univariate cox and were performed. We selected 12 prognosis-related genes for constructing a risk model using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The AUC values and calibration plots of this model indicated good prognostic prediction efficacy. This model also was validated in two Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. In conclusion, we constructed an optimal model that was derived from single cell RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq to predict the survival probability of HNSCC patients. Among this model, AKR1C3 higher expression in cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) of HNSCC has been confirmed by preliminary experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoli Tian
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiaqiang Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yong Bao
- Department of Medical Oncology; Institute of Precision Medicine; Center for Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Qiuli Li
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou 510060, China.
| | - Jinsong Hou
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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Choi J, Yang MJ, Woo K, Park SH, Lee D, Kim S. Bidirectional crosstalk between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts in mixed organoid system elicits transcriptomic characteristics of pancreatic cancer with potential therapeutic vulnerabilities. Clin Transl Med 2024; 14:e1597. [PMID: 38385855 PMCID: PMC10883236 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jae‐Il Choi
- Department of PathologyAjou University School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
- Department of Biomedical SciencesAjou University Graduate School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
| | - Min Jae Yang
- Department of Internal MedicineAjou University School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
| | - Kyoung‐Jin Woo
- Department of PathologyAjou University School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
- Department of Biomedical SciencesAjou University Graduate School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
| | - So Hyun Park
- Department of PathologyAjou University School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
- Department of Biomedical SciencesAjou University Graduate School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
| | - Dakeun Lee
- Department of PathologyAjou University School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
- Department of Biomedical SciencesAjou University Graduate School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
| | - Seokhwi Kim
- Department of PathologyAjou University School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
- Department of Biomedical SciencesAjou University Graduate School of MedicineSuwonSouth Korea
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Yao Y, Yang K, Wang Q, Zhu Z, Li S, Li B, Feng B, Tang C. Prediction of CAF-related genes in immunotherapy and drug sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma: a multi-database analysis. Genes Immun 2024; 25:55-65. [PMID: 38233508 PMCID: PMC10873201 DOI: 10.1038/s41435-024-00252-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
This study aims to identify the cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF)-related genes that can affect immunotherapy and drug sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Expression data and survival data associated with HCC were obtained in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) analysis was performed to obtain CAF-related genes. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for regression analysis and risk models. Subsequently, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) analysis, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) analysis, Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) analysis and drug sensitivity analysis were performed on the risk models. Survival analysis of CAF scores showed that the survival rate was lower in samples with high CAF scores than those with low scores. However, this difference was not significant, suggesting CAF may not directly influence the prognosis of HCC patients. Further screening of CAF-related genes yielded 33 CAF-related genes. Seven risk models constructed based on CDR2L, SPRED1, PFKP, ENG, KLF2, FSCN1 and VCAN, showed significant differences in immunotherapy and partial drug sensitivity in HCC. Seven CAF-related genes may have important roles in immunotherapy, drug sensitivity and prognostic survival in HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Yao
- Division 1, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China
| | - KaiQing Yang
- Division 1, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Division 1, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China
| | - Zeming Zhu
- Division 2, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China
| | - Sheng Li
- Division 1, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China
| | - Bin Li
- Division 1, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China
| | - Bin Feng
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China.
| | - Caixi Tang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Zhuzhou Central Hospital, Zhuzhou, Hunan, China.
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Huang Y, Xu X, Lu Y, Sun Q, Zhang L, Shao J, Chen D, Chang Y, Sun X, Zhuo W, Zhou T. The phase separation of extracellular matrix protein matrilin-3 from cancer-associated fibroblasts contributes to gastric cancer invasion. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23406. [PMID: 38193601 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202301524r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) has emerged as a key contributor to the remodeling of tumor microenvironment through the expression and secretion of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, thereby promoting carcinogenesis. However, the precise contribution of ECM proteins from CAFs to gastric carcinogenesis remains poorly understood. In this study, we find that matrilin-3 (MATN3), an upregulated ECM protein associated with poorer prognosis in gastric cancer patients, originates from CAFs in gastric cancer tissues. Ectopic expression of MATN3 in CAFs significantly promotes the invasion of gastric cancer cells, which can be attenuated by neutralizing MATN3 with its antibody. Notably, a portion of MATN3 protein is found to form puncta in gastric cancer tissues ECM. MATN3 undergoes phase separation, which is mediated by its low complexity (LC) and coiled-coil (CC) domains. Moreover, overexpression of MATN3 deleted with either LC or CC in CAFs is unable to promote the invasion of gastric cancer cells, suggesting that LC or CC domain is required for the effect of CAF-secreted MATN3 in gastric cancer cell invasion. Additionally, orthotopic co-injection of gastric cancer cells and CAFs expressing MATN3, but not its ΔLC and ΔCC mutants, leads to enhanced gastric cancer cell invasion in mouse models. Collectively, our works suggest that MATN3 is secreted by CAFs and undergoes phase separation, which promotes gastric cancer invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliang Huang
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyang Xu
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yunkun Lu
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qiang Sun
- Center for RNA Medicine, International Institutes of Medicine and the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiaqi Shao
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dingwei Chen
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yongxia Chang
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoxia Sun
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Zhuo
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tianhua Zhou
- Department of Cell Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Medical Research and Innovation in Digestive System Tumors, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou, China
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Tao S, Wang J, Li F, Shi B, Ren Q, Zhuang Y, Qian X. Extracellular vesicles released by hypoxia-induced tumor-associated fibroblasts impart chemoresistance to breast cancer cells via long noncoding RNA H19 delivery. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23165. [PMID: 38197195 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202300203r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been emphasized in regulating the hypoxic tumor microenvironment of breast cancer (BC), where tumor-associated fibroblasts (TAFs) play a significant role. In this study, we describe possible molecular mechanisms behind the pro-tumoral effects of EVs, secreted by hypoxia (HP)-induced TAFs, on BC cell growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance. These mechanisms are based on long noncoding RNA H19 (H19) identified by microarray analysis. We employed an in silico approach to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs that were associated with BC. Subsequently, we explored possible downstream regulatory mechanisms. We isolated EVs from TAFs that were exposed to HP, and these EVs were denoted as HP-TAF-EVs henceforth. MTT, transwell, flow cytometry, and TUNEL assays were performed to assess the malignant phenotypes of BC cells. A paclitaxel (TAX)-resistant BC cell line was constructed, and xenograft tumor and lung metastasis models were established in nude mice for in vivo verification. Our observation revealed that lncRNA H19 was significantly overexpressed, whereas miR-497 was notably downregulated in BC. HP induced activation of TAFs and stimulated the secretion of EVs. Coculture of HP-TAF-EVs and BC cells led to an increase in TAX resistance of the latter. HP-TAF-EVs upregulated methylation of miR-497 by delivering lncRNA H19, which recruited DNMT1, thus lowering the expression of miR-497. In addition, lncRNA H19-containing HP-TAF-EVs hindered miR-497 expression, enhancing tumorigenesis and TAX resistance of BC cells in vivo. Our study presents evidence for the contribution of lncRNA H19-containing HP-TAF-EVs in the reduction of miR-497 expression through the recruitment of DNMT1, which in turn promotes the growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance of BC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Tao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated with Jiangsu University, Changzhou, P.R. China
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, P.R. China
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Oncological Surgery, Cancer Hospital of Yixing City, Yixing, P.R. China
| | - Fang Li
- Department of Ultrasound, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bixia Shi
- Department of Breast Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated with Jiangsu University, Changzhou, P.R. China
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Quanhai Ren
- Department of Breast Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated with Jiangsu University, Changzhou, P.R. China
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Yuhong Zhuang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Wujin Hospital Affiliated with Jiangsu University, Changzhou, P.R. China
- Department of Breast Surgery, The Wujin Clinical College, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoping Qian
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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Lv T, Liu H, Mao L, Song Y, Liao L, Zhong K, Shuai B, Luo Y, Guo T, Huang W, Zhang S. Cancer-associated fibroblast-derived extracellular vesicles promote lymph node metastases in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma by encapsulating ITGB1 and BMI1. BMC Cancer 2024; 24:113. [PMID: 38254031 PMCID: PMC10804601 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-024-11855-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been revealed to facilitate the development of oral squamous cavity cell carcinoma (OCSCC), while its supporting role in lymph node metastases is under continuous investigation. This study aimed to examine the function of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF)-derived EVs (CAF-EVs) during lymph node metastasis in OCSCC and the mechanisms. METHODS CAF were isolated from OCSCC tissues of patients, and CAF-EVs were extracted and identified. EdU, colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assays were performed. The OCSCC cells before and after CAF-EVs treatment were injected into mice to probe the effects of CAF-EVs on tumor growth and lymph node metastasis, respectively. The effect of CAF-EVs treatment on transcriptome changes in OCSCC cells was analyzed. Clinical data of patients with OCSCC were analyzed to determine the prognostic significance of the selected genes. Finally, loss-of-function assays were conducted to corroborate the involvement of polycomb complex protein BMI-1 (BMI1) and integrin beta1 (ITGB1). RESULTS CAF-EVs promoted the malignant behavior of OCSCC cells and accelerated tumor growth and lymph node metastasis in mice. CAF-EVs significantly increased the expression of BMI1 and ITGB1, and the expression of BMI1 and ITGB1 was negatively correlated with the overall survival and relapse-free survival of OCSCC patients. Knockdown of BMI1 or ITGB1 in OCSCC cells abated the promoting effects of CAF-EVs in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION CAF-EVs elicited the metastasis-promoting properties in OCSCC by elevating BMI1 and ITGB1, suggesting that BMI1 and ITGB1 could be potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for OCSCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianzhu Lv
- Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
- China-British Joint Molecular Head and Neck Cancer Research Laboratory, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Hongjing Liu
- Comprehensive Emergency Department of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Ling Mao
- Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
- China-British Joint Molecular Head and Neck Cancer Research Laboratory, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Yanrong Song
- Comprehensive Emergency Department of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Lili Liao
- Comprehensive Emergency Department of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Kun Zhong
- Comprehensive Emergency Department of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Binbin Shuai
- Comprehensive Emergency Department of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Yingkun Luo
- Comprehensive Emergency Department of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Tingting Guo
- Comprehensive Emergency Department of Stomatology, Stomatological Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, 550004, Guiyang, Guizhou, P.R. China
| | - Wentao Huang
- School of Savaid Stomatology, Hangzhou Medical College, 311399, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P.R. China.
| | - Shenyingjie Zhang
- Medical Department, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), 310006, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P.R. China
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Wei J, Ge X, Qian Y, Jiang K, Chen X, Lu W, Yang H, Fu D, Fang Y, Zhou X, Xiao Q, Tang Y, Ding K. Development and verification of a combined immune- and cancer-associated fibroblast related prognostic signature for colon adenocarcinoma. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1291938. [PMID: 38312843 PMCID: PMC10834644 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1291938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction To better understand the role of immune escape and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD), an integrative analysis of the tumor microenvironment was performed using a set of 12 immune- and CAF-related genes (ICRGs). Methods Univariate and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression analyses were used to establish a prognostic signature based on the expression of these 12 genes (S1PR5, AEN, IL20RB, FGF9, OSBPL1A, HSF4, PCAT6, FABP4, KIF15, ZNF792, CD1B and GLP2R). This signature was validated in both internal and external cohorts and was found to have a higher C-index than previous COAD signatures, confirming its robustness and reliability. To make use of this signature in clinical settings, a nomogram incorporating ICRG signatures and key clinical parameters, such as age and T stage, was developed. Finally, the role of S1PR5 in the immune response of COAD was validated through in vitro cytotoxicity experiments. Results The developed nomogram exhibited slightly improved predictive accuracy compared to the ICRG signature alone, as indicated by the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC, nomogram:0.838; ICRGs:0.807). The study also evaluated the relationships between risk scores (RS) based on the expression of the ICRGs and other key immunotherapy variables, including immune checkpoint expression, immunophenoscore (IPS), and microsatellite instability (MSI). Integration of these variables led to more precise prediction of treatment efficacy, enabling personalized immunotherapy for COAD patients. Knocking down S1PR5 can enhance the efficacy of PD-1 monoclonal antibody, promoting the cytotoxicity of T cells against HCT116 cells ((p<0.05). Discussion These findings indicate that the ICRG signature may be a valuable tool for predicting prognostic risk, evaluating the efficacy of immunotherapy, and tailoring personalized treatment options for patients with COAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingsun Wei
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoxu Ge
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yucheng Qian
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kai Jiang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Hang Yang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Dongliang Fu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yimin Fang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xinyi Zhou
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qian Xiao
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yang Tang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Kefeng Ding
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery and Oncology, Cancer Center of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Fergatova A, Affara NI. The cellular triumvirate: fibroblasts entangled in the crosstalk between cancer cells and immune cells. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1337333. [PMID: 38313431 PMCID: PMC10835808 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1337333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
This review article will focus on subpopulations of fibroblasts that get reprogrammed by tumor cells into cancer-associated fibroblasts. Throughout this article, we will discuss the intricate interactions between fibroblasts, immune cells, and tumor cells. Unravelling complex intercellular crosstalk will pave the way for new insights into cellular mechanisms underlying the reprogramming of the local tumor immune microenvironment and propose novel immunotherapy strategies that might have potential in harnessing and modulating immune system responses.
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Du Y, Shi J, Wang J, Xun Z, Yu Z, Sun H, Bao R, Zheng J, Li Z, Ye Y. Integration of Pan-Cancer Single-Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics Reveals Stromal Cell Features and Therapeutic Targets in Tumor Microenvironment. Cancer Res 2024; 84:192-210. [PMID: 38225927 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1418] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Stromal cells are physiologically essential components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that mediates tumor development and therapeutic resistance. Development of a logical and unified system for stromal cell type identification and characterization of corresponding functional properties could help design antitumor strategies that target stromal cells. Here, we performed a pan-cancer analysis of 214,972 nonimmune stromal cells using single-cell RNA sequencing from 258 patients across 16 cancer types and analyzed spatial transcriptomics from 16 patients across seven cancer types, including six patients receiving anti-PD-1 treatment. This analysis uncovered distinct features of 39 stromal subsets across cancer types, including various functional modules, spatial locations, and clinical and therapeutic relevance. Tumor-associated PGF+ endothelial tip cells with elevated epithelial-mesenchymal transition features were enriched in immune-depleted TME and associated with poor prognosis. Fibrogenic and vascular pericytes (PC) derived from FABP4+ progenitors were two distinct tumor-associated PC subpopulations that strongly interacted with PGF+ tips, resulting in excess extracellular matrix (ECM) abundance and dysfunctional vasculature. Importantly, ECM-related cancer-associated fibroblasts enriched at the tumor boundary acted as a barrier to exclude immune cells, interacted with malignant cells to promote tumor progression, and regulated exhausted CD8+ T cells via immune checkpoint ligand-receptors (e.g., LGALS9/TIM-3) to promote immune escape. In addition, an interactive web-based tool (http://www.scpanstroma.yelab.site/) was developed for accessing, visualizing, and analyzing stromal data. Taken together, this study provides a systematic view of the highly heterogeneous stromal populations across cancer types and suggests future avenues for designing therapies to overcome the tumor-promoting functions of stromal cells. SIGNIFICANCE Comprehensive characterization of tumor-associated nonimmune stromal cells provides a robust resource for dissecting tumor microenvironment complexity and guiding stroma-targeted therapy development across multiple human cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhua Du
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jintong Shi
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenzhen Xun
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuo Yu
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Faculty of Basic Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongxiang Sun
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Rujuan Bao
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Junke Zheng
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Faculty of Basic Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhigang Li
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Youqiong Ye
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for Cancer, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Center for Immune-Related Diseases at Shanghai Institute of Immunology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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Li C, Guo H, Zhai P, Yan M, Liu C, Wang X, Shi C, Li J, Tong T, Zhang Z, Ma H, Zhang J. Spatial and Single-Cell Transcriptomics Reveal a Cancer-Associated Fibroblast Subset in HNSCC That Restricts Infiltration and Antitumor Activity of CD8+ T Cells. Cancer Res 2024; 84:258-275. [PMID: 37930937 PMCID: PMC10790129 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1448] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Although immunotherapy can prolong survival in some patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the response rate remains low. Clarification of the critical mechanisms regulating CD8+ T-cell infiltration and dysfunction in the tumor microenvironment could help maximize the benefit of immunotherapy for treating HNSCC. Here, we performed spatial transcriptomic analysis of HNSCC specimens with differing immune infiltration and single-cell RNA sequencing of five pairs of tumor and adjacent tissues, revealing specific cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) subsets related to CD8+ T-cell infiltration restriction and dysfunction. These CAFs exhibited high expression of CXCLs (CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL12) and MHC-I and enrichment of galectin-9 (Gal9). The proportion of MHC-IhiGal9+ CAFs was inversely correlated with abundance of a TCF1+GZMK+ subset of CD8+ T cells. Gal9 on CAFs induced CD8+ T-cell dysfunction and decreased the proportion of tumor-infiltrating TCF1+CD8+ T cells. Collectively, the identification of MHC-IhiGal9+ CAFs advances the understanding of the precise role of CAFs in cancer immune evasion and paves the way for more effective immunotherapy for HNSCC. SIGNIFICANCE Spatial analysis identifies IFN-induced MHC-IhiGal9+ CAFs that form a trap for CD8+ T cells, providing insights into the complex networks in the tumor microenvironment that regulate T-cell infiltration and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuwen Li
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Center of Head and Neck Oncology Clinical and Translational Science, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Haiyan Guo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Peisong Zhai
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Center of Head and Neck Oncology Clinical and Translational Science, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Yan
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Center of Head and Neck Oncology Clinical and Translational Science, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chun Liu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Center of Head and Neck Oncology Clinical and Translational Science, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoning Wang
- Department of Oral Pathology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Chaoji Shi
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Center of Head and Neck Oncology Clinical and Translational Science, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiang Li
- Department of Oral Pathology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Tong Tong
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Shanghai Stomatological Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyuan Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Center of Head and Neck Oncology Clinical and Translational Science, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Research Unit of Oral and Maxillofacial Regenerative Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Hailong Ma
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Center of Head and Neck Oncology Clinical and Translational Science, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianjun Zhang
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial-Head and Neck Oncology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Center for Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Center of Head and Neck Oncology Clinical and Translational Science, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
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Zhou H, Zhong J, Peng S, Liu Y, Tang P, Cai Z, Wang L, Xu H, Hu K. Synthesis and preclinical evaluation of novel 18F-labeled fibroblast activation protein tracers for positron emission tomography imaging of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 264:115993. [PMID: 38039792 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is overexpressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts in more than 90% of epithelial tumors. Several radiotracers targeting FAPs have been used in clinical settings in recent years. However, the number of 18F-labeled FAP tracers is still limited. Herein, we aimed to develop 18F-labeled FAP tracers with optimized pharmacokinetics. Labeling precursors (NOTA-DD-FAPI and NOTA-PD-FAPI) were synthesized and labeled with fluorine-18. The precursors NOTA-DD-FAPI (IC50 = 0.21 ± 0.06 nM) and NOTA -PD-FAPI (IC50 = 0.13 ± 0.07 nM) showed a higher affinity for FAP compared to NOTA-FAPI-42 (IC50 = 0.66 ± 0.19 nM). Novel 18F-labeled FAP tracers showed a specific uptake, high internalized fraction, and low cellular efflux in vitro. Compared to the clinically used tracer [18F]AlF-FAPI-42, both the novel 18F-labeled FAP tracers, and especially the [18F]AlF-PD-FAPI tracer with a higher tumor-to-background ratio demonstrated rapid renal excretion and higher tumor uptake during preclinical evaluation, resulting in images with higher contrast. Thus, [18F]AlF-PD-FAPI shows promise for use as a FAP-targeting tracer for clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhou
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Jiawei Zhong
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; Department of Chemistry, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Simin Peng
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Peipei Tang
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Zhikai Cai
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
| | - Hao Xu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China.
| | - Kongzhen Hu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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Wang W, Li T, Xie Z, Zhao J, Zhang Y, Ruan Y, Han B. Integrating single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data unveils antigen presentation and process-related CAFS and establishes a predictive signature in prostate cancer. J Transl Med 2024; 22:57. [PMID: 38221616 PMCID: PMC10789066 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04807-y] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are heterogeneous and can influence the progression of prostate cancer in multiple ways; however, their capacity to present and process antigens in PRAD has not been investigated. In this study, antigen presentation and process-related CAFs (APPCAFs) were identified using bioinformatics, and the clinical implications of APPCAF-related signatures in PRAD were investigated. METHODS SMART technology was used to sequence the transcriptome of primary CAFs isolated from patients undergoing different treatments. Differential expression gene (DEG) screening was conducted. A CD4 + T-cell early activation assay was used to assess the activation degree of CD4 + T cells. The datasets of PRAD were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and the list of 431 antigen presentation and process-related genes was obtained from the InnateDB database. Subsequently, APP-related CAFs were identified by nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) based on a single-cell seq (scRNA) matrix. GSVA functional enrichment analyses were performed to depict the biological functions. A risk signature based on APPCAF-related genes (APPCAFRS) was developed by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis, and the independence of the risk score as a prognostic factor was evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Furthermore, a biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS)-related nomogram was established, and immune-related characteristics were assessed using the ssGSEA function. The immune treatment response in PRAD was further analyzed by the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) tool. The expression levels of hub genes in APPCAFRS were verified in cell models. RESULTS There were 134 upregulated and 147 downregulated genes, totaling 281 differentially expressed genes among the primary CAFs. The functions and pathways of 147 downregulated DEGs were significantly enriched in antigen processing and presentation processes, MHC class II protein complex and transport vesicle, MHC class II protein complex binding, and intestinal immune network for IgA production. Androgen withdrawal diminished the activation effect of CAFs on T cells. NMF clustering of CAFs was performed by APPRGs, and pseudotime analysis yielded the antigen presentation and process-related CAF subtype CTSK + MRC2 + CAF-C1. CTSK + MRC2 + CAF-C1 cells exhibited ligand‒receptor connections with epithelial cells and T cells. Additionally, we found a strong association between CTSK + MRC2 + CAF-C1 cells and inflammatory CAFs. Through differential gene expression analysis of the CTSK + MRC2 + CAF-C1 and NoneAPP-CAF-C2 subgroups, 55 significant DEGs were identified, namely, APPCAFRGs. Based on the expression profiles of APPCAFRGs, we divided the TCGA-PRAD cohort into two clusters using NMF consistent cluster analysis, with the genetic coefficient serving as the evaluation index. Four APPCAFRGs, THBS2, DPT, COL5A1, and MARCKS, were used to develop a prognostic signature capable of predicting BCR occurrence in PRAD patients. Subsequently, a nomogram with stability and accuracy in predicting BCR was constructed based on Gleason grade (p = n.s.), PSA (p < 0.001), T stage (p < 0.05), and risk score (p < 0.01). The analysis of immune infiltration showed a positive correlation between the abundance of resting memory CD4 + T cells, M1 macrophages, resting dendritic cells, and the risk score. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of THBS2, DPT, COL5A1, and MARCKS in the cell models were consistent with the results of the bioinformatics analysis. CONCLUSIONS APPCAFRS based on four potential APPCAFRGs was developed, and their interaction with the immune microenvironment may play a crucial role in the progression to castration resistance of PRAD. This novel approach provides valuable insights into the pathogenesis of PRAD and offers unexplored targets for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhao Wang
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200080, China
| | - Tiewen Li
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200080, China
| | - Zhiwen Xie
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200080, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200080, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200080, China
| | - Yuan Ruan
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200080, China.
| | - Bangmin Han
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200080, China.
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Liu S, Zhang Z, Jiang L, Zhang M, Zhang C, Shen L. Claudin-18.2 mediated interaction of gastric Cancer cells and Cancer-associated fibroblasts drives tumor progression. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:27. [PMID: 38200591 PMCID: PMC10777637 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01406-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Claudin-18.2 (CLDN18.2) has emerged as an alluring therapeutic target against gastrointestinal tumors in recent years. However, a thorough understanding of its regulatory mechanism in gastric cancer remains elusive. METHODS We presented a comprehensive study comprising 185 gastric cancer patients, which included 112 cases with high CLDN18.2 expression and 73 cases with low CLDN18.2 expression as determined by immunohistochemistry. After overdressed CLDN18.2 in AGS and NUGC4 cell lines, we elucidated the functions of CLDN18.2 in connecting gastric cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) through an in vitro adhesion models and in vivo lung colonization models. The molecular mechanism underlying CLDN18.2-mediated interaction between gastric cancer cells and CAFs was identified through RNA sequencing and protein-proximity labeling techniques in vivo. RESULTS In our own cohort, a correlation was observed between high levels of CLDN18.2 expression and advanced cancer stage, poor prognosis, and heightened infiltration of CAFs. We elucidated a pivotal role of CLDN18.2 in mediating adhesion between gastric cancer cells and CAFs, which leads to the adhesion of cancer cells to stroma tissue and facilitates the clustering of cancer cells and CAFs into embolus, enhancing gastric cancer's metastatic progression and the risk of embolic death. Mechanistically, it was discovered that CAFs can activate adhesion and metastasis-related signaling pathways in CLDN18.2-positive gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, using an in vivo protein-proximity labeling approach, we identified S100 calcium binding protein A4 (S100A4) as a distinctive marker of CAFs that interacts with CLDN18.2 to enhance gastric cancer progression. CONCLUSIONS Our findings illuminated the role of the CLDN18.2-mediated interaction between cancer cells and CAFs in promoting gastric cancer progression and embolism, thereby providing insight into potential therapeutic avenues for CLDN18.2 positive cancers. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengde Liu
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Zizhen Zhang
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Lei Jiang
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Miao Zhang
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, 100142, China
| | - Cheng Zhang
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, 100142, China.
| | - Lin Shen
- Key laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, 100142, China.
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Cappelletto A, Alfì E, Volf N, Vu TVA, Bortolotti F, Ciucci G, Vodret S, Fantuz M, Perin M, Colliva A, Rozzi G, Rossi M, Ruozi G, Zentilin L, Vuerich R, Borin D, Lapasin R, Piazza S, Chiesa M, Lorizio D, Triboli L, Kumar S, Morello G, Tripodo C, Pinamonti M, Piperno GM, Benvenuti F, Rustighi A, Jo H, Piccolo S, Del Sal G, Carrer A, Giacca M, Zacchigna S. EMID2 is a novel biotherapeutic for aggressive cancers identified by in vivo screening. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:15. [PMID: 38195652 PMCID: PMC10777502 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02942-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND New drugs to tackle the next pathway or mutation fueling cancer are constantly proposed, but 97% of them are doomed to fail in clinical trials, largely because they are identified by cellular or in silico screens that cannot predict their in vivo effect. METHODS We screened an Adeno-Associated Vector secretome library (> 1000 clones) directly in vivo in a mouse model of cancer and validated the therapeutic effect of the first hit, EMID2, in both orthotopic and genetic models of lung and pancreatic cancer. RESULTS EMID2 overexpression inhibited both tumor growth and metastatic dissemination, consistent with prolonged survival of patients with high levels of EMID2 expression in the most aggressive human cancers. Mechanistically, EMID2 inhibited TGFβ maturation and activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts, resulting in more elastic ECM and reduced levels of YAP in the nuclei of cancer cells. CONCLUSION This is the first in vivo screening, precisely designed to identify proteins able to interfere with cancer cell invasiveness. EMID2 was selected as the most potent protein, in line with the emerging relevance of the tumor extracellular matrix in controlling cancer cell invasiveness and dissemination, which kills most of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ambra Cappelletto
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Edoardo Alfì
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Nina Volf
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Thi Van Anh Vu
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Francesca Bortolotti
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Giulio Ciucci
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Simone Vodret
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Marco Fantuz
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy
- University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Martina Perin
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Andrea Colliva
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Giacomo Rozzi
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Matilde Rossi
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Giulia Ruozi
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Lorena Zentilin
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Roman Vuerich
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Daniele Borin
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Romano Lapasin
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Silvano Piazza
- Bioinformatics, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
- Bioinformatics Facility, Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | | | - Luca Triboli
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Cancer Cell Signaling, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Gaia Morello
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother-Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Claudio Tripodo
- Tumor Immunology Unit, Department of Sciences for Health Promotion and Mother-Child Care "G. D'Alessandro", University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- Histopathology Unit, Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation (IFOM), ETS - The AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pinamonti
- Pathology Department Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano-Isontina and University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Giulia Maria Piperno
- Cellular Immunology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Federica Benvenuti
- Cellular Immunology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandra Rustighi
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Cancer Cell Signaling, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Hanjoong Jo
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | - Giannino Del Sal
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Cancer Cell Signaling, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
- IFOM ETS, The AIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro Carrer
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padova, Italy
- University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Mauro Giacca
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
- King's College London, British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, London, UK
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Serena Zacchigna
- Cardiovascular Biology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy.
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
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