Chemotherapy-induced immunogenic modulation of tumor cells enhances killing by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and is distinct from immunogenic cell death

Abstract Background Several recent studies have well demonstrated that the chemotherapy or near-infrared-II (NIR-II) photothermal therapy (PTT) can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD). However, single treatment based on the independent chemotherapy or PTT to induce ICD may require high dose of drug, high laser power, or high temperature, which limits their clinical application. We hypothesize that combination of chemotherapy and NIR-II PTT possesses great promise to overcome respective limitations. This manuscript describes the development of polyethylene glycol (PEG) modified hollow CuxS nanoparticles (NPs) for synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy to effectively promote ICD.Results Hollow structure CuxS-PEG NPs were prepared under mild condition by using Cu2O NPs as sacrificial templates. CuxS loaded with doxorubicin (Dox) as NDDSs were characterized for hydrate particle size and surface charge. The morphology, photothermal effect, drug loading/releasing abilities, synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy, and ICD from synergistic therapy of CuxS-PEG NPs have been investigated. The in vitro outcomes of ICD and chemo-photothermal therapy were assessed in EMT-6 cells. In vivo therapeutic studies and immunoreaction were performed in EMT-6 bearing mice where therapeutic outcomes were assessed by tumor volume, immunohistochemical staining, and expression of CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. The CuxS-PEG NPs with hollow structure show high drug loading capacity (~255 μg Dox per mg of CuxS NPs) and stimuli-responsive drug release triggered by NIR-II laser irradiation. The chemo-photothermal strategy more effectively induces ICD than that of the single treatment, accompanying with the release of adenosine triphosphate, pre-apoptotic calreticulin, and high mobility group box-1. Finally, the synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy based on the Dox/CuxS-PEG NPs promotes CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocytes infiltration into tumors and achieves ~98.5% tumor elimination.Conclusion Therefore, our study emphasizes that the great potentials of CuxS-PEG NPs can be used as NIR-II light-responsive NDDSs for the applications of biomedicine and immunotherapy.

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Shikonin induces immunogenic cell death in tumor cells and enhances dendritic cell-based cancer vaccine

Planta Medica ◽

10.1055/s-0032-1320648 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 78 (11) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

HM Chen ◽

PH Wang ◽

SS Chen ◽

CC Wen ◽

YH Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Dendritic Cell ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Cancer Vaccine ◽

Immunogenic Cell Death

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Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns Modulation by microRNA: Relevance on Immunogenic Cell Death and Cancer Treatment Outcome

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13112566 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2566

Author(s):

María Julia Lamberti ◽

Annunziata Nigro ◽

Vincenzo Casolaro ◽

Natalia Belén Rumie Vittar ◽

Jessica Dal Col

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Cell Activation ◽

Adaptive Immune Response ◽

Current Status ◽

Immunogenic Cell Death ◽

Basal Expression ◽

Antigen Presenting ◽

Molecular Patterns ◽

Damage Associated Molecular Patterns

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) in cancer is a functionally unique regulated form of stress-mediated cell death that activates both the innate and adaptive immune response against tumor cells. ICD makes dying cancer cells immunogenic by improving both antigenicity and adjuvanticity. The latter relies on the spatiotemporally coordinated release or exposure of danger signals (DAMPs) that drive robust antigen-presenting cell activation. The expression of DAMPs is often constitutive in tumor cells, but it is the initiating stressor, called ICD-inducer, which finally triggers the intracellular response that determines the kinetics and intensity of their release. However, the contribution of cell-autonomous features, such as the epigenetic background, to the development of ICD has not been addressed in sufficient depth. In this context, it has been revealed that several microRNAs (miRNAs), besides acting as tumor promoters or suppressors, can control the ICD-associated exposure of some DAMPs and their basal expression in cancer. Here, we provide a general overview of the dysregulation of cancer-associated miRNAs whose targets are DAMPs, through which new molecular mediators that underlie the immunogenicity of ICD were identified. The current status of miRNA-targeted therapeutics combined with ICD inducers is discussed. A solid comprehension of these processes will provide a framework to evaluate miRNA targets for cancer immunotherapy.

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Calreticulin—Multifunctional Chaperone in Immunogenic Cell Death: Potential Significance as a Prognostic Biomarker in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10010130 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 130

Author(s):

Michal Kielbik ◽

Izabela Szulc-Kielbik ◽

Magdalena Klink

Keyword(s):

Ovarian Cancer ◽

Cell Death ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Cytotoxic T Cells ◽

Adaptive Immune Response ◽

Ovarian Cancer Cells ◽

Immunogenic Cell Death ◽

Antigen Presenting ◽

Molecular Patterns

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a type of death, which has the hallmarks of necroptosis and apoptosis, and is best characterized in malignant diseases. Chemotherapeutics, radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy induce intracellular stress response pathways in tumor cells, leading to a secretion of various factors belonging to a family of damage-associated molecular patterns molecules, capable of inducing the adaptive immune response. One of them is calreticulin (CRT), an endoplasmic reticulum-associated chaperone. Its presence on the surface of dying tumor cells serves as an “eat me” signal for antigen presenting cells (APC). Engulfment of tumor cells by APCs results in the presentation of tumor’s antigens to cytotoxic T-cells and production of cytokines/chemokines, which activate immune cells responsible for tumor cells killing. Thus, the development of ICD and the expression of CRT can help standard therapy to eradicate tumor cells. Here, we review the physiological functions of CRT and its involvement in the ICD appearance in malignant disease. Moreover, we also focus on the ability of various anti-cancer drugs to induce expression of surface CRT on ovarian cancer cells. The second aim of this work is to discuss and summarize the prognostic/predictive value of CRT in ovarian cancer patients.

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Biomarkers of Radiotherapy-Induced Immunogenic Cell Death

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10040930 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 930

Author(s):

Rianne D. W. Vaes ◽

Lizza E. L. Hendriks ◽

Marc Vooijs ◽

Dirk De Ruysscher

Keyword(s):

Cell Death ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Immunogenic Cell Death ◽

Type I ◽

Future Studies ◽

Regulated Cell Death ◽

Molecular Patterns ◽

Damage Associated Molecular Patterns ◽

Potential Biomarkers

Radiation therapy (RT) can induce an immunogenic variant of regulated cell death that can initiate clinically relevant tumor-targeting immune responses. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is accompanied by the exposure and release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), chemokine release, and stimulation of type I interferon (IFN-I) responses. In recent years, intensive research has unraveled major mechanistic aspects of RT-induced ICD and has resulted in the identification of immunogenic factors that are released by irradiated tumor cells. However, so far, only a limited number of studies have searched for potential biomarkers that can be used to predict if irradiated tumor cells undergo ICD that can elicit an effective immunogenic anti-tumor response. In this article, we summarize the available literature on potential biomarkers of RT-induced ICD that have been evaluated in cancer patients. Additionally, we discuss the clinical relevance of these findings and important aspects that should be considered in future studies.

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Cellular cytotoxicity is a form of immunogenic cell death

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer ◽

10.1136/jitc-2019-000325 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. e000325 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Luna Minute ◽

Alvaro Teijeira ◽

Alfonso R Sanchez-Paulete ◽

Maria C Ochoa ◽

Maite Alvarez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

Cell Death ◽

Dendritic Cells ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Cd8 T Cells ◽

Immunogenic Cell Death ◽

Cell Debris ◽

Tumor Cell Death ◽

Mhc Multimer

BackgroundThe immune response to cancer is often conceptualized with the cancer immunity cycle. An essential step in this interpretation is that antigens released by dying tumors are presented by dendritic cells to naive or memory T cells in the tumor-draining lymph nodes. Whether tumor cell death resulting from cytotoxicity, as mediated by T cells or natural killer (NK) lymphocytes, is actually immunogenic currently remains unknown.MethodsIn this study, tumor cells were killed by antigen-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) transgenic CD8 T cells or activated NK cells. Immunogenic cell death was studied analyzing the membrane exposure of calreticulin and the release of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) by the dying tumor cells. Furthermore, the potential immunogenicity of the tumor cell debris was evaluated in immunocompetent mice challenged with an unrelated tumor sharing only one tumor-associated antigen and by class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-multimer stainings. Mice deficient inBatf3,Ifnar1andSting1were used to study mechanistic requirements.ResultsWe observe in cocultures of tumor cells and effector cytotoxic cells, the presence of markers of immunogenic cell death such as calreticulin exposure and soluble HMGB1 protein. Ovalbumin (OVA)-transfected MC38 colon cancer cells, exogenously pulsed to present the gp100 epitope are killed in culture by mouse gp100-specific TCR transgenic CD8 T cells. Immunization of mice with the resulting destroyed cells induces epitope spreading as observed by detection of OVA-specific T cells by MHC multimer staining and rejection of OVA+EG7 lymphoma cells. Similar results were observed in mice immunized with cell debris generated by NK-cell mediated cytotoxicity. Mice deficient inBatf3-dependent dendritic cells (conventional dendritic cells type 1, cDC1) fail to develop an anti-OVA response when immunized with tumor cells killed by cytotoxic lymphocytes. In line with this, cultured cDC1 dendritic cells uptake and can readily cross-present antigen from cytotoxicity-killed tumor cells to cognate CD8+T lymphocytes.ConclusionThese results support that an ongoing cytotoxic antitumor immune response can lead to immunogenic tumor cell death.

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Tumor Eradication by Wild-type p53-specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes

Journal of Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1084/jem.186.5.695 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 186 (5) ◽

pp. 695-704 ◽

Cited By ~ 149

Author(s):

Michel P.M. Vierboom ◽

Hans W. Nijman ◽

Rienk Offringa ◽

Ellen I.H. van der Voort ◽

Thorbald van Hall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Lymphocytes ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes ◽

Normal Tissue ◽

P53 Protein ◽

P53 Gene ◽

Wild Type ◽

Wild Type P53 ◽

Tumor Outgrowth ◽

Tumor Eradication

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is overexpressed in close to 50% of all human malignancies. The p53 protein is therefore an attractive target for immunotherapy. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognizing a murine wild-type p53 peptide, presented by the major histocompatibility complex class I molecule H-2Kb, were generated by immunizing p53 gene deficient (p53 −/−) C57BL/6 mice with syngeneic p53-overexpressing tumor cells. Adoptive transfer of these CTLs into tumor-bearing p53 +/+ nude mice caused complete and permanent tumor eradication. Importantly, this occurred in the absence of any demonstrable damage to normal tissue. When transferred into p53 +/+ immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice, the CTLs persisted for weeks in the absence of immunopathology and were capable of preventing tumor outgrowth. Wild-type p53-specific CTLs can apparently discriminate between p53-overexpressing tumor cells and normal tissue, indicating that widely expressed autologous molecules such as p53 can serve as a target for CTL-mediated immunotherapy of tumors.

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