scholarly journals MicroRNA-326 attenuates immune escape and prevents metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma by targeting PD-L1 and B7-H3

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijuan Shao ◽  
Qian He ◽  
Jingbo Wang ◽  
Fei He ◽  
Shengcheng Lin ◽  
...  

AbstractTumor-infiltrating T cells are highly expressive of inhibitory receptor/immune checkpoint molecules that bind to ligand expressed by tumor cells and antigen-presenting cells, and eventually lead to T cell dysfunction. It is a hot topic to restore T cell function by targeting immune checkpoint. In recent years, immunotherapy of blocking immune checkpoint and its receptor, such as PD-L1/PD-1 targeted therapy, has made effective progress, which brings hope for patients with advanced malignant tumor. However, only a few patients benefit from directly targeting these checkpoints or their receptors by small compounds or antibodies. Since the complexity of the regulation of immune checkpoints in tumor cells, further research is needed to identify the novel endogenous regulators of immune checkpoints which can help for developing effective drug target to improve the effect of immunotherapy. Here, we verified that microRNA-326 (miR-326) repressed the gene expression of immune checkpoint molecules PD-L1 and B7-H3 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We detected that the expression of miR-326 in LUAD tissue was negatively correlated with PD-L1/B7-H3. The repression of PD-L1 and B7-H3 expression through miR-326 overexpression leads to the modification the cytokine profile of CD8+ T cells and decreased migration capability of tumor cells. Meanwhile, the downregulation of miR-326 promoted tumor cell migration. Moreover, blocking PD-L1 and B7-H3 attenuated the tumor-promoting effect induced by miR-326 inhibitor. In tumor-bearing mice, the infiltration of CD8+ T cells was significantly increased and the expression of TNF-α, and IFN-γ was significantly enhanced which contributed to tumor progression after miR-326 overexpression. Collectively, miR-326 restrained tumor progression by downregulating PD-L1 and B7-H3 expression and increasing T cell cytotoxic function in LUAD. Our findings revealed a novel perspective on the complex regulation of immune checkpoint molecules. A new strategy of using miR-326 in tumor immunotherapy is proposed.

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Feiting Xie ◽  
Mengxue Xu ◽  
Jian Lu ◽  
Lingxiang Mao ◽  
Shengjun Wang

Abstract Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), a type I transmembrane protein, binds to its receptor PD-1 to suppress the activation of T cells, thereby maintaining immunological homeostasis. In contrast, tumor cells highly express PD-L1, which binds to receptor PD-1 expressed on activated T cells, leading to immune escape. Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint therapy blocks the binding of PD-1/PD-L1 to reinvigorate the exhausted T cells, thereby inhibiting tumor growth. Exosomes are biologically active lipid-bilayer nanovesicles secreted by various cell types that mediate intercellular signal communication. Numerous studies have shown that tumor cells are able to promote tumor epithelial-mesenchymal transition, angiogenesis, and immune escape by releasing exosomes. Recent studies imply that tumor-derived exosomes could carry PD-L1 in the same membrane topology as the cell surface, thereby resisting immune checkpoint therapy. In this review, we mainly discuss the role of exosomes in the regulation of tumor progression and the potential resistance mechanism to immunotherapy via exosomal PD-L1. In addition, we propose that exosomal PD-L1 may have the potential to be a target to overcome resistance to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. e001998
Author(s):  
François Anna ◽  
Elodie Bole-Richard ◽  
Joel LeMaoult ◽  
Marie Escande ◽  
Martin Lecomte ◽  
...  

BackgroundCAR-T cells immunotherapy is a breakthrough in the treatment of hematological malignancies such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and B-cell malignancies. However, CAR-T therapies face major hurdles such as the lack of tumor-specific antigen (TSA), and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment sometimes caused by the tumorous expression of immune checkpoints (ICPs) such as HLA-G. Indeed, HLA-G is remarkable because it is both a potent ICP and a TSA. HLA-G tumor expression causes immune escape by impairing innate and adaptive immune responses and by inducing a suppressive microenvironment. Yet, to date, no immunotherapy targets it.MethodsWe have developed two anti-HLA-G third-generation CARs based on new anti-HLA-G monoclonal antibodies.ResultsAnti-HLA-G CAR-T cells were specific for immunosuppressive HLA-G isoforms. HLA-G-activated CAR-T cells polarized toward T helper 1, and became cytotoxic against HLA-G+ tumor cells. In vivo, anti-HLA-G CAR-T cells were able to control and eliminate HLA-G+ tumor cells. The interaction of tumor-HLA-G with interleukin (IL)T2-expressing T cells is known to result in effector T cell functional inhibition, but anti-HLA-G CAR-T cells were insensitive to this inhibition and still exerted their function even when expressing ILT2. Lastly, we show that anti-HLA-G CAR-T cells differentiated into long-term memory effector cells, and seemed not to lose function even after repeated stimulation by HLA-G-expressing tumor cells.ConclusionWe report for the first time that HLA-G, which is both a TSA and an ICP, constitutes a valid target for CAR-T cell therapy to specifically target and eliminate both tumor cells and HLA-G+ suppressive cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A788-A788
Author(s):  
Xiuning Le ◽  
Minghao Dang ◽  
Venkatesh Hegde ◽  
Bo Jiang ◽  
Ravaen Slay ◽  
...  

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HPV+ HNSCC) is a disease that has moderate response to anti-PD-1/L1 immune checkpoint blockade, with the response rates less than 20% and median progression-free survival less than 3 months. A greater understanding of tumor intrinsic and extrinsic factors that restrict anti-tumor immunity in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is needed to identify other immune checkpoints to enhance therapeutic efficacy.MethodsTwo cohorts (TCGA n=72 and a separate cohort n=84) of surgically resected, treatment-naïve HPV+ HNSCC with RNA-seq were analyzed to understand the immune features. In addition, single-cell RNA-seq and TCR-seq were performed on 18 cases to further delineate the immune molecules' interactions. An immune-competent murine HPV+ HNSCC model was used to preliminarily evaluate the therapeutic efficacy.ResultsIn two bulk-sequenced HPV+ HNSCC cohorts, TIGIT ligands PVR and NECTIN2 were found to associate with an epithelial-to-mesenchymal gene expression signature, suppression of IFNα and IFNγ signaling, a stromal-enriched or immune-excluded TIME, and poor survival. Single-cell RNA-seq of over 72,000 cells of HPV+ HNSCC revealed that the PVR/NECTIN ligand TIGIT was highly prevalent in T-cells (34%), significantly higher than PD1- (20%, p<0.01). There is an enrichment of cell-cell interactions mediated by TIGIT-PVR/NECTIN2 in the TIME of HPV+HNSCC versus normal tonsil. TIGIT was the most differentially upregulated immune checkpoint on clonally expanded CD8+T-cells and was abundant on antigen-experienced, tissue-resident memory CD8+T-cell and T-regulatory subsets. TIGIT ligands PVR, NECTIN1, and NECTIN2 were abundant on mature regulatory dendritic cells (DCs), immunosuppressive plasmacytoid (p)DCs, and macrophages, respectively. TIGIT and PD-1 co-blockade in the mEER syngeneic murine model significantly reduced tumor growth, improved survival, restored effector function of HPV16E7-specific CD8+T cells, natural killer cells, and DCs, and conferred tumor re-challenge protection.ConclusionsTIGIT-PVR/NECTIN receptors/ligands are more abundant than PD-1/L1 in the TIME of HPV+ HNSCC. Co-blockade of TIGIT and PD-1 immune checkpoints enhanced anti-tumor efficacy in a CD8+ T-cell-dependent manner and conferred long-term immune protection in a murine model. Our study nominates TIGIT as a therapeutic target for HPV+ HNSCC.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca Simon ◽  
Dennis C. Harrer ◽  
Beatrice Schuler-Thurner ◽  
Gerold Schuler ◽  
Ugur Uslu

Tumor cells can develop immune escape mechanisms to bypass T cell recognition, e.g., antigen loss or downregulation of the antigen presenting machinery, which represents a major challenge in adoptive T cell therapy. To counteract these mechanisms, we transferred not only one, but two receptors into the same T cell to generate T cells expressing two additional receptors (TETARs). We generated these TETARs by lentiviral transduction of a gp100-specific T cell receptor (TCR) and subsequent electroporation of mRNA encoding a second-generation CSPG4-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Following pilot experiments to optimize the combined DNA- and RNA-based receptor transfer, the functionality of TETARs was compared to T cells either transfected with the TCR only or the CAR only. After transfection, TETARs clearly expressed both introduced receptors on their cell surface. When stimulated with tumor cells expressing either one of the antigens or both, TETARs were able to secrete cytokines and showed cytotoxicity. The confirmation that two antigen-specific receptors can be functionally combined using two different methods to introduce each receptor into the same T cell opens new possibilities and opportunities in cancer immunotherapy. For further evaluation, the use of these TETARs in appropriate animal models will be the next step towards a potential clinical use in cancer patients.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Man-Chin Chen ◽  
Christian Ronquillo Pangilinan ◽  
Che-Hsin Lee

Immunotherapy is becoming a popular treatment modality in combat against cancer, one of the world’s leading health problems. While tumor cells influence host immunity via expressing immune inhibitory signaling proteins, some bacteria possess immunomodulatory activities that counter the symptoms of tumors. The accumulation of Salmonella in tumor sites influences tumor protein expression, resulting in T cell infiltration. However, the molecular mechanism by which Salmonella activates T cells remains elusive. Many tumors have been reported to have high expressions of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), which is an important immune checkpoint molecule involved in tumor immune escape. In this study, Salmonella reduced the expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells. The expression levels of phospho-protein kinase B (P-AKT), phospho-mammalian targets of rapamycin (P-mTOR), and the phospho-p70 ribosomal s6 kinase (P-p70s6K) pathway were revealed to be involved in the Salmonella-mediated downregulation of PD-L1. In a tumor-T cell coculture system, Salmonella increased T cell number and reduced T cell apoptosis. Systemic administration of Salmonella reduced the expressions of PD-L-1 in tumor-bearing mice. In addition, tumor growth was significantly inhibited along with an enhanced T cell infiltration following Salmonella treatment. These findings suggest that Salmonella acts upon the immune checkpoint, primarily PD-L1, to incapacitate protumor effects and thereby inhibit tumor growth.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e22012-e22012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Vasquez ◽  
Anita Huttner ◽  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Asher Marks ◽  
Amy Chan ◽  
...  

e22012 Background: New treatments are needed to improve outcomes for pediatric gliomas. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective therapies in tumors with a high mutation burden that express multiple neo-antigens. However, for pediatric tumors that carry few mutations, there is a need to identify new antigenic targets of anti-tumor immunity. SOX2 is an embryonal stem cell antigen implicated in the biology of glioma initiating cells. Expression of SOX2 by pediatric glial tumors, and the capacity of the immune system in these patients to recognize SOX2, has not been studied. Methods: We examined the expression of SOX2 on paraffin-embedded tissue from pediatric glial tumors (n = 30). The presence of T cell immunity to SOX2 was examined in both blood and tumor-infiltrating T cells using antigen-dependent cytokine and T cell proliferation assays (n = 15). The nature of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in glial tumors (n = 4) was analyzed using single cell mass cytometry. Results: SOX2 is expressed by tumor cells but not surrounding normal tissue in all low grade gliomas (n = 15), high grade gliomas (n = 7), ependymomas (n = 3) and in 60% of oligodendrogliomas (n = 5). T cells against SOX2 can be detected in blood and tumor tissue in 33% of patients. CD4 and CD8 tumor infiltrating T-cells display a higher proportion of PD-1 expression compared to circulating T cells (p < 0.05). Glial CD4 and CD8 T cells are enriched for tissue resident memory phenotype (TRM; CD45RO+, CD69+, CCR7-) and the expression of PD-1 is primarily on these TRM cells (p < 0.05). A subset of CD4 and CD8 TRM cells also co-express multiple inhibitory checkpoints including PD-L1 and TIGIT. Glial tumors also contain NK cells with reduced expression of lytic granzyme (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our data demonstrate in vivo immunogenicity of SOX2, which is specifically overexpressed on pediatric glial tumor cells. Our data also suggest that the TRM subset of tumor-infiltrating T cells may be key targets for immune checkpoint blockade, and harnessing tumor immunity will likely require the combined targeting of multiple inhibitory checkpoints. Future efforts to target SOX2 with dendritic cell vaccines combined with immune checkpoint blockade could provide effective tumor immunity and improve outcomes in pediatric brain tumors.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganapathy Sriram ◽  
Lauren Milling ◽  
Jung-Kuei Chen ◽  
Wuhbet Abraham ◽  
Erika D. Handly ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTInhibition of immune checkpoints has shown promising results in the treatment of certain tumor types. However, the majority of cancers do not respond to immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) treatment, indicating the need to identify additional modalities that enhance the response to immune checkpoint blockade. In this study, we identified a tumor-tailored approach using ex-vivo DNA damaging chemotherapy-treated tumor cells as a live injured cell adjuvant. Using an optimized ex vivo system for dendritic cell-mediated T-cell IFN-γ induction in response to DNA-damaged tumor cells, we identified specific dose-dependent treatments with etoposide and mitoxantrone that markedly enhance IFN-γ production by T-cells. Unexpectedly, the immune-enhancing effects of DNA damage failed to correlate with known markers of immunogenic cell death or with the extent of apoptosis or necroptosis. Furthermore, dead tumor cells alone were not sufficient to promote DC cross-presentation and induce IFN-γ in T-cells. Instead, the enhanced immunogenicity resided in the fraction of injured cells that remained alive, and required signaling through the RIPK1, NF-kB and p38MAPK pathways. Direct in vivo translation of these findings was accomplished by intra-tumoral injection of ex vivo etoposide-treated tumor cells as an injured cell adjuvant, in combination with systemic anti-PD1/CTLA4 antibodies. This resulted in increased intra-tumoral CD103+ dendritic cells and circulating tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T-cells, leading to enhanced anti-tumor immune responses and improved survival. The effect was abrogated in BATF3-deficient mice indicating that BATF3+ DCs are required for appropriate T-cell stimulation by live but injured DNA-damaged tumor cells. Notably, injection of the free DNA-damaging drug directly into the tumor failed to elicit such an enhanced anti-tumor response as a consequence of simultaneous damage to dendritic cells and T-cells. Finally, the DNA damage induced injured cell adjuvant and systemic ICI combination, but not ICI alone, induced complete tumor regression in a subset of mice who were then able to reject tumor re-challenge, indicating induction of a long-lasting anti-tumor immunological memory by the injured cell adjuvant treatment in vivo.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiayu Wang ◽  
Hongya Wu ◽  
Yanjun Chen ◽  
Jinghan Zhu ◽  
Linqing Sun ◽  
...  

AbstractNegative immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy has shown potential for multiple malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC). B7-H5, a novel negative immune checkpoint regulator, is highly expressed in tumor tissues and promotes tumor immune escape. However, the clinical significance of B7-H5 expression in CRC and the role of B7-H5 in the tumor microenvironment (TME) has not been fully clarified. In this study, we observed that high B7-H5 expression in CRC tissues was significantly correlated with the lymph node involvement, AJCC stage, and survival of CRC patients. A significant inverse correlation was also observed between B7-H5 expression and CD8+ T-cell infiltration in CRC tissues. Kaplan−Meier analysis showed that patients with high B7-H5 expression and low CD8+ T-cell infiltration had the worst prognosis in our cohort of CRC patients. Remarkably, both high B7-H5 expression and low CD8+ T infiltration were risk factors for overall survival. Additionally, B7-H5 blockade using a B7-H5 monoclonal antibody (B7-H5 mAb) effectively suppressed the growth of MC38 colon cancer tumors by enhancing the infiltration and Granzyme B production of CD8+ T cells. Importantly, the depletion of CD8+ T cells obviously abolished the antitumor effect of B7-H5 blockade in the MC38 tumors. In sum, our findings suggest that B7-H5 may be a valuably prognostic marker for CRC and a potential target for CRC immunotherapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanne D. Reitsema ◽  
Rebeca Hid Cadena ◽  
Sander H. Nijhof ◽  
Wayel H. Abdulahad ◽  
Minke G. Huitema ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Immune checkpoints are crucial molecules in maintaining a proper immune balance. Even though age and sex are known to have effects on the immune system, the interplay between age, sex and immune checkpoint expression by T cells is not known. The aim of this study was to determine whether age and sex affect immune checkpoint expression by T cells and if age and sex affect the kinetics of immune checkpoint expression following ex vivo stimulation. In this study, whole blood samples of 20 healthy young adults (YA, 9 males and 11 females) and 20 healthy older adults (OA, 9 males and 11 females) were stained for lymphocyte lineage markers and immune checkpoints and frequencies of CD28+, PD-1+, VISTA+ and CD40L+ T cells were determined. Immune checkpoint expression kinetics were studied following ex vivo anti-CD3/anti-CD28 stimulation of T cells from young and older healthy adults. Results We report an age-associated increase of CD40L + CD4+ and CD40L + CD8+ T-cell frequencies, whereas CD40+ B-cell frequencies were decreased in older adults, suggesting modulation of the CD40L-CD40 interaction with age. Immune checkpoint expression kinetics revealed differences in magnitude between CD4+ and CD8+ T cells independent of age and sex. Further analysis of CD4+ T-cell subsets revealed an age-associated decrease of especially PD-1 + CD4+ memory T cells which tracked with the female sex. Conclusion Collectively, our results demonstrate that both age and sex modulate expression of immune checkpoints by human T cells. These findings may have implications for optimising vaccination and immune checkpoint immunotherapy and move the field towards precision medicine in the management of older patient groups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (17) ◽  
pp. 3441-3452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziqiang Wang ◽  
Kun Li ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Xiaoxia Wang ◽  
Yikun Huang ◽  
...  

AbstractThe elevated expression of immune checkpoints by the tumor microenvironment is associated with poor prognosis in several cancers due to the exhaustion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and the effective suppression of the expression of these genes is key to reversing the exhaustion of TILs. Herein, we determined that serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 2 (SRSF2) is a target for blocking the tumor microenvironment-associated immunosuppressive effects. We found that the expression of SRSF2 was increased in exhausted T cells and that SRSF2 was involved in multiple immune checkpoint molecules mediating TILs’ exhaustion. Furthermore, SRSF2 was revealed to regulate the transcription of these immune checkpoint genes by associating with an acyl-transferases P300/CBP complex and altering the H3K27Ac level near these genes, thereafter influencing the recruitment of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) to these gene promoters. Collectively, our data indicated that SRSF2 functions as a modulator of the anti-tumor response of T cells and may be a therapeutic target for reversing the exhaustion of TILs.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document