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Cavalluzzo B, Viuff MC, Tvingsholm SA, Ragone C, Manolio C, Mauriello A, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML, Izzo F, Morabito A, Hadrup SR, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Cross-reactive CD8 + T cell responses to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and homologous microbiota-derived antigens (MoAs). J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:87. [PMID: 38509571 PMCID: PMC10953141 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03004-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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have recently shown extensive sequence and conformational homology between tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and antigens derived from microorganisms (MoAs). The present study aimed to assess the breadth of T-cell recognition specific to MoAs and the corresponding TAAs in healthy subjects (HS) and patients with cancer (CP). METHOD A library of > 100 peptide-MHC (pMHC) combinations was used to generate DNA-barcode labelled multimers. Homologous peptides were selected from the Cancer Antigenic Peptide Database, as well as Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes-derived peptides. They were incubated with CD8 + T cells from the peripheral blood of HLA-A*02:01 healthy individuals (n = 10) and cancer patients (n = 16). T cell recognition was identified using tetramer-staining analysis. Cytotoxicity assay was performed using as target cells TAP-deficient T2 cells loaded with MoA or the paired TuA. RESULTS A total of 66 unique pMHC recognized by CD8+ T cells across all groups were identified. Of these, 21 epitopes from microbiota were identified as novel immunological targets. Reactivity against selected TAAs was observed for both HS and CP. pMHC tetramer staining confirmed CD8+ T cell populations cross-reacting with CTA SSX2 and paired microbiota epitopes. Moreover, PBMCs activated with the MoA where shown to release IFNγ as well as to exert cytotoxic activity against cells presenting the paired TuA. CONCLUSIONS Several predicted microbiota-derived MoAs are recognized by T cells in HS and CP. Reactivity against TAAs was observed also in HS, primed by the homologous bacterial antigens. CD8+ T cells cross-reacting with MAGE-A1 and paired microbiota epitopes were identified in three subjects. Therefore, the microbiota can elicit an extensive repertoire of natural memory T cells to TAAs, possibly able to control tumor growth ("natural anti-cancer vaccination"). In addition, non-self MoAs can be included in preventive/therapeutic off-the-shelf cancer vaccines with more potent anti-tumor efficacy than those based on TAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Marie Christine Viuff
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Siri Amanda Tvingsholm
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Izzo
- Hepatobiliary Surgical Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Morabito
- Thoracic Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Sine Reker Hadrup
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy.
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy.
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2
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Isaguliants MG, Ivanov AV, Buonaguro FM. Chronic Viral Infections and Cancer, Openings for Therapies and Vaccines. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:818. [PMID: 38398209 PMCID: PMC10886681 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16040818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Infections are responsible for approximately one out of six cases of cancer worldwide [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G. Isaguliants
- Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
| | - Alexander V. Ivanov
- Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy;
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Caponigro V, Tornesello AL, Merciai F, La Gioia D, Salviati E, Basilicata MG, Musella S, Izzo F, Megna AS, Buonaguro L, Sommella E, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML, Campiglia P. Integrated plasma metabolomics and lipidomics profiling highlights distinctive signature of hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV patients. J Transl Med 2023; 21:918. [PMID: 38110968 PMCID: PMC10729519 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04801-4] [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: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is essential towards the improvement of prognosis and patient survival. Circulating markers such as α-fetoprotein (AFP) and micro-RNAs represent useful tools but still have limitations. Identifying new markers can be fundamental to improve both diagnosis and prognosis. In this approach, we harness the potential of metabolomics and lipidomics to uncover potential signatures of HCC. METHODS A combined untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics plasma profiling of 102 HCV-positive patients was performed by HILIC and RP-UHPLC coupled to Mass Spectrometry. Biochemical parameters of liver function (AST, ALT, GGT) and liver cancer biomarkers (AFP, CA19.9 e CEA) were evaluated by standard assays. RESULTS HCC was characterized by an elevation of short and long-chain acylcarnitines, asymmetric dimethylarginine, methylguanine, isoleucylproline and a global reduction of lysophosphatidylcholines. A supervised PLS-DA model showed that the predictive accuracy for HCC class of metabolomics and lipidomics was superior to AFP for the test set (100.00% and 94.40% vs 55.00%). Additionally, the model was applied to HCC patients with AFP values < 20 ng/mL, and, by using only the top 20 variables selected by VIP scores achieved an Area Under Curve (AUC) performance of 0.94. CONCLUSION These exploratory findings highlight how metabo-lipidomics enables the distinction of HCC from chronic HCV conditions. The identified biomarkers have high diagnostic potential and could represent a viable tool to support and assist in HCC diagnosis, including AFP-negative patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicky Caponigro
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Anna L Tornesello
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Merciai
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Danila La Gioia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, SA, Italy
- PhD Program in Drug Discovery and Development, University of Salerno, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Emanuela Salviati
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Manuela G Basilicata
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Simona Musella
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - Francesco Izzo
- Hepatobiliary Surgical Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Angelo S Megna
- Infectious Disease Unit, A.O. San Pio, PO Rummo, 82100, Benevento, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Eduardo Sommella
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, SA, Italy.
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria L Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Pietro Campiglia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II 132, Fisciano, SA, Italy
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Tornesello ML, Cerasuolo A, Starita N, Amiranda S, Bonelli P, Tuccillo FM, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L, Tornesello AL. Reactivation of telomerase reverse transcriptase expression in cancer: the role of TERT promoter mutations. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1286683. [PMID: 38033865 PMCID: PMC10684755 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1286683] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase activity and telomere elongation are essential conditions for the unlimited proliferation of neoplastic cells. Point mutations in the core promoter region of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene have been found to occur at high frequencies in several tumour types and considered a primary cause of telomerase reactivation in cancer cells. These mutations promote TERT gene expression by multiple mechanisms, including the generation of novel binding sites for nuclear transcription factors, displacement of negative regulators from DNA G-quadruplexes, recruitment of epigenetic activators and disruption of long-range interactions between TERT locus and telomeres. Furthermore, TERT promoter mutations cooperate with TPP1 promoter nucleotide changes to lengthen telomeres and with mutated BRAF and FGFR3 oncoproteins to enhance oncogenic signalling in cancer cells. TERT promoter mutations have been recognized as an early marker of tumour development or a major indicator of poor outcome and reduced patients survival in several cancer types. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the role of TERT promoter mutations, telomerase expression and telomeres elongation in cancer development, their clinical significance and therapeutic opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Cerasuolo
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Noemy Starita
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Sara Amiranda
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Patrizia Bonelli
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Franca Maria Tuccillo
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
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Buonaguro L, Cavalluzzo B, Mauriello A, Ragone C, Tornesello AL, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML, Tagliamonte M. Microorganisms-derived antigens for preventive anti-cancer vaccines. Mol Aspects Med 2023; 92:101192. [PMID: 37295175 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2023.101192] [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: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cancer prevention is one of the aim with the highest priority in order to reduce the burden of cancer diagnosis and treatment on individuals as well as on healthcare systems. To this aim, vaccines represent the most efficient primary cancer prevention strategy. Indeed, anti-cancer immunological memory elicited by preventive vaccines might promptly expand and prevent tumor from progressing. Antigens derived from microorganisms (MoAs), represent the obvious target for developing highly effective preventive vaccines for virus-induced cancers. In this respect, the drastic reduction in cancer incidence following HBV and HPV preventive vaccines are the paradigmatic example of such evidence. More recently, experimental evidences suggest that MoAs may represent a "natural" anti-cancer preventive vaccination or can be exploited for developing vaccines to prevent cancers presenting highly homologous tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) (e.g. molecular mimicry). The present review describes the different preventive anti-cancer vaccines based on antigens derived from pathogens at the different stages of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
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6
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Sokolovska L, Isaguliants M, Buonaguro FM. Proceedings of the Online Conference "Vaccines and Vaccination during and Post COVID Pandemics" (7-9 December 2022). Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1175. [PMID: 37514990 PMCID: PMC10383049 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11071175] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic put focus on various aspects of vaccine research and development. These include mass vaccination strategies, vaccination compliance and hesitancy, acceptance of novel vaccine approaches, preclinical and animal models used to assess vaccine safety and efficacy, and many other related issues. These issues were addressed by the international online conference "Vaccines and Vaccination During and Post COVID Pandemics" (VAC&VAC 2022) held on the platform of Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia. Conference was supported by the International Society for Vaccines, the National Cancer Institute "Fondazione Pascale" (Naples, Italy), and the scientific journal VACCINES (mdpi). VAC&VAC 2022 attracted nearly 150 participants from 14 countries. This report summarizes conference presentations and their discussion. Sessions covered the topics of (1) COVID-19 vaccine development, evaluation, and attitude towards these vaccines, (2) HPV and cancer vaccines, (3) progress and challenges of HIV vaccine development, (4) new and re-emerging infectious threats, and (5) novel vaccine vehicles, adjuvants, and carriers. Each session was introduced by a plenary lecture from renowned experts from leading research institutions worldwide. The conference also included sessions on research funding and grant writing and an early career researcher contest in which the winners received monetary awards and a chance to publish their results free of charge in the special issue of VACCINES covering the meeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liba Sokolovska
- Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
| | - Maria Isaguliants
- Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Riga Stradins University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Experimental Oncology Department, National Cancer Institute 'Fondazione Pascale', 80131 Naples, Italy
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Tagliamonte M, Cavalluzzo B, Mauriello A, Ragone C, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro L. Molecular mimicry and cancer vaccine development. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:75. [PMID: 37101139 PMCID: PMC10131527 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01776-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of cancer immunotherapeutic strategies relies on the identification and validation of optimal target tumor antigens, which should be tumor-specific as well as able to elicit a swift and potent anti-tumor immune response. The vast majority of such strategies are based on tumor associated antigens (TAAs) which are shared wild type cellular self-epitopes highly expressed on tumor cells. Indeed, TAAs can be used to develop off-the-shelf cancer vaccines appropriate to all patients affected by the same malignancy. However, given that they may be also presented by HLAs on the surface of non-malignant cells, they may be possibly affected by immunological tolerance or elicit autoimmune responses. MAIN BODY In order to overcome such limitations, analogue peptides with improved antigenicity and immunogenicity able to elicit a cross-reactive T cell response are needed. To this aim, non-self-antigens derived from microorganisms (MoAs) may be of great benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tagliamonte
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
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Tornesello AL, Botti C, Micillo A, Labonia F, Arpino S, Isgrò MA, Meola S, Russo L, Cavalcanti E, Sale S, Nicastro C, Atripaldi L, Starita N, Cerasuolo A, Reimer U, Holenya P, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Immune profiling of SARS-CoV-2 epitopes in asymptomatic and symptomatic pediatric and adult patients. J Transl Med 2023; 21:123. [PMID: 36788606 PMCID: PMC9927035 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-03963-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has unpredictable manifestations of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and variable clinical course with some patients being asymptomatic whereas others experiencing severe respiratory distress, or even death. We aimed to evaluate the immunoglobulin G (IgG) response towards linear peptides on a peptide array containing sequences from SARS-CoV-2, Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS) and common-cold coronaviruses 229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1 antigens, in order to identify immunological indicators of disease outcome in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. METHODS We included in the study 79 subjects, comprising 19 pediatric and 30 adult SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with increasing disease severity, from mild to critical illness, and 30 uninfected subjects who were vaccinated with one dose of SARS-CoV-2 spike mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine. Serum samples were analyzed by a peptide microarray containing 5828 overlapping 15-mer synthetic peptides corresponding to the full SARS-CoV-2 proteome and selected linear epitopes of spike (S), envelope (E) and membrane (M) glycoproteins as well as nucleoprotein (N) of MERS, SARS and coronaviruses 229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1 (isolates 1, 2 and 5). RESULTS All patients exhibited high IgG reactivity against the central region and C-terminus peptides of both SARS-CoV-2 N and S proteins. Setting the threshold value for serum reactivity above 25,000 units, 100% and 81% of patients with severe disease, 36% and 29% of subjects with mild symptoms, and 8% and 17% of children younger than 8-years reacted against N and S proteins, respectively. Overall, the total number of peptides in the SARS-CoV-2 proteome targeted by serum samples was much higher in children compared to adults. Notably, we revealed a differential antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 peptides of M protein between adults, mainly reacting against the C-terminus epitopes, and children, who were highly responsive to the N-terminus of M protein. In addition, IgG signals against NS7B, NS8 and ORF10 peptides were found elevated mainly among adults with mild (63%) symptoms. Antibodies towards S and N proteins of other coronaviruses (MERS, 229E, OC43, NL63 and HKU1) were detected in all groups without a significant correlation with SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our results showed that antibodies elicited by specific linear epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 proteome are age dependent and related to COVID-19 clinical severity. Cross-reaction of antibodies to epitopes of other human coronaviruses was evident in all patients with distinct profiles between children and adult patients. Several SARS-CoV-2 peptides identified in this study are of particular interest for the development of vaccines and diagnostic tests to predict the clinical outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Chiara Botti
- grid.415247.10000 0004 1756 8081Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, 80129 Napoli, Italy
| | - Alberto Micillo
- grid.415247.10000 0004 1756 8081Laboratory of Clinical Pathology, Santobono-Pausilipon Children’s Hospital, 80129 Napoli, Italy
| | - Francesco Labonia
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Sergio Arpino
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta Isgrò
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Serena Meola
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Russo
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Ernesta Cavalcanti
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Silvia Sale
- UOC Biochimica Chimica, AORN Ospedali dei Colli P.O. Monaldi, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmine Nicastro
- UOC Biochimica Chimica, AORN Ospedali dei Colli P.O. Monaldi, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Atripaldi
- UOC Biochimica Chimica, AORN Ospedali dei Colli P.O. Monaldi, Naples, Italy
| | - Noemy Starita
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Cerasuolo
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Ulf Reimer
- grid.435562.3JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pavlo Holenya
- grid.435562.3JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- grid.508451.d0000 0004 1760 8805Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Tornesello ML, Cerasuolo A, Starita N, Tornesello AL, Bonelli P, Tuccillo FM, Buonaguro L, Isaguliants MG, Buonaguro FM. The Molecular Interplay between Human Oncoviruses and Telomerase in Cancer Development. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:5257. [PMID: 36358677 PMCID: PMC9659228 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14215257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Human oncoviruses are able to subvert telomerase function in cancer cells through multiple strategies. The activity of the catalytic subunit of telomerase (TERT) is universally enhanced in virus-related cancers. Viral oncoproteins, such as high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) E6, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) LMP1, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (HHV-8) LANA, hepatitis B virus (HBV) HBVx, hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein and human T-cell leukemia virus-1 (HTLV-1) Tax protein, interact with regulatory elements in the infected cells and contribute to the transcriptional activation of TERT gene. Specifically, viral oncoproteins have been shown to bind TERT promoter, to induce post-transcriptional alterations of TERT mRNA and to cause epigenetic modifications, which have important effects on the regulation of telomeric and extra-telomeric functions of the telomerase. Other viruses, such as herpesviruses, operate by integrating their genomes within the telomeres or by inducing alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) in non-ALT cells. In this review, we recapitulate on recent findings on virus-telomerase/telomeres interplay and the importance of TERT-related oncogenic pathways activated by cancer-causing viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Cerasuolo
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Noemy Starita
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Patrizia Bonelli
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Franca Maria Tuccillo
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Cancer Immunoregulation Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | | | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, Via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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10
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Manolio C, Ragone C, Cavalluzzo B, Mauriello A, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Salomone Megna A, D'Alessio G, Penta R, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Antigenic molecular mimicry in viral-mediated protection from cancer: the HIV case. Lab Invest 2022; 20:472. [PMID: 36243758 PMCID: PMC9569184 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03681-4] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) show a reduced incidence for three cancer types, namely breast, prostate and colon cancers. In the present study, we assessed whether a molecular mimicry between HIV epitopes and tumor associated antigens and, consequently, a T cell cross-reactivity could provide an explanation for such an epidemiological evidence. Methods Homology between published TAAs and non-self HIV-derived epitopes have been assessed by BLAST homology. Structural analyses have been performed by bioinformatics tools. Immunological validation of CD8+ T cell cross-reactivity has been evaluated ex vivo by tetramer staining. Findings Sequence homologies between multiple TAAs and HIV epitopes have been found. High structural similarities between the paired TAAs and HIV epitopes as well as comparable patterns of contact with HLA and TCR α and β chains have been observed. Furthermore, cross-reacting CD8+ T cells have been identified. Interpretation This is the first study showing a molecular mimicry between HIV antigens an TAAs identified in breast, prostate and colon cancers. Therefore, it is highly reasonable that memory CD8+ T cells elicited during the HIV infection may play a key role in controlling development and progression of such cancers in the PLWHA lifetime. This represents the first demonstration ever that a viral infection may induce a natural “preventive” anti-cancer memory T cells, with highly relevant implications beyond the HIV infection. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03681-4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Manolio
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | | | - Giovanna D'Alessio
- Division of Infectious Diseases, AORN San Pio Hospital, Benevento, Italy
| | - Roberta Penta
- Cellular Manipulation and Immunogenetics, Oncology Dep, Ba.S.C.O. Unit, AORN Santobono-Pausilipon, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy.
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11
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Ragone C, Manolio C, Mauriello A, Cavalluzzo B, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Molecular mimicry between tumor associated antigens and microbiota-derived epitopes. Lab Invest 2022; 20:316. [PMID: 35836198 PMCID: PMC9281086 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03512-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background The gut microbiota profile is unique for each individual and are composed by different bacteria species according to individual birth-to-infant transitions. In the last years, the local and systemic effects of microbiota on cancer onset, progression and response to treatments, such as immunotherapies, has been extensively described. Here we offer a new perspective, proposing a role for the microbiota based on the molecular mimicry of tumor associated antigens by microbiome-associated antigens. Methods In the present study we looked for homology between published TAAs and non-self microbiota-derived epitopes. Blast search for sequence homology was combined with extensive bioinformatics analyses. Results Several evidences for homology between TAAs and microbiota-derived antigens have been found. Strikingly, three cases of 100% homology between the paired sequences has been identified. The predicted average affinity to HLA molecules of microbiota-derived antigens is very high (< 100 nM). The structural conformation of the microbiota-derived epitopes is, in general, highly similar to the corresponding TAA. In some cases, it is identical and contact areas with both HLA and TCR chains are indistinguishable. Moreover, the spatial conformation of TCR-facing residues can be identical in paired TAA and microbiota-derived epitopes, with exactly the same values of planar as well as dihedral angles. Conclusions The data reported in the present study show for the first time the high homology in the linear sequence as well as in structure and conformation between TAAs and peptides derived from microbiota species of the Firmicutes and the Bacteroidetes phyla, which together account for 90% of gut microbiota. Cross-reacting CD8+ T cell responses are very likely induced. Therefore, the anti-microbiota T cell memory may turn out to be an anti-cancer T cell memory, able to control the growth of a cancer developed during the lifetime if the expressed TAA is similar to the microbiota epitope. This may ultimately represent a relevant selective advantage for cancer patients and may lead to a novel preventive anti-cancer vaccine strategy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-022-03512-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concetta Ragone
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori - IRCCS, "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori - IRCCS, "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori - IRCCS, "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori - IRCCS, "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori - IRCCS "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori - IRCCS "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori - IRCCS, "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori - IRCCS, "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy.
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12
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Isaguliants MG, Trotsenko I, Buonaguro FM. An overview of "Chronic viral infection and cancer, openings for vaccines" virtual symposium of the TechVac Network - December 16-17, 2021. Infect Agent Cancer 2022; 17:28. [PMID: 35804391 PMCID: PMC9263434 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-022-00436-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
This is a report on the research activities currently ongoing in virology, oncology and virus-associated cancers and possibilities of their treatment and prevention by vaccines and immunotherapies as outlined at the symposium “Chronic viral infection and cancer, openings for vaccines” virtually held on December 16–17, 2021. Experts from the various disciplines involved in the study of the complex relationships between solid tumors and viruses met to discuss recent developments in the field and to report their personal contributions to the specified topics. Secondary end point was to sustain the TECHVAC Network established in 2016 as a multidisciplinary work group specifically devoted to development of vaccines and immunotherapies against chronic viral infections and associated cancers, with the aim to identify areas of common interest, promote research cooperation, establish collaborative cross-border programs and projects, and to coordinate clinical and research activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria G Isaguliants
- Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia. .,Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Ivan Trotsenko
- Peoples Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Moscow, Russia
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori Fond Pascale, Naples, Italy.
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13
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Starita N, Pezzuto F, Sarno S, Losito NS, Perdonà S, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter and
PIK3CA
gene are common events in penile squamous cell carcinoma of Italian and Ugandan patients. Int J Cancer 2022; 150:1879-1888. [PMID: 35253909 PMCID: PMC9310576 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.33990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Penile carcinoma develops either through human papillomavirus (HPV) related or unrelated carcinogenic pathways. Genetic alterations and nucleotide changes in coding regions (ie, TP53, CDKN2A, PIK3CA and NOTCH1) are main cancer driver events either in HPV positive or in HPV negative tumours. We investigated the presence of hotspot nucleotide mutations in TERT promoter (TERTp) and PIK3CA exon 9 and their relationship with HPV status in 69 penile cancer cases from Italian and Ugandan patients. Genetic variations and viral sequences have been characterised by end‐point polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing. The mutant allele frequencies (MAFs) of TERTp −124A/−146A and PIK3CA E545K have been determined by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays. The results showed that TERTp mutations are highly prevalent in penile carcinoma (53.6%) and significantly more frequent in HPV negative (67.6%) than HPV positive (32.4%) cases (P = .0482). PIK3CA mutations were similarly distributed in virus‐related and unrelated cases (25.9% and 26.7%, respectively) and coexisted with TERTp changes in 15.8% of penile carcinoma samples. Notably, MAFs of co‐occurring mutations were frequently discordant indicating that PIK3CA E545K nucleotide changes are subsequent genetic events occurring in subclones of TERTp mutated cells. The frequencies of TERTp and PIK3CA mutations were higher among Italian compared to Ugandan cases and inversely correlated with the HPV status. In conclusion, TERTp mutations are very common in penile carcinoma and their coexistence with PIK3CA in a substantial number of cases may represent a novel oncogenic synergy relevant for patient stratification and use of therapeutic strategies against new actionable targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemy Starita
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology UnitIstituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. PascaleNaplesItaly
| | - Francesca Pezzuto
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology UnitIstituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. PascaleNaplesItaly
| | - Sabrina Sarno
- Department of PathologyIstituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. PascaleNaplesItaly
| | - Nunzia Simona Losito
- Department of PathologyIstituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. PascaleNaplesItaly
| | - Sisto Perdonà
- Urology UnitIstituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. PascaleNaplesItaly
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological ModelsIstituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. PascaleNaplesItaly
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology UnitIstituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. PascaleNaplesItaly
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology UnitIstituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione G. PascaleNaplesItaly
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14
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Mauriello A, Cavalluzzo B, Manolio C, Ragone C, Luciano A, Barbieri A, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Long-term memory T cells as preventive anticancer immunity elicited by TuA-derived heteroclitic peptides. J Transl Med 2021; 19:526. [PMID: 34952611 PMCID: PMC8709997 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-021-03194-6] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The host's immune system may be primed against antigens during the lifetime (e.g. microorganisms antigens-MoAs), and swiftly recalled upon growth of a tumor expressing antigens similar in sequence and structure. C57BL/6 mice were immunized in a preventive setting with tumor antigens (TuAs) or corresponding heteroclitic peptides specific for TC-1 and B16 cell lines. Immediately or 2-months after the end of the vaccination protocol, animals were implanted with cell lines. The specific anti-vaccine immune response as well as tumor growth were regularly evaluated for 2 months post-implantation. The preventive vaccination with TuA or their heteroclitic peptides (hPep) was able to delay (B16) or completely suppress (TC-1) tumor growth when cancer cells were implanted immediately after the end of the vaccination. More importantly, TC-1 tumor growth was significantly delayed, and suppressed in 6/8 animals, also when cells were implanted 2-months after the end of the vaccination. The vaccine-specific T cell response provided a strong immune correlate to the pattern of tumor growth. A preventive immunization with heteroclitic peptides resembling a TuA is able to strongly delay or even suppress tumor growth in a mouse model. More importantly, the same effect is observed also when tumor cells are implanted 2 months after the end of vaccination, which corresponds to 8 - 10 years in human life. The observed potent tumor control indicates that a memory T cell immunity elicited during the lifetime by a antigens similar to a TuA, i.e. viral antigens, may ultimately represent a great advantage for cancer patients and may lead to a novel preventive anti-cancer vaccine strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Mauriello
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Luciano
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Barbieri
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Mol Biol and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Mol Biol and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy.
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15
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Tagliamonte M, Mauriello A, Cavalluzzo B, Ragone C, Manolio C, Luciano A, Barbieri A, Palma G, Scognamiglio G, Di Mauro A, Di Bonito M, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Vitagliano L, Caporale A, Ruvo M, Buonaguro L. MHC-Optimized Peptide Scaffold for Improved Antigen Presentation and Anti-Tumor Response. Front Immunol 2021; 12:769799. [PMID: 34745146 PMCID: PMC8564487 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.769799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor Associated Antigens (TAAs) may suffer from an immunological tolerance due to expression on normal cells. In order to potentiate their immunogenicity, heteroclitic peptides (htcPep) were designed according to prediction algorithms. In particular, specific modifications were introduced in peptide residues facing to TCR. Moreover, a MHC-optimized scaffold was designed for improved antigen presentation to TCR by H-2Db allele. The efficacy of such htcPep was assessed in C57BL/6 mice injected with syngeneic melanoma B16F10 or lung TC1 tumor cell lines, in combination with metronomic chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. The immunogenicity of htcPep was significantly stronger than the corresponding wt peptide and the modification involving both MHC and TCR binding residues scored the strongest. In particular, the H-2Db-specific scaffold significantly potentiated the peptides' immunogenicity and control of tumor growth was comparable to wt peptide in a therapeutic setting. Overall, we demonstrated that modified TAAs show higher immunogenicity compared to wt peptide. In particular, the MHC-optimized scaffold can present different antigen sequences to TCR, retaining the conformational characteristics of the corresponding wt. Cross-reacting CD8+ T cells are elicited and efficiently kill tumor cells presenting the wild-type antigen. This novel approach can be of high clinical relevance in cancer vaccine development.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigen Presentation/drug effects
- Antigen Presentation/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/administration & dosage
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Cancer Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Cancer Vaccines/immunology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Combined Modality Therapy
- Female
- Histocompatibility Antigens/immunology
- Humans
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Neoplasms, Experimental/immunology
- Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism
- Neoplasms, Experimental/prevention & control
- Peptides/immunology
- Peptides/metabolism
- Protein Binding
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Treatment Outcome
- Tumor Burden/drug effects
- Tumor Burden/immunology
- Vaccines, Subunit/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, Subunit/immunology
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Luciano
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Barbieri
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Palma
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Giosuè Scognamiglio
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Annabella Di Mauro
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Maurizio Di Bonito
- Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Vitagliano
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute of Biostructures and Bioimaging, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Lab, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) - “Fond G. Pascale”, Naples, Italy
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16
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Ragone C, Meola S, Fiorillo PC, Penta R, Auriemma L, Tornesello ML, Miscio L, Cavalcanti E, Botti G, Buonaguro FM, Bianchi A, Buonaguro L, Tagliamonte M. HLA Does Not Impact on Short-Medium-Term Antibody Response to Preventive Anti-SARS-Cov-2 Vaccine. Front Immunol 2021; 12:734689. [PMID: 34386018 PMCID: PMC8353253 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.734689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The response to anti-SARS-Cov-2 preventive vaccine shows high interpersonal variability at short and medium term. One of the explanations might be the individual HLA allelic variants. Indeed, B cell response is stimulated and sustained by CD4+ T helper cells activated by antigens presented by HLA-class II alleles on antigen-presenting cells (APCs). The impact of the number of antigens binding to HLA class-II alleles on the antibody response to the COVID vaccine has been assessed in a cohort of 56 healthcare workers who received the full schedule of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine. Such vaccine is based on the entire spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2. Ab titers have been evaluated 2 weeks after the first dose as well as 2 weeks and 4 months after the boosting dose. HLA-DRB1 and DBQ1 for each of the vaccinees have been assessed, and strong binders have been predicted. The analysis showed no significant correlation between the short-medium-term Ab titers and the number of strong binders (SB) for each individual. These results indicate that levels of Ab response to the spike glycoprotein is not dependent on HLA class II allele, suggesting an equivalent efficacy at global level of the currently used vaccines. Furthermore, the pattern of persistence in Ab titer does not correlate with specific alleles or with the number of SBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Serena Meola
- Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Pasqualina C Fiorillo
- Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Roberta Penta
- Ba.S.C.O. Unit, Cellular Manipulation and Immunogenetics, Oncology Department, AORN Santobono-Pausilipon, Naples, Italy
| | - Laura Auriemma
- Ba.S.C.O. Unit, Cellular Manipulation and Immunogenetics, Oncology Department, AORN Santobono-Pausilipon, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Leonardo Miscio
- Medical Direction, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Ernesta Cavalcanti
- Laboratory Medicine Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Scientific Direction, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Attilio Bianchi
- General Direction, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Naples, Italy
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17
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Ragone C, Manolio C, Cavalluzzo B, Mauriello A, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Castiglione F, Vitagliano L, Iaccarino E, Ruvo M, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Identification and validation of viral antigens sharing sequence and structural homology with tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-002694. [PMID: 34049932 PMCID: PMC8166618 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-002694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The host’s immune system develops in equilibrium with both cellular self-antigens and non-self-antigens derived from microorganisms which enter the body during lifetime. In addition, during the years, a tumor may arise presenting to the immune system an additional pool of non-self-antigens, namely tumor antigens (tumor-associated antigens, TAAs; tumor-specific antigens, TSAs). Methods In the present study, we looked for homology between published TAAs and non-self-viral-derived epitopes. Bioinformatics analyses and ex vivo immunological validations have been performed. Results Surprisingly, several of such homologies have been found. Moreover, structural similarities between paired TAAs and viral peptides as well as comparable patterns of contact with HLA and T cell receptor (TCR) α and β chains have been observed. Therefore, the two classes of non-self-antigens (viral antigens and tumor antigens) may converge, eliciting cross-reacting CD8+ T cell responses which possibly drive the fate of cancer development and progression. Conclusions An established antiviral T cell memory may turn out to be an anticancer T cell memory, able to control the growth of a cancer developed during the lifetime if the expressed TAA is similar to the viral epitope. This may ultimately represent a relevant selective advantage for patients with cancer and may lead to a novel preventive anticancer vaccine strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Concetta Ragone
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Esperimental Oncology - Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Esperimental Oncology - Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Menotti Ruvo
- Institute for Biostructures and Bioimages, CNR, Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Experimental Oncology - Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
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18
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Isaguliants M, Krasnyak S, Smirnova O, Colonna V, Apolikhin O, Buonaguro FM. Genetic instability and anti-HPV immune response as drivers of infertility associated with HPV infection. Infect Agent Cancer 2021; 16:29. [PMID: 33971936 PMCID: PMC8111735 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-021-00368-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection common among men and women of reproductive age worldwide. HPV viruses are associated with epithelial lesions and cancers. HPV infections have been shown to be significantly associated with many adverse effects in reproductive function. Infection with HPVs, specifically of high-oncogenic risk types (HR HPVs), affects different stages of human reproduction, resulting in a series of adverse outcomes: 1) reduction of male fertility (male infertility), characterized by qualitative and quantitative semen alterations; 2) impairment of couple fertility with increase of blastocyst apoptosis and reduction of endometrial implantation of trophoblastic cells; 3) defects of embryos and fetal development, with increase of spontaneous abortion and spontaneous preterm birth. The actual molecular mechanism(s) by which HPV infection is involved remain unclear. HPV-associated infertility as Janus, has two faces: one reflecting anti-HPV immunity, and the other, direct pathogenic effects of HPVs, specifically, of HR HPVs on the infected/HPV-replicating cells. Adverse effects observed for HR HPVs differ depending on the genotype of infecting virus, reflecting differential response of the host immune system as well as functional differences between HPVs and their individual proteins/antigens, including their ability to induce genetic instability/DNA damage. Review summarizes HPV involvement in all reproductive stages, evaluate the adverse role(s) played by HPVs, and identifies mechanisms of viral pathogenicity, common as well as specific for each stage of the reproduction process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Isaguliants
- N.F. Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, Russia. .,Chumakov Federal Scientific Center for Research and Development of Immune-and-Biological Products of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. .,Riga Stradiņs University, Riga, Latvia. .,Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Stepan Krasnyak
- Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology named after N.A. Lopatkin, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga Smirnova
- N.F. Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, Russia.,Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.,Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedecine, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Vincenza Colonna
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "Adriano Buzzati-Traverso", National Research Council, Naples, Italy
| | - Oleg Apolikhin
- Research Institute of Urology and Interventional Radiology named after N.A. Lopatkin, Moscow, Russia
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De Re V, Tornesello ML, De Zorzi M, Caggiari L, Pezzuto F, Leone P, Racanelli V, Lauletta G, Zanussi S, Repetto O, Gragnani L, Rossi FM, Dolcetti R, Zignego AL, Buonaguro FM, Steffan A. PDCD1 and IFNL4 genetic variants and risk of developing hepatitis C virus-related diseases. Liver Int 2021; 41:133-149. [PMID: 32937024 PMCID: PMC7839592 DOI: 10.1111/liv.14667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic variants of IFNL4 and PDCD1 genes have been shown to influence the spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We investigated the IFNL4 rs12979860 and the PDCD1 polymorphisms in 734 HCV-positive patients, including 461 cases with liver disease of varying severity and 273 patients with lymphoproliferative disorders to determine the association of these genes with patient's outcome. METHODS Expression levels of PDCD1 mRNA encoded by haplotypes were investigated by quantitative PCR in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1. RESULTS The frequency of IFNL4 rs12979860 C/T or T/T genotypes was significantly higher in patients with HCV-related diseases than blood donors (P < .0001). Patients expressing the IFNλ4 variant with one amino acid change that reduces IFNλ4 secretion was found increased in frequency in HCV-related diseases compared to HCC PDCD1 mRNA levels in HCC tissue were significantly higher in cases carrying the PD-1.3 A or the PD-1.7 G allele (P = .0025 and P = .0167). Linkage disequilibrium (LD) between PD-1.3 and IFNL4 was found in patients with mixed cryoglobulinaemia (MC) only (LD = 0 in HCC; LD = 72 in MC). PBMCs of MC patients expressed low levels of PD-L1 in CD19+IgM+B cells and of PD-1 in CD4+T cells suggesting the involvement of regulatory B cell-T cell interaction to the pathogenesis of MC. CONCLUSION Collectively, our data indicate an important contribution of IFNλ4 expression to the development of HCV-related HCC and an epistatic contribution of IFNL4 and PDCD1 in MC. LAY SUMMARY Studies of IFNL4 and PDCD1 genes are helpful to better understand the role of host genetic factors and immune antigens influencing the outcome of HCV-related diseases. Our data support an association between the expression of IFNλ4, which prevents the expression of IFNλ3, with all the different HCV-related diseases studied, and besides, evidence that a higher IFNλ4 expression is associated with hepatocellular at a younger age. The expression pattern of low PD-L1 on B cells and high PD-1 on CD4+T-cells in patients with HCV-positive cryoglobulinaemia suggests a critical role of the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling in modulating B cell-T cell interaction in this lymphoproliferative disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valli De Re
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers/Bioproteomic facilityDepartment of Translational ResearchCentro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO) IRCCSCancer InstituteAvianoItaly
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular biologyviral oncology Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale"NapoliItaly
| | - Mariangela De Zorzi
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers/Bioproteomic facilityDepartment of Translational ResearchCentro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO) IRCCSCancer InstituteAvianoItaly
| | - Laura Caggiari
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers/Bioproteomic facilityDepartment of Translational ResearchCentro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO) IRCCSCancer InstituteAvianoItaly
| | - Francesca Pezzuto
- Molecular biologyviral oncology Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale"NapoliItaly
| | - Patrizia Leone
- Biomedical Sciences and Human OncologyUniversity of Bari Medical SchoolBariItaly
| | - Vito Racanelli
- Biomedical Sciences and Human OncologyUniversity of Bari Medical SchoolBariItaly
| | - Gianfranco Lauletta
- Biomedical Sciences and Human OncologyUniversity of Bari Medical SchoolBariItaly
| | - Stefania Zanussi
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers/Bioproteomic facilityDepartment of Translational ResearchCentro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO) IRCCSCancer InstituteAvianoItaly
| | - Ombretta Repetto
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers/Bioproteomic facilityDepartment of Translational ResearchCentro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO) IRCCSCancer InstituteAvianoItaly
| | - Laura Gragnani
- Center for Systemic Manifestations of Hepatitis Viruses (MaSVE)Internal Medicine and Liver UnitDepartment of Experimental and Clinical MedicineCareggi University Hospital, Florence, ItalyFlorenceItaly
| | - Francesca Maria Rossi
- Clinical and Experimental Onco‐Hematology UnitCentro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO) IRCCSAviano (PN)Italy
| | - Riccardo Dolcetti
- The University of Queensland Diamantina InstituteTranslational Research InstituteBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Anna Linda Zignego
- Center for Systemic Manifestations of Hepatitis Viruses (MaSVE)Internal Medicine and Liver UnitDepartment of Experimental and Clinical MedicineCareggi University Hospital, Florence, ItalyFlorenceItaly
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular biologyviral oncology Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale"NapoliItaly
| | - Agostino Steffan
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers/Bioproteomic facilityDepartment of Translational ResearchCentro di Riferimento Oncologico (CRO) IRCCSCancer InstituteAvianoItaly
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20
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Buonaguro FM, Botti G, Ascierto PA, Pignata S, Ionna F, Delrio P, Petrillo A, Cavalcanti E, Di Bonito M, Perdonà S, De Laurentiis M, Fiore F, Palaia R, Izzo F, D'Auria S, Rossi V, Menegozzo S, Piccirillo M, Celentano E, Cuomo A, Normanno N, Tornesello ML, Saviano R, Barberio D, Buonaguro L, Giannoni G, Muto P, Miscio L, Bianchi AAM. The clinical and translational research activities at the INT - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale" cancer center (Naples, Italy) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Infect Agent Cancer 2020; 15:69. [PMID: 33292365 PMCID: PMC7681193 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-020-00330-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic following the outbreak in China and Western Europe, where it finally lost the momentum, is now devastating North and South America. It has not been identified the reason and the molecular mechanisms of the two different patterns of the pulmonary host responses to the virus from a minimal disease in young subjects to a severe distress syndrome (ARDS) in older subjects, particularly those with previous chronic diseases (including diabetes) and cancer. The Management of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale" in Naples (INT-Pascale), along with all Health professionals decided not to interrupt the treatment of those hospitalized and to continue, even if after a careful triage in order not to allow SARS-CoV-2 positive subjects to access, to take care of cancer patients with serious conditions. Although very few (n = 3) patients developed a symptomatic COVID-19 and required the transfer to a COVID-19 area of the Institute, no patients died during the hospitalization and completed their oncology treatment. Besides monitoring of the patients, all employees of the Institute (physicians, nurses, researchers, lawyers, accountants, gatekeepers, guardians, janitors) have been tested for a possible exposure. Personnel identified as positive, has been promptly subjected to home quarantine and subdued to health surveillance. One severe case of respiratory distress has been reported in a positive employees and one death of a family member. Further steps to home monitoring of COVID-19 clinical course have been taken with the development of remote Wi-Fi connected digital devices for the detection of early signs of respiratory distress, including heart rate and oxygen saturation.In conclusion cancer care has been performed and continued safely also during COVID-19 pandemic and further remote home strategies are in progress to ensure the appropriate monitoring of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Sandro Pignata
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco Ionna
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Paolo Delrio
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Sisto Perdonà
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Francesco Fiore
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaele Palaia
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Izzo
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Stefania D'Auria
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Virginia Rossi
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Simona Menegozzo
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Mauro Piccirillo
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Egidio Celentano
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Arturo Cuomo
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Nicola Normanno
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Rocco Saviano
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Daniela Barberio
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Muto
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Leonardo Miscio
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, Naples, Italy
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21
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paolo A Ascierto
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori-IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Gene D Morse
- Center for Integrated Global Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori-IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Igor Puzanov
- Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | | | - Christian Bréchot
- Global Virus Network, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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22
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Cerasuolo A, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. The Role of RNA Splicing Factors in Cancer: Regulation of Viral and Human Gene Expression in Human Papillomavirus-Related Cervical Cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:474. [PMID: 32596243 PMCID: PMC7303290 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The spliceosomal complex components, together with the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) and serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins, regulate the process of constitutive and alternative splicing, the latter leading to the production of mRNA isoforms coding multiple proteins from a single pre-mRNA molecule. The expression of splicing factors is frequently deregulated in different cancer types causing the generation of oncogenic proteins involved in cancer hallmarks. Cervical cancer is caused by persistent infection with oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and constitutive expression of viral oncogenes. The aberrant activity of hnRNPs and SR proteins in cervical neoplasia has been shown to trigger the production of oncoproteins through the processing of pre-mRNA transcripts either derived from human genes or HPV genomes. Indeed, hnRNP and SR splicing factors have been shown to regulate the production of viral oncoprotein isoforms necessary for the completion of viral life cycle and for cell transformation. Target-therapy strategies against hnRNPs and SR proteins, causing simultaneous reduction of oncogenic factors and inhibition of HPV replication, are under development. In this review, we describe the current knowledge of the functional link between RNA splicing factors and deregulated cellular as well as viral RNA maturation in cervical cancer and the opportunity of new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumouri IRCCS–Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy
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23
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Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM. Knowledge-based repositioning of the anti-HCV direct antiviral agent Sofosbuvir as SARS-CoV-2 treatment. Infect Agent Cancer 2020; 15:32. [PMID: 32419838 PMCID: PMC7215134 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-020-00302-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The new human coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-sense RNA virus for which no specific drugs are currently available. A knowledge-based analysis strongly suggests a possible repositioning of the anti-HCV direct antiviral agent (DAA) Sofosbuvir as treatment for SARS-CoV-2. Indeed, the RNA-dependent RNA-polymerases (RdRp) of the two viruses show high sequence and structural homology, supporting the likelihood of binding the Sofosbuvir molecule with similar efficiency. Such a repositioning would allow the containment of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and limit the progression of disease to potentially deadly COVID19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, “Fondazione Pascale” – IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, “Fondazione Pascale” – IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola 52, 80131 Naples, Italy
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24
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Buonaguro L, Tagliamonte M, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM. SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase as target for antiviral therapy. J Transl Med 2020; 18:185. [PMID: 32370758 PMCID: PMC7200052 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02355-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A new human coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 was identified in several cases of acute respiratory syndrome in Wuhan, China in December 2019. On March 11 2020, WHO declared the SARS-CoV-2 infection to be a pandemic, based on the involvement of 169 nations. Specific drugs for SARS-CoV-2 are obviously not available. Currently, drugs originally developed for other viruses or parasites are currently in clinical trials based on empiric data. In the quest of an effective antiviral drug, the most specific target for an RNA virus is the RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) which shows significant differences between positive-sense and negative-sense RNA viruses. An accurate evaluation of RdRps from different viruses may guide the development of new drugs or the repositioning of already approved antiviral drugs as treatment of SARS-CoV-2. This can accelerate the containment of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and, hopefully, of future pandemics due to other emerging zoonotic RNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 52, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, 80131, Naples, Italy
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25
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Tornesello AL, Tagliamonte M, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L. Nanoparticles to Improve the Efficacy of Peptide-Based Cancer Vaccines. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1049. [PMID: 32340356 PMCID: PMC7226445 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12041049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanoparticles represent a potent antigen presentation and delivery system to elicit an optimal immune response by effector cells targeting tumor-associated antigens expressed by cancer cells. Many types of nanoparticles have been developed, such as polymeric complexes, liposomes, micelles and protein-based structures such as virus like particles. All of them show promising results for immunotherapy approaches. In particular, the immunogenicity of peptide-based cancer vaccines can be significantly potentiated by nanoparticles. Indeed, nanoparticles are able to enhance the targeting of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and trigger cytokine production for optimal T cell response. The present review summarizes the categories of nanoparticles and peptide cancer vaccines which are currently under pre-clinical evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (M.L.T.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy;
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (M.L.T.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy; (M.L.T.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, via Mariano Semmola, 80131 Napoli, Italy;
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Mauriello A, Manolio C, Cavalluzzo B, Avallone A, Borrelli M, Morabito A, Iovine E, Chambery A, Russo R, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Immunological effects of adjuvants in subsets of antigen presenting cells of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. J Transl Med 2020; 18:34. [PMID: 31973714 PMCID: PMC6977281 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02218-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background We have previously shown that HCC patients and healthy subjects are equally responsive to a RNAdjuvant®, a novel TLR-7/8/RIG-I agonist based on noncoding RNA developed by CureVac, by an ex vivo evaluation. However, the immunological effect of adjuvants on immune cells from cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy remains to be demonstrated. Different adjuvants currently used in cancer vaccine clinical trials were evaluated in the present study on immune cells from cancer patients before and after chemotherapy in an ex vivo setting. Methods PBMCs were obtained from 4 healthy volunteers and 23 patients affected by either colon (OMA) or lung cancer (OT). The effect of CpG, Poly I:C, Imiquimod and RNA-based adjuvant (RNAdjuvant®) was assessed using a multiparametric approach to analyze network dynamics of early immune responses. Evaluation of CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR expression as well as the downstream effect on CD4+ T cell phenotyping was performed by flow cytometry; cytokine and chemokine production was evaluated by Bio-Plex ProTM. Results Treatment with RNAdjuvant® induced the strongest response in cancer patients in terms of activation of innate and adoptive immunity. Indeed, CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR expression was found upregulated in circulating dendritic cells, which promoted a CD4+ T cell differentiation towards an effector phenotype. RNAdjuvant® was the only one to induce most of the cytokines/chemokines tested with a pronounced Th1 cytokine pattern. According to the different parameters evaluated in the study, no clear cut difference in immune response to adjuvants was observed between healthy subjects and cancer patients. Moreover, in the latter group, the chemotherapy treatment did not consistently correlate to a significant altered response in the different parameters. Conclusions The present study is the first analysis of immunological effects induced by adjuvants in cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy, who are enrolled in the currently ongoing cancer vaccine clinical trials. The results show that the RNAdjuvant® is a potent and Th1 driving adjuvant, compared to those tested in the present study. Most importantly, it is demonstrated that chemotherapy does not significantly impair the immune system, implying that cancer patients are likely to respond to a cancer vaccine even after a chemotherapy treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Mauriello
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Avallone
- GI Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Borrelli
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Morabito
- Thoracic Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Emanuele Iovine
- Thoracic Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Chambery
- Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology Dept, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Rosita Russo
- Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Science and Technology Dept, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, IRCCS "Fondazione Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy.
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Mauriello A, Zeuli R, Cavalluzzo B, Petrizzo A, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Ceccarelli M, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. High Somatic Mutation and Neoantigen Burden Do Not Correlate with Decreased Progression-Free Survival in HCC Patients not Undergoing Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11121824. [PMID: 31756926 PMCID: PMC6966682 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11121824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer genome instability leads to accumulation of mutations which may result into tumor-specific mutated “neoantigens”, not be affected by central T-cell tolerance. Such neoantigens are considered the optimal target for the patient’s anti-tumor T cell immunity as well as for personalized cancer immunotherapy strategies. However, only a minor fraction of predicted neoantigens are relevant to the clinical outcome. In the present study, a prediction algorithm was applied using datasets of RNA sequencing from all 377 Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients available at The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), to predict neoantigens to be presented by each patient’s autologous HLA molecules. Correlation with patients’ survival was performed on the 115 samples for whom the exact date of death was known. A total of 30 samples were used for the training set, and 85 samples were used for the validation sets. Neither the somatic mutations nor the number nor the quality of the predicted neoantigens correlate as single parameter with survival of HCC patients who do not undergo immunotherapy treatment. Furthermore, the preferential presentation of such neoantigens in the context of one of the major histocompatibility complex MHC class I molecules does not have an impact on the survival. On the contrary, the expression of Granzyme A (GZMA) is significantly correlated with survival and, in the context of high GZMA, a direct correlation between number and quality of neoantigens with survival is observed. This is in striking contrast to results described in cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy, in which a strong correlation between Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB), number of predicted neoantigens and survival has been reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Mauriello
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori IRCCS, “Fondazione Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (B.C.); (A.P.)
| | - Roberta Zeuli
- Science and Technology Dept, University del Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy; (R.Z.); (M.C.)
- BIOGEM S.c.a.r.l., 83031 Ariano Iprino, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori IRCCS, “Fondazione Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (B.C.); (A.P.)
| | - Annacarmen Petrizzo
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori IRCCS, “Fondazione Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (B.C.); (A.P.)
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, “Fondazione Pascale”-IRCCS, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.L.T.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, “Fondazione Pascale”-IRCCS, 80131 Naples, Italy; (M.L.T.); (F.M.B.)
| | - Michele Ceccarelli
- Science and Technology Dept, University del Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy; (R.Z.); (M.C.)
- BIOGEM S.c.a.r.l., 83031 Ariano Iprino, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori IRCCS, “Fondazione Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (B.C.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence: (M.T.); (L.B.); Tel.: +39-081-5903-624 (M.T.); +39-081-5903-296 (L.B.); Fax: +39-081-5451-276 (L.B.)
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori IRCCS, “Fondazione Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy; (A.M.); (B.C.); (A.P.)
- Correspondence: (M.T.); (L.B.); Tel.: +39-081-5903-624 (M.T.); +39-081-5903-296 (L.B.); Fax: +39-081-5451-276 (L.B.)
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Tagliamonte M, Mauriello A, Zeuli R, Petrizzo A, Tornesello ML, Ceccarelli M, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L. Abstract 1198: Neoantigen load, tumor immune infiltration and prediction of survival in HCC patients. Cancer Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2019-1198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Predicted neoantigens can be relevant to the clinical outcome only when their affinity to MHC I molecule is significantly higher than the corresponding wild type peptide, and when they do not show any homology to unrelated self antigens (e.g. true predicted neoantigens - TPNAs). In addition, they may show homology to pathogen-derived antigens, representing a “super” neoantigen if the patient is immunologically primed. A novel algorithm for prediction of TPNAs presented by each patient's autologous HLA molecules was applied to datasets of all 377 HCC patients available at The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The number of neoantigens was highly variable between different HCC patients with an average of 14.5 per sample. However, considering those with the highest predicted antigenic quality, the average of neoantigens per samples with such parameters dropped down to 1.5. Results showed that patients’ survival did not correlate with the quantity nor the quality of neoantigens. However, only when the cytotoxic activity of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes was low, a correlation between neoantigens and survival was observed, suggesting that in this setting a higher number of neoantigens is required for a more pronounced efficacy on the patients’ survival. Predicted neoantigens with homology to unrelated self antigens or pathogen-derived antigens were identified. Nevertheless, a single neoantigen per patient with such a homology did not influence patients’ survival. The same algorithm was applied to a cohort of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients enrolled at our Institute, confirming the results obtained on the TCGA cohort. Interestingly, TPNAs with highest homology to pathogen’s antigens were found in the only HCC long-term survival patient. A pre-existing T cell immunity specific for these TPNAs was revealed in the patient, possibly explaining the favourable clinical outcome. In conclusion, the new algorithm allowed the identification of the very few TPNAs in HCC samples. The relevance of quantity and quality of neoantigens in the evolution of HCC without treatment with checkpoint inhibitors (CI) appears to be less central, unless the tumor cytotoxic lymphocyte infiltration is low. The identification in a single patient, of a primed immunity against a neoantigen homologous to a pathogen-derived antigen, can possibly explain the long term survival. Therefore, the identification of high quality neoantigens remains a priority for developing personalized active immunotherapies also in the HCC model characterized by a low mutational burden.
Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting.
Citation Format: Maria Tagliamonte, Angela Mauriello, Roberta Zeuli, Annacarmen Petrizzo, Maria Lina Tornesello, Michele Ceccarelli, Franco M. Buonaguro, Luigi Buonaguro. Neoantigen load, tumor immune infiltration and prediction of survival in HCC patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1198.
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De Re V, Tornesello ML, De Zorzi M, Caggiari L, Pezzuto F, Leone P, Racanelli V, Lauletta G, Gragnani L, Buonadonna A, Vaccher E, Zignego AL, Steffan A, Buonaguro FM. Clinical Significance of Polymorphisms in Immune Response Genes in Hepatitis C-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:475. [PMID: 30930876 PMCID: PMC6429030 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims: Polymorphisms in the immune response genes can contribute to clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection but also mediate liver inflammation and cancer pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the association of polymorphisms in PD-1 (PDCD1), IFNL3 (IL28B), and TLR2 immune related genes in chronic HCV patients with different hepatic and lymphoproliferative HCV-related diseases. Methods: Selected PDCD1, IFNL3, and TLR2 genes were tested by molecular approaches in 450 HCV-positive patients with increasing severity of underlying liver diseases [including chronic infection (CHC), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)], in 238 HCV-positive patients with lymphoproliferative diseases [such as cryoglobulinemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL)] and in 94 blood donors (BD). Results: While the rs12979860 IFNL3 T allele was found a good marker associated with HCV-outcome together with the rs111200466 TLR2 del variant, the rs10204525 PD-1.6 A allele was found to have an insignificant role in patients with HCV-related hepatic disorders. Though in Asian patients the combination of IFNL3 and PD-1.6 markers better define the HCV-related outcomes, in our series of Caucasian patients the PD-1.6 A-allele variant was observed very rarely. Conclusion: Differences in the incidence of HCV-related HCC and clinical response between Asians and Europeans may be partially due to the distribution of PD-1.6 genotype that we found divergent between these two populations. On the other hand, we confirmed in this study that the polymorphic variants within IFNL3 and TLR2 immune response genes are significantly associated with HCV-related disease progression in our cohort of Italian patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valli De Re
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
| | | | | | - Laura Caggiari
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
| | - Francesca Pezzuto
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Patrizia Leone
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of Internal Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Vito Racanelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of Internal Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Lauletta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Section of Internal Medicine, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Laura Gragnani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine and Department of Oncology, Interdepartmental Hepatology Center MASVE, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi (AOUC), Florence, Italy
| | | | - Emanuela Vaccher
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
| | - Anna Linda Zignego
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine and Department of Oncology, Interdepartmental Hepatology Center MASVE, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi (AOUC), Florence, Italy
| | - Agostino Steffan
- Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
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Petrizzo A, Tagliamonte M, Mauriello A, Costa V, Aprile M, Esposito R, Caporale A, Luciano A, Arra C, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L. Unique true predicted neoantigens (TPNAs) correlates with anti-tumor immune control in HCC patients. J Transl Med 2018; 16:286. [PMID: 30340600 PMCID: PMC6194606 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-018-1662-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A novel prediction algorithm is needed for the identification of effective tumor associated mutated neoantigens. Only those with no homology to self wild type antigens are true predicted neoantigens (TPNAs) and can elicit an antitumor T cell response, not attenuated by central tolerance. To this aim, the mutational landscape was evaluated in HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods Liver tumor biopsies and adjacent non-tumor liver tissues were obtained from 9 HCV-chronically infected subjects and subjected to RNA-Seq analysis. Mutant peptides were derived from single nucleotide variations and TPNAs were predicted using two prediction servers (e.g. NetTepi and NetMHCstabpan) by comparison with corresponding wild-type sequences, non-related self and pathogen-related antigens. Immunological confirmation was obtained in preclinical as well as clinical setting. Results The development of such an improved algorithm resulted in a handful of TPNAs despite the large number of predicted neoantigens. Furthermore, TPNAs may share homology to pathogen’s antigens and be targeted by a pre-existing T cell immunity. Cross-reactivity between such antigens was confirmed in an experimental pre-clinical setting. Finally, TPNAs homologous to pathogen’s antigens were found in the only HCC long-term survival patient, suggesting a correlation between the pre-existing T cell immunity specific for these TPNAs and the favourable clinical outcome. Conclusions The new algorithm allowed the identification of the very few TPNAs in cancer cells, and those targeted by a pre-existing immunity strongly correlated with long-term survival. Only such TPNAs represent the optimal candidates for immunotherapy strategies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12967-018-1662-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annacarmen Petrizzo
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Valerio Costa
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "A. Buzzati-Traverso" (IGB), National Research Council, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Marianna Aprile
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "A. Buzzati-Traverso" (IGB), National Research Council, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Roberta Esposito
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics "A. Buzzati-Traverso" (IGB), National Research Council, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Caporale
- Institute of Biostructures and Biomaging (IBB), National Research Council, 80134, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Luciano
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudio Arra
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale"-IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131, Naples, Italy.
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Tornesello AL, Buonaguro L, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM. The Role of Sensing Peptides in the Cross-talk between Microbiota and Human Cancer Cells. Mini Rev Med Chem 2018; 18:1567-1571. [PMID: 30003859 DOI: 10.2174/1389557518666180713112119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecolar Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Molecolar Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecolar Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecolar Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
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Tagliamonte M, Petrizzo A, Mauriello A, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L. Potentiating cancer vaccine efficacy in liver cancer. Oncoimmunology 2018; 7:e1488564. [PMID: 30288355 PMCID: PMC6169594 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2018.1488564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver malignancy with a poor prognosis and an overall 5-year survival rate of approximately 5-6%. This is due because standard of care treatment options are limited and none of them shows a sufficient efficacy. HCC is an "inflammation-induced cancer" and preliminary preclinical and clinical data suggest that immunotherapeutic approaches may be a good alternative candidate for the treatment of HCC patients improving the dismal prognosis associated with this cancer. However, recent findings strongly suggest that an optimal immunotherapy in HCC requires the combination of an immune activator with immune modulators, aiming at compensating the strong liver immune suppressive microenvironment. One of the most promising strategy could be represented by the combination of a cancer vaccine with immunomodulatory drugs, such as chemotherapy and checkpoint inhibitors. Very limited examples of such combinatorial strategies have been evaluated in HCC to date, because HCC easily develops resistance to standard chemotherapy, which is also poorly tolerated by patients with liver cirrhosis. The present review describes the most update knowledge in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Lab of Molecular Biology & Viral Oncology, Dept Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, “Fondazione Pascale” - IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Lab of Molecular Biology & Viral Oncology, Dept Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, “Fondazione Pascale” - IRCCS, Naples, Italy
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Annunziata C, Pezzuto F, Greggi S, Ionna F, Losito S, Botti G, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Distinct profiles of TERT
promoter mutations and telomerase expression in head and neck cancer and cervical carcinoma. Int J Cancer 2018; 143:1153-1161. [PMID: 29603728 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.31412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clorinda Annunziata
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
| | - Francesca Pezzuto
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
| | - Stefano Greggi
- Gynecology Oncology Unit; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
| | - Franco Ionna
- Maxillofacial and Ear Nose and Throat Surgery Department; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
| | - Simona Losito
- Department of Pathology; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Department of Pathology; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit; Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”; Napoli 80131 Italy
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Petrizzo A, Mauriello A, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Cellular prognostic markers in hepatitis-related hepatocellular carcinoma. Infect Agent Cancer 2018; 13:10. [PMID: 29599818 PMCID: PMC5870199 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-018-0183-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver malignancy and accounts for about 6% of all new cancers diagnosed worldwide. Moreover, it is the third and the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in men and women, respectively. HBV and HCV chronic infection is the main risk factor for HCC. A range of therapies are used in the management of HCC according to the extent and severity of liver disease. In this perspective, evaluation of prognosis represents a crucial step for proper management of HCC patients. However, the clinical outcome can be significantly different in HCC patients within the same stage of disease. Therefore, many efforts have been made to define new parameters with more precise prognostic value, and the search for HCC prognostic markers is gaining momentum. The present review aims at providing an update on cellular prognostic markers for HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Petrizzo
- 1Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - A Mauriello
- 1Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - M L Tornesello
- 2Lab Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - F M Buonaguro
- 2Lab Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - M Tagliamonte
- 1Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - L Buonaguro
- 1Laboratory of Cancer Immunoregulation, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131 Naples, Italy.,2Lab Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS, Via Mariano Semmola, 1, 80131 Naples, Italy
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Starita N, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Telomerase promoter mutations in human immunodeficiency virus-related conjunctiva neoplasia. J Transl Med 2018; 16:77. [PMID: 29562930 PMCID: PMC5861639 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-018-1456-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the conjunctiva is a common cancer in Africa mainly associated with solar ultraviolet (UV) exposure and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We analyzed the role of HIV on the occurrence of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations among a cohort of conjunctiva neoplasia Ugandan patients. METHODS Telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations were searched in 72 conjunctiva neoplasia cases, comprising SCC and intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1-3 (CIN1-3), as well as in 53 conjunctiva normal tissues and in 24 HIV-related Kaposi sarcoma. RESULTS The average prevalence of TERT promoter mutations in conjunctiva neoplasia was 31.9%. The mutation rates were significantly higher in HIV-positive (31.8% of CIN1 and CIN2, 46.2% of CIN3 and SCC,) than HIV-negative patients (22.2% of CIN1 and CIN2, 13.3% of CIN3 and SCC). Such mutations were rarely identified among HIV-positive conjunctiva controls (3.6%) and never in Kaposi sarcoma lesions. The most frequent variations were the hot spots - 124G>A and - 146G>A and tandem transitions - 124_125GG>AA and - 138_139GG>AA. CONCLUSIONS Telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter mutations are early events in conjunctival neoplasia and could be used for timely diagnosis of conjunctiva tumours. The high frequency of UV-signatures in HIV-positive conjunctiva lesions suggests an additive effect of the virus to UV-related mutagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemy Starita
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy.
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Cerasuolo A, Annunziata C, Tortora M, Starita N, Stellato G, Greggi S, Maglione MG, Ionna F, Losito S, Botti G, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Comparative analysis of HPV16 gene expression profiles in cervical and in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 8:34070-34081. [PMID: 28423662 PMCID: PMC5470952 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.15977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) is the major cause of cervical cancer and of a fraction of oropharyngeal carcinoma. Few studies compared the viral expression profiles in the two types of tumor. We analyzed HPV genotypes and viral load as well as early (E2/E4, E5, E6, E6*I, E6*II, E7) and late (L1 and L2) gene expression of HPV16 in cervical and oropharyngeal cancer biopsies. The study included 28 cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and ten oropharyngeal SCC, along with pair-matched non-tumor tissues, as well as four oropharynx dysplastic tissues and 112 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia biopsies. Viral load was found higher in cervical SCC (<1 to 694 copies/cell) and CIN (<1 to 43 copies/cell) compared to oropharyngeal SCC (<1 to 4 copies/cell). HPV16 E2/E4 and E5 as well as L1 and L2 mRNA levels were low in cervical SCC and CIN and undetectable in oropharynx cases. The HPV16 E6 and E7 mRNAs were consistently high in cervical SCC and low in oropharyngeal SCC. The analysis of HPV16 E6 mRNA expression pattern showed statistically significant higher levels of E6*I versus E6*II isoform in cervical SCC (p = 0.002) and a slightly higher expression of E6*I versus E6*II in oropharyngeal cases. In conclusion, the HPV16 E5, E6, E6*I, E6*II and E7 mRNA levels were more abundant in cervical SCC compared to oropharyngeal SCC suggesting different carcinogenic mechanisms in the two types of HPV-related cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Cerasuolo
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Clorinda Annunziata
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Marianna Tortora
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Noemy Starita
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Giovanni Stellato
- Gynecology Oncology Division , Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Stefano Greggi
- Gynecology Oncology Division , Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Maglione
- Department of Maxillofacial and Ear Nose and Throat Surgery, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Franco Ionna
- Department of Maxillofacial and Ear Nose and Throat Surgery, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Simona Losito
- Department of Pathology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Department of Pathology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", Napoli, Italy
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Pezzuto F, Izzo F, Buonaguro L, Annunziata C, Tatangelo F, Botti G, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Tumor specific mutations in TERT promoter and CTNNB1 gene in hepatitis B and hepatitis C related hepatocellular carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:54253-54262. [PMID: 27276713 PMCID: PMC5342339 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recurrent somatic mutations in the promoter region of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene and in the exon 3 of CTNNB1 gene have been recognized as common events in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with variable frequencies depending on etiology and geographical region. We have analyzed TERT promoter and CTNNB1 gene mutations in 122 cases of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) related HCCs, in 7 cases of cholangiocarcinoma (CC) and hepatocholangiocarcinoma (HCC-CC) as well as in autologous cirrhotic tissues. Overall, 50.4% and 26% of HCC as well as 14.3% and none of CC and HCC-CC were mutated in TERT promoter and in CTNNB1 exon 3, respectively. TERT and CTNNB1 mutations were found more frequently in HCV related (53.6% and 26.4%, respectively) than HBV related (41.7% and 16.7%, respectively) HCCs and coexisted in 57.6% of CTNNB1 mutated tumors. Mutations in TERT and CTNNB1 were not associated with the functional promoter polymorphism rs2853669. No mutations were detected in the 129 non-HCC cirrhotic tissues. In conclusion, mutations in TERT promoter and in CTNNB1 gene represent specific cancer signatures in the pathogenesis of viral related HCC and could be promising early biomarkers as well as targets for tailored therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Pezzuto
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Francesco Izzo
- Hepatobiliary Surgery Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Clorinda Annunziata
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Fabiana Tatangelo
- Department of Pathology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G Pascale" - IRCCS Napoli, Italy
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Department of Pathology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G Pascale" - IRCCS Napoli, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
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Borrelli A, Tornesello AL, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM. Cell Penetrating Peptides as Molecular Carriers for Anti-Cancer Agents. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23020295. [PMID: 29385037 PMCID: PMC6017757 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23020295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.2] [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: 12/19/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell membranes with their selective permeability play important functions in the tight control of molecular exchanges between the cytosol and the extracellular environment as the intracellular membranes do within the internal compartments. For this reason the plasma membranes often represent a challenging obstacle to the intracellular delivery of many anti-cancer molecules. The active transport of drugs through such barrier often requires specific carriers able to cross the lipid bilayer. Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) are generally 5–30 amino acids long which, for their ability to cross cell membranes, are widely used to deliver proteins, plasmid DNA, RNA, oligonucleotides, liposomes and anti-cancer drugs inside the cells. In this review, we describe the several types of CPPs, the chemical modifications to improve their cellular uptake, the different mechanisms to cross cell membranes and their biological properties upon conjugation with specific molecules. Special emphasis has been given to those with promising application in cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Borrelli
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Anna Lucia Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy.
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Tornesello ML, Buonaguro L, Izzo F, Buonaguro FM. Molecular alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections. Oncotarget 2018; 7:25087-102. [PMID: 26943571 PMCID: PMC5041890 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.7837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/20/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic infections with hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C viruses (HCV) are the leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. Both viruses encode multifunctional regulatory proteins activating several oncogenic pathways, which induce accumulation of multiple genetic alterations in the infected hepatocytes. Gene mutations in HBV- and HCV-induced HCCs frequently impair the TP53, Wnt/b-catenin, RAS/RAF/MAPK kinase and AKT/mTOR pathways, which represent important anti-cancer targets. In this review, we highlight the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of primary liver cancer, with particular emphasis on the host genetic variations identified by high-throughput technologies. In addition, we discuss the importance of genetic alterations, such as mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter, for the diagnosis, prognosis, and tumor stratification for development of more effective treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Department of Research, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Department of Research, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Francesco Izzo
- Hepato-Biliary Surgery Department, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Department of Research, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale" - IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
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Petrizzo A, Mauriello A, Luciano A, Rea D, Barbieri A, Arra C, Maiolino P, Tornesello M, Gigantino V, Botti G, Ciliberto G, Buonaguro FM, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Inhibition of tumor growth by cancer vaccine combined with metronomic chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 in a pre-clinical setting. Oncotarget 2017; 9:3576-3589. [PMID: 29423067 PMCID: PMC5790484 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.23181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor microenvironment (TME) is characterized by multiple immune suppressive mechanisms able to suppress anti-tumor effector cell immunity. Combinatorial strategies, including vaccine and immunomodulatory drugs, need to be developed for improved immunotherapy efficacy. A novel combinatorial approach was assessed in C57BL/6 mice injected with mouse melanoma B16F10 cells. A multi-peptide vaccine (PEPT) was combined with a low dose metronomic chemotherapy (MCT) and an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor (CI). Statistical analysis were performed with the unpaired two-sided Student’s t-test and ANOVA. Animals treated with the multi-peptide vaccine combined with MCT or CI showed remarkable delay in tumor growth and prolonged survival as compared to control groups. The multi-pronged combination including PEPT+MCT+CI was able to prolong survival in all mice and inhibit tumor growth in 66.6% of mice. All animals which did not show tumor growth were re-challenged with the same melanoma cells and one of them showed complete tumor growth inhibition. The anti-tumor effect was associated with strong T cell immune response to vaccine mutated peptides and significant reduction of regulatory T cells. The combination of a vaccine with MCT and CI was highly efficient in potentiating the vaccine’s anti-tumor effects. The approach is highly promising to be moved into clinical trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annacarmen Petrizzo
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Luciano
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Domenica Rea
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Antonio Barbieri
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Claudio Arra
- Animal Facility, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Piera Maiolino
- Pharmacy Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Marialina Tornesello
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Gigantino
- Unit of Pathology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Unit of Pathology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Gennaro Ciliberto
- Scientific Directorate, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Fondazione Pascale, IRCCS, Naples, Italy
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Tornesello AL, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM. An Overview of Bioactive Peptides for in vivo Imaging and Therapy in Human Diseases. Mini Rev Med Chem 2017; 17:758-770. [PMID: 28117023 DOI: 10.2174/1389557517666170120151739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Radiolabeled peptides, designed to bind with high affinity receptors selectively expressed on cell membranes of different human tissues, represent valuable tools for in vivo imaging of several human diseases. Solid-phase peptide synthesis as well as availability of bifunctional chelating agents and prosthetic groups allows the production and radiolabeling of several peptidebased molecules which are useful to target specific receptors on different cancer types. Among them, octreotide and other analogues of somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, CCK analogues, bombesin, α-MSH analogues, neurotensin, exendin, RGD, substance P, conjugated to appropriate chelators, such as DTPA, NOTA, DOTA or TETA, and radiolabeled with specific radionuclides, have already been translated into the clinical practice with remarkable sensitivity and diagnostic accurateness. CONCLUSION This review recapitulates the current applications in clinical practice of radiolabeled peptides with particular attention to those employed for diagnosis and therapy in oncologic as well as nononcologic human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecolar Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecolar Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale"- IRCCS, Naples, Italy
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Starita N, Di Monta G, Cerasuolo A, Marone U, Anniciello AM, Botti G, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Effect of electrochemotherapy on human herpesvirus 8 kinetics in classic Kaposi sarcoma. Infect Agent Cancer 2017. [PMID: 28649271 PMCID: PMC5477158 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-017-0147-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Electrochemotherapy (ECT) has shown to be an effective treatment for cutaneous and subcutaneous Kaposi sarcoma (KS) lesions. However, no study has investigated the impact of ECT treatment on the kinetics of human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV8), which is considered the necessary causal agent of KS. We aimed to evaluate HHV8 viral load and expression levels in patients affected by classic KS who received one or more ECT treatments and have been followed semi annually for up to four years. METHODS A total of 27 classic KS patients were enrolled in this study. Tumour biopsies and blood samples were obtained before ECT treatment. Additional blood samples were collected at six month intervals for 12-48 months. HHV8 viral load and expression profiles of latent (ORF72 and ORF73) and lytic (K2, K8, K8.1, K10/K10.1, K10.5/K10.6 and ORF16) genes were assessed in all samples by real-time PCR. HHV8 ORF26 and K1 regions were amplified and subjected to direct nucleotide sequencing followed by phylogenetic analysis for variant identification. RESULTS All KS biopsies and 46.4% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected before ECT treatment were positive for HHV8 DNA. Viral load ranged from 0.02 to 2.3 copies per cell in KS lesions and 3.0 × 10-7 to 6.9 × 10-4 copies per cell in PBMCs. Overall, latent ORF72 and ORF73 as well as lytic K2, K8 and K10/K10.1 were expressed in all KS biopsies. ORF16 mRNA was detected in 71.4% and both K8.1 and K10.5/K10.6 mRNAs in 57.1% of KS samples. The ORF72, ORF73 and K2 transcripts were amplified in 37.5%, 25% and 25% of PBMCs collected before ECT, respectively. After the first ECT session, complete response was achieved in 20 out of 27 (74.1%) patients and HHV8 DNA was detected in four out of 27 (14.8%) PBMC samples at six month follow up. Phylogenetic analysis of ORF26 amplimers showed that most viral variants belonged to A/C (82.3%), and few to C2 (5.9%) or C3 (11.8%) subtype. The K1/VR1 variants fell into A (33.3%) and C (66.7%) HHV8 clade. No correlation was found between HHV8 subtypes and ECT complete response. CONCLUSIONS ECT therapy has a significant effect on HHV8 kinetics in patients with classic KS. The complete remission of patients was accompanied by clearance of circulating virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemy Starita
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Gianluca Di Monta
- Department of Surgery "Melanoma, Soft Tissues, Head and Neck, Skin Cancers", Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Cerasuolo
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Ugo Marone
- Department of Surgery "Melanoma, Soft Tissues, Head and Neck, Skin Cancers", Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Anniciello
- Department of Pathology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Gerardo Botti
- Department of Pathology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fond. G. Pascale", 80131 Naples, Italy
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Buonaguro FM, Pauza CD, Tornesello ML, Hainaut P, Franco R, Tommasino M. Cancer Diagnostic and Predictive Biomarkers 2016. Biomed Res Int 2017; 2017:7362721. [PMID: 28698877 PMCID: PMC5494061 DOI: 10.1155/2017/7362721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Franco M. Buonaguro
- Unit of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Department of Research, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS, Fond. Pascale, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - C. David Pauza
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Unit of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Department of Research, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS, Fond. Pascale, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Pierre Hainaut
- Department of Research, Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble Alpes University (UGA), 38700 La Tronche, France
| | - Renato Franco
- Department of Pathology, Università della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Napoli, Italy
| | - Massimo Tommasino
- Infections and Cancer Biology Group, IARC, 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon Cedex 08, France
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Abstract
Cancer vaccines are designed to stimulate the body's immune system to kill tumor cells. To improve their immunogenicity, vaccine antigens must be combined with adjuvants which are able to stimulate the innate immunity and potentiate the adaptive immune response. In the last years a new generation of adjuvants mimicking the natural microbial ligands have been developed. In particular, several TLR ligands have been extensively explored as vaccine adjuvants and many preclinical and clinical studies have been conducted. However, the road to approval of such adjuvants for clinical use is still to go.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Circelli
- a Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori , "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS , Naples , Italy
| | - Marialina Tornesello
- a Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori , "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS , Naples , Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- a Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori , "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS , Naples , Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- a Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori , "Fondazione Pascale" - IRCCS , Naples , Italy
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De Gregorio V, Imparato G, Urciuolo F, Tornesello ML, Annunziata C, Buonaguro FM, Netti PA. An Engineered Cell-Instructive Stroma for the Fabrication of a Novel Full Thickness Human Cervix Equivalent In Vitro. Adv Healthc Mater 2017; 6. [PMID: 28371541 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201601199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2016] [Revised: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
There is a growing interest for developing organotypic cervical models by using primary cervical cells that are able to reproduce the physiological relevant stromal microenvironment and the distinctive histology of the native cervical epithelium. Here for the first time it is reported the production of an organotypic cervical model featured by a scaffold-free stromal tissue resembling the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition and organization of the native counterpart as well as a completely well-differentiated epithelium. To reach this aim, human cervical microtissue precursors have been produced, characterized, and used as functional building units to fabricate a cell-synthesized cervical stroma equivalent by means of a bottom-up approach. Immunotypization, and molecular and morphological analyses reveal the extent of fundamental epithelial biomarkers and the presence of collagen and noncollagenous molecules, demonstrating that the natural tissue architecture and biological characteristics of cervical tissues are reproduced. The results of this study suggest that the bottom-up technology used to produce these 3D human cervical equivalents provides a fully functional organotypic cervical model that may be used as a valuable tool to investigate the epithelial-stromal interactions as well as for testing new therapeutics in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza De Gregorio
- Center for Advanced Biomaterials for HealthCare@CRIB; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Largo Barsanti e Matteucci 53 80125 Naples Italy
| | - Giorgia Imparato
- Center for Advanced Biomaterials for HealthCare@CRIB; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Largo Barsanti e Matteucci 53 80125 Naples Italy
| | - Francesco Urciuolo
- Center for Advanced Biomaterials for HealthCare@CRIB; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Largo Barsanti e Matteucci 53 80125 Naples Italy
| | - Maria L. Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit Istituto Nazionale, Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione Pascale”; 80131 Naples Italy
| | - Clorinda Annunziata
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit Istituto Nazionale, Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione Pascale”; 80131 Naples Italy
| | - Franco M. Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit Istituto Nazionale, Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione Pascale”; 80131 Naples Italy
| | - Paolo A. Netti
- Center for Advanced Biomaterials for HealthCare@CRIB; Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia; Largo Barsanti e Matteucci 53 80125 Naples Italy
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit Istituto Nazionale, Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione Pascale”; 80131 Naples Italy
- Department of Chemical Materials and Industrial Production (DICMAPI); University of Naples Federico II; P.leTecchio 80 80125 Naples Italy
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Pezzuto F, Buonaguro L, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML. Frequency and geographic distribution of TERT promoter mutations in primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Infect Agent Cancer 2017; 12:27. [PMID: 28529542 PMCID: PMC5437489 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-017-0138-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) mainly develops in subjects chronically infected with hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) viruses through a multistep process characterized by the accumulation of genetic alterations in the human genome. Nucleotide changes in coding regions (i.e. TP53, CTNNB1, ARID1A and ARID2) as well as in non-coding regions (i.e. TERT promoter) are considered cancer drivers for HCC development with variable frequencies in different geographic regions depending on the etiology and environmental factors. Recurrent hot spot mutations in TERT promoter (G > A at-124 bp; G > A at -146 bp), have shown to be common events in many tumor types including HCC and to up regulate the expression of telomerases. We performed a comprehensive review of the literature evaluating the differential distribution of TERT promoter mutations in 1939 primary HCC from four continents. Mutation rates were found higher in Europe (56.6%) and Africa (53.3%) than America (40%) and Asia (42.5%). In addition, HCV-related HCC were more frequently mutated (44.8% in US and 69.7% in Asia) than HBV-related HCC (21.4% in US and 45.5% in Africa). HCC cases associated to factors other than hepatitis viruses are also frequently mutated in TERT promoter (43.6%, 52.6% and 57.7% in USA, Asia and Europe, respectively). These results support a major role for telomere elongation in HCV-related and non-viral related hepatic carcinogenesis and suggest that TERT promoter mutations could represent a candidate biomarker for the early detection of liver cancer in subjects with HCV infection or with metabolic liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Pezzuto
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G Pascale", 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G Pascale", 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G Pascale", 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G Pascale", 80131 Napoli, Italy
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Circelli L, Petrizzo A, Tagliamonte M, Heidenreich R, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L. Immunological effects of a novel RNA-based adjuvant in liver cancer patients. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2017; 66:103-112. [PMID: 27832318 PMCID: PMC11028778 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-016-1923-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 10/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Evaluation of biological effects of adjuvants on immune cells has been assessed in a limited number of studies. Moreover, no data are available on samples derived from cancer patients who may have a severe immune impairment. The effects of a novel RNA-based adjuvant (RNAdjuvant® developed by CureVac) were assessed in an ex vivo setting on PBMCs obtained from 8 healthy volunteers and 17 HCC patients, using a multiparametric approach to analyze network dynamics of early immune responses. Evaluation of CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR expression, cytokine production as well as gene expression was performed. Moreover, the downstream effect on CD4+ T cell phenotyping was evaluated. Treatment with RNAdjuvant® showed comparable effects on PBMCs of both HCC and healthy subjects. In particular, CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR expression was found up-regulated in circulating dendritic cells, which promoted a CD4+ T cell differentiation toward an effector phenotype. A mixed Th1/Th2 cytokine pattern was induced, although a more predominant production of TNFα and IFNγ was observed in HCC patients versus healthy controls. The cytokine profile was further confirmed by gene transcriptional analysis, which showed up-regulation of several genes involved in innate and adaptive immune-related pathways. The present study is the first demonstration that HCC patients and healthy subjects are equally responsive to an adjuvant. This may suggest that the same vaccine formulation including the RNAdjuvant® might have similar potency in healthy subjects and cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Circelli
- Exper. Immunotherapy Lab., Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Caratteres Scientifico (IRCCS), Naples, Italy
| | - Annacarmen Petrizzo
- Exper. Immunotherapy Lab., Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Caratteres Scientifico (IRCCS), Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Exper. Immunotherapy Lab., Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Caratteres Scientifico (IRCCS), Naples, Italy
| | | | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Exper. Immunotherapy Lab., Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Caratteres Scientifico (IRCCS), Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Exper. Immunotherapy Lab., Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Caratteres Scientifico (IRCCS), Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Exper. Immunotherapy Lab., Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, "Fondazione Pascale" - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Caratteres Scientifico (IRCCS), Naples, Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franco M Buonaguro
- Lab of Molecular Biology & Viral Oncology, Department Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, 'Fondazione Pascale' - IRCCS, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Lab of Molecular Biology & Viral Oncology, Department Experimental Oncology, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, 'Fondazione Pascale' - IRCCS, Naples, Italy
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Buonaguro FM, Mbulaiteye SM, Tornesello ML. Infectious Agents and Cancer reviewer acknowledgement 2015. Infect Agent Cancer 2016. [PMCID: PMC4750287 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-016-0055-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The editors of Infectious Agents and Cancer would like to thank all our reviewers who have contributed their time and expertise to the journal in Volume 10 (2015).
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Tagliamonte M, Petrizzo A, Mauriello A, Luciano A, Rea D, Barbieri A, Arra C, Maiolino P, Tornesello ML, Ciliberto G, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L. Abstract A045: Inhibition of tumor growth by combination of metronomic chemotherapy and checkpoint inhibitor with a cancer vaccine. Cancer Immunol Res 2016. [DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.imm2016-a045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The efficacy of cancer immunotherapies can be significantly limited by the immune suppressive soluble factors and cell types characterizing the tumor microenvironment. Strategies combining anti-immune suppressive therapies and cancer vaccines need to be evaluated. In the present study, a novel combinatorial strategy was assessed in a mouse model using an aggressive therapeutic setting based on sub-cutaneous ectopic implantation of B16 melanoma cells. The anti-immune suppressive therapy included a novel mix of chemotherapy agents, administered in a metronomic fashion (MCT), and an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor (CI). The vaccine (VAC) was a multi-peptide cocktail, including melanoma-specific tumor-associated antigens. The newly designed strategy was shown to be safe, well tolerated and highly effective. Animals treated with MCT or CI showed a remarkable delay in tumor growth and prolonged survival as compared to control group. Such effect was significantly enhanced by the combination with the multi-peptide vaccine. In particular, the multi-pronged MCT+CI+VAC combination resulted in a remarkable inhibition of tumor growth in 5/6 animals. The anti-tumor effect was associated with a strong T cell immune response to vaccine peptides as well as significant intra-tumor T cell infiltration associated with reduction in Tregs. Overall, the results showed that the combination of anti-immune suppressive therapy and vaccine was able to strongly potentiate the anti-tumor effects. The described approach is highly promising to significantly enhance the anti-tumor effects induced by a therapeutic cancer vaccine.
Citation Format: Maria Tagliamonte, Annacarmen Petrizzo, Angela Mauriello, Antonio Luciano, Domenica Rea, Antonio Barbieri, Claudio Arra, Piera Maiolino, Maria Lina Tornesello, Gennaro Ciliberto, Franco M. Buonaguro, Luigi Buonaguro. Inhibition of tumor growth by combination of metronomic chemotherapy and checkpoint inhibitor with a cancer vaccine [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Second CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; 2016 Sept 25-28; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A045.
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