The impact of tumor stromal architecture on therapy response and clinical progression

Abstract— Advances in molecular oncology research culminated in the development of targeted therapies that act on defined molecular targets either on tumor cells directly (such as inhibitors of oncogenic kinases), or indirectly by targeting the tumor microenvironment (such as anti-angiogenesis drugs). These therapies can induce strong clinical responses, when properly matched to patients. Unfortunately, most targeted therapies ultimately fail as tumors evolve resistance. Tumors consist not only of neoplastic cells, but also of stroma, whereby “stroma” is the umbrella term for non-tumor cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) within the tumor microenvironment, possibly excluding immune cells1. We know that tumor stroma is an important player in the development of resistance. We also know that stromal architecture is spatially complex, differs from patient to patient and changes with therapy. However, to this date we do not understand the link between spatial and temporal changes in stromal architecture and response of tumors to therapy, in space and time. In this project we sought to address this gap of knowledge using a combination of mathematical and statistical modeling, experimental in vivo studies, and analysis of clinical samples in therapies that target tumor cells directly (in lung and breast cancers) and indirectly (in kidney cancer). This knowledge will inform therapy choices and offer new angles for therapeutic interventions. Our main question is: how does spatial architecture of stroma impact the emergence or evolution of resistance to targeted therapies, and how can we use this knowledge clinically?

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The Critical Interaction Between Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Positive B-Cells and Tumor Associated Macrophages (TAMs)

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v124.21.2989.2989 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 124 (21) ◽

pp. 2989-2989 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ai Sato ◽

Natsuko Yamakawa ◽

Kazuki Okuyama ◽

Ai Kotani ◽

Naoya Nakamura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

B Cells ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

B Cell Lymphoma ◽

The Elderly ◽

M2 Macrophages ◽

Tumor Associated Macrophages ◽

Lymphoma Cells ◽

The Impact

Abstract Introduction: EBV positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the elderly (EBV positive DLBCL, elderly) has been newly categorized in 2008 WHO classification. The incidence is higher in Asian countries than Western countries. The prognosis of DLBCL has been improved by the introduction of rituximab, while EBV positive DLBCL remains unknown. Recently we reported that EBV positive DLBCL of the elderly did have quit inferior prognosis than EBV negative DLBCL. The mechanism lying under the inferiority has yet been elucidated. We hypothesize that tumor microenvironment plays a role in the mechanism, as EBV related lymphoma are usually accompanied with massive infiltration of non-tumor cells. We have previously found that tumor secreted small RNAs were selectively taken by macrophages and dramatically change the character into tumor supporting phenotype in the EBV positive lymphoma. Accordingly, we focus the interaction between tumor cells and macrophages in EBV positive lymphoma microenvironment. Methods: We investigated the number of CD163-positive macrophage (CD163+M2) in the DLBCL specimen with and without EBV positivity. The effect of EBV positivity in the tumor cells on the macrophages infiltrated in the tumor were studied by use of the coculture system using human monocytic cell line (THP-1) and human Burkitt lymphoma cells lines (Akata) which has two subclones such as EBV positive and negative. PMA-induced macrophages from THP1 cells were cocultured with EBV positive or negative Akata, then the expression of the several cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-10, CXCL10, and VEGF were measured by real-time PCR. Finally, we tried to clarify the impact of the macrophages on tumor formation in vivo by using xeno-transplantation model. Hematopoietic humanized NOG mice were infected with EBV to induce EBV related lymphoproliferative disease (LPD). After the appearance of symptoms of the LPD such as body weight loss, mice were treated with Clodronate to deplete macrophages. Result: The multivariate analysis for DLBCL patients demonstrated the statistically significant association between both high scores of CD163+M2 macrophages (CD163-positive cell > 20%) and EBV positivity, and poor prognosis (p = 0.0084, 0.0020, respectively.), which implies that EBV affected the quantity of CD163+M2 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. Co-culture of THP1 with EBV positive lymphoma cells significantly upregulated CXCL10 and VEGF, when compared with EBV negative cells. (p = 0.0073, 0.0161, respectively.). (Figure 1) Most surprisingly, EBER positive B cells almost completely disappeared by macrophage depletion by Clodronate treatment (Figure 2). These results suggest that the macrophages in the EBV positive tumor microenvironment are crucial for survival of EBV+ tumor cells. Conclusion: EBV status of the lymphoma cells affected on TAMs in the way such as up-regulation of CXCR10 and VGEF, angiogenetic factors which are presumed to support tumor survival. The in vivo depletion of macrophages by Clodronate also demonstrated that they were indispensable for EBV positive tumor cell survival. Taken together, the interaction of EBV positive tumor cells and tumor associated macrophages is of crucial importance in the biology and formation of EBV positive lymphoma. Figure 1 Figure 1. Figure 2 Figure 2. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Differentiated glioblastoma cells accelerate tumor progression by shaping the tumor microenvironment via CCN1-mediated macrophage infiltration

Acta Neuropathologica Communications ◽

10.1186/s40478-021-01124-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Atsuhito Uneda ◽

Kazuhiko Kurozumi ◽

Atsushi Fujimura ◽

Kentaro Fujii ◽

Joji Ishida ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Tumor Progression ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

In Silico ◽

Tumor Tissue ◽

The Cancer Genome Atlas ◽

Macrophage Infiltration ◽

Macrophage Migration

AbstractGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most lethal primary brain tumor characterized by significant cellular heterogeneity, namely tumor cells, including GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) and differentiated GBM cells (DGCs), and non-tumor cells such as endothelial cells, vascular pericytes, macrophages, and other types of immune cells. GSCs are essential to drive tumor progression, whereas the biological roles of DGCs are largely unknown. In this study, we focused on the roles of DGCs in the tumor microenvironment. To this end, we extracted DGC-specific signature genes from transcriptomic profiles of matched pairs of in vitro GSC and DGC models. By evaluating the DGC signature using single cell data, we confirmed the presence of cell subpopulations emulated by in vitro culture models within a primary tumor. The DGC signature was correlated with the mesenchymal subtype and a poor prognosis in large GBM cohorts such as The Cancer Genome Atlas and Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project. In silico signaling pathway analysis suggested a role of DGCs in macrophage infiltration. Consistent with in silico findings, in vitro DGC models promoted macrophage migration. In vivo, coimplantation of DGCs and GSCs reduced the survival of tumor xenograft-bearing mice and increased macrophage infiltration into tumor tissue compared with transplantation of GSCs alone. DGCs exhibited a significant increase in YAP/TAZ/TEAD activity compared with GSCs. CCN1, a transcriptional target of YAP/TAZ, was selected from the DGC signature as a candidate secreted protein involved in macrophage recruitment. In fact, CCN1 was secreted abundantly from DGCs, but not GSCs. DGCs promoted macrophage migration in vitro and macrophage infiltration into tumor tissue in vivo through secretion of CCN1. Collectively, these results demonstrate that DGCs contribute to GSC-dependent tumor progression by shaping a mesenchymal microenvironment via CCN1-mediated macrophage infiltration. This study provides new insight into the complex GBM microenvironment consisting of heterogeneous cells.

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Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells: An Overview of Tumor-Mesenchymal Stem Cell Interaction for therapeutic interventions

Current Drug Targets ◽

10.2174/1389450122666210824142247 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

Author(s):

Soheila Montazersaheb ◽

Ezzatollah Fathi ◽

Ayoub Mamandi ◽

Raheleh Farahzadi ◽

Hamid Reza Heidari

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Cancer Stem Cells ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Cell Types ◽

Cell Interaction ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

Tumorigenic Potential ◽

Different Types

: Tumors are made up of different types of cancer cells that contribute to tumor heterogeneity. Among these cells, cancer stem cells (CSCs) have a significant role in the onset of cancer and development. Like other stem cells, CSCs are characterized by the capacity for differentiation and self-renewal. A specific population of CSCs is constituted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into mesoderm-specific cells. The pro-or anti-tumorigenic potential of MSCs on the proliferation and development of tumor cells has been reported as contradictory results. Also, tumor progression is specified by the corresponding tumor cells like the tumor microenvironment. The tumor microenvironment consists of a network of reciprocal cell types such as endothelial cells, immune cells, MSCs, and fibroblasts as well as growth factors, chemokines, and cytokines. In this review, recent findings related to the tumor microenvironment and associated cell populations, homing of MSCs to tumor sites, and interaction of MSCs with tumor cells will be discussed.

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Assessment of phagocytic activity in live macrophages-tumor cells co-cultures by Confocal and Nomarski Microscopy

Biology Methods and Protocols ◽

10.1093/biomethods/bpx002 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Dalia Martinez-Marin ◽

Courtney Jarvis ◽

Thomas Nelius ◽

Stéphanie Filleur

Keyword(s):

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Phagocytic Activity ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Cell Types ◽

Functional Assay ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Multiple Cancer

Abstract Macrophages have been recognized as the main inflammatory component of the tumor microenvironment. Although often considered as beneficial for tumor growth and disease progression, tumor-associated macrophages have also been shown to be detrimental to the tumor depending on the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, understanding the molecular interactions between macrophages and tumor cells in relation to macrophages functional activities such as phagocytosis is critical for a better comprehension of their tumor-modulating action. Still, the characterization of these molecular mechanisms in vivo remains complicated due to the extraordinary complexity of the tumor microenvironment and the broad range of tumor-associated macrophage functions. Thus, there is an increasing demand for in vitro methodologies to study the role of cell–cell interactions in the tumor microenvironment. In the present study, we have developed live co-cultures of macrophages and human prostate tumor cells to assess the phagocytic activity of macrophages using a combination of Confocal and Nomarski Microscopy. Using this model, we have emphasized that this is a sensitive, measurable, and highly reproducible functional assay. We have also highlighted that this assay can be applied to multiple cancer cell types and used as a selection tool for a variety of different types of phagocytosis agonists. Finally, combining with other studies such as gain/loss of function or signaling studies remains possible. A better understanding of the interactions between tumor cells and macrophages may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets against cancer.

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799 Neoantigen-cytokine-chemokine multifunctional natural killer cell engager for immunotherapy of solid tumors

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer ◽

10.1136/jitc-2021-sitc2021.799 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽

pp. A834-A834

Author(s):

Xue Yao ◽

Sandro Matosevic

Keyword(s):

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Cell Therapy ◽

Nk Cells ◽

Natural Killer ◽

Solid Tumors ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Nk Cell ◽

Killer Cell ◽

Nk Cell Therapy

BackgroundThe effectiveness of natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy against solid tumors is limited by the lack of specific antigens and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one such heavily immunosuppressive tumor that has been particularly hard to target and remains without a viable treatment. The development of novel approaches to enhance the efficacy of NK cells against GBM is urgently needed. NK cell engagers (NKCE) have been developed to enhance the efficacy of NK cell therapy.MethodsTo improve the clinical efficacy of NK cell therapy, we are developing a new generation of multi-specific killer engagers, which consists of a neoantigen-targeting moiety, together with cytokine and chemokine-producing domains. Neoantigens are new antigens formed specifically in tumor cells due to genome mutations, making them highly specific tools to target tumor cells. Our engager has been designed to target Wilms' tumor-1 (WT-1), a highly specific antigen overexpressed in GBM among other solid tumors. This is done through the generation of an scFv specific targeting the complex of WT-1126-134/HLA-A*02:01 on the surface of GBM. On the NK cell side, the engager is designed to target the activating receptor NKp46. Incorporation of the cytokine IL-15 within the engager supports the maturation, persistence, and expansion of NK cells in vivo while favoring their proliferation and survival in the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, our data indicated that the chemokine CXCL10 plays an important role in the infiltration of NK cells into GBM, however, GBM tumors produce low levels of this chemokine. Incorporation of a CXCL10-producing function into our engager supports intratumoral NK cell trafficking by promoting, through their synthetic production, increased levels of CXCL10 locally in the tumor microenvironment.ResultsCollectively, this has resulted in a novel multifunctional NK cell engager, combining neoantigen-cytokine-chemokine elements fused to an activating domain-specific to NK cells, and we have investigated its ability to support and enhance NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against solid tumors in vitro and in vivo against patient-derived GBM models. The multi-specific engager shows both high tumor specificity, as well as the ability to overcome NK cell dysfunction encountered in the GBM TME.ConclusionsWe hypothesize that taking advantage of our multi-functional engager, NK cells will exhibit superior ex vivo expansion, infiltration, and antitumor activity in the treatment of GBM and other solid tumors.

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Ultrasound and Transcriptomics Identify a Differential Impact of Cisplatin and Histone Deacetylation on Tumor Structure and Microenvironment in a Patient-Derived In Vivo Model of Gastric Cancer

Pharmaceutics ◽

10.3390/pharmaceutics13091485 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 1485

Author(s):

Aina Venkatasamy ◽

Eric Guerin ◽

Anais Blanchet ◽

Christophe Orvain ◽

Véronique Devignot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gastric Cancer ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Real Time ◽

Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Histone Deacetylation ◽

In Vivo Model ◽

Specific Cell ◽

The Impact

The reasons behind the poor efficacy of transition metal-based chemotherapies (e.g., cisplatin) or targeted therapies (e.g., histone deacetylase inhibitors, HDACi) on gastric cancer (GC) remain elusive and recent studies suggested that the tumor microenvironment could contribute to the resistance. Hence, our objective was to gain information on the impact of cisplatin and the pan-HDACi SAHA (suberanilohydroxamic acid) on the tumor substructure and microenvironment of GC, by establishing patient-derived xenografts of GC and a combination of ultrasound, immunohistochemistry, and transcriptomics to analyze. The tumors responded partially to SAHA and cisplatin. An ultrasound gave more accurate tumor measures than a caliper. Importantly, an ultrasound allowed a noninvasive real-time access to the tumor substructure, showing differences between cisplatin and SAHA. These differences were confirmed by immunohistochemistry and transcriptomic analyses of the tumor microenvironment, identifying specific cell type signatures and transcription factor activation. For instance, cisplatin induced an “epithelial cell like” signature while SAHA favored a “mesenchymal cell like” one. Altogether, an ultrasound allowed a precise follow-up of the tumor progression while enabling a noninvasive real-time access to the tumor substructure. Combined with transcriptomics, our results underline the different intra-tumoral structural changes caused by both drugs that impact differently on the tumor microenvironment.

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Detection of A-to-I RNA Editing in SARS-COV-2

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes13010041 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 41

Author(s):

Ernesto Picardi ◽

Luigi Mansi ◽

Graziano Pesole

Keyword(s):

Rna Editing ◽

Time Course ◽

Vero Cells ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Transcriptome Data ◽

Host Interactions ◽

Rnaseq Data ◽

The Impact

ADAR1-mediated deamination of adenosines in long double-stranded RNAs plays an important role in modulating the innate immune response. However, recent investigations based on metatranscriptomic samples of COVID-19 patients and SARS-COV-2-infected Vero cells have recovered contrasting findings. Using RNAseq data from time course experiments of infected human cell lines and transcriptome data from Vero cells and clinical samples, we prove that A-to-G changes observed in SARS-COV-2 genomes represent genuine RNA editing events, likely mediated by ADAR1. While the A-to-I editing rate is generally low, changes are distributed along the entire viral genome, are overrepresented in exonic regions, and are (in the majority of cases) nonsynonymous. The impact of RNA editing on virus–host interactions could be relevant to identify potential targets for therapeutic interventions.

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The MEMIC: An ex vivo system to model the complexity of the tumor microenvironment

Disease Models & Mechanisms ◽

10.1242/dmm.048942 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Libuše Janská ◽

Libi Anandi ◽

Nell C. Kirchberger ◽

Zoran S. Marinkovic ◽

Logan T. Schachtner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Tumor Stroma ◽

Stem Cell Differentiation ◽

Blood Stream ◽

Direct Access ◽

Ex Vivo Model

There is an urgent need for accurate, scalable, and cost-efficient experimental systems to model the complexity of the tumor microenvironment. Here, we detail how to fabricate and use the Metabolic Microenvironment Chamber (MEMIC) – a 3D-printed ex vivo model of intratumoral heterogeneity. A major driver of the cellular and molecular diversity in tumors is the accessibility to the blood stream that provides key resources such as oxygen and nutrients. While some tumor cells have direct access to these resources, many others must survive under progressively more ischemic environments as they reside further from the vasculature. The MEMIC is designed to simulate the differential access to nutrients and allows co-culturing different cell types, such as tumor and immune cells. This system is optimized for live imaging and other microscopy-based approaches, and it is a powerful tool to study tumor features such as the effect of nutrient scarcity on tumor-stroma interactions. Due to its adaptable design and full experimental control, the MEMIC provide insights into the tumor microenvironment that would be difficult to obtain via other methods. As a proof of principle, we show that cells sense gradual changes in metabolite concentration resulting in multicellular spatial patterns of signal activation and cell proliferation. To illustrate the ease of studying cell-cell interactions in the MEMIC, we show that ischemic macrophages reduce epithelial features in neighboring tumor cells. We propose the MEMIC as a complement to standard in vitro and in vivo experiments, diversifying the tools available to accurately model, perturb, and monitor the tumor microenvironment, as well as to understand how extracellular metabolites affect other processes such as wound healing and stem cell differentiation.

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NIR Bioluminescence Probe Enables Discovery of Diet-Induced Modulation of the Tumor Microenvironment via Nitric Oxide

10.26434/chemrxiv.14176835.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anuj K Yadav ◽

Michael C. Lee ◽

Melissa Lucero ◽

Christopher J. Reinhardt ◽

ShengZhang Su ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitric Oxide ◽

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Tumor Progression ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cellular Systems ◽

Tissue Imaging ◽

Molecular Evidence ◽

No Production ◽

The Impact

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a critical role in acute and chronic inflammation. NO’s contributions to cancer are of particular interest due to its context-dependent bioactivities. For example, immune cells initially produce cytotoxic quantities of NO in response to the nascent tumor. However, it is believed that this fades over time and reaches a concentration that supports the tumor microenvironment (TME). These complex dynamics are further complicated by other factors, such as diet and oxygenation, making it challenging to establish a complete picture of NO’s impact on tumor progression. Although many activity-based sensing (ABS) probes for NO have been developed, only a small fraction have been employed in vivo and fewer yet are practical in cancer models where the NO concentration is < 200 nM. To overcome this outstanding challenge, we have developed BL660-NO, the first ABS probe for NIR bioluminescence imaging of NO in cancer. Owing to the low intrinsic background, high sensitivity, and deep tissue imaging capabilities of our design, BL660-NO was successfully employed to visualize endogenous NO in cellular systems, a human liver metastasis model, and a murine breast cancer model. Importantly, its exceptional performance facilitated the design of a dietary study to examine the impact of NO on the TME by varying the intake of fat. BL660-NO provides the first direct molecular evidence that intratumoral NO becomes elevated in mice fed a high-fat diet who became obese with larger tumors compared to control animals on a low-fat diet. These results indicate that an inflammatory diet can increase NO production via recruitment of macrophages and overexpression of iNOS which in turn can drive tumor progression.

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Thioholgamide A, a New Anti-Proliferative Anti-Tumor Agent, Modulates Macrophage Polarization and Metabolism

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers12051288 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1288 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Charlotte Dahlem ◽

Wei Xiong Siow ◽

Maria Lopatniuk ◽

William K. F. Tse ◽

Sonja M. Kessler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tumor Microenvironment ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Cell Metabolism ◽

Macrophage Polarization ◽

Human Monocyte ◽

Live Cell ◽

Hallmarks Of Cancer ◽

Culture Models

Natural products represent powerful tools searching for novel anticancer drugs. Thioholgamide A (thioA) is a ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide, which has been identified as a product of Streptomyces sp. MUSC 136T. In this study, we provide a comprehensive biological profile of thioA, elucidating its effects on different hallmarks of cancer in tumor cells as well as in macrophages as crucial players of the tumor microenvironment. In 2D and 3D in vitro cell culture models thioA showed potent anti-proliferative activities in cancer cells at nanomolar concentrations. Anti-proliferative actions were confirmed in vivo in zebrafish embryos. Cytotoxicity was only induced at several-fold higher concentrations, as assessed by live-cell microscopy and biochemical analyses. ThioA exhibited a potent modulation of cell metabolism by inhibiting oxidative phosphorylation, as determined in a live-cell metabolic assay platform. The metabolic modulation caused a repolarization of in vitro differentiated and polarized tumor-promoting human monocyte-derived macrophages: ThioA-treated macrophages showed an altered morphology and a modulated expression of genes and surface markers. Taken together, the metabolic regulator thioA revealed low activities in non-tumorigenic cells and an interesting anti-cancer profile by orchestrating different hallmarks of cancer, both in tumor cells as well as in macrophages as part of the tumor microenvironment.

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